Posts tagged mobile internet
Why ask the Doctor, when you can just ask your phone?
Aug 18th
Got the sniffles? Feeling under the weather? Never fear, there’s a new Doctor in the house.
With more smartphones in use, it’s hardly surprising that people are turning to mobile applications for actionable health-related information.
Seventy eight per cent of Stateside consumers have expressed an interest in using their their phones to diagnose and find cures for their ailments.
The new age of comms us seeing smartphone owners interacting with physicians via mobile and wireless monitoring for a variety of medical conditions.
Want even more proof? The mobile app for the iPhone from leading healthcare site WebMD had 1.6 million downloads in its first three months.
All in all it signals a new era, opening the door for health IT companies and healthcare providers.
But how should marketers in the health sector best approach mobile?
A new report, Mobile Health 2010 aims to provide some answers and advice on the topic. It’s been developed by Dr. Mary Cronin and provided as a resource by Renu Mobile. Best of all it’s free to download.
Highlights of best practice include:
Best Practice: Smartphone Health Apps
• Clarify the intended use and target user of the application to provide integration with relevant mobile heath resources and options to extend the value of the app.
• Design apps with a keen eye toward user safety and health care data security.
• Example: Healthagen’s iTriage App allows access to prescription information and a history of previous care for keeping track of multiple prescriptions and care providers for their family members.
Best Practice: Mobile Web Design
• Make it easy for mobile web users with smaller screens to navigate for site information and services by limiting large graphics and animations.
• Provide a prominent search box and provide search results in a quick review with clear descriptions of each link.
• Example: The Mayo Clinic is targeting all mobile consumers by developing mobile browser compatible web sites that highlight most-used resources.
So maybe the next time you reach for the Kleenex, maybe it should be for the phone instead…
Putting your brand in the right hands
Aug 11th
By Mat Diss, Co-Founder, bemoko
Back in 2008, IBM released survey results which suggested more than 50% of people would gladly substitute their PC web for mobile web. The reasoning behind this is pretty straightforward, because it enables the consumer to make a choice as to when and where they connect, whether in private, out and about, and when inspired by other influencers.
There’s clearly a strong wish from consumers to embrace the mobile internet, but sadly the reality, even now in today’s smartphone led world is that getting ‘online’ can be a pretty awful experience. And that’s not good for marketing your brand.
You’ll know what I mean if you have tried to call up a site only to have to squint to read the text, or suffered badly pixellated text when you pinch and zoom in. Ever visited a site with a store locator or a login? Smartphones are usually GPS enabled, they know where and who you are! And if you hit a site with Flash, well that effectively triples the page download time, if it works at all.
So why can’t sites be instantly clear and navigable on the mobile screen? Why can’t images be delivered in the right size and resolution for the screen’s capability? Crucially why can’t content be personalised for me without having to ask? Here’s the thing, they can – but only if brands take time to put some thought into the creation of their mobile website. Given that the branded website is one of the most powerful marketing tools in your arsenal it beggars belief that the mobile opportunity is so often misunderstood, or worse still overlooked.
Here then, are five simple steps you need to consider when marketing on mobile:
1. Discover – Ways of finding a site can come from social media, SMS, QR code stickers, mobile email, search, promotions and the oldest of marketing options – posters and signs.
2. Engage – seize the opportunity to engage with your consumer, keep the site social, conversational, make it relevant, and reward your visitors
3. Trust – Your brand is in their hand, so it needs to look and feel right. According to a recent survey by Monotype, “86% of survey respondents in the UK would not trust a communication from a source they often use, if the details were sent in an unfamiliar font.” The user experience must be perfect, and it must present a level of quality equal to the brand. You realistically have one shot at hooking your consumer, so you need to make it count.
4. Measure – Analytics are your friend, they can identify good performance, root out the bad, and provide crucial feedback that lets you improve your site. And that’s important because you must…
5. Repeat – by delivering a social, valuable service the consumer will want to return, and in the best case scenario will become your brand ambassador and take your site viral.
One day we’ll just call it the web, whether we are desk surfing, or hopping online wherever we are. Right now the mobile web offers huge potential to extend marketing campaigns. We can finally drive functional content onto devices wherever you are, with the right branded look and feel that ensures a warm familiarity, and so deliver long term engagement with the customer.
Brits love visiting social sites via mobile
Apr 8th
UK internet users make the most of social networking sites via their mobile phones, according to new research from InSites Consulting.
The research found that 32% of UK internet users surf social media sites using their mobiles, while the European average in 26%. The global percentage is also 26%.
The figures aren’t surprising as thanks to the likes of the iPhone and Andorid handsets, surfing the internet via mobile has become somewhat second nature.
