tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28710629282166798632024-02-01T20:42:47.241-08:00The Creative WorkshopManny Juhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01639753078967616270noreply@blogger.comBlogger54125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2871062928216679863.post-76700199092709983212014-06-02T18:41:00.000-07:002014-06-02T18:41:41.470-07:00When Worlds Collide: Email Meets Mobile<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLn5dGhrS5z96fDl2OnMdT8KYJSH1cRSRhu1oFUxRvR-Vjb8-1zp4lmgOxlTYpqq3CxchuhipU5FzElJh9uVLmEmWerUlP5Ual_108idIXhE5W3dPFBX40p3Bspo29DwJo4DPcSsBXeL6j/s1600/when_worlds_collide_email_meets_mobile.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLn5dGhrS5z96fDl2OnMdT8KYJSH1cRSRhu1oFUxRvR-Vjb8-1zp4lmgOxlTYpqq3CxchuhipU5FzElJh9uVLmEmWerUlP5Ual_108idIXhE5W3dPFBX40p3Bspo29DwJo4DPcSsBXeL6j/s1600/when_worlds_collide_email_meets_mobile.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
I am seeing a huge opportunity for anyone ready and willing to take the next step for the "killer app" for mobile email that finally unleashes the full potential of mobile email.<br />
<br />
Consider this series of charts below:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg24fxs5e8oD5uzPatO7c9v52waz1TchX1eZ-Jd_WikTE1BvuEJ57AHKg7Sp3DO9WYOC9fPFLTQhF_HpcxNJYntEXusV79jO5kDCvTwZhanPwIcwi4VL7rSkOIlssDYFK4AiEvGviKEd1bS/s1600/mobile+email+story.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg24fxs5e8oD5uzPatO7c9v52waz1TchX1eZ-Jd_WikTE1BvuEJ57AHKg7Sp3DO9WYOC9fPFLTQhF_HpcxNJYntEXusV79jO5kDCvTwZhanPwIcwi4VL7rSkOIlssDYFK4AiEvGviKEd1bS/s1600/mobile+email+story.png" height="640" width="321" /></a></div>
<br />
Do you see what I'm seeing? Something is <i>definitely</i> wrong here. <br />
<br />
If the majority of online conversions are coming from email, and if the majority of emails are read on smartphones, then why is less than 1% of conversions coming from smartphones?<br />
<br />
There still remains the faction <a href="http://www.mobilemarketingwatch.com/email-may-be-going-mobile-but-getting-users-to-click-is-still-a-challenge-42031" target="_blank">that asserts that smartphones are primarily used for "triaging" emails</a>. In other words, smartphones being used as first pass filters of emails to delete the irrelevant ones and reserve the remaining important ones to be read on a desktop/laptop/tablet at a later time.<br />
<br />
I don't believe that it can be dismissed so easily.<br />
<br />
I assert that the problem isn't with the email. It's what comes <i>after</i> the email -- that's the problem. Mobile-friendly email design is now gaining momentum since three years ago. This shift towards the "mobile-first" paradigm is one major reason why email readership on mobile devices continues to grow. But here's the problem: <br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>I read my email on my smartphone (it's actually now my sole email reading device). </li>
<li>I like the call to action in the email, so I click the link in the email to complete the action on the web site. </li>
<li>But when my mobile browser launches the landing page, I'm greeted with the most mobile <i>un-</i>friendly experience. Forget about trying to buy anything. The payment experience on a mobile device is horrendous -- and that's putting it nicely.</li>
</ol>
<br />
This poor transition from email to web site is exactly like a hot warm up band who gets the audience all fired up and excited to rock and roll. But the headline band comes on stage and just bombs. And people in the audience start getting up and walking out. Been there. Done that.<br />
<br />
At the very least, the mobile experience needs to be the FULL experience. Don't just stop with the mobile-friendly email. If the mobile shopping experience and the mobile payment experience isn't there to follow up, then work spent on the mobile email are all for naught.<br />
<br />
The M-Commerce ecosystem right now has only two solutions: mobile web and mobile apps. The former is the more preferred by a margin of 2 to 1 over the latter. That makes sense to me. Mobile apps are used by brand loyalists while the mobile web is used by both brand loyalists and casual buyers alike.<br />
<br />
I believe that the frontier is wide open to innovate in the world of m-commerce particularly where it bridges the gap between mobile email and mobile payments.<br />
<br />
On that note, I invite you to check out a young startup that has a new way of conducting commerce: buying something directly from within an email. The company is <a href="http://www.atpay.com/how-pay-works/" target="_blank">@Pay</a>. I heard about them a while ago and I continue to keep my eye on them.<br />
<br />
@Pay calls it their "2-click buy" experience. When you're reading an email from one of your favorite brands, you see a product that you want to buy. So you click the "Instant buy" button. (That's Click #1). Then, your default email program automatically creates a purchase confirmation email that you send back authorizing the purchase. (That's Click #2).<br />
<br />
If you already have an account through @Pay or any of its merchant network, that's all you need. Your payment information is already on file. No biggie, right? You're already used to this experience 'cause you've already done it million times already on iTunes, Google store, Amazon.com, and countless of other places.<br />
<br />
iTunes has your credit card info on file. That lets you buy anything directly from within any iOS app at the click of a button. Well the @Pay experience is identical -- only now, you're doing it directly from within an email.<br />
<br />
It's an interesting bit of technology and it still requires some people willing to try out this new method of payment. <br />
<br />
But then again, that's where Paypal was back in the late 90's, and look where they are at now.Manny Juhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01639753078967616270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2871062928216679863.post-40194722432307686582013-08-23T17:12:00.000-07:002013-08-23T17:19:43.645-07:00The Rise of the Mobile Wallet<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEHU3oCYkhJ1F16zJw1xOzZDbgB4FZ4wLx-TMHfjUMO4hFmcbyaUg6gfQ4owdBwzlAisNTjTuidcc4No-THKm-k0EhpQVaAwTABegZEpnD7cziAMD673At5i8QJpf6aHkUvO29uQoyILY-/s1600/mobile+wallet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEHU3oCYkhJ1F16zJw1xOzZDbgB4FZ4wLx-TMHfjUMO4hFmcbyaUg6gfQ4owdBwzlAisNTjTuidcc4No-THKm-k0EhpQVaAwTABegZEpnD7cziAMD673At5i8QJpf6aHkUvO29uQoyILY-/s200/mobile+wallet.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Mobile wallets are the next step in the evolution of commerce. Society continues to benefit from the efficiencies gained from each incremental step.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>In The Beginning</b><br />
In the beginning, commerce was conducted on a barter system in which two parties traded goods and services with each other. While it worked well for a long time, the problem with barter is that - well frankly - it's very inefficient.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmlt7n5A_PKuIxrLpaVWGoIJny7klWZRVlGQIYpX0cQ95GlRg09BAOwpWhXeqE89R1glMXrKpQ-AE2NtxMfUE-ieuBSBhTK8hCLlv3Wif83rK1dWl0J4YBkuN3jlJaMVenzXOI1RAAEzrx/s1600/magic+beans.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmlt7n5A_PKuIxrLpaVWGoIJny7klWZRVlGQIYpX0cQ95GlRg09BAOwpWhXeqE89R1glMXrKpQ-AE2NtxMfUE-ieuBSBhTK8hCLlv3Wif83rK1dWl0J4YBkuN3jlJaMVenzXOI1RAAEzrx/s320/magic+beans.jpg" width="275" /></a></div>
The problem is that if I have a need for a product or a service, I have to expend a lot of time and effort trying to find not only someone who produces what I want, but also someone who is willing to trade with me for what I have.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Currency: The First Evolutionary Step</b><br />
A couple of thousand years ago, the first evolutionary step in commerce came about with the usage of common currency.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR8IDCNl_dvYmod35cRiCjNDJTY5RfXoKZN2HxX8HOwowP7tpLt8WIoqdYANzPERNmXydfh3oJHJ_NIPuWUoJGYvhAElnR630tMcoTs3d1GQQDNe8NQest0coPCU8a8ZV9FPSOWg1-kx1p/s1600/chinese+currency.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR8IDCNl_dvYmod35cRiCjNDJTY5RfXoKZN2HxX8HOwowP7tpLt8WIoqdYANzPERNmXydfh3oJHJ_NIPuWUoJGYvhAElnR630tMcoTs3d1GQQDNe8NQest0coPCU8a8ZV9FPSOWg1-kx1p/s200/chinese+currency.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
Currency made commerce <b>transferable</b>. With currency, commerce became a lot easier and a lot more efficient.<br />
<br />
But the only drawback of currency is that it is a tangible item that must literally pass from hand to hand. Therefore, commerce between individuals has an inherent physical restriction.<br />
<br />
<b>Credit Cards: The Second Evolutionary Step</b><br />
The invention of the credit card in the 1950's was the next evolutionary step in commerce.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYptroZk7M0V2DbJPiBSN7iV9AO7Qypnoh16oQIlS_mneOoPrrowUvQwXVoGKhv44TclDQ68SWv9hCEG5aP1xU6YNWeRZkRYeoIocZavjWLns7uoWSiV1xhVew0nJTyZU9VeHMT4ZIqTA0/s1600/Diner's+Club.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="117" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYptroZk7M0V2DbJPiBSN7iV9AO7Qypnoh16oQIlS_mneOoPrrowUvQwXVoGKhv44TclDQ68SWv9hCEG5aP1xU6YNWeRZkRYeoIocZavjWLns7uoWSiV1xhVew0nJTyZU9VeHMT4ZIqTA0/s200/Diner's+Club.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Credit cards made commerce <b>transportable</b>. Credit cards also laid the foundation for e-commerce, a revolution begun in the late 1990's and gave rise to an entire new way of buying and selling. Thanks to credit cards, two individuals can transact business even though each can be on opposite sides of the earth.<br />
<br />
<b>Digital Wallets: The Third Evolution Step</b><br />
The third evolutionary step in commerce is the digital wallet whose birth was legitimized in September 1999 when the U.S. Patent Office awarded Amazon.com Patent No. 5,960,411 "A Method and system for placing a purchase order via a communications network." The rest of us refer to this patent as the "One-Click" patent.<br />
<br />
The digital wallet makes commerce <b>transparent</b>. By storing your credit card in Amazon's digital wallet, you no longer had to think about commerce at all. With a single click of a button, ownership became instant.<br />
<br />
The first true digital wallet came about circa 2000.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMCmDwWMnh1DvpUJXkyITS3UIy-XVOjUjcrkSoTbAh8fl4A7LUUKY3S_YbxWPSzSEiJ1_DPXE47Dvt7xfIRdKyuqWjT8RecmRlGxuD82o159jzNmt8-VBuxQ2YG_ryrZBN1M5NaWYhmWZY/s1600/PayPal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="55" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMCmDwWMnh1DvpUJXkyITS3UIy-XVOjUjcrkSoTbAh8fl4A7LUUKY3S_YbxWPSzSEiJ1_DPXE47Dvt7xfIRdKyuqWjT8RecmRlGxuD82o159jzNmt8-VBuxQ2YG_ryrZBN1M5NaWYhmWZY/s200/PayPal.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
I'm old enough to remember when PayPal first burst into the scene. I was working at a DotCom startup (who wasn't back in those days?) and we were all scratching our heads asking, "who is this PayPal? Is it for real?"<br />
<br />
Thirteen years later, it's interesting to see three things that PayPal did to revolutionize commerce:<br />
<ol>
<li>They eliminated risk of online shopping. Back then, people were hesitant to enter their credit card information on line (I know -- right?).</li>
<li>They enabled online shopping for people who didn't own credit cards by funding PayPal accounts directly from checking or savings accounts.</li>
<li>They truly made commerce transparent. If you had logged into PayPal at least once and you hadn't cleared your browser cookies, then anytime you clicked on the "pay with PayPal" link on an e-commerce site, the payment was immediate. You didn't have to think any more about it.</li>
</ol>
<b>The Mobile Wallet: Sibling of the Digital Wallet</b><br />
