So, right now I am in Los Angeles at the Mobile Off-Deck conference in Los Angeles. But this Friday I will flying up to Stanford University for the annual Mobile Persuasion conference where I will be speaking at 9:15am on a panel entitled “Big ideas in Mobile Persuasion: Changing our politics, our environment, and ourselves” where I am cited to speak about using mobile phones for social change and how that relates to “persuasion.”
It should be interesting considering whenever I usually speak on this topic I normally talk about how Mobile is not a persuasion medium when it comes to politics. But since being asked to speak at the conference I have been thinking more about this issue lately.
So, if you are in the Palo Alto area stop by for what promises to be some really interesting conversations and presentations!
AlwaysOn Media is where cutting-edge technology CEOs from the back streets of Silicon Valley meet the global advertising and media establishment. This two-and-a-half-day executive event features CEO presentations and high-level debates on which forces are disrupting user behavior and creating new opportunities in the marketing, branding, advertising, and public relations industries.
Not in, NYC? No problem. There have a live webcast forum… where viewers can easily chat with one another, ask the moderator questions, and get in-depth information about the speakers. Check it out.
Here are my recommendations:
(Please note, all panels will be archived)
How Can Advertisers Go Mobile?
January 31, 2007; 8:30-9:30
Marketta Silvera, CEO, Apptera
Tero Ojanpera, CTO, Nokia
Ian Johnson, CEO, Ad Infuse
Marc Barach, CMO, Ingenio
Michael Baker, CEO, EnpocketDavid Carlick, Managing Director, VantagePoint Venture Partner
Mobile Marketing & Advertising
January 30, 2007; 9:30-10:15
DeWayne Nelon, CEO, Ortiva Wireless
Richard Marshall, Rapid-Mobile
Scott Beaumont, CEO, Refresh Mobile
Scott Hamilton, CEO, VoodooVoxJonathan Medved, CEO, Vringo
Mobile Marketing & Advertising 2 January 31, 2007; 10:30-11:15
Myxer.com (a service of mVisible), known for being a place where you can easily make and share mobile content (especially, but not limited to Ringtones), today announced the launch of MyxerMagic – a free download that lets users send any online image to their mobile phone right from their existing web browser (kind of like the Google Send To Phone extension but goes way beyond text!). From my first looks at the product it appears that MyxerMagic truly eliminates the need for file downloads, format conversions, serial or Bluetooth connections, and other tedious operations that have previously been required to get content to mobile phones.
The browser extension can be downloaded for free at www.myxermagic.com. Essentially, It extends the functionality of Internet Explorer or Firefox to add a “Myxer - Send image to phone!†command into the right mouse-click menu. Users also have the ability to send images to friends’ and family members’ mobile phones (spam potential?).
But of course, for those of you that are anal about your mobile content , MyxerMagic comes with a powerful web-based image editor to re-size, re-shape, or otherwise manipulate images to best fit a phone’s display. Like all of Myxer’s functionality, MyxerMagic works with ANY mobile device (that accepts MMS) and is carrier-independent, meaning it doesn’t matter which provider the user’s phone is with or what plan they are on.
“Myxer is about more than just customizing your mobile phone with ringtones and wallpapers – it’s really about leveraging the respective strengths of the internet and the mobile phone to make digital content easily discoverable and accessible anywhere you are,†said Myk Willis, founder and chief technology officer of mVisible Technologies, Inc., the company behind Myxer. “MyxerMagic completely rewrites the rules of how user-generated content is consumed, because for the first time ever, all digital content is one click away from being mobile content.â€
And he is right! In the future Willis envisions expanding the service to be able to pull ANY web content, from video, sound clips video, text, whatever, thus truly turning any web content into mobile content.
The potential for this taking off is huge. The ability to scrape content form any online venue or site or home-page (besides creating possible copy-write issues) has immense possibilities especially in the areas of viral marketing and messaging. Imagine something like a politician saying something stupid. Within an hour its on the web and within another our people are simply ubiquitously right clicking their mouse and sending the sound clip to their mobile phone as a ringtone. Or perhaps a picture of Tom Cruise delivering a baby on the side of an LA freeway makes its way onto the web. Technology like Myxermagic makes it easy to spread it to mobile wall papers throughout the country.