In fact, many are no longer even logging on to the internet via their home computers…they have it in their hands via their mobile handsets which they are also using at home.
Race is on for publishers large and small to get mobile
Mar 23rd
Think publishing. Think revenue generation. Think multi-platform. Or your future might look pretty bleak.
Going mobile is nothing new to publishers. After all, how many years has WAP been around, never mind the smart phone.
But the planned launch of the iPad and it’s potential to revolutionise media and publishing is encouraging on those publishers to take action.
The reasons are simple. Going digital – and mobile - opens up the door on alternative revenue steams.
It’s something we’ve touched on a few times, most recently with the launch of Skimkits, but as tech advances, so do the opportunties.
However while major publishers may have had the budget and resources to make the digital leap, it’s not been so easy for smaller players such as bloggers.
A new development may be set to change all that. A new tool has been released that allows publishers to create and monetise a mobile version of their website, turning RSS feeds and web pages into mobile pages.
The best news is that Mobilizer, as developed by BuzzCity, is a free service, with no hosting fees, and free publisher support.
It allows publishers to start earning mobile display advertising revenue with a payout of up to 65 per cent of total ad revenues. Publishers are able to choose the type of adverts that will appear on their mobile website as well as the number of ads and their position.
“It is common knowledge that consumer behaviour is shifting. Reading habits evolved from print-based media to web-based media and now mobile media is really coming in to play,” explains KF Lai, CEO of BuzzCity.
“It is vital that publishers are making their content readily available on the mobile. Many have invested in apps for the iPhone but this will only serve a small section of the market.”
In addition, publishers receive a unique QR code to display on their website, newspaper or magazine.
Users with a camera phone equipped with the correct reader software can scan the image of the QR Code causing the phone’s browser to launch and redirect to the programmed URL.
The simple act of reading may never be the same again…
Can’t afford a TAG Heuer watch? Try it on online in real time.
Mar 17th
Got a spare grand in the bank? Thought not. But you still fancy some stylish wrist action? TAG Heuer is providing the answer by jumping on the augmented reality bandwagon.
A new pioneering app on its website, live “from the end of the month” will allow poverty-stricken consumers to try on a selection of virtual watches in full 3D in real-time.
Consumers will be able to access the tool from their own computers or laptops but a number of store consoles are also being rolled out to enhance the in-store virtual experience.
Consumers visiting the TAG Heuer website will be able to download software, print out a Tag Heuer wrist-band and experience, through a web-cam, a selection of this seasons watches in full 3D as if they were actually wearing them in front of their computer.
The benefits to retailers? Well, the technology platform offers significant additional business benefits by enabling brands to support test marketing, just-in-time capacity, present extended ranges and build a virtual sales assistant to expand staff availability, in addition to supporting displays at exhibitions and in store.
Developed by Holition, the programme allows users to change products, colours and styles at the touch of a button. Augmented Reality 3D viewing is possible when the user wears a symbol and stands in front of a web cam.
On screen the technology merges the 3D object into real-time video of the person so that the product can be viewed from all angles as the user moves their body.
Intrigued? Well we have a sneak preview video showing the tool in action.
“As part of TAG Heuer’s avant-garde heritage, we always strive to be the brand leader in design, precision and cutting edge technology,” said Antoine Pin, CEO LVMH Watch & Jewellery UK. “We are very proud to be pioneers in this new field.”
With luxury brands becoming more savvy as they attempt to claw their way out of the recession it’s an innovative step forward.
It’s one very assured step on from those luxury retailers such as Prada and Louis Vuitton who have just realised that you can actually sell goods online rather than people having to stumble into your Bond Street or Sloane Street stores. Amazing.
But with luxury brands having the financial clout to embrace AG, its perhaps interesting to see them following rather than leading in some ways.
So, for example, on UTalkMarketing recently we talked about an independent clothing company for children championing the tech, on the back of a collaboration with ad agency Brothers and Sisters.
But without question the tech is there for all to harness. All that’s required now is a little imagination.
Head of digital strategy at marketing communications agency, KLP, Stephen Beasley, provides some inspiration on how brands can move beyond the Augmented Reality hype and turn it into practice.
Location-based mobile advertising enters a new era
Feb 25th
Location-based mobile advertising. There’s been a lot of talk, but not a lot of action with only a few brands taking advantage of the tool to drive footfall into their stores.
But if a new experiment from North Face takes off we could see a significant uplift in the practice.
The outdoor apparel retailer is to send mobile users text messages whenever users are near a store – the first time the brand has targeted customers depending on their physical location.
The tech involves ‘geo-fencing’, which draws a virtual perimeter around a particular location, and is being managed by Placecast, a location-based mobile ad company in San Francisco.