Interest in mobile wallets is today's Hot Topic. Everywhere you look, there's yet another initiative, yet another consortium working on developing the next Big Thing for mobile wallets.<br />
<br />
When smartphones were being developed, forward-thinking people were looking at mobile wallets as the next revolutionary step beyond the credit card.<br />
<br />
But, there is a problem. You can't slide a mobile device through a slot like you can a credit card. So these forward-thinking people started looking at a new type of wireless communication that was emerging at the time. After all -- a cellphone is nothing more than a radio transmitter AND a radio receiver.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgNvBTRkn0mVnii79H_jJTOaOO7T5JXb3gA6pjA3-AAFUPY3qzta7jMQNAh0EzAIVB4kgWhKf-urnUGRmjCemxuFmFuewqv2JZH43FMkRTmgvVITFXK43o5qzyNMXNsAkf1oXPrO7iBoy2/s1600/nfc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgNvBTRkn0mVnii79H_jJTOaOO7T5JXb3gA6pjA3-AAFUPY3qzta7jMQNAh0EzAIVB4kgWhKf-urnUGRmjCemxuFmFuewqv2JZH43FMkRTmgvVITFXK43o5qzyNMXNsAkf1oXPrO7iBoy2/s320/nfc.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Near-Field Communication (NFC) allows data transfer between a transmitter and a receiver simply by touching the two devices. NFC is the technology that was considered early on for mobile wallets. The idea is that your smartphone has a mobile app which is your mobile wallet. The mobile app communicates with a microchip on your NFC-enabled smartphone and the microchip manages the communication with an NFC-enabled point of sale system. The data that gets transferred between the two devices is the same data that is normally transferred when swiping the magnetic strip of your credit card.<br />
<br />
But there's a conundrum.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVrgeltDDyFsxY9b42RXZy5GYadMVDSy-ugAlC_xHjAMyzISY-gUzq3da1ecGLU6HMV_UZpn5-_DdusYnJBBo5Sj7dwEINL2sHutuQq1DFG2lYLToTVF0-kNQHxx5oeoai0rxX1elCgbdd/s1600/chicken+and+egg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVrgeltDDyFsxY9b42RXZy5GYadMVDSy-ugAlC_xHjAMyzISY-gUzq3da1ecGLU6HMV_UZpn5-_DdusYnJBBo5Sj7dwEINL2sHutuQq1DFG2lYLToTVF0-kNQHxx5oeoai0rxX1elCgbdd/s400/chicken+and+egg.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
As a consumer, why bother with paying by way of NFC when there aren't that many NFC-enabled point of sale systems or NFC-enabled smartphones.<br />
<br />
As a merchant, why bother spending all that time and money upgrading to an NFC-enabled point of sale system if there aren't that many people paying by way of NFC?<br />
<br />
As a smartphone manufacturer, why bother spending all that time and money development and marketing an NFC-enabled device when there aren't that many NFC-enabled point of sale systems nor people willing to pay by NFC?<br />
<br />
This problem is the main reason why digital wallets and their mobile siblings haven't really taken off for in store purchases.<br />
<br />
Nevertheless, digital wallets are doing quite well, thank-you-very-much, online -- where it all began.<br />
<br />
Do you like the first 30 seconds of a tune you're listening to? Touch a button and it's yours. Do you want to read a book now? Touch a button and you're flipping pages within seconds. Are you in the middle of a MMO game and you need to upgrade your weaponry pronto? Touch a button and you are instantly ready to rumble.<br />
<br />
The key takeaway from my blog post today is an admonition to online merchants all across the globe: the traditional online payment paradigm is actually costing you money in lost opportunity and sales.<br />
<br />
Traditional payment methods haven't evolved much in the past 15 years since the early days when people accessed the web from their desktop computers. Today's online payment paradigm hinders commerce via mobile devices. As more and more people are shifting their behavior to accessing the web via their mobile devices more and more of the time, it's time to remove as many barriers to commerce as possible.<br />
<br />
Digital wallets make commerce transparent. Digital wallets make ownership instantaneous. Adopt digital wallets as payment options on your e-commerce sites. Manny Juhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01639753078967616270noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2871062928216679863.post-57357155983190058412012-10-12T10:33:00.000-07:002012-10-15T16:08:05.962-07:00Mobile Commerce is Growing: Are You Ready?Just got back from Internet Retailer's <a href="http://ecommerce-news.internetretailer.com/retailing/Mmcf%202012" target="_blank">Mobile Marketing and Commerce Forum</a> in San Diego. Kudos to the program team for putting together an agenda that included all the hot topics and buzzwords in mobile marketing including: Mobile Apps vs. Mobile Web, M-Commerce and T-Commerce, Showrooming, Responsive Design, HTML5, 2D Codes, Augmented Reality, and Apple's new Passbook app.<br />
<br />
Here are my ten takeaways from what I learned:<br />
<ul>
<li>Ad spending in the mobile channel is only 2% of total. But 20%
of holiday e-commerce sales are expected to be done via mobile
devices. There is huge room for improvement in mobile advertising.</li>
<li>More
proof that retailers need to focus their attention on the mobile
shopping experience: the click-through-rate on mobile devices is 2X-5X
higher than from desktop computers, but the conversion rate is 3x-4x
lower. </li>
<li>More indicators that shopping is going mobile:
Purchases from tablets are up 200% and purchases from smartphones are up
100% from previous year. At the same time, purchases from desktops are
down 20%.</li>
<li>78% of smartphone owners use their devices during
in-store purchases. But most consumers don't "showroom" as their main
shopping behavior. They only do it when the in-store experience fails
them.</li>
<li>75% of first items scanned on a smartphone in-store are
purchased in the same store. Is showrooming really a problem, or it is
just an urban myth?</li>
<li>Mobile apps vs. Mobile Web? The answer is
"both" not "either-or." With space on smartphones at a premium, mobile
apps are for loyal customers. Mobile web is great for acquiring new
customers.</li>
<li>A seamless and easy mobile payment experience will
make or break a mobile shopping app. Easy checkout can give 30% lift to
sales made from mobile devices.</li>
<li>Augmented Reality isn't just
for walking down the street and seeing where all your Facebook peeps are
within eyesight. It also provides an effective in-home shopping
experience for the right products. Some retailers are experimenting
with this technology to showcase their catalog of curtains, window
blinds, artwork, and furniture as they would virtually appear within the
shopper's own home.</li>
<li>HTML5 and Pinterest-esque layouts are two
factors that will be driving the next generation of web sites. "Design
first for the tablet - then for everything else" was one common theme.</li>
<li>Consumers aren't shy about buying from mobile devices. Case in point: $1095 Lasik Surgery package purchased on Groupon from a mobile device.</li>
</ul>
<br />Manny Juhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01639753078967616270noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2871062928216679863.post-47906361327689178342012-04-13T16:52:00.001-07:002012-04-13T16:52:07.520-07:00Mobile Apps vs. Mobile Web - Why Not Both<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhodVZPPMzeBXMlC4z4lIBYjVeB0gc-GfglcWYt9Pxy31i0wsfrqgbNegGhedIIZWA1GRAe-ptW3QBkRi4NtAr-vAQMyPWlHOwg8of5di5Yi9r7Lg0Ot0YqIJKQ5rG85nrjls2Wy2xqU8_9/s1600/mobile+web+vs+mobile+app.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhodVZPPMzeBXMlC4z4lIBYjVeB0gc-GfglcWYt9Pxy31i0wsfrqgbNegGhedIIZWA1GRAe-ptW3QBkRi4NtAr-vAQMyPWlHOwg8of5di5Yi9r7Lg0Ot0YqIJKQ5rG85nrjls2Wy2xqU8_9/s200/mobile+web+vs+mobile+app.png" width="200" /></a>Mobile Apps versus Mobile Web: which provides the better consumer experience? <br />
<br />
Mobile Apps provide a much richer user experience, allowing the app publishers to leverage many capabilities of the mobile operating system including geo-positioning, direct in-app commerce, gyroscopic sensors, the camera, and much more.
<br />
<br />
Mobile Web provides a much richer degree of ubiquity and it's a heck of a lot cheaper. Back in the late '90s, web browsers introduced a new paradigm shift in application development in which browser-based SaaS became a better model over the native Mac vs. Windows vs. UNIX vs. SunOS challenge existing at that time. Thanks to the mobile web and upcoming HTML5, the similar challenge of native iOS vs. Android vs. RIM vs. Windows goes by the wayside.
<br />
<br />
A <a href="http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/consumer/a-store-in-your-pocket-retailer-mobile-websites-beat-apps-among-us-smartphone-owners/">recent study</a> from Nielsen indicates that retail web sites are more popular than retail apps by approximately 2 to 1, and that Amazon.com is THE most popular web site of all. <br />
<br />
By why does it have to be an either/or proposition? Why can't the mobile web and mobile apps coexist in a complimentary manner?
<br />
<br />
This is the very conclusion that panelists of a recent webinar co-sponsored by <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.mobilemarketer.com">Mobile Marketer</a> and <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.fiksu.com">Fiksu</a>. Brands represented included JetBlue Airways, Staples, Fiksu, and ESPN.
<br />
<br />
So just how do the mobile web and mobile apps play together? Here are some tips that the panelists presented:
<br />
<br />
<b>Advantage Mobile Web:</b>
<br />
Here are three cases where mobile web is your better option:
<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Content that needs to be fresh and up to date</b> - It's easier to update a web site than it is to update an app and to expect users to constantly re-install the latest version</li>
<li><b>Need to be easily discovered</b> - Thanks to Google and Bing, people are going to find your mobile web app a lot easier and quicker than they are searching through the various app stores.</li>
<li><b>Cost and Time to market are top concerns</b> - Developing a mobile is very expen$$$$ive. If you're developing for iOS, be ready for the headache of getting your app approved through Apple's (seemingly capricious) approval process. Developing for Android? Then expect to spent a significantly more amount of time testing for all the flavors of Android. Developing for Windows? Why in the world are you doing <i>that</i>? ;-)</li>
</ul>
<br />
<b>Advantage Mobile Apps:</b>
<br />
Here are three cases where a mobile app is your better option:
<br />
<ul>
<li><b>The Customer Is Always Right</b> - Let's face it. Consumers today almost expect their favorite brands to have a presence in the app stores.</li>
<li><b>Establish Long-Term Loyalty</b> - Mobile apps are a thumb-touch away. If you have a compelling app, your customer are very likely to continue interacting with your brand over the long term.</li>
<li><b>Nothing beats a native app</b> - Many brands have successfully duplicated their customer experience between the mobile web and the mobile app (e.g. Redbox, Amazon.com) for reasons stated at the beginning of this blog post. Nevertheless, there are other brands that are driving for a deeper, richer user experience that only a native app can provide.
</li>
</ul>
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So how do both mobile web and mobile app compliment each other?
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For one thing, use the mobile web to promote the mobile app. As mentioned before, don't just rely on app store searches for your app to be discovered. Search algorithms on the web are light years ahead of those used in app stores
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Your brand strategy probably isn't a one-sized fits all approach either. Use the mobile web when you want to offer breadth of content to your customers - especially when it needs to be constantly fresh. Then, use the mobile app to take your customers to a more focused and deeper experience.