Of course MMS message rates will apply but I think that MMS has finally found an application to bring it to the marketing forefront.
Over the last 10 years, the camera phone has come a long way. It should come as no surprise that the camera phone was born to mark a birth (The first recorded camera phone photo was of the birth of the inventor’s daughter). Philippe Kahn linked his phone and digital camera together (with a few Radio Shack wires) to quickly and efficiently share photos of the special first moments of life with his friends and family online.
The camera phone has morphed from family photos into news breaking content. Slate Magazine’s video, Curse of the Camera Phone, said it best:
“We’ll see the best of things. We’ll see the worst of things. We’ll see everything.”
With every great thing instant photos and videos offer there is also a negative. Camera photos and videos of the London bombing allowed us to see first hand what was happening and what it was like… but it has also led to the down fall of celebrities like Michael Richard’s with his racist comments and Kate Moss and her coke habit. No one is able to get out of the public eye. Where I really see camera phones playing a significant role is not keeping us up-to-date on pop stars… but in politics and our next presidential race.
Politics is no longer party driven, but candidate driven. In the 08 Presidential cycle, we are going to see all rules of campaigns shaping public perception thrown out the window. Citizens will vote not based on party politics, stump speeches, or top down campaign messages. It will be mishaps, blunders, and seeing the candidate in the raw that will affect voting results. If you think the Macaca incident was bad, just wait until a presidential contender says something dumb and it turns into the most popular ringtone.
Google has filed a patent detailing the process of serving ads to mobile phones and other similar devices.
The patent includes images of how the ads might appear as well as details on how users can interact and use the information given. Google Internet ads are mainly links to the advertisers website. Mobile ads need to be slightly different, as users tend to want immediate answers without browsing through websites on a small screen. They also want relevant personally directed content (based on location, activity, and patterns – something that has set Google apart in the past).
A method and system for presenting promotional content to a user of a communication device involves receiving information from a communication device, where the information relates to the communication device, and identifying a result relating to the information that is capable of being presented in a plurality of formats on the communication device, and dynamically selecting a format for the result from among the plurality of formats, and presenting the result in the selected format for display by the communication device.
At breakfast this morning, a friend made a joke about the anxiety one blogger felt when being away from his computer for more than just a few hours. I guess his parents were getting upset they never saw him and he didn’t change out of his pajamas and stuff…. And while yes this anecdote is seemingly funny, at the same time it wasn’t because um, that’s the way I am with my phone. And I guess I am not the only one! The University of Florida released a study earlier this week in regards to anxiety people feel when away from their phones.
Although cellular phones and personal digital assistants such as the BlackBerry were created to make modern life more convenient, they’re actually beginning to interfere in the lives of users who don’t know when to turn them off, says Lisa Merlo, an assistant professor of psychiatry in the UF College of Medicine.
“It’s not so much talking on the phone that’s typically the problem although that can have consequences too,” Merlo said. “(It’s) this need to be connected, to know what’s going on and be available to other people. That’s one of the hallmarks of cell phone addiction.”
Unlike addictions to alcohol, drugs or even gambling, it can be hard to pinpoint problematic cell phone use. Almost everyone has a cell phone and uses it regularly. But if someone can’t get through dinner without sending text messages or furiously typing on a personal digital assistant during a meeting, it may be time to t
Hmm… I may send text message during dinner, but, idk, is that really a sign of addiction? Wait, I think I made it through breakfast without looking at it
Selling mobile marketing in politics is not always the easiest. A main concern I hear from clients is that they are worried about spamming… they realize mobile phones are personal and could have a huge negative effect on their brand.
Neela Pundit and Charles Rossop are not helping me out. They kindly sent 5 million unsolicited text messages to cell phones across the country. Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan has filed suit against them.
“Cell phone spam isn’t just a nuisance, it can potentially hit you in the pocket too. Often mobile spam messages may tell you just to call back a certain number, only for the recipient to find they are unwittingly making a premium rate call,” said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for Sophos. “Although it’s a long way to go before SMS text spam is anything like as big a problem as regular email spam, we are hearing more reports of cell phone users being targeted. Users should report SMS abuse to their phone network providers and think carefully before acting upon unsolicited text messages.”