In urban areas, the fences are up to half a mile around stores, and in suburban areas they are up to a mile around stores. When a mobile user enters the geo-fenced area they receive a text message is sent - but only if they have opted in to receive messages.
Placecast uses the phone’s GPS signal and location data provided by carriers to companies to determine the location of users.
For now, according to the New York Times, the North Face will send texts about promotions, like a free water bottle with a purchase, and new arrivals, because the company’s gear is heavily seasonal.
A text message might say, for example, “TNF: The new spring running apparel has hit the stores! Check it out @ TNF Downtown Seattle.”
But as things develop, the retailer plans to eventually send branded texts when people arrive at a hiking trail or mountain to alert them about weather conditions or logistics for a ski competition.
According to Forrester Research advertisers are projected to spend $561 million on mobile this year and $1.3 billion by 2014. And location-based marketing will play a major role.
North Face’s experiment has set a new benchmark for mobile advertisers and others brands are jumping on board with five more companies working with Placecast on similar campaigns.
Our lives may never be the same again. So next time you leave a gig and receive a message from a local restaurant, you’ll know why.
iPhone apps boost mCommerce shopping experience
Dec 4th
Big things are predicted for mCommerce. eBay’s recent ‘Deals’ app was launched on the back of predictions that by the end of this year it expects more than $500 million in merchandise to be purchased via eBay mobile.
Launched just a year ago, the eBay iPhone app has been downloaded more than five million times – making it one of the most popular iPhone apps.
The company also claims a purchase is made every two seconds via eBay mobile and that users from over 165 countries visit the eBay mobile website and use the iPhone application.
For mCommerce to be a success it’s all down to apps being easy for consumers to use and them then working cleverly to make lives easier.
Which is why a new one has caught our eye that uses high tech to make the most of an old tech device – the barcode.
‘StripeyLines’ allows shoppers to swipe the barcode on goods they are considering for a price comparison and then saves these goods and profiles as a wish list on the StripeyLines website for later research and evaluation.
It’s already got the backing of Iceland and Tesco through its TJAM initiative., with more retailers set to jump on board.
So in the run-up to Christmas or during sale events it could be used to allow visitors to affiliated retail stores to touch and feel products while on the shop floor then use their iPhone to scan the barcode of their desired products and collect them later at a “customer collection point”, or scan them and add them to online wish lists.
Alternatively, in-store, or later over a coffee, shoppers can review what they’ve scanned to make an informed decision and perform further research before purchasing the items from their iPhone or desktop PC.
Scanned barcodes can be used to gain access to generic images and details via either the retailer’s adapted version of their catalogue or through look-up search engines such as Amazon, eBay, iTunes and Google.
Shoppers can choose to carry out a number of different actions on a scanned item including the ability to search for the item on Tesco.com and then add it to their online Tesco’s Grocery account shopping basket.
It opens up a world of additional possibilities. What if having scanned a product the user plans to eat or drink, the application could update how much the nutritional value of that product contributes to their daily allowance and calculates the number of calories they have remaining? Such a development is already in planning.
Retailer specific barcodes (the shorter 8 digit barcodes found on own brands) are being added to the StripeyLines search as retailers make them available. The first retailer to provide this data is Iceland Foods with data also being made available from Tesco.
The flip side are the advantages for retailers who don’t want to developing their own iPhone application.
The StripeyLines app enables them to develop simple plug-ins that are beamed to shoppers’ iPhones and highlight certain lines and promotions when related items are scanned.
It allows them to integrate their stores with a product show room on an iPhone where shoppers can ‘touch and feel’ items and use capture/scan technology to deliver enhanced product data, access the website, create wish lists, receive recommendations, and cross sell suggestions - limited only by the retailer’s vision.
Following the launch in July 2007, sales of the iPhone and iPod Touch had reached 43 million units globally in 81 countries by April 2009, with over 35,000 applications hosted in the Apple store. Recently 30,000 iPhones were sold in the UK on the Orange network on the first day of sale, according to the operator.
“iPhone users are early adopters, technology savvy and are eager to embrace new lifestyle options and services,” explained Paul Tough, CTO of Portaltech, the company which has developed StripeyLines.
If it takes off, the StripeyLines iPhone app has the potential to change the face of shopping for consumers, making it possible for retailers to deliver enhanced mobile shopping services in store to implement a true multichannel strategy with minimal development and investment.
“As it’s a plug-in extension to their existing web technology, retailers don’t have to learn about a new technology and they can update and disseminate information in a true multi-channel environment, enabling them to merge the online and in-store experience so it is seamless and convenient, added Tough.
Why do marketers get branded iPhone apps so wrong?
Dec 1st
With over with over 100,000 applications on the iTunes App Store, brands are left with the dilemma of how to get their offerings noticed.