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How are you using the mobile web and mobile apps to compliment each other? Post your replies to this blog post.Manny Juhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01639753078967616270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2871062928216679863.post-21934118125158600262012-03-30T15:11:00.007-07:002012-03-30T16:00:53.425-07:00Mobile Loyalty ProgramsWill mobile devices become the digital wallet of choice? Their always-with-me reality opens the door for this possibility for many consumers. Google, PayPal, American Express, MasterCard and many many others are pouring lots and lots of money into R&D for mobile payments.<br />
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But take a look at what's in <span style="font-style: italic;">your</span> wallet. There's more in there than just money and credit cards, right? <br />
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Let's take loyalty cards for example. I've actually got quite a few loyalty cards and fobs in my own wallet from my local coffee shop (No, it's not Starbuck's), my local location of a national grocery store chain, and my favorite Lao-Thai restaurant. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjISrG_IkLA96dIehk7pAlpHLpTwcdnNZlDxbHCbrGVQuGMn4hkOozUsDJ1i8-Nu5uOHjYm1fo9TXdHhZfCwNHulDiSV28ZCGp_Dv1hK_34e-JkXld2PXEF7y_wtCc6JOukq0wKYpp0hOgN/s1600/Loyalty+Card.png"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725817492958532434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjISrG_IkLA96dIehk7pAlpHLpTwcdnNZlDxbHCbrGVQuGMn4hkOozUsDJ1i8-Nu5uOHjYm1fo9TXdHhZfCwNHulDiSV28ZCGp_Dv1hK_34e-JkXld2PXEF7y_wtCc6JOukq0wKYpp0hOgN/s320/Loyalty+Card.png" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 239px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
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New companies like <a href="http://keyringapp.com/">Key Ring Technologies</a> and <a href="http://www.mycardstar.com/">CardStar</a> are jumping in with services that let you store all your paper and plastic loyalty cards all within their branded mobile apps. You can also sign up for additional loyalty programs with brands they've partnered with - all directly from within their mobile apps.<br />
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I like the idea of consolidating all my paper and plastic loyalty cards onto my smartphone. This concept is truly bringing my smartphone one step closer to becoming my digital wallet.<br />
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But I must confess that there is one thing that bothers me about Key Ring's, CardStar's, and other similar companies' approaches. These all follow the Groupon and Living Social business model by acting as merchant aggregators. Being a marketer myself, I don't like the idea of Key Ring or CardStar or anyone else owning the relationship between me and my customer. I want to own the relationship top to bottom. Hey - Apple doesn't have a problem with this approach and neither do I.<br />
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That's why I personally am leaning more towards offerings from <a href="http://getpunchd.com/">Punchd</a> and <a href="https://www.in2loyalty.com/">In2Loyalty</a>. Both of these companies position their products directly to the merchants - not to the consumers. This means that by using Punchd or In2Loyalty, I'm the one offering the mobile loyalty program and I get to totally own the branding and the relationship with my customers.<br />
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Both provide a self-service SaaS web application that lets merchants create and manage their mobile loyalty programs so I get direct control over my program.<br />
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The way that Punchd works is the merchant creates his own loyalty program using their web application and prints out his 2D code on a big cardboard sign. Customers are supposed to download the Punchd-branded smartphone app which includes a 2D code reader and a listing of all the other nearby Punchd-affiliated merchants. When the customers come into the store, they use the Punchd smartphone app to scan the 2D code printed on the sign that the barista brings out from behind the counter for them to scan. Voila! Their loyalty cards are then automatically punched.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd32HNtRiB_VCQitjDXVGLPICR0qihuNigZ7gOyYBYdcWBYooWrsufNV4C1wAY_aknl_Y9tRsq09hA0y07XmMpyt9uYnIoD78Dl8muCTbUAp6VxkghfM0sEsnw_V_0CObB6nk9epskxQWl/s1600/scan_code.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725819342095196930" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd32HNtRiB_VCQitjDXVGLPICR0qihuNigZ7gOyYBYdcWBYooWrsufNV4C1wAY_aknl_Y9tRsq09hA0y07XmMpyt9uYnIoD78Dl8muCTbUAp6VxkghfM0sEsnw_V_0CObB6nk9epskxQWl/s320/scan_code.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 237px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
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My favorite is actually Australia-based start up In2Loyalty. Like Punchd, their offering is a self-service application that merchants use to create and manage their own mobile loyalty program. The main difference with their approach is who does the 2D code scanning. In the case of Punchd, customers have to install the Punchd-branded mobile app and then scan the 2D code in order for their mobile loyalty cards to get stamped. In the case of In2Loyalty, the merchant does the scanning - an approach that I personally like better. Not everyone wants to download yet another mobile app. In contrast, people are more comfortable visiting mobile web sites.<br />
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So here's how In2Loyalty works: merchants use In2Loyalty's self-service application to create their own branded mobile mini-site complete with color scheme and logos. Here's where I upload my product offering, the locations of all my stores, a Facebook/Twitter/Google+ feed (nice touch!), and the details of my loyalty program - including customizing what the stamps on the mobile loyalty card will look like. <br />
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The entire mobile mini-site is my branded experience; there's no mention of In2Loyalty at all - with the exception of the URL of the mini-site (which probably could be completely branded if I ask them nicely enough). It's all about owning the relationship with the customer. Am I paranoid because I insist on owning the relationship with my customers? I don't think so. Again. Ask Apple. Who do they want owning the relationship with their customers: them or Best Buy? You get my drift.<br />
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As the customer, I just go to the mini-site in my mobile browser and register for the loyalty program. I can create my own login ID in the customized login screen, or I can register by linking my In2Loyalty account with my Facebook, Twitter, or Google+ identity. Once I've created my account, all I have to do is bookmark the web site. Both iOS and Android smartphones let me save website bookmarks directly to my home screen for easy reach. I don't have to install yet another smartphone app. When I go into the store, all I do is open the mobile mini-site in my mobile browser and show my personalized 2D code to the barista behind the counter.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Br_UeL3HAX2WDzd4FZ7Wxj7D9p6Gu2g79CCZ1TlClyxZlQO4eKshb_bosWWmPSZIhKnIOPpyyH7B1khhBW11WgnEqOPA4Ncveh7-XO-alK3I5qDuf0J4O31tZazeg6wsLV7t3cf11LYt/s1600/In2Loyalty.png"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725820286923846290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Br_UeL3HAX2WDzd4FZ7Wxj7D9p6Gu2g79CCZ1TlClyxZlQO4eKshb_bosWWmPSZIhKnIOPpyyH7B1khhBW11WgnEqOPA4Ncveh7-XO-alK3I5qDuf0J4O31tZazeg6wsLV7t3cf11LYt/s200/In2Loyalty.png" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 186px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
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As the merchant, I've already downloaded the In2Loyalty-branded Android app with the built-in 2D code reader. (iPhone app coming soon? Unknown as of this writing.) So all I have to do is scan the 2D codes that my customers show me on their smartphones. Voila! Their loyalty cards are then automatically punched.<br />
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For something as simple as a mobile loyalty program, I prefer the mobile web approach over the mobile app. Why? Because it's quicker and cheaper than a mobile app. I'm willing to sacrifice the richer user experience of a mobile app in favor of the simplicity of a mobile mini-site. For example, if I add a new location to my coffee shop chain, all I have to do is update the mini-site using the SaaS web application. In contrast, a mobile app requires that I update the app ($$cha-ching$$), post the update on the app store and hope that my customers download the app update.<br />
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In general, if richness of user-engagement is more important, then a mobile app is the preferred choice. If timeliness and freshness of content is more important, then the mobile web is the preferred choice. Remember: it's not an either-or decision. The mobile web and the mobile app can and should compliment each other - as in the case of In2Loyalty's offering. <br />
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All four of these companies that I mention here are doing the mobile eco-system a tremendous service by advancing the usefullness and opportunities of mobile devices for commerce. I like what all of them are doing and I do have my personal favorite. You may have your personal preference and I welcome your feedback to this blog post.<br />
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Now, if my driver's license can be stored on my smartphone then THAT'S when I seriously start thinking about my smartphone becoming my true digital wallet. But that's another story for another time ...Manny Juhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01639753078967616270noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2871062928216679863.post-15297990262533193272011-08-05T16:16:00.001-07:002011-08-05T16:54:35.778-07:00Where No Search Has Gone Before (Or Ever Can Go)I've had the recent opportunity to tell the story that Mobile Email Does Matter as <a href="http://bit.ly/p6fccK">a guest columnist to Mobile Marketer Daily</a> and also in <a href="http://bit.ly/mPHWv1">an interview by Internet Retailer</a>. I'm pleased to see that many others share my excitement regarding the unique opportunities of mobile email -- and we've only just started to tap its potential.<br /><br />My only hope is that marketers don't get distracted by obsessing over how an email should look in a mobile device and actually spend their time thinking of mobile email strategy: unique experiences that take advantage of the mobile context which cannot be duplicated on the desktop.<br /><br /><strong>And Speaking of Unique Experiences</strong><br />I'd like to introduce you to a start up company that it's been my good pleasure to speak with their founder, Vivek Sharma. His company, <a href="http://movableink.com/">MovableInk</a>, specializes in what they call "real-time content for email." They have a number of offerings in their portfolio, and the one that I like the most - from a mobile marketer's perspective - is their real-time <a href="https://movableink.com/features/map_pic">Local Maps</a>.<br /><br />Local Maps shows points of interest on a Google Maps mashup in real-time based on where the email recipient is at the time he opens his email. Since the map is rendered in real time, the POIs that the email recipient sees within the very same email will vary depending upon where he is at the time he opens his email. <br /><br />The desktop experience of Local Maps doesn't exactly excite me especially when one's desktop connection to the Internet is managed via a proxy server as many business and as some commercial ISPs do. For example, I work in Oregon and my office connection to the Internet is managed by my employer who is in Minnesota. Therefore Amazon.com, Google, and others (including Local Maps) show me information relevant to The Land of a Thousand Lakes which is no where close to where I am.<br /><br />The real Match Made in Heaven is between Local Maps and Mobile Email. Mobile HTML uses the IP address of the cell tower that is handling the communication with the mobile handset. This means that regardless of who your ISP is, you'll always get a true local map on your mobile handset when you read your email whereas you may or may not on your desktop.<br /><br />To be specific, look below at two screen shots of the same email. The email is from a brand that I follow, showing the places within a few miles of me that serve a particular ... ahem ... beverage that I like (more on that later).<br /><br />Here's what I see when I read my email at work:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDqZvULoa09QsMOjDx3h4XftmJRpNFeXUP7QamqwGMSV2UAULNyJpCe5kPWthUjRz7BQcvoy0WQ-axlDSupKTZU1GdXPcAAJ-iVWhFch9-tkaI3bwrox8sBDMzeRms4ZXffQCwRhqlJhUz/s1600/desktop.png"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 302px; height: 304px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDqZvULoa09QsMOjDx3h4XftmJRpNFeXUP7QamqwGMSV2UAULNyJpCe5kPWthUjRz7BQcvoy0WQ-axlDSupKTZU1GdXPcAAJ-iVWhFch9-tkaI3bwrox8sBDMzeRms4ZXffQCwRhqlJhUz/s320/desktop.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5637515452832227442" /></a><br /><br />Here's what I see when I read that same email on my mobile device:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW1v0f5M4H3CayjadWsgt6gotagKIhxwTCTPs-TSAs_VNW-qihHgsQBosFzkCeOqVBAKhiSlaJyNUU_zfAVsyh1dayA1P8QCulnBmMVKY1WKlsH87K0k44nGsl8b-ebc_pTcWe0Y67naY0/s1600/mobile.PNG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW1v0f5M4H3CayjadWsgt6gotagKIhxwTCTPs-TSAs_VNW-qihHgsQBosFzkCeOqVBAKhiSlaJyNUU_zfAVsyh1dayA1P8QCulnBmMVKY1WKlsH87K0k44nGsl8b-ebc_pTcWe0Y67naY0/s320/mobile.PNG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5637515654851603298" /></a><br /><br /><strong>Local Search vs. MovableInk Local Maps</strong><br />So let's talk mobile email strategy now. Any brand having local outlets should consider Local Maps in their mobile email programs. Local search is one of the most widely used features on mobile handsets. MovableInk's Local Maps takes the experience to a level that local search can never go. The web search experience is restricted because it cannot provide the same personalized experience that only email can. Only Local Maps can provide personalized "insider information" on points of interest that local search has no way of knowing.<br /><br />Local Maps is the perfect tool to capitalize on instant gratification which is the unique advantage of the mobile opportunity. Brands having retail outlets, restaurants, and fast food outlets are the ones that typically come to mind. Being denizens of an industrialized society, we don't plan our meals ahead of time any more. We eat when we're hungry no matter where we happen to be at the moment. Most food service brands have customer loyalty programs. Marketers should send mobile emails out sometime just before the time of day our stomachs start growling. The emails should contain loyalty reward offers that can be immediately redeemed. To top it off, the mobile email should include a Local Map that shows all the nearby places the person can go to immediately redeem his loyalty reward.<br /><br /><strong>CPG Brands Can Benefit Too ...