Archive for the ‘Mobile’ Category
Friday, June 20th, 2008 |
I met Clay Loges at a business networking event last week here in Seattle. Clay’s motto is, “Look for an area of change — then you get to make up the rules.” He’s been living by this for years and has become quite successful along the way.
A former banker and serial entrepreneur who once owned a text paging service in the new Russia - and was a pioneer in the 10-Minute Oil Change service station business and a GPS business — Clay’s latest venture is called Yodio.
Yodio stands for “Your Audio” and is a service which allows people to add audio tracks to image slide shows. The basic idea reminded me of the narrative my Uncle Mitchell gave as he went over his trek through Nepal slide by slide.
He must have given that slide show 20 times or more over the years. If he had Yodio, he could have recorded the soundtrack easily and shared the slide show in seconds with hundreds of his closest friends.
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Friday, June 13th, 2008 |
Although mobile content is something consumers can buy and download from virtually anywhere, Chinese start-up Duo Guo is banking on a different approach by selling such content through specialized kiosks in brick-and-mortar retail stores.
Based in Shanghai, Duo Guo—a subsidiary of D Mobile Inc.—has developed partnerships with China’s largest retailers and leading global media companies to bring games, ringtones, software and other mobile services to China’s 500 million mobile phone users in a retail setting. Each Duo Guo kiosk is staffed by a salesperson, who can help consumers as they browse for content. Once customers make their selections and pay, the content gets beamed to their phone via Bluetooth. In addition to its starting line-up of ringtones, wallpapers and games, Duo Guo recently began offering exclusive mobile content from emerging Chinese artists through its “artist of the month” program, and has launched into ticket sales as well. Wal-Mart, Best Buy and Tesco are among the stores that have signed up to host Duo Guo kiosks in China, while the company also operates its own standalone stores in subway stops and Shanghai’s busy Zhong Shan Park area. Content at Duo Guo kiosks is updated every Friday to encourage frequent browsing. (more…)
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Thursday, June 12th, 2008 |
Cell Phones Still Hot; More Mobile Advertising Proposed
Although a new Harris Interactive study reveals that over one-third of consumers say the dire economy will not affect their spending habits, the 60 percent of consumers who will limit their discretionary spending will curtail going out to restaurants (74 percent) and limit their purchase of electronics (71 percent). 41 percent of consumers, however, have no plans to stop or cut-back on the purchase of cell phones, making it an increasingly viable advertising channel.
To many, it seems the use of mobile phones has become an indispensable part of their lives. People are actually severing ties to land lines with increasing frequency. According to a new study from the National Center for Health Statistics, notes the report, 16 percent of U.S. homes are using wireless phones exclusively (more…)
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Thursday, May 29th, 2008 |
From Kenradio.com
A growing number of mobile phone subscribers worldwide are taking online social networking to the streets. The U.K. leads Europe in mobile social networking on a percentage basis — with the U.S. boasting comparable numbers. In the U.K., approximately 810,000 mobile subscribers, or 1.7% of all mobile subscribers in the country, visited social networking websites on their mobile phones in the first quarter of 2008. That reach percentage was twice as high as it was in other major European markets?though similar to the U.S., where 1.6% of all mobile subscribers (4.1 million in all) accessed social networks via their phones in December 2007. (more…)
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Posted in Mobile, Social Networks, Statistics | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, May 20th, 2008 |
By Mark Levy, CEO MaxxoMedia
According to the International Telecommunications Union, worldwide mobile telephone subscriptions now exceed 3.3 billion — equivalent to half the global population. Cell phones now surpass the number of computers and televisions combined.
In the coming years, it is predicted by some that the cell phone will become the device of choice for watching video. There are a number of current challenges to this vision that to date have stifled the market. Much like the early mobile web browsing experience, user expectations are low. Users complain of poor image quality, complexity, slow downloading times and lack of selection of content.
Content providers, distributors and carriers see a huge pot of gold in mobile video. Before they can realize it, though, new tools need to be created that help people find the content they want, format it correctly for each device and deliver a quality experience through the subscribers’ network connection. (more…)
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Saturday, May 10th, 2008 |
Last week, I explained some of the complexities within the mobile content retailing market. This week we’ll hear senior execs from Thumbplay, 9Squared/Zed and Flycell talk about what it’s like to play in this space.
Are Traasdahl is the CEO of Thumbplay, the largest direct-to-consumer player in the U.S. An independent company with 100 employees based in New York, Thumbplay is projected to own about 18% of the U.S. off-portal market. The company recently raised $18 million in venture capital to expand operations.
Brian Casazza is CEO of 9Squared, a part of Zed, the leading mobile content retailer in the world with over $500 million in gross revenue annually. Zed has 40 million consumers around the globe who buy on a monthly basis. 9Squared announced earlier this month that they would formally combine operations with Zed.
