Mobile Innovators: HP = Huge Potential

“Our mobile phones have become so tethered to our everyday lives that soon they’ll become more important than our wallets.” That’s the opening statement in a Huffington Post article written by Chris Curtin, Hewlett-Packard’s Vice President of Digital Strategy & Corporate Marketing.

As the CEO of a company that’s providing mobile business solutions, I couldn’t agree more! I also particularly appreciated this portion:

In emerging markets, where PCs are often prohibitively expensive, mobile phones are vital to staying connected and important for boosting economies. Already, many are using their basic mobile phones as electronic wallets, replacing traditional banks with “mobile money.”

The growing impact of mobile was demonstrated recently by the American Red Cross, which raised more than $32 million for Haiti earthquake relief in just over a month. The ease and convenience of sending a text message to make a $10 donation (automatically charged to your cell phone bill) showed the power of the medium to rally a nation.

From insurance companies to publishers, we have been working with organizations to provide exactly what Chris is talking about. His summary of benefits aligns perfectly with our mission:

•Instant access: Instant reception means instant reaction.
•Personalized: Mobile marketing can be targeted to the precise needs of individuals.
•Experiential: Emphasis is on experience and ease rather than on inundating consumers with every piece of content out there. For example, HP’s mobile printing.
•Effective: Recall is high for mobile marketing, especially for campaigns that provide solid value in simple ways.
•Integrated: Easily inserted into a company’s entire marketing ecosystem.
•Established: Mature infrastructure and networks are in place (and improving steadily). The soon-to-be-launched 4G network will only increase speed and security.
•Green: Mobile saves paper and energy. GQ and Esquire are making moves toward mobile publishing with their Apple iPhone apps.
•Augmented reality: Overlaying digital information on physical environments.

In the above, Chris mention’s HP’s mobile photo printing. Interestingly enough, February 21 - 23 we provided real-time mobile updates for the Photo Marketing Association’s conference. The service ensured attendees received notifications of program changes, on-the-fly activity alerts, and exclusive offers. Also, exhibitors used the service to sponsoring messages and sent personalized communications, enabling them to drive booth traffic and stand out above other competing exhibits. HP was one of the companies that used the service during the show!

Some of the alerts HP put out included:

(PMA10): Still time to catch NHL’s Anaheim Duck George Parros at HP booth until 12:15Pp. Win a signed stick! www.hp.com/go/rps

(PMA10): PMA President’s reception is also PMA TweetUp, at 6p, in Palm Court of Anaheim CC. @GuyKawasaki to be there.

(PMA10): PMA2010 Parting Shot Reception at 4:00p. Still time to enter for the $10,000 prize drawing.

Chris’s closing remarks to his article are extremely compelling:

To make the most of mobile, companies must stay true to the values of the Connected Age (i.e., accessibility, transparency, authenticity, responsiveness), while devoting the same energy, budgets, and talent as they do to other channels. Brands must create a compelling mobile presence that provides anything a consumer may want or need.

Companies must also develop compelling mobile services like product comparisons and “text help” features to facilitate better purchase decisions and stronger sales among consumers shopping in brick-and-mortar stores.

Finally, brands must build fun, useful, social experiences that will deepen consumers’ relationships with a brand. Time is precious, so give them a valid reason to connect with your brand.

I’m sure that in time companies like Moblico and HP will help brands and organizations achieve exactly this. In the meantime, we are well on our way…

Olympics: Mobile Comes in Last Place with NBC

It always amazes me how large broadcasters and other media outlets will complain that ad and other profit sources are down, but then they don’t embrace new, proven revenue streams. This came through loud and clear with NBC’s coverage of the Olympics in Vancouver. As reported by Reuters:

NBC, which paid a record $2.2 billion for U.S. broadcast rights to the Beijing and Vancouver Olympics, has said it will lose money on the winter Games.

NBC said on Tuesday that half of all Americans had watched at least some of its Olympic coverage.

But NBC online coverage of the Vancouver Winter Olympics drew just 33 million viewers. Alan Wurtzel, president of research at NBC Universal, said TV was “still king.”

“Multiplatform consumption is emerging and going to become extraordinarily important. But the mothership is — and will remain for a very long time — television,” he said.

Emerging? It’s already here and important! Timo Lumme, head of TV and marketing for the International Olympic Committee weighs in:

“…non-traditional media” had already matched the 20,000 hours from traditional broadcasters so far these Games, in Reuters’ words, “contributing to a total audience he expects to reach 3.5 billion — or half the world’s population.”

Lumme told a news conference that “we now have the same amount of hours covered globally on digital media — Internet, mobile — as we have on the old media broadcasting, and a quarter of that is mobile.”

The message couldn’t be any more obvious: mobile is here and traditional media giants needs to get onboard or risk further obsolescence when it comes to attracting both advertisers and consumers. NBC did offer a great iPhone app for the Olympicas which I used, but there was so much more they could have done. I hope they’ll look to integrate more mobile initiatives in future large-scale events.

Let Them Eat Mobile

This was a fun (even tasty?) development… we have been working with 435 South Magazine, turning their sponsors’ ads interactive via mobile. We have been doing this a few ways, but in particular with text codes and mobile coupons.

One of the advertisers to see HUGE returns from the interactive ads was Smallcakes, a bakery specializing in cupcakes. We created a mobile coupon promotion that was featured in the magazine, offering a free cupcake to customers who redeemed a mobile code. By texting to accept the giveaway, consumers then presented the confirmation in the store and collected their treat.

Smallcakes had expected to experience some redemption, but it never anticipated the tremendous success the promotion provided almost immediately. In the first three weeks the offer was live, the store had 123 people redeem the coupon- 60% of which were new customers.

This type of ROI is incredible and goes to show how mobile can truly boost the value of traditional advertising. Smallcakes was also featured during a Fox 4 segment last night that discussed the popularity of their specialty cupcakes. We are definitely looking forward to watching retailers like Smallcakes rise above their competition by reaching customers through mobile. In fact, I spoke with Jeff Martin, the owner of Smallcakes and this is what he had to say:

“We were pleased with the return we were getting on our advertising spend with 435 Magazine, but the response we have received through the mobile promotion completely exceeded what we’d seen with the regular ads. The customers we have been attracting, people in their 20’s and 30’s, are exactly the demographic we’ve been after. Thanks to the mobile couponing that you and your team at Moblico created, that category of consumer has been coming to our store in droves. We are so excited and can’t wait to expand our mobile marketing efforts. We really want to try doing real time marketing such as ‘on-the fly offers’ that coincides with specific activities or occasions.”

We’re looking forward to it, Jeff!