</strong><br />Consumer Packaged Goods brands can benefit from Local Maps by displaying local outlets that carry a particular product. For example, I'm a fan of a particular brand of vodka (NOTE: this is *not* an endorsement for the consumption of alcoholic beverages) and I like it enough to subscribe to their email newsletters. It's a hard-to-find brand of vodka so it's important enough to me that all other things being equal, the establishments serving this brand have priority of those that don't. This is where mobile email and Local Maps are the perfect solution. Local search just doesn't work - believe me, I've tried it; neither Google, Bing, nor Yahoo! can show me which local dining establishment carries this particular brand. The mobile email from this brand should contain two keys items: a two-for-one drink offer (since martinis always seem to come in pairs) and a Local Maps showing all the dining establishments near me - no matter where I happen to be at that moment - where I can redeem this offer.<br /><br /><strong>... As Can Consumer Electronics ...</strong><br />Consumer electronics brands have some of the most rabid group of fans, rivaling those of rock stars. Who else can get people to stand outside a store in the freezing rain just so that they can be among the first to own a game, game console, or tablet computer? Product exclusivity implies product scarcity. So here's an idea to consider. Do a special new product rollout exclusively for your most loyal customers. If your product is sold all across the nation, limit availability of the new product to fewer locations than your normal distribution places. Finally, don't automatically assume that 100% of these customers are all at home or that they all know where the exclusive distribution locations are. Do the product announcement using a mobile email and include a MovableInk Local Maps showing the "secret places" where the exclusive product is available. This will drive your rabid fans even wilder!<br /><br />So there you have it. The mobile opportunity is so much beyond getting an email to look nice in a mobile device. MovableInk's Local Maps is another great way to offer instant gratification for your mobile email program.Manny Juhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01639753078967616270noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2871062928216679863.post-52984904860043033762011-05-12T10:54:00.000-07:002011-05-13T13:29:24.923-07:00The State of Mobile Messaging 2011Each year the question always arises, "Is this the Year of Mobile Marketing?" The honest answer is "Yes" and "No". Each year the data about mobile marketing shows that it is maturing from an experimental medium into a mainstream medium for online marketers. And each year, the data shows that it still has a way to go before it reaches the level of mass adoption that other online channels including search, banner advertising, and email marketing enjoy.<br /><br />First, let's consider the data showing the growth of mobile marketing - specifically commercial mobile messaging. Estimates put the number as high as <a href='http://www.dhtech.com/how-many-text-messages-were-sent-in-2010'>6.1 trillion text messages sent worldwide in 2010</a>. Text messaging now is the preferred mode of mobile communication for many mobile subscribers. A <a href='http://www.merkleinc.com/wmspage.cfm?parm1=1231'>study from Merkle</a> showed that 18-29 year olds prefer to text rather than talk for their personal communications. With the widespread adoption of text messaging for communications, it would be a logical assumption that text messaging adoption for commercial messaging should follow. But more on that later.<br /><br />Even though actual advertising dollars spent on the mobile medium still remain orders of magnitude less than the other advertising media, it remains the one having the highest growth rate. According to the DMA's Statistical Fact Book 2011 Edition, advertising dollars spent in the mobile medium grew at a whopping 63.4% over a four year period from 2006 to 2010. This was during the same time period when total advertising spend shrank by 2.5% due to dropping expenditures in the traditional media channels including direct mail (catalogs, newspaper, magazines, inserts, etc.), radio, and television. Even though social media marketing has been the darling of the press, reality is that advertising spent in this channel grew at less than a third the rate of that for mobile. The projected growth rates through 2014 for the two channels are expected to come closer together; but mobile is still expected to grow faster than social.<br /><br />Now let's consider the data that indicates commercial mobile messaging still has a long way to go before it reaches the level of mass adoption. In the Merkle study I mentioned above, the same 18-29 year old age group that prefers to text rather than talk for their personal communications are absolutely loathe to accept it as the medium for commercial communications. Quite surprisingly, a definitive 74% of this age group surveyed use email as their preferred medium for receiving commercial messages.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm5j-mc90whQVPbv6QNWu4Dt-YWKcGTDbpNLSutX6Vu-3pOI8N9DcqGt3Q-pGWqUYS2h7vS1YO77OnvhI2cjD-mwdYmvnxWy19LRKU3XE78ju3WOgAvQRKMG6MB1I9LyLLdFQ1lC-WYMRr/s1600/commercialEmail.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 278px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm5j-mc90whQVPbv6QNWu4Dt-YWKcGTDbpNLSutX6Vu-3pOI8N9DcqGt3Q-pGWqUYS2h7vS1YO77OnvhI2cjD-mwdYmvnxWy19LRKU3XE78ju3WOgAvQRKMG6MB1I9LyLLdFQ1lC-WYMRr/s320/commercialEmail.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5605890133372109554" /></a><br /><br />Email is the preferred medium for commercial messages over SMS because of three important factors:<br /><ol><br /> <li>There still remains a sizable population of mobile subscribers who are still paying for each text message while email is free,</li><br /> <li>Unlike the ability to set up multiple email accounts, a person has only one mobile phone number.</li><br /> <li>Mobile devices are highly personal. People jealously guard their SMS inbox more than they guard their email inbox.</li><br /></ol><br />Let's consider this latter point. Mobile devices are highly personal. People jealously guard their phone numbers from the marketers' clutches for fear of receiving spam messages that they perceive to be highly personal intrusions. For this reason successful commercial mobile messaging places an extremely high premium on trust. Only when people start trusting the integrity of the brand will SMS marketing reach mass adoption on the scale of email marketing, search, display advertising, and mobile apps.<br /><br />Marketers having successful email programs are in a perfect position to have successful SMS campaigns. The hard-won foundation of trust established by the email program can now be built upon with the SMS marketing program. For this reason, if you are a marketer looking to pilot your SMS marketing programs, start with your email subscribers. Best of all, start with your "mobile responders," those that tend to read your emails on their mobile devices. These are people that are already engaging with your commercial messaging campaigns in a mobile context. The barrier of adoption for your SMS marketing campaigns is lowest with this group.Manny Juhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01639753078967616270noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2871062928216679863.post-4834174716224275852011-02-21T21:58:00.000-08:002011-02-21T22:53:33.972-08:00Three Unique Benefits of Mobile Email<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjyQiBdt8ogR47ocHLnW9e6CJvvHU_atMtRzDmV1dDT03bwJfKQV2mqpwtgvsUDE9uiLlfMBcdHjvGTiIjzgYt3ZzYylY6ivFfeMLS0dA2z9H0FIoOY9SrDKprIxHvgAL2wGUGe-ULbSmZ/s1600/Man+on+rooftop+with+arms+outstretched.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjyQiBdt8ogR47ocHLnW9e6CJvvHU_atMtRzDmV1dDT03bwJfKQV2mqpwtgvsUDE9uiLlfMBcdHjvGTiIjzgYt3ZzYylY6ivFfeMLS0dA2z9H0FIoOY9SrDKprIxHvgAL2wGUGe-ULbSmZ/s320/Man+on+rooftop+with+arms+outstretched.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576403073901408482" /></a><br />The online marketer's message is delivered via the Internet. There is an evolutionary transformation taking place in how consumers are choosing to access the Internet. Analysts including <a href="http://www.morganstanley.com/institutional/techresearch/mobile_internet_report122009.html">Morgan Stanley</a>, and <a href="http://www.gartner.com/it/page.jsp?id=1278413">Gartner Research</a> are predicting that within the next four years, the mobile device will become the number one access point to the Internet world wide.<br /><br />For the past 15 years since the commercialization of the Internet, it's all been about the Desktop Experience. But now consumers are starting to expect the Mobile Experience. If brands do not offer a mobile experience to their customers, there is the possibility that they will lose them to brands that do.<br /><br />In 2009, smartphones comprised less than 18% of all cellular phones worldwide. Within just one year, smartphone sales worldwide <a href="http://www.canalys.com/pr/2011/r2011013.html">jumped a whopping 80 percent</a> and represented over 21% of all cellphones sold worldwide in 2010. In February of this year, <a href="http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/smartphones_outsell_pcs.php">ReadWriteWeb reported</a> that more smartphones were sold worldwide than PCs for the first time ever in Q4 2010.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.lukew.com/ff/entry.asp?1263">Research into consumers' mobile device usage patterns</a> indicates that people are interacting with their mobile devices at all times during the day. Additional research indicates that reading email continues to be the most popular data usage across all mobile devices for both feature phones and smartphones. With the meteoric rise of smartphone adoption, email marketers who offer a mobile experience for their customers stand to reap enormous economic benefits.<br /><br />Email marketers need to see beyond just mobile formatting and consider the mobile opportunity. It is a tragedy of missed opportunity to focus just on repurposing desktop content for the mobile screen all the while ignoring the uniqueness of the mobile context that the desktop cannot duplicate. Mobile devices are the enablers of instant gratification. From a single device, I can talk to anyone, anywhere in the world, anytime I want to. I can also listen to music, watch a movie or TV show, purchase just about anything, play a game, find out where my friends are and tell them where I am, search for information on any topic, read my email, my magazine, my newspaper, or my book, program my DVR and just about anything else, anytime I want to.<br /><br />Send time optimization - the conundrum of the email marketer - is an artifact of the Desktop Experience because people in this context are constrained by the times and places they have access to a computer. The mobile context has no such limitations. People read their emails on their mobile devices whenever and wherever they happen to be.<br /><br />Mobile email is all about the immediacy that is unique to the mobile context and cannot be matched by the desktop computer. For this reason, mobile email needs to be different from desktop email. Mobile email needs to be short and sweet. There should be only one or two images and the copy should be right to the point. The entire message should be easily understood within 10 seconds or less. The call to action must be fulfilled quickly and easily.<br /><br />I'll now give you three simple examples of effective mobile emails.<br /><br />Mobile emails are a must-have for brands that have made the investment of a mobile app. Promote the mobile app using the mobile email. Include a link to download the app in the body of the email. Keeping the consumer within the same device for reading the promotional email and using the app greatly increases the likelihood that the app will be downloaded and used.<br /><br />Brands that require an in-venue experience benefit greatly from mobile email. For example, Hot Topic is a major retail clothier whose target market are Tweens, who, by the way, are not online buyers because they are too young to own credit cards. Fortunately, there is a strong overlap between their (and other retailers like them) target market and the persona that is highly interactive with mobile devices. Mobile emails should absolutely be used to drive in-store traffic by containing exclusive special offers and promotions that are redeemable within the store by presenting the mobile email to the sales associate at the point of sale. In the not too distant future, 2D code readers at the point of sale will enable highly personalized (and highly trackable) redeemable offers.<br /><br />Finally, there is absolutely no excuse for brands in the Travel and Hospitality industry to not be using mobile email. They know when and where their customers are on vacation. People don't take their computers with them on vacation, but they definitely take their mobile devices with them. (People who DO take their computers with them on vacation - like me - only interact with them at night when they are back in the hotel room.) Therefore mobile - not desktop - email should be the communication medium. Mobile emails should include co-branded promotions and offers from those that are local to the vacationer. If the brand has a presence on a social network, the mobile email should invite the customers to post their vacation pictures on the brand's social site to enhance their social community experience.<br /><br />Hopefully by reading this blog, you'll be persuaded that the time for mobile email is now. Don't get hung up on mobile formatting; by keeping your mobile email within the mobile context, it will naturally render will in a wide variety of mobile devices. Focus instead on the mobile opportunity. Take advantage of the mobile context that cannot be duplicated by desktop computers. Start by giving your customers a preference of reading their emails on a desktop computer or on a mobile device. Don't just sneak mobile email out there either; promote it. Give people a compelling reason to partake of the experience that is uniquely mobile.Manny Juhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01639753078967616270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2871062928216679863.post-57115982145195096482011-01-11T09:52:00.000-08:002011-01-11T10:21:42.550-08:00Confessions of a Possible Techno-holic<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUMsCKiow3A4oZNwWNVs4gWpASNCRMsxFO_A4zXpT77vZWdZMcqfW5biNoQ7yltH_kEQGeanGYgKKOSAXsssHw8skhFEjcjbcWos5PEFWcMFfey0lnLg2w7lx3K1iNNevw0O4DacFmppvW/s1600/Man+with+electrodes+attached+to+his+head.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 238px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUMsCKiow3A4oZNwWNVs4gWpASNCRMsxFO_A4zXpT77vZWdZMcqfW5biNoQ7yltH_kEQGeanGYgKKOSAXsssHw8skhFEjcjbcWos5PEFWcMFfey0lnLg2w7lx3K1iNNevw0O4DacFmppvW/s320/Man+with+electrodes+attached+to+his+head.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560988074351796514" border="0" /></a><br />I have a suspicion that I might be a Techno-holic.<br /><p></p><br />Experts say that the first step on the road to recovery is to admit that you actually have a problem. I don't think I have a problem, but I'm not sure. Just to be certain, I'm going to do a self-diagnosis of my personal habits.<br /><p></p><br />So in the spirit of self-help psychoanalysis, I've put together a list of warning signs that I just might be a Techno-holic.<br /><p></p><br />I just might be a Techno-holic when...<br /><ol><br /><li>Five hundred bucks is too damn much to pay for a flat panel TV, or a netbook computer - or a desktop computer for that matter. But it's a perfectly reasonable price to pay for an iPad just so that I can watch Netflix re-runs while laying in bed at night.</li><br /><li>I now read all my email - both business and personal - on my mobile device.