Guillermo Cengotitabengoa is the VP Marketing for Flycell, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Italian mobile-messaging pioneer Acotel Group. Launched in November of 2004, Flycell provides a broad range of premium mobile content products, including ringtones, games, mobile greeting cards and wallpapers that empower mobile users to customize their phones and make them an extension of their personalities.
I asked each of them about the state of the market, how the regulations were affecting their businesses and what they could do to build brand and grow their businesses. (more…)
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Friday, May 2nd, 2008 |
By Mark Levy, CEO MaxxoMedia
Throughout the past few years, the mobile content industry has enjoyed strong market growth. Primarily fueled by the sale of master ringtones directly through the cell phone carriers, the market looked unstoppable.
Recent studies show, however, that the ringtone market appears to be peaking and is projected to decline in the coming years. So far, no other mobile content application has proven it is ready to take the ringtone’s place. Mobile video has yet to take off and full-track music downloads seem to be dead on arrival. Some project Ring Back Tones may be the one to break through although it’s growth has been slow to date.
As recently as last year, it was believed that the direct-to-consumer market, also known as “off portal” mobile content sales, would more than make up for any flattening sales at the carriers.
Foreign-based companies, which had been successful in their native markets, began entering the U.S. market. They launched multi-million-dollar TV and print advertising campaigns to quickly build brand and drive awareness. Many considered the ads misleading. They offered “free” ringtones without explaining clearly that the consumer would be signed up to a pricey subscription. (more…)
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Posted in Articles, Mobile | 3 Comments »
Sunday, April 20th, 2008 |
By Mark Levy, CEO MaxxoMedia
In a recent ICOM survey of U.S. shoppers, 77% of the respondents in the 18-34 age group see their coupon use increasing if they could use some form of paperless coupon technology … and 63% of those 35-54 said paperless would increase their usage.
The mobile phone is one of the best ways to reach the elusive set of 18-34 year-old adults who have disposable income to spend, brands with which to affiliate, but neither the time nor interest to read newspapers or watch scheduled television.
San Jose-based Cellfire has been working hard for over five years to meet that demand. Cellfire is the only nationwide discount offer service, enabling consumers to conveniently receive and retain savings right on their mobile phones. Today, 68% of Cellfire users are between the age of 18-34, and 27% are over 35.
Currently they offer coupons for popular retailers such as Hollywood Video, Hardee’s, Domino’s Pizza, T.G.I. Friday’s, Peet’s Coffee, 1-800-flowers.com, Omaha Steaks, North Beach Pizza, Pizz’a Chicago and more directly to your cell phone. The service is available on all major cell carriers.
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Friday, April 11th, 2008 |
By Mark Levy, CEO MaxxoMedia
Last week, Las Vegas played host to the telecommunications industry’s annual CTIA conference. Over 20,000 people converged for the event to exhibit and explore the many opportunities of the wireless telecom world. Vendors were on hand to showcase the latest mobile-based applications — here are a few that stood out for me.
PC Games Come To Life On Mobile Phones
Back in 2003, Universal Pictures released “The Incredible Hulk” movie. About one month prior to the movie hitting theatres, I was part of a team that licensed the mobile content rights to the movie from Universal and Marvel. We had the rights to make a mobile game along with releasing various ringtones and graphics. Given the time frame to produce and release the game, we opted to produce a simple puzzle game. (more…)
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Tuesday, April 8th, 2008 |
By Mark Levy CEO of MaxxoMedia
In the midst of recent pronouncements that ringtone sales are in decline, Clear Channel Radio announced that mobile content offerings will be integrated into the websites of over 650 stations within the chain. The service, offered in partnership with Thumbplay, a leading mobile content retailer, will offer listeners direct access to purchase the tones for their cell phones.
Ringtone sales are projected to drop over 7% to $510 million in sales for the US in 2008. BMI says this is the second year of the declining sales trend. Some of the reasons blamed for the decline include high or complex content pricing models, advanced handsets that allow consumers to side-load content, mobile content sharing websites, social networks and the waning novelty factor. (more…)
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Monday, April 7th, 2008 |
By Mickey Alam Khan From Mobile Marketer Daily
King of the hill
MTV Networks claims to have streamed more than 57 million mobile videos across all its brands and carriers, a milestone that’s a big boost for the medium.
The 94 percent growth was recorded from February 2007 to February 2008, convincing MTV Networks to don the mantle of the world’s leading provider of mobile video.
“In record numbers, our fans are turning to their phones for engaging entertainment experiences and finding MTV Networks video, mobile Web sites, games, widgets and more that connect with nearly every conceivable demo, on any occasion,” said Greg Clayman, executive vice president of digital distribution and business development at MTV Networks, in a statement.