So what’s the secret of becoming a hit? What’s the magic formula that will get you on someone’s phone and close to them 24/7?
According to a new report from Adweek.com, two factors come into play.
Firstly, it argues that brands operating in the digital space have the advantage over non-digital brands.
No great surprise there. Unsurprisingly they get the space, how it operates and the needs and wants of online users. Oh, and they already have a profile in the online sector.
The second is ‘Utility’ – offering something of value to customer.
Any marketer is faced with the challenge of persuading consumers that their product/service is something they can’t live without.
It’s no different in marketing apps. Bottom line is do some research and do it early. If the feed back is that what the app is offering is rubbish, it’s most likely rubbish.
But don’t simply our word for it.
According to VP of Business Development at Symsource, Tim Ocock, in a recent article on UTalkMarketing.com the three guiding priciples for any brand developing an app should be.
1. Make sure you understand the capabilities and limitations of the technology.
2. Do something that can only be done on mobile.
3. Build something useful, not a gimmick
Ahhh, ‘something useful’ as in a Utility then! Have we made our point?
Why you need to create ‘made for mobile’ websites
Nov 26th
Having a website isn’t enough for brands. You need to go mobile!
Mobile web browser Opera Mini has said that usage around the world has jumped 11% in just a month, highlighting the importance of brands having a presence of the web.
Data transfers have gained 16% as around 40 million people used Opera Mini in October. That’s an 11.3% increase from September 2009 and more than 155% compared to October 2008.
As mobile web use is clearly growing rapidly, it is important that your site has not only a good, usable mobile presence, but it is also essential that it be visible in mobile search.
These days, as a marketer, you can’t ignore mobile users. The rate at which consumers are accessing the web via mobile devices is growing rapidly, largely thanks to the increasing popularity and production of smartphones. This opens up a whole new platform from which to reach people with ads and it is certainly not enough to just get by with banners, search and display as they’d appear on the ‘normal’ web.
Many companies and brands have spent the last couple of years or so redesigning their web pages to fit the mobile screen. The introduction of apps has meant these brands and companies can have a completely new product available for the web and it’s made to size.
Just having a mobile site isn’t even enough anymore. Users have to be able to find it and just because you have a good ranking in Google does not mean that your mobile site has a good ranking in Google’s mobile search engine, or is even indexed at all.
Google recently shared a few important tips for making sure your mobile site is being indexed in Google’s Mobile Search:
1. Create a mobile sitemap and submit it to Google so Google knows it exists. This can be done using Google Webmaster Tools, just like with a regular sitemap.
2. To make sure Googlebot-Mobile can access your site, allow any User-agent to access it (you should also be aware that Google may change its User-agent information at any time without notice, so it is not recommended that you check if the User-agent exactly matches ‘Googlebot-Mobile’).
3. Check that your mobile-friendly URLs’ DTD (Doc Type Definition) declaration is in an appropriate mobile format such as XHTML Mobile or Compact HTML.
Also, keep in mind that if you run both a regular site and a mobile version of it, there is a possibility that the wrong version will show up in the wrong search results.
Another way you can make sure a user is pointed to the right version of your site is simply to provide a link. That’s what Google does (if you access the mobile version of Google, you will find a link to the desktop version).
Google eyes growth in mobile ecosystem with AdMob
Nov 10th
Google has signed an agreement to acquire AdMob for £448 million, a mobile display advertising company based in the US, to help bolster its mobile advertising platform.
In a blog post yesterday (9/11), Google said that AdMob “couldn’t find good ways to generate traffic for its mobile site” hence the partnership which will see the pair work together on the future of mobile advertising.
The company said it believes that great mobile advertising products “can encourage even more growth in the mobile ecosystem”, which is the business thinking behind the AdMob deal.
AdMob was founded in 2006 and runs its Mobile Advertising Network across thousands of Websites, serving up ads from brands such as Ford and Coca-Cola. It also collects and publishes data on mobile trends gleaned from the traffic it manages.
For publishers of mobile websites and applications, the partnership means better products and tools and more effective monetization of their content — allowing them to focus more on their users and less on how to generate revenue.
For advertisers who want to reach users when they are engaged with mobile content, the AdMob partnership will bring better, more relevant ads and greater reach. It will also mean more interesting, engaging ad formats, according to Google.
Users will also benefit through more mobile content and through better mobile ads that deliver useful information.
The search engine giant reiterated that it has in the past said that mobile phones were “becoming an increasingly indispensable part of our daily lives”.
Google made its intention in the mobile space known back in 2005 when it acquired Android, a mobile operating system.
Despite the tremendous growth in mobile usage and the substantial investment by many businesses in the space, the mobile web is still in its early stages, according to the Google blog.
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