</li><br /><li>I carry both a Blackberry and an iPhone everywhere I go. The Blackberry is for company email and the iPhone is for everything else because let's face it: the Blackberry UI sucks and the iPhone UI rules.</li><br /><li>Paying five hundred bucks for a Kindle DX back in '09 was perfectly acceptable just so that I could read PDFs of market research while laying in bed at night (even though after 18 months I have yet to read a single one).</li><br /><li>I've put my newspaper delivery boy out of work and haven't shed a single tear because I now read The Wall Street Journal on my Kindle.</li><br /><li>I'm too lazy to turn on my TV just to set my DVR to record a program. Instead, I use the Xfinity TV iPhone app to do it. Oh...and I have the same app on my iPad too.</li><br /><li>I'm now systematically replacing all my classic LPs with downloads from iTunes.</li><br /><li>I love looking at that flashing blue Thingy on my iPhone's GPS.</li><br /><li>I've bought a second Blu-ray player just because my other one doesn't have built-in WiFi - just so that I can watch Netflix re-runs while laying in bed a night.</li><br /><li>I've completed this blog post using the <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/html-edit/id364372032?mt=8">HTML Edit</a> iPad app while waiting in line for an oil change at Oil Can Henry's.</li><br /></ol><br /><p></p><br />So, whaddya think? Am I a Techno-holic? My wife is vigorously nodding her head with an emphatic "Yes!" along with the classic eye-roll thing too. But I don't think so. I consider myself "an enlightened consumer."<br /><p></p><br />Are you possible Techno-holic too? Post a comment to this blog post with your list of warning signs.Manny Juhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01639753078967616270noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2871062928216679863.post-65184991538329762882010-11-02T10:44:00.000-07:002010-11-02T11:29:16.115-07:00The Mobile Experience: Instant Gratification For Your Welcome Email Program<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh6nKW-R33UBKLU3IjXs2m2YTA0bIBrx1kl-5q8tyobyYzMBJPkaX2VaoMl2VyLWlEtw66Yoj2uyTCgVkN2NTR2yf3NSM5_FBCkudlxQR5rnMGyWdlt6YC7W8jnRI83fE2F8xfVX_CGjUu/s1600/textToSubscribe.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 168px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh6nKW-R33UBKLU3IjXs2m2YTA0bIBrx1kl-5q8tyobyYzMBJPkaX2VaoMl2VyLWlEtw66Yoj2uyTCgVkN2NTR2yf3NSM5_FBCkudlxQR5rnMGyWdlt6YC7W8jnRI83fE2F8xfVX_CGjUu/s200/textToSubscribe.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5535010044312199538" border="0" /></a><br />Your email marketing messages reach your subscribers' inboxes via the Internet. We are in the midst of an evolutionary shift in how people are accessing the Internet. Analysts including those at <a href="http://www.morganstanley.com/institutional/techresearch/mobile_internet_report122009.html">Morgan Stanley</a> and <a href="http://www.gartner.com/it/page.jsp?id=1278413">Gartner Research</a> are predicting that within the next three to five years, mobile devices will become the number one access point to the Internet worldwide. Since the commercialization of the Internet about twenty years ago, online marketing (which includes email marketing) has been all about The Desktop Experience. With more and more people subscribing to mobile services, customers are starting to demand the next evolutionary step: The Mobile Experience. Brands that do not have a mobile experience to offer their customers are in danger of losing many of their customers to competitors that do.<br /><br />Mobile devices are ubiquitous, and they are highly personal; people share computers but they don't share mobile phones. The most important quality from a marketer's perspective is that <strong>mobile devices are the enablers of instant gratification.</strong> If a call to action can be performed within the same snapshot of time as the moment of decision, the greater the likelihood that the call to action will actually be accomplished. It's time that email marketers start thinking about The Mobile Experience in their programs - starting with the Welcome program.<br /><br />The vast majority of brands allow interested people to subscribe to their email marketing programs by entering an email address on a form directly on their web sites. Brands including <a href="http://www.chuckecheese.com/">Chuck E. Cheese's</a>, <a href="http://www.blogger.com/Target">Target</a>, <a href="http://www.perryellis.com/">Perry Ellis</a>, <a href="http://www.walmart.com/">Walmart</a> and <a href="http://www.olivegarden.com/default_f.asp">Olive Garden</a> all feature an email marketing sign up form directly on their home pages.<br /><br />While each of these brands have successful email marketing programs, there is a shortcoming to this web page sign up approach. The shortcoming is that there is an inherent disconnect between the time that a person experiences the brand and the time when the person is able to subscribe to the brand's email marketing program. For example, I am experiencing the Olive Garden brand when I am in the restaurant with my family enjoying their food. Will it even occur to me to sign up for their email marketing program hours or even days later when I'm at my computer?<br /><br />It is with scenarios like this that the power of email marketing becomes enhanced through the power of text messaging. Not all cellphones have the ability to surf the web; but all cellphones have the ability to send and receive text messages. People carry their cellphones with them wherever they go. If a person can subscribe to a brand's email marketing program simply by sending a text message containing his email address, then this capability is a powerful boost to the brand's Welcome program. The text-to-subscribe capability enables people to sign up for email offers and promotions while they are in the midst of the brand's experience. Chuck E. Cheese's is one example of a brand that has a successful <a href="http://www.bluehornet.com/case-studies/full/chuck-e-cheeses-text-messaging">text-to-subscribe feature of their email marketing program</a>.<br /><br />The Mobile Experience of text-to-subscribe should carry over to the Welcome email itself. Anyone who subscribes to the email marketing program in this manner should receive a <a href="http://www.pivotalveracity.com/email-marketing-resources/pivotaliq-blog/222.html">mobile-formatted</a> Welcome email that is immediately sent as soon as the text message containing the email address is received. Furthermore, the Welcome email should contain a reward that is immediately redeemable. Give people the ability to further experience your brand while they are in the moment. According to a <a href="http://www.dmnews.com/welcome-e-mails-with-offers-equal-more-transactions-experian/article/181242/">recent study</a>, offers within Welcome emails have "significantly higher transaction rates than those within bulk messages".<br /><br />B2B brands can likewise take advantage of text-to-subscribe for their email marketing programs. Conferences and tradeshows are excellent scenarios for this type of opt-in mechanism. If you are exhibiting at the tradeshow floor, don't wait for people to return to their hotel rooms before they opt-in; let them subscribe right there on the spot.<br /><br />Mobile devices are the enablers of instant gratification. Have confidence in your brand to make your email marketing program an object of a person's desire for instant gratification. Implement The Mobile Experience in your Welcome program.Manny Juhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01639753078967616270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2871062928216679863.post-8444665073516724922010-09-27T14:30:00.000-07:002010-09-27T14:51:53.168-07:00Could Apple Be the One to Unleash the NFC Revolution?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQNJYAHYx1hM1QWBlFL8RqS95_4cUotOK_BIx9SPnDx0xplvsd6MYKWtrgby21hWANOMdbYq1Ui5SVPq23hLjQmYvREamVY8w9TXKXnyQXe25LcsXuMjUP1hwnV2z9uzCOwyNiIRXH_n7W/s1600/patentlyApple.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 168px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQNJYAHYx1hM1QWBlFL8RqS95_4cUotOK_BIx9SPnDx0xplvsd6MYKWtrgby21hWANOMdbYq1Ui5SVPq23hLjQmYvREamVY8w9TXKXnyQXe25LcsXuMjUP1hwnV2z9uzCOwyNiIRXH_n7W/s200/patentlyApple.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521713182563305170" /></a><br /><br />Last month, <a href="http://www.nearfieldcommunicationsworld.com/2010/08/13/34302/apple-hires-nfc-expert-as-mobile-commerce-product-manager/">Near Field Communications World</a> had a quick blurb that Apple had hired an "expert in near field communication technology" as its mobile commerce product manager. Since that announcement, the press world was all aflurry trying to find out <a href="http://www.nfctimes.com/blog/dan-balaban/who-benjamin-vigier-and-what-does-his-hiring-say-about-apple-s-plans">who the heck this Benjamin-guy is</a>. While he may not necessarily have a blue-blood technology pedigree in NFC, he may apparently have what the Steve Jobs Reality Distortion Field needs to bring passion and evangelism to this emerging world.<br /><br />In case you're reading this blog and wondering "what the heck is near field communications," it is, in short, one of the many varieties of "contactless technologies" being explored today. Ever since I first learned of near field communication at CTIA back in 2008, I've been intrigued by NFC technology and the possibilities that it entails. I've written about it from time to time <a href="http://mannyju.blogspot.com/2009/02/voice-enabled-gift-cards.html">here</a> and <a href="http://mannyju.blogspot.com/2009/04/making-money-from-mobile-tlas.html">here.</a><br /><br />Here in these United States, we make payments by sliding a card embedded with a magnetic strip through some type of reader. We've been doing it with our credit cards, debit cards, and transit passes for several decades now. My local laundromat has likewise gotten into the magnetic strip act. Instead of stuffing quarters, I now just slide a plastic card containing a magnetic strip into the slots and pay that way. How convenient!<br /><br />Near field communications takes the magnetic strip to the next logical step. Instead of physical contact between magnetic strip and reader, one just needs to hold a miniature data storage chip very closely to the reader. An antenna transmits data over a very short range - within just a few centimeters.<br /><br />Mobile devices are the logical candidates for NFC because they are small, self-powered, ubuiquitous, and highly personal devices. Heck, it wasn't all that long ago when we all scratched our heads asking, "Take a picture with a cell phone? Why?" Since we do just about everything else with our cell phones why not use it to buy things like clothing, groceries, bus passes, and junk food from vending machines?<br /><br />There are two main reasons why NFC for e-commerce hasn't really taken off here in the U.S. - even after many years of speculation. The first barrier is the cost and effort required to update all point of sale systems to support NFC. Imagine every single ATM, cash register, gas pump, public transit station being upgraded to support contactless payment. Would I be too far fetched if I were to throw out a number of perhaps hundreds of millions of these devices that would need replacing?<br /><br />The other barrier concerns regulation of the industry to ensure consumer protection. Credit cards carry a $50 limit on consumer responsibility for unauthorized use, and debit cards can carry $500 and even higher in liability, depending upon how quickly consumers report the incident of fraud. So what happens if some one takes your NFC-enabled phone and makes fraudulent charges? What rights do you have as a consumer to be protected from these incidents? ... (silence) ...<br /><br />So now...back to the original topic of this blog. <a href="http://www.patentlyapple.com">Patently Apple</a> keeps track of all patents that Apple has filed, and certainly their <a href="http://www.patentlyapple.com/.services/blog/6a0120a5580826970c0120a5580ebf970c/search?filter.q=nfc">list of patents relating to NFC</a> are many. Now one thing that I will say that is blasphemous in our day and time: <strong>Apple's core competency is not about inventing new technologies.</strong> They did not invent the portable media player. They did not invent the notebook computer. They did not invent the mobile phone. They did not invent the touch-screen. Heck! They didn't even invent the graphical user interface that they are so famous for. (They "borrowed" it from Xerox PARC.) <strong>Apple's core competency is The User Experience.</strong> Apple masterfully builds upon existing technology and provides a superior user experience by extending the experience beyond the device itself. The iPod would not be what it is today without iTunes. The iPhone (and the iPad) would not be what it is today without Apps. And because they focus so much attention upon extending the user experience beyond just the physical device, they have a proven track record of success where others have failed.<br /><br />So when I see that Apple has some interest in near field communications - however obtuse that interest is at this point - I'm a happy camper. I know that NFC totally makes sense and adds value to our daily experience. I also know that for NFC to be successful, the experience must extend beyond just the NFC-enabled device. And this is exactly what Apple is so good at doing. <br /><br />Check out some of the things that Apple's looking into with an NFC-enabled iPhone. They could just be the tipping point (once again!) that sets a whole new industry in motion.Manny Juhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01639753078967616270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2871062928216679863.post-12953798569261522732010-08-30T13:57:00.000-07:002010-08-30T16:32:43.770-07:00Can Microsoft Develop a Successful Mobile OS?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI2PQSbA0g9k0m72Rzqe21RW2aosx1T_ytilLXgIHC5lKD1VfYAVHuvFP8eH8tZK9srcQWJs12MvQjr3zpoFIKyzSOOfkIoUtVHulFehUeqfcPnGS4wGO5GB3V5rvQPgtRJqno9mREn0TO/s1600/US+Paper+Currency+Stuck+in+Drain+Pipe.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 149px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI2PQSbA0g9k0m72Rzqe21RW2aosx1T_ytilLXgIHC5lKD1VfYAVHuvFP8eH8tZK9srcQWJs12MvQjr3zpoFIKyzSOOfkIoUtVHulFehUeqfcPnGS4wGO5GB3V5rvQPgtRJqno9mREn0TO/s200/US+Paper+Currency+Stuck+in+Drain+Pipe.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511311036010490130" /></a>Last week <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2010/08/26/microsoft-half-billion-dollars-windows-phone-7/">Microsoft announced that it was ready to launch Windows Phone 7</a> - just in time for the 2010 holidays. And by the classic Microsoft playbook, Windows Phone 7's (re)emergence into the marketplace was going to be accompanied by serious moolah - a lot of it to the tune of at least $1,000,000,000 on the launch, half of it on marketing alone.<br /><br />Will Windows Phone 7 achieve the success Microsoft is looking for? I have my doubts. Microsoft dominates the desktop computer operating system market. It has done so for decades. And it is precisely this dominance in the desktop OS market that leads me to have my doubts.<br /><br />Back in the '90s when PDA's still existed, I really enjoyed using my Palm V for all my appointments, contacts and note-taking. Thanks to PalmOS, the performance was really zippy, start up was quick, and battery life was good. I then tested the Compaq iPAQ which used Microsoft's Pocket PC operating system. My experience: slow boot up time, slower performance and shorter battery life. It was as if Microsoft was attempting to cram an entire desktop computer operating system into a tiny little PDA. Sure, the iPAQ could do a heckuva lot more than the Palm V could. But therein is the crux of the problem: a bloated one-size-fits-all OS (who the heck <span style="font-style:italic;">really</span> used Excel on a PDA) versus an OS built for exactly the use case of the device.