“During the past decade, cell phones have dramatically changed the communication habits of American consumers,†said Serge Matta, senior vice president of comScore Telecommunications Solutions. “While the youngest consumers grew up with the technology, those just a few years older did not, resulting in some pronounced differences in attitudes and behaviors towards cell phone usage across the various user segments. As cell phones continue to evolve in terms of design, functionality, and features, it is vital that cell phone providers and manufacturers understand the differing needs and desires of these distinct consumer segments.â€
Based on a survey of U.S. consumers who use a wireless phone, this report analyzes differences in behavior and attitudes among the following key wireless consumer segments:
The Cellular Generation – Ages 18 to 24, these young adults grew up with cell phone awareness, experiencing cell phones as a part of their everyday lives.
Transitioners – Ages 25 to 34, these people fall in between two distinct groups: those who grew up with cell phone knowledge and those who did not. Cell phones began to infiltrate everyday life during their teen years and early adulthood.
Adult Adopters – Age 35 or older, this group was not exposed to cell phone until adulthood. Adult Adopters tend to have the most functional view of cell phones, with many requiring just the basics and showing limited interest in emerging technologies.
Cellular Generation Views Their Cell Phones as Accessories
Cell phones offer far more than simply a means of voice communication. They can provide entertainment, convey social status, and express one’s individuality. While consumers in both the Cellular Generation and Transitioners are likely to view their cell phones as multi-dimensional devices, adult adopters tend to have a more functional view. Approximately one-quarter of both the Cellular Generation (26 percent) and Transitioners (25 percent) said that “trendiness†was of high importance when selecting a cell phone, as compared to just 10 percent of Adult Adopters. Additionally, 41 percent of Cellular Generation consumers strongly agree with the statement “I like my cell phone to be personalized†with options such as color schemes and ring tones, while only 19 percent of Adult Adopters feel the same.
Transitioners Most Likely to Access the Internet on their Cell Phones
More than three-quarters of both the Cellular Generation and Transitioners have the option to access the Internet on their cell phones, but Transitioners (29 percent) are more likely to subscribe to Internet services than the Cellular Generation (23 percent). Adult adopters have been the slowest to adopt this behavior, with just 13 percent currently subscribing to the Internet on their cell phones while 42 percent either lack, or are unaware of the option of doing so.
I moderated a panel on mobile and politics yesterday for the e-voter institute. We had a pretty diverse group of speakers: Sarah Lumbard, from the washingtonpost.com/ Newsweek Interactive addressed WAP sites: who goes to them and why. Next, Dan Weaver, from Mobile Accord. Mobile Accord is responsible for across the isle mobile campaigns. They recently worked on the RNC and League of Young Voters. He brings to the table a wealth of technical and strategic mobile marketing campaigns. Next we have Mindy Finn, an old classmate, and the person responsible for Santorum’s mobile efforts in 06. Finally, we had Peter Kelly from Aristotle, the guys who can bring all of your consumer and voter data together in one place.
This panel was a bit different than what I have seen before in the mobile/political space. It was not a conglomerate of sale’s pitches, but instead, it was a mix of mobile 101: how to and key results: what has worked and what has not.
A few interesting points were:
Sarah: You should think of WAP news sites as snacking. It is what people are doing on their way somewhere… but they don’t have time for the whole story, so they just share a bit of the information. Also, News WAP pages are growing and expanding. Their key audience are very capable users who are news junkies.
Dan: RNC pulled roughly the same number of mobile participants off of a splash page on their website as the League of Young voters did going door to door for a couple of months.
Mindy: Out of 250 women attending a Santorum event, about 230 people registered for the mobile campaign. The other 20 just did not have cell phones.
Peter: Aristotle has a great attachment for PDAs that swiped credit cards on the fly.
Take a look at the video here: the mobile panel starts about 30 minutes in and lasts for 45 minutes.
So, right now I am in Los Angeles at the Mobile Off-Deck conference in Los Angeles. But this Friday I will flying up to Stanford University for the annual Mobile Persuasion conference where I will be speaking at 9:15am on a panel entitled “Big ideas in Mobile Persuasion: Changing our politics, our environment, and ourselves” where I am cited to speak about using mobile phones for social change and how that relates to “persuasion.”