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Thursday, March 27th, 2008 |
A new Harris Interactive study shows that one in four cellular phone users with mobile internet access now use their devices to buy goods and services online with a credit card, and nearly one in five saying they would like to someday use cell phones as a “mobile wallet,” where charges would be billed directly to their mobile accounts. In addition, ten percent of the survey participants said they would consider wire transfers and stock trading via their mobile phones.
The study finds that mobile phone users are increasingly comfortable making banking and purchase transactions while on-the-go, a virtual taboo until now. 16 percent of mobile phone subscribers already use mobile banking services, with 60 percent of these people using the services at least once a week. Many others presently not banking and buying on-the-go expressed interest in mobile banking, with 35 percent open to checking bank account balances and transferring funds via their mobile devices. A third of those surveyed also said they would like to receive text message alerts from their financial institutions. (more…)
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Friday, March 21st, 2008 |
By Mark Levy CEO of MaxxoMedia
At the same time that Apple announced application and enterprise e-mail support for the upcoming iPhone update, one of the most respected and successful venture capital firms in Silicon Valley pledged $100 million to be invested in companies that are developing applications for Apple’s iPhone.The iPhone, which has sold just over four million units since it was launched, has been a massive consumer products success. It is redefining interfaces and design for the cell phone; you can see it in new designs from Nokia and LG. Now Apple aims to make the iPhone the next great software development platform.
Steve Jobs announced that the iPhone “Apps Store” will be the exclusive place to purchase applications designed for the iPhone. A new link on the home screen will give users access to a storefront from which they can access hundreds of applications specifically designed for the device. From games to productivity software and business applications, Apple is moving the computing experience from the desktop to the laptop to the mobile device.
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Thursday, February 14th, 2008 |
Will.i.am interviewed by Tamara Coniff from Billboard Magazine at the 3GSM Conference in Barcelona Spain.
The mobile industry, not the record business, will create the next wave of music superstars, according to Black Eyed Peas founder Will.i.am.
Speaking at Mobile Backstage, a GSMA/Nielsen production for the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, powered by Billboard and the Hollywood Reporter, the artist said the record industry was now “like a grandmother — and the artists of tomorrow need to do deals with her granddaughters. It’s the mobile industry that will produce the Michael Jacksons and Madonnas of tomorrow.” (more…)
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Saturday, February 2nd, 2008 |
By Mark Levy CEO of MaxxoMedia
To TXT or not to TXT We all know cell phone text messaging is a great way to quickly connect with someone. Everywhere we look people are hunched over their phones, tapping on the keys feverishly. But what about texting while driving?
I know you would never do it .. .but even though the overwhelming majority of adults think that driving while texting is dangerous, two in three adults (66%) who drive a car and have used text messaging say they read text messages or e-mails while driving — and 57% of them even admitted to sending text messages or e-mails from behind the wheel. On January 1st, the State of Washington was the first state in the nation to enact a new law that prohibits text messaging while driving and more states are not far behind.
So what is the technologically well-connected person to do? How can you communicate safely on the go? Enter instant voice-messaging for your mobile phone from San Francisco based Pinger. The service helps you keep your eyes on the road and minimize distractions while you drive. Combined with a hands-free headset, Pinger’s instant voice messaging service is a safer way for drivers to stay in touch from the road.
By simply calling Pinger, saying the name of a contact, speaking their message and then hanging up, drivers are able to send a message to any U.S. mobile phone while keeping their eyes on the road. Your message is delivered instantly — no ringing, no greetings, no lengthy prompts. Pinger is fast and efficient like e-mail, but with your voice. It’s mobile like text messaging, but with more personality.
Group Messaging Made Easy
Pinger provides more than just safety on the road. Recently, it launched Pingercast messaging, a mobile phone promotional tool for political candidates, artists, media companies or anyone wishing to create a personal relationship with supporters and fans.
Pingercast messages are used to send audio messages directly to consumers’ mobile phones. “The Pingercast service enables marketers to get to difficult-to-reach consumers in a very personal way, on their mobile phone,” said Greg Woock, CEO of Pinger. “When you hear John’s messages, it feels like he’s talking directly to you. Compared to a 160-character text message, Pingercast messages enable senders to share up to five minutes of audio. The Pingercast service is for any marketer with audio content, whether it’s movies, musicians, or anyone wishing to talk to a group in their own voice.”
Subscribers can forward messages to their friends, who can then sign up to receive new updates on their mobile phones. It’s a great way to get out a message. To collect names, Pinger works with customers to create branded HTML or Flash(tm) widgets suitable for a website or MySpace page so fans can easily subscribe. Users can also sign up through a Facebook application or even by texting a shortcode.
Check them out at www.pinger.com
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