<br /><br />Now I've never used a mobile device running Windows Mobile, so I can't personnaly comment on how this OS works compared to RIM, iPhone, Android, and PalmOS. But according to <a href="http://www.millennialmedia.com/research/mobilemix/">Millennial Media's MobileMix July 2010 report</a>, Windows Mobile OS has a 4% marketshare of U.S. smartphones (a complete freefall compared with a 19.7% market share in October 2009).<br /><br />So it would appear that Microsoft still struggles with producing a meaningful operating system for portable devices.<br /><br />My point is that <strong>I'm not yet convinced that Microsoft's engineers are capable of producing a competitive operating system within a constrained form factor.</strong> Since the very beginning, Windows was all about including more and more features resulting in a resource-hungry, feature-bloated operating system.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhssmBInG66dMKVLytQkXGZSVe6iPPhyphenhyphenwYvxts5tEYodtL0CCQpEoLtLhJygMZ9GNAbF4YaKN2Zwa_tKA6oBQRuPZCNRXtHFqQFtvbRriqI1Sxs4qfH25Prv5uv9OLxz8fj1-fG6F1uUn1Z/s1600/Enlarged+male+stomach.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhssmBInG66dMKVLytQkXGZSVe6iPPhyphenhyphenwYvxts5tEYodtL0CCQpEoLtLhJygMZ9GNAbF4YaKN2Zwa_tKA6oBQRuPZCNRXtHFqQFtvbRriqI1Sxs4qfH25Prv5uv9OLxz8fj1-fG6F1uUn1Z/s320/Enlarged+male+stomach.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511315565072805394" /></a><br /><br />I'm old enough to recall good ol' MS DOS which used to fit nicely on a single floppy disk. But with each "upgrade" to Microsoft Windows came the need to have it running on beefier and beefier hardware. More processor power, more RAM, more disk space, and more power. <a href="http://windows.microsoft.com/systemrequirements">Windows 7's system requirements</a> now include 1 to 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of hard disk space - that's 16,000,000,000 bytes, or 13,000 of the old 5.25HD floppy disks which if laid end-to-end would equal <strong>a line over one mile long!</strong><br /><br />Earlier this summer, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer was <a href="http://www.mobilemarketer.com/cms/news/manufacturers/6478.html">quoted as saying that mobile devices are just like PCs in a different form factor</a>. There are different ways of interpreting this statement. My interpretation is that Ballmer feels that mobile devices are just like desktop PCs but shrunken down to pocket size. <strong>I don't get any indication that there is any understanding in the halls of Redmond that mobile operating systems are fundamentally different than desktop operating systems.</strong><br /><br />In my opinion, for Windows Mobile 7 to be successful, there are three required elements:<br /><ol><br /> <li>The OS kernel must be completely re-architected from the ground up for mobile devices, AND</li><br /> <li>The chief architects of Mobile 7 must be completely new blood; not a single one of them should have ever worked on the Windows desktop operating system, AND</li><br /> <li>The team must allowed to innovate - free from the internal politics, turf wars, and meddling hands of old-school executives (Mssrs. Gates and Ballmer included).<br /></ol><br />Only if Windows Mobile 7 can be cultivated in this Microsoft corporate contaminant-free environment will it be a success.<br /><br />Can it be done? One word: Xbox. The Xbox team has been allowed to function semi-autonomously and the results are evident. <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aCQo9W3If9y4">According to Bloomberg</a>, Xbox became the #1 U.S. game console last March.<br /><br />Microsoft has proven they can do it...and can they do it again?<br /><br />Your thoughts? Can they do it? Leave me your comments.Manny Juhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01639753078967616270noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2871062928216679863.post-72893724151904582452010-08-23T16:51:00.001-07:002010-08-24T08:46:54.028-07:00ShopAlerts and Shopkick - Two Different Approaches to LBS<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZHn1MoA5wUC3HpRsm4bHA1UyS5zuEwR2DvrNkEPEH5ncAcPfynSKgQ5uiWEp6Hmm5WFx3Ty2wssphhv4tOnYoAmn_aCoKFIdYecvEPbGK3JbqUKnUr0q3X8T512SvilUKsxeu7MTeUYtf/s1600/Starbucks+with+hand+grabbing.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 252px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZHn1MoA5wUC3HpRsm4bHA1UyS5zuEwR2DvrNkEPEH5ncAcPfynSKgQ5uiWEp6Hmm5WFx3Ty2wssphhv4tOnYoAmn_aCoKFIdYecvEPbGK3JbqUKnUr0q3X8T512SvilUKsxeu7MTeUYtf/s320/Starbucks+with+hand+grabbing.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508757405653524946" /></a><br />We've all heard the business plans for Starbucks rewards being broadcast to your mobile device just as you pass by. Apparently that's just something that sounds nice but doesn't translate to reality. If it did, then certainly Starbucks would have already done it by now.<br /><br />It's refreshing to see new ideas emerging that represent the next step in monetizing Location-Based Services (LBS). Startups like Placecast and Shopkick exemplify two different approaches to the same opportunity.<br /><br />Placecast got some press last spring with the <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2010/02/25/placecast-debuts-location-based-mobile-marketing-technology-shopalerts/">announcement of their ShopAlerts program</a>. In a nut shell, consumers who enroll in this program receive text messages from their favorite brand whenever they are physically near a retail outlet, or other location of interest.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6UjjhuKNf0e_jHBI4amVet7zsVYpurcB7-r5WvlFDpQgk8hfWG01AiKYCrkGLKhPq1tGohjKw_Is0j0aihYBrf_i_QD_BFbsET-65PbuQJu8av9_Kka9HsirJEym9sSmTbTRfdQrhpwpN/s1600/shopalerts.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 219px; height: 226px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6UjjhuKNf0e_jHBI4amVet7zsVYpurcB7-r5WvlFDpQgk8hfWG01AiKYCrkGLKhPq1tGohjKw_Is0j0aihYBrf_i_QD_BFbsET-65PbuQJu8av9_Kka9HsirJEym9sSmTbTRfdQrhpwpN/s320/shopalerts.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508757713969275058" /></a><br /><br />The ShopAlerts technology uses "geo-fences" that are boundaries of a certain radius as defined by the marketer. Any consumer who has opt-ed in to this program receives a text message as soon as they cross this virtual boundary. The idea is to take advantage of people's likelihood to respond to a call to action requiring in-store participation through things like special offer alerts or other types of notifications.<br /><br />The nice thing about ShopAlerts is that it will only send a maximum of 3 messages within a given week from a retailer. And, of course, to comply with SMS marketing regulations, consumers can opt-out at any time simply by texting "STOP" back to a short code.<br /><br />Shopkick <a href="http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/shopkick_brings_real-world_incentives_to_the_check.php">takes a different approach</a>. Instead of using cell towers to triangulate the consumer with text-messaging as the vehicle of communication, Shopkick relies on in-store broadcast devices and a mobile device app.<br /><br />When you walk in to a Shopkick-enabled store and your app is running, your mobile device will pick up a high frequency signal from the device and record your presence in the store. Once it's recorded, you get awarded points, or "kickbucks", which are redeemable for in-store discounts or even cross-brand promotions (e.g. Facebook Credits).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin7eWuNG2NvvBpvQrc3cm4OcsIFnZ0qSdDpTyrscfnIcmSQWkvaXcc48W92hsR6oE0yK66OmFslpJIbrHEPyqDIceWqpMQjtGhi_du3EivUeA-JLLTEEOLcqczctlMoRGuscAAY6GHLkxU/s1600/shopkick.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 178px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin7eWuNG2NvvBpvQrc3cm4OcsIFnZ0qSdDpTyrscfnIcmSQWkvaXcc48W92hsR6oE0yK66OmFslpJIbrHEPyqDIceWqpMQjtGhi_du3EivUeA-JLLTEEOLcqczctlMoRGuscAAY6GHLkxU/s320/shopkick.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508760187502698370" /></a><br /><br />The approach that ShopKick is taking is that there is a distinct value to a person physically in-store versus a person physically "near" a store. This is especially helpful for physical locations where cell tower triangulation is not possible or certainly not as accurate at identifying a person's precise location within the store.<br /><br />I applaud both Placecast and Shopkick for continuing to innovate in the field of LBS marketing. I don't see them as competing but rather as complementing simply because their approaches are founded upon different assumptions.<br /><br />In the Placecast model, ShopAlerts is like the sideshow barker, whose job it was to grab your attention as you were walking by, and get you to do something that you originally weren't planning on doing.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTrnuboz069Uyo1B4TQKIA6VTGh5JtqIIzj2nNkspmH5UnoOJ_zg4YKuZrynJALVsS-GeWz-NCnM4wInkq8Ilyu7CRzfKEZ-r6ouCjyDzWg9qK33VgbCDYw87LE61Cz4Hw4tl0TYck2OC3/s1600/Sideshow+Barker.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 252px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTrnuboz069Uyo1B4TQKIA6VTGh5JtqIIzj2nNkspmH5UnoOJ_zg4YKuZrynJALVsS-GeWz-NCnM4wInkq8Ilyu7CRzfKEZ-r6ouCjyDzWg9qK33VgbCDYw87LE61Cz4Hw4tl0TYck2OC3/s320/Sideshow+Barker.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508762014189699282" /></a><br /><br />In the Shopkick model, the consumer is specifically going to the retail outlet either in direct response to a prior call to action or just because there is a totally unrelated need to go there.<br /><br />Personally, I'm less likely to respond to the ShopAlerts model and more likely to respond to the ShopKick model. As I mentioned in a <a href="http://mannyju.blogspot.com/2009/08/where-is-growth-in-location-based.html">previous blog post</a>, when I'm out of the house, I'm usually going from Point A to Point B - fast. I'm not interested in detours to my flight plan. On the other hand, I like BestBuy (<a href="http://techcrunch.com/2010/08/16/best-buy-shopkick-257-stores/">one of the brands piloting ShopKick</a>). I shop there quite frequently 'cause I like shiny things with little blinky lights. As long as I'm already there, it's nice to be rewarded.<br /><br />I'm thinking that Shopkick is good for brands whose own online marketing efforts still relies heavily on in-store conversions. For example, Hot Topic is a clothing retailer whose prime market is the 14-18 year old. Hot Topic has a strong online presence with not only its <a href="www.hottopic.com">branded web site</a>, but also its <a href="http://www.facebook.com/hottopic">Facebook page</a> with almost a million followers. The catch is that 14 year olds aren't old enough to have a credit card, so calls to action for online purchases are not very effective. As a result, almost all of their promotions - online and email - are designed to drive in-store traffic. So for this brand, awarding Kickbucks to their online followers that are redeemable in-store at Shopkick-enabled outlets could be a resonator with this audience.<br /><br />So...are any of you subscribing to either ShopAlerts or ShopKick? I'm unfortunately not living in an area where either of these two services are being tested, so I can't comment on my personal experiences. But if any of you are, I'd love to read your comments.Manny Juhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01639753078967616270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2871062928216679863.post-53546936429375172012010-08-16T10:23:00.000-07:002010-08-17T17:20:06.721-07:00Social Email - Real-life Feedback<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkb8bmObk2BLzhMEDWpAJ_h_jQ4ll7LU6495DJFqTcSXs1t19b8fE8L2Z_TcNT9moApMy0TtdpG1w0hGva63tC_Mx2gaxzZNlotdEEYitjzJKYRG4ba0NC8zKk0xhoHTKNRWJtM8bQD7-n/s1600/socialSites.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 264px; height: 222px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkb8bmObk2BLzhMEDWpAJ_h_jQ4ll7LU6495DJFqTcSXs1t19b8fE8L2Z_TcNT9moApMy0TtdpG1w0hGva63tC_Mx2gaxzZNlotdEEYitjzJKYRG4ba0NC8zKk0xhoHTKNRWJtM8bQD7-n/s320/socialSites.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506060102172441506" /></a><br />Last week, I attended eTail East in Baltimore. This was the first time that I've ever been to Baltimore, and I was hoping to get an opportunity to be a tourist and have my picture taken outside the door of <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/ace-of-cakes/index.html">Charm City Cakes</a>. But alas, time was too tight and I wasn't able to get there. As a consolation prize, I got a chance to sit on the outside deck at the Hilton with about 20 other guests and watch the Orioles win their game against the White Sox in extra innings.<br /><br />But I digress...<br /><br />At eTail, I had the opportunity to be a roundtable host on Email Marketing and Segmentation Day. This was the first time that I had ever been a roundtable host - much less participate in such an event. It's a pretty interesting format where attendees sit in a large ballroom at - you guessed it - round tables, each one seating up to twelve people. The job of the roundtable host is to facilitate conversation among those seated at the table on a particular topic. Together with my colleague from <a href="http://www.hottopic.com/hottopic/Homepage.jsp">Hot Topic</a>, my topic for discussion at my roundtables was "Social Email: What's New? What's Next". After twenty minutes of discussion, a bell rings and the roundtable hosts get up from the table, move to another table, sit down, and then have another twenty minute discussion on the same topic with those seated at that new table.<br /><br />This time, there were six tables with about twelve people at each. So I was able to have great discussions with about eighty people - the majority of whom were responsible for their respective companies' email marketing programs. I met people from the U.S., the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany, who represented both consumer brands (Zappos.com, Staples, and Amtrak) as well as one gentleman whose company sold cable ties and molded connector components.<br /><br />My company chose social email for my discussion topic because we wanted to talk directly with online marketers and see whether the adoption of social media marketing was as widely adopted as industry analysts and members of the marketing media would have us believe.<br /><br />For of all, I am a believer in social email. Brands are using social sites as a means of providing a venue for their customers to engage with each other as well as with the brand itself. Social sites are all about one-to-many conversations. Email marketing, on the other hand, when done correctly includes content that is personalized and relevant to the individual, making it a one-to-one conversation. There are times when it's appropriate to have a one-to-many discussion and there are times when it's appropriate to have a one-to-one discussion. (How many times has it been when you've been in a meeting - a one-to-many discussion - and someone says, "let's take that discussion off-line" - a one-to-one discussion).<br /><br />So, after talking to about eighty different online marketers, here's what I learned about social email:<br /><ol><br /> <li>In spite of what's being reported in the media and analysts, marketers are still experimenting with social media marketing.</li><br /> <li>Easily 98% of marketers I met at the roundtables are "doing social media marketing" only because "everyone else is"; there is no clear strategy for using social media as a new marketing channel.</li><br /> <li>Using a social site just to promote products and services is falling flat. Using social sites to drive community engagement is what's working the best; the real question is whether social media is appropriate for all brands, i.e. is anyone in the B2B space that is getting good engagement from Facebook?</li><br /> <li>Marketers are struggling with proving real ROI with social media marketing. As one person put it: "I have one hour to spend either on email marketing or social media marketing. Email marketing is a known quantity with known ROI; social media isn't. It’s a no-brainer to choose email marketing over social media marketing in that light."</li><br /> <li>The majority of brands I spoke with have separate people doing social media marketing and email marketing. As a result, coordinated strategies between social media and email marketing are minimal.</li><br /> <li><span style="font-weight:bold;">Using social media as an opt-in source for email marketing is resonating very well. </span> Hardly anyone is doing it, and when I mentioned the advantages of doing it, there was consistently a lot of head nodding and enthusiastic note taking.</li><br /> <li>"Share-to-social" is "been there done that" and is falling flat. Marketers are not seeing any benefit to this tactic.</li><br /> <li><span style="font-weight:bold;">User-generated content (e.g. user-entered product reviews) is a HUGE resonator</span>. As one attendee put it, "If you’re not incorporating user-generated in your emails today, you’re already behind.</li><br /> <li>Strategies for combining social and email marketing in a coordinated strategy was an eye-opener to almost everyone I spoke with. There was certainly a lot of interest to learn more.</li><br /></ol><br />Social sites are excellent channels for building your opt-in email database with highly qualified leads. Assuming that your brand has already set up a social site, then people are already engaging with your brand through posts, "friend"-ing, and "like"-ing. If you provide email opt-in capability on your social site, then anyone going the extra step of opting in to your email marketing program is a person seeking a deeper, more personal engagement.<br /><br />So, is your brand using social networking sites? Is so, what is it being used for? For pushing promotions? For building community? Anything else? Leave me a comment. I've love to hear from you.Manny Juhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01639753078967616270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2871062928216679863.post-7309839487858601482010-07-26T13:33:00.000-07:002010-07-26T14:00:37.409-07:00Are Email and SMS Interchangeable?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKvRHcz2-5tNa8w49sSYlozczFkufJ2fFBQ6ikws7RT6Tp_cvt8ihuWWAXXUN6COy-NhmZ08cJifQjzZxboqvTnBTwPj0QGiHdonM60Sl9-Ey41NCV5_ToeBxD-b9nFZqoNz4l5g_y7sss/s1600/Email+and+SMS+Not+the+Same.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 197px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKvRHcz2-5tNa8w49sSYlozczFkufJ2fFBQ6ikws7RT6Tp_cvt8ihuWWAXXUN6COy-NhmZ08cJifQjzZxboqvTnBTwPj0QGiHdonM60Sl9-Ey41NCV5_ToeBxD-b9nFZqoNz4l5g_y7sss/s320/Email+and+SMS+Not+the+Same.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498316599930302562" border="0" /></a><br />A colleague of mine forwarded on to me the recent <a href="http://www.messagesystems.com/assets/PR_MoMo_072010.pdf">press release</a> from Message Systems announcing their new product <a href="http://www.messagesystems.rsvp1.com/platform/mobile_momentum/">Mobile Momemtum™</a>. In case you've not heard of it yet, it is "a single-platform solution that enables multichannel communication by making it possible to send and receive SMS messages, and then dynamically transform these messages to or from email."<br /><br />Sez Message Systems in their press release:<br /><blockquote>"Mobile Momentum affords a critical point of difference over competitors in a multichannel era where customers expect to get messages how, where and when they want them. Now with Mobile Momentum, these companies can seamlessly initiate communication across the customers' channel of choice, immediately transform that message into another channel in the e3vent of non-delivery, and keep the dialog alive with follow-on messages in the channel the customer responds through. And they can do all this on a single-highly scalable and flexible platform that saves them money. The net benefits are: higher short-term revenue, greater lifetime value resulting from improved customer satisfaction, and a lower total cost of ownership (TCO)."<br /></blockquote>For those of you new to email marketing, Message Systems has become the de-facto standard for mail transfer agents (MTAs) that send emails through the Internet to your ISP - or to your company. It would seem that they are taking their expertise in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simple_Mail_Transfer_Protocol" target="_blank">SMTP</a> - the protocol used for email delivery - and extending it to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Short_message_peer-to-peer_protocol" target="_blank">SMPP</a> - the protocol used for SMS (or text message) delivery.<br /><br />Let's first consider the pros of their new offering:<br /><ol><li><strong>Makes good technical sense</strong> to take a simple message and translate it back and forth between the two protocols. As they mention in their value proposition, it totally makes sense to have a single platform for both email and SMS since cross-channel marketing is emerging as a highly effective marketing strategy.</li><br /><li><strong>A good application for simple alerts</strong> where the message is simple and transportable between plain text email and SMS (plain text message with 160-character limit). To this point, Mobile Momentum would be good for simple transportable alert messages like flight status updates, broadcast notifications (like "Come pick up your kids," or "Your dry cleaning is ready"), or appointment reminders.</li><br /><li><strong>It may be a good way to jumpstart SMS messaging</strong> if you are an Email Service Provider (ESP) already using Message Systems to deliver emails on behalf of your clients.<br /></li></ol>That having been said, I remain dubious regarding their product positioning for the following reasons:<ol><li><strong>It doesn't make good practical sense</strong> because text messages are limited to 160 characters while emails are not. As I mentioned above, the only types of messages that are interchangeable between email and SMS are those types of messages that should be text messages in the first place: short, simple alerts.</li><br /><li><strong>Effective promotional emails tend to be graphical</strong> whereas SMS is plain text. Once again, this means that the only messages that are good for this type of interchangeabilty are messages that should actually be SMS messages in the first place.</li><br /><li><strong>They are missing the point</strong> regarding the distinct advantages of email and SMS. The difference between email and SMS is not just the protocol of transmission, as Message Systems seems to imply. Email and SMS are different; each has their own strengths and weaknesses and they are highly complementary - not necessarily interchangeable. I discussed this unique complementary role in <a href="http://mannyju.blogspot.com/2009/11/pitching-mobile-storyline-to-movie.html">a recent blog post.</a></li><br /><li><strong>Rules for promotional SMS messages are very different</strong> than those for email. Wireless carriers mandate that certain verbiage be included in all promotional SMS messages. While CAN-SPAM and ISPs do have guidelines as to what can and cannot be said, there is no such thing as mandatory verbiage in a promotional email. Once again, Mobile Momentum's value proposition of interchangeability between email and SMS is relegated to simple text alerts that really should be text messages anyway.<br /></li></ol>So from my perspective as an online marketer, Mobile Momentum is a non-starter. Email and SMS are not interchangeable. They are, however, highly complementary. Email is a rich platform that marketers use to tell their story. SMS is the perfect platform to remind people of that story.<br /><br />So how 'bout it? Are email and SMS interchangeable for situations other than the ones I've already mentioned? Leave me a comment. I'd love to hear from you.Manny Juhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01639753078967616270noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2871062928216679863.post-71656682058329487232010-06-30T10:25:00.000-07:002010-06-30T13:57:54.150-07:00Which Use of Mobile Is Right For You?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNKDrRRfbe7Jv0EnZWHhwmgJ2kcaX3_tXJx7dNTfl8FD63e5_Me94tKzKLU-_b_tTV8QFim1qkRIpRDtylR5I8r0AFLVxufyiU2e5wW4Y26f1lv771zgnVOlgtK59dh9wWf_BPXVTvqOkk/s1600/dmaCover.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 155px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNKDrRRfbe7Jv0EnZWHhwmgJ2kcaX3_tXJx7dNTfl8FD63e5_Me94tKzKLU-_b_tTV8QFim1qkRIpRDtylR5I8r0AFLVxufyiU2e5wW4Y26f1lv771zgnVOlgtK59dh9wWf_BPXVTvqOkk/s200/dmaCover.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488619661034235650" border="0" /></a><br />I've finally had a chance to digest the <a href="http://www.the-dma.org/cgi/dispannouncements?article=1451">DMA's 2010 Response Rate Report </a>and I'd like to share some of my take aways with you.<br /><br />The DMA report is based on a survey of 473 members of - you guessed - DMA members. While the sample size is large enough to make inferences of the general population, the bulk of the membership of the DMA is probably different from...say...the Mobile Marketing Association. Hence no surprise that direct mail and email are the two most frequently used communication channels with 60% and 53% of survey respondents respectively using these channels. Only 6% of the survey respondents said that they were using the mobile channel (which includes both mobile advertising and text messaging). This tells me that mobile marketing is still an experimental medium - for members of the DMA that is. If I compare my personal exposure to marketers' messaging across the different media, I would say that this low adoption rate is fairly consistent across the board.<br /><br />But low adoption rate aside, it's interesting to note that consumer engagement over SMS is much higher than over email.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaEBMrk1ZKk_Ctn8mTuuYYJrRJQq6Gnwpvvx7HVckpNAWqP8UPr2JF5HP2fGQMyFYb92SPj8HPtzUgTRAUJkl19Fb5384RV6nNDoIjXuMVFhrAGpRH_9D1kge_dKWMqZTn9dTVKuwW7Zb5/s1600/conversionRate.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 52px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaEBMrk1ZKk_Ctn8mTuuYYJrRJQq6Gnwpvvx7HVckpNAWqP8UPr2JF5HP2fGQMyFYb92SPj8HPtzUgTRAUJkl19Fb5384RV6nNDoIjXuMVFhrAGpRH_9D1kge_dKWMqZTn9dTVKuwW7Zb5/s320/conversionRate.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488620374467306338" border="0" /></a><br />According to the report, emails sent to a house list produced on average a 6.64% click through rate and a 1.73% conversion rate. In contrast, SMS messages sent to a house list produced over 100% higher engagement with a 14.06% average click through rate and a whopping 8.22% conversion rate. The conversion-to-click rate is another metric that I use for measuring engagement. It a good way to measure how compelling was my offer in the context of my message about the offer. On average, one out of every four people who clicked through in an email converted - meaning they accomplished some aspect of the marketer's goal (e.g. bought something, registered for a class, downloaded a prospectus, etc.). Engagement in the SMS channel was even greater with one out of every two people who clicked through an SMS message converting. Yes, SMS messaging is way more expensive than email. But with almost a 60% conversion to click through rate, the ROI of SMS messaging is highly compelling.<br /><br />I interpret the higher consumer engagement in the SMS channel to a combination of the type of consumer that signs up for text messaging programs and the technology itself.<br /><br />Another interesting observation from the response rate report is who's doing mobile marketing and who's not.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJyINWyEUz-suJJqY8g-xbCy7SnmyAFG92b0j9IX9ti-To4IW3jC3ZKJQeCEhDaHWw5fkls5lmlBByzr_HwKwPufUcDGSyWQfn2mmNBPJHf1uDMOlTfhVQ4SLzM1fcSZn6QRVRyOSZbaLz/s1600/industryBreakdown.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 202px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJyINWyEUz-suJJqY8g-xbCy7SnmyAFG92b0j9IX9ti-To4IW3jC3ZKJQeCEhDaHWw5fkls5lmlBByzr_HwKwPufUcDGSyWQfn2mmNBPJHf1uDMOlTfhVQ4SLzM1fcSZn6QRVRyOSZbaLz/s320/industryBreakdown.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488621805745297554" border="0" /></a><br />As one would expect, Publishing, Media & Entertainment, and Retail are the two industries having the highest adoption rate with 15% and 14% of survey respondents respectively stating that they are using the mobile channel for their marketing messaging. Interesting to note also is that none of the survey respondents that are in either the Financial Services or the Health Care & Pharmaceutical industries are using the mobile channel. Is this non-existent adoption just an artifact of the DMA membership represented in these two industries, or is this representative of the industries as a whole? I'm thinking that it might be the latter since these two industries represented almost 20% of the total survey respondents - so it's probably not just a statistical anomaly.<br /><br />So why the low adoption rate of mobile marketing in Financial Services? The report may give some insights as to the reason. A closer look at how respondents in the Financial Services industry use each channel, it appears that they use the online channels primarily to drive traffic to their web sites for further information.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-7ps0bfN0k9DMO1DvjWASF7p0Iew_hLp1xQh2KbUX78jPp5oGMpenk2lIUeYv6HYzm_cLwMqeUurspy6pgqjmf8yT9r3Gzai2MYg8-uuYofmGzf4WWhwHuLxEuFKaaAhyphenhyphenU6Ezov0Kf_pK/s1600/channelUse.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-7ps0bfN0k9DMO1DvjWASF7p0Iew_hLp1xQh2KbUX78jPp5oGMpenk2lIUeYv6HYzm_cLwMqeUurspy6pgqjmf8yT9r3Gzai2MYg8-uuYofmGzf4WWhwHuLxEuFKaaAhyphenhyphenU6Ezov0Kf_pK/s320/channelUse.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488622288128486530" border="0" /></a>Making a financial decision is a thoughtful process that requires focused attention and one that takes time. None of these qualities fit the mobile channel. Mobile is all about immediacy and instant gratification, and the mobile web experience doesn't necessarily lend itself well to content-laden sites. Unless there is a sense of immediacy in a call to action and/or there is content that can be quickly consumed, then perhaps mobile is not the appropriate channel at this point in time for the Financial Services industry's marketing messages. So be careful about jumping on the mobile bandwagon. Just because it seems that everyone else is doing mobile marketing doesn't necessarily mean its right for your industry, your brand or your clients.<br /><br />While the mobile channel may not be appropriate for Financial Service marketing messages, it is absolutely the right one for Financial Service transactions. In fact, this industry was a pioneer in transactional SMS messaging with text-to-access to account information including mini-statements, account balance verification, recent transactions, canceling lost or stolen cards, and ordering checks not to mention text alerts for recent account activity or passing of preset balance thresholds, and bill payment reminders. <br /><br />The market for mobile apps on the iPhone, Android and Blackberry platforms is booming. At last count, there are over 300 "favorite" apps in the Financial category on iTunes so "thousands of smartphone apps for Financial Services" would be a ballpark guesstimate across all smartphone platforms worldwide. <br /><br />With regards to cutting edge mobile payment technologies for point-of-sale and peer-to-peer services, once again the Financial Services industry is leading the way. Retailers and public transportation firms are introducing pilot programs whereby consumers can make purchases by merely touching their payment-enabled mobile device to a similarly-enabled point of sale device. (Of course, businesses in Europe and Asia have been doing this for years already.)<br /><br />Mobile technology is transforming the way that people interact with their world and as a result, it is transforming the way that brands engage with their customers. Businesses have realized that though the mobile channel may not be appropriate for marketing messaging, it is clearly a strong channel that enables consumers to interact with their brands in other equally important areas. So it's not a question if mobile as a whole is right for you; rather it's a question of <span style="font-style: italic;">which use of mobile</span> is right for you.<br /><br />How many different ways is your brand using the mobile channel? Leave me a comment!Manny Juhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01639753078967616270noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2871062928216679863.post-25511817978232541292010-06-08T14:12:00.000-07:002010-06-08T14:45:55.626-07:00Consumer Privacy Versus Consumer Relevance<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm6NLr7_WlWH851qVPWaTBsfFy38lE7qv7m_kWoRj04J3QDP1iDpL9Mfzzop1gPRx22jxaWVTrLfeTN8RY0c7sNgfI-toT6u-vSj8xzp6YC596rlcJwxo73fZ04sG_wtpnzsI66cfOye0R/s1600/Woman+peering+through+window+blinds.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm6NLr7_WlWH851qVPWaTBsfFy38lE7qv7m_kWoRj04J3QDP1iDpL9Mfzzop1gPRx22jxaWVTrLfeTN8RY0c7sNgfI-toT6u-vSj8xzp6YC596rlcJwxo73fZ04sG_wtpnzsI66cfOye0R/s200/Woman+peering+through+window+blinds.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480516877211406818" border="0" /></a><br />The draft privacy bill sponsored by representatives Boucher and Stearns is creating quite a stir in both the privacy advocacy and the online marketing worlds. It's a classic battle that pits technology as either a friend or foe depending upon your personal bias.<br /><br />There are already a lot of blog posts and articles regarding the implications of this draft. I list a few of them here:<br /><ul><li><a href="http://www.kelleydrye.com/resource_center/client_advisories/0560">Representative Boucher Introduces Privacy Legislation</a> (Kelley Drye & Warren LLP)</li><li><a href="http://www.mobilemarketer.com/cms/opinion/columns/6440.html">What does the draft privacy legislation say about location data?</a> (Mobile Marketer)</li><li><a href="http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2010/05/privacy-groups-blast-draft-pri.php">Privacy Groups Blast Draft Privacy Bill</a> (Tech Daily Dose)</li><li><a href="http://www.dmnews.com/draft-privacy-bill-could-shake-data-collection/article/170204/">Draft privacy bill could shake data collection</a> (DM News)</li></ul>It is ironic to note that both privacy advocates and online marketers believe that they have the consumer's best interests in mind. Privacy advocates believe that consumers have a right to control the collection and the usage of their personal data albeit how obtuse it may be. Online marketers believe that consumers deserve to have the best online experience with highly relevent information.<br /><br />Two points of this proposed privacy bill causing consternation among marketers include the following:<br /><ol><li>IP address and browser cookies would be considered "covered information" and their usage for marketing purposes would become highly restricted.</li><li>"Precise" geolocation information would be considered "sensitive information" and its usage would become even more restrictive than "covered information".</li></ol><br />Web sites (especially e-commerce sites), ad networks, and even web analytics providers rely on information gleaned from IP addresses and browser cookies from anonymous site visitors. Almost all e-commerce sites ranging from Amazon to Zappos all use site visitors' browsing history to display the appropriate products on their web pages. Under the draft privacy bill, using a site visitor's browsing history to dynamically display page content would be allowed to continue provided that<br /><ol><li>the site provides easy access to the company's privacy policy,</li><li>it informs the consumer that he or she has the right to decline consent, and<br /></li><li>the consumer either specifically opts in or at least doesn't opt out.</li></ol><br />Amazon.com's web site has a nice feature that enables me to prevent the site from tracking my browsing history.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4fGFipSAFCSePOtIsq3a1KDoVv_9jWWj4cIhg_Xdu7qAuQj1jglJKOyf6DpADA8U13xMAUOjUFTbT10ydsePwCnaOettp1-UNnyy1BmrIcRiDWrFVFY6MRITKajS7c5kKeFHVGKTIdQlr/s1600/browsingHistory.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 194px; height: 201px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4fGFipSAFCSePOtIsq3a1KDoVv_9jWWj4cIhg_Xdu7qAuQj1jglJKOyf6DpADA8U13xMAUOjUFTbT10ydsePwCnaOettp1-UNnyy1BmrIcRiDWrFVFY6MRITKajS7c5kKeFHVGKTIdQlr/s320/browsingHistory.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480514417647599858" border="0" /></a>However, once such a person opts out, then the marketer is not allowed to use the information previously collected on the person's browsing and purchase history during the time that he was opt-ed in.<br /><br />The idea is that while I may still want to receive email marketing newsletter from my favorite brand, I may not want my personal browsing and shopping history to be included in them.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Web analytic providers and email marketers should take note of this provision</span>. Vendors including Omniture, WebTrends, and Coremetrics enable marketers to build profiles of their customers' web site interactions and then target those profiles for specific remarketing campaigns via email or other channels. If the draft becomes law as it is currently written, then any marketer that does not inactivate an opt-ed out customer's web analytics data from his web analytics profile database and his email marketing database would be in violation of the law subject to severe penalties.<br /><br />Another provision of the draft bill that is causing concerns among all marketers is the requirement that all "covered information" must be deleted or rendered anonymous if it has been 18 months since the date that the information was initially collected. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Email marketers should take note of this provision</span> because according to this draft, a subscriber's email address is considered "covered information." This means that even if you are a retention marketer and send your emails only to those who have opted in to receive then, the only ones that you can send to are those whose email records are less than 18 months old. If you have a single email address in your customer data that is older than 18 months old, then you are a law breaker.<br /><br />While some brands would be thankful to have active email addresses 18 months old, there are many major brands having loyal customers whose email address records go back many years. Just think of the ramifications this bill would have on your email marketing program. <span style="font-weight: bold;">How many dollars would you waste on thinking up and sending "re-enlistment" campaigns just to get your subscribers to re-create their email address records that you already have in your database?</span> How many of you have built consumer tenure into your RFM (recency/frequency/monetary value) and RFC (recency/frequency/click through) models? How effective would they be if your subscriber database has artificially skewed tenure data?<br /><br />Finally, the inclusion of "precise" geolocation information as "sensitive information" is an eyebrow raiser especially when it comes to mobile marketing. Aside from memories of Bill Clinton's famous "it depends on what you mean by 'is'", just how "precise" is "precise"? Precise to a city? Precise to a neighborhood? Precise to a house? Precise to within 3 feet? Precise to within 10 inches?<br /><br />According to the draft bill, the collection and use of "sensitive information" requires prior consent. This means that the collection and usage of a consumer's geolocation collected either by your computer's IP address or your mobile device may not be done so for marketing purposes without that person first giving you permission to do so. If you are an e-commerce site operator, then think about how this will impact your site's user experience.<br /><br />Amazon.com approximated my location by examining my IP address and determined that I live somewhere near Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota. This is the default behavior of their site.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtrRDDLnAgAJzn09gjBtaTyGX3QRSSOPn0CwikV14YOCkCWnfKaniyzwcWdynEWtnEgveZLkhyphenhypheniLFtjAUGww_36xZWbksVChRC-YcKcMxJ1BOURZn2-o4mld1TjROLltuPNtX6q6SyDRv8/s1600/localInfo.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 235px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtrRDDLnAgAJzn09gjBtaTyGX3QRSSOPn0CwikV14YOCkCWnfKaniyzwcWdynEWtnEgveZLkhyphenhypheniLFtjAUGww_36xZWbksVChRC-YcKcMxJ1BOURZn2-o4mld1TjROLltuPNtX6q6SyDRv8/s320/localInfo.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480514954225242082" border="0" /></a><br /><br />If this draft bill becomes law, then unless Amazon changes the default behavior of their site, then their web site is engaging in "an unfair and deceptive act or practice in violation of a regulation under section 18(a)(1)(B) of the Federal Trade Commission Act. In addition to being liable to federal penalties, Amazon would also be subject to civil action by any of all 50 states depending upon how motivated their Attorney Generals are.<br /><br />Fortunately, the mobile marketing eco-system has arisen in a post-SPAM world although much work is still ahead. Marketers may only send SMS messages to those who have specifically opted in to receive them.<br /><br />But not all mobile apps include the option for app owners to opt-in and opt-out of location based services. For example, I have the ShopSavvy app on my iPhone which finds and compares prices local to me. Short of removing the app from my iPhone, there is no way to inactive the location-based feature.<br /><br />So what can you do about it?<br /><br />Keep track of the discussion through the DMA, the ESPC, and others. As Lois Greisman, of the FTC cautioned during a recent webinar, the draft is still just a draft. Reps Boucher and Stearns, and the FTC are soliciting feedback which to some degree will be incorporated in coming revisions of the bill before it is put to the House floor for a vote. In the meantime, I do recommend that you keep track of this bill from time to time just to be informed. Depending upon where it goes, marketers and web site operators may be in for a lot of work to bring their tactics in line with the new law.<br /><br />So, which side of the debate do you espouse? Both sides do have their own merits. Leave me your thoughts.Manny Juhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01639753078967616270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2871062928216679863.post-28923850670106306872010-06-01T10:39:00.000-07:002010-06-01T11:01:54.258-07:00Will Mobile Help Save a Dying Industry?<div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFo0-C75tYah-1Ar9N___8CxpsVKAG0mMLHJQNuj92OUHNDlIUO2zcmp3-gXNM7NJs5XlevdlsFFM4eq1s1R1pGK-otBmxyuGr0KkcRqrCQHxnOYs7_QU2_tsEvXOUA9Z-1a4GslArBYv8/s1600/AppleiPad.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477861749937254850" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; WIDTH: 160px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFo0-C75tYah-1Ar9N___8CxpsVKAG0mMLHJQNuj92OUHNDlIUO2zcmp3-gXNM7NJs5XlevdlsFFM4eq1s1R1pGK-otBmxyuGr0KkcRqrCQHxnOYs7_QU2_tsEvXOUA9Z-1a4GslArBYv8/s200/AppleiPad.jpg" border="0" /></a> Last year in November, I posted my blog entry on <a href="http://mannyju.blogspot.com/2009/10/mobile-breathes-new-life-into-dying.html">how mobile is breathing new life into a dying industry: print</a>. Back then, the word "iPad" had not yet been unleashed on the marketplace. Interesting to note that here we are a half a year later and my prognostication is proving to be correct. Once again, Apple proves that it has the uncanny ability to take existing product concepts, perfect the experience, and knock it out of the ballpark.<br /><br />But first: a presentation of evidence to what you probably already knew. The U.S. newspaper industry continues it's 10-year tailspin. A simple search on Google using the keywords "declining newspaper industry" turns up almost 140,000 results, with about 4800 results for articles written in the past ten years. According to an April 27th article carried by <a href="http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-technology/us-newspaper-circulation-drops-874-percent-20100427-tnjg.html">The Sydney Morning Herald</a>, the Audit Bureau of Circulations reported that the average daily U.S. newspaper circulation declined 8.74 percent during the six months ending on March 31 compared wiht the same period a year ago. Circulation dropped even more the previous period with a 10.62 percent drop.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1NpoSvzXAOAnUnBA2g_GjQTY9n1195DpUM76f5D8Et6lOnK6135vdDbkiuf0vdhz-Zlu6ptCrF0U4NW4csaoCn7zcAFdC3aK7hwtQkSo5fnfjZIb0kKCtOybywxl9fK9Hs2bEx_EsjJ09/s1600/hindenburg.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477862927945169554" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 249px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1NpoSvzXAOAnUnBA2g_GjQTY9n1195DpUM76f5D8Et6lOnK6135vdDbkiuf0vdhz-Zlu6ptCrF0U4NW4csaoCn7zcAFdC3aK7hwtQkSo5fnfjZIb0kKCtOybywxl9fK9Hs2bEx_EsjJ09/s320/hindenburg.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Magazines aren't doing any better. According to the Veronis Suhler Stevenson Communications Industry Forecast 2009, consumer magazines will suffer a compound annual growth rate of -2.8% in the 2008-2013 period.<br /><br />The plain and simple reason for the decline is that people's consumption of media has changed from print to digital. Unfortunately, the heavily-unionized print industry has been slow to adapt.<br /><br />So while I was partly right back in November with my prediction, I was also partly wrong. Back then, I saw netbooks as the consumer devices that would help breathe new life into the dying print industry. Wrong. But six months ago I didn't know about the iPad. Knowing what I do now, I believe that the iPad will both breathe new life into the print industry while at the same time greatly crimp the growth of netbooks.<br /><br />All major U.S. newspapers and magazines have either already launched iPad versions of their content, or are quickly on the way to doing so. Publishing giant Conde Nast has already introduced iPad versions of GQ, Vanity Fair, and Wired. Softbank Corporation of Japan announced last month that they will be offering more than 30 magazines and newspapers to their iPad subscribers.<br /><br />But not everyone is under the spell of Jobs' Reality Distortion Field. Disgraced former equity research analyst turned blogger Henry Blodget in his <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/henry-blodget-print-publications-still-hallucinating-that-the-ipad-will-save-their-asses-2010-3">March 25th entry</a> states a strong case as to why the iPad <strong>won't</strong> save the print publications' asses. (His words, not mine.)<br /><br />Nevertheless, there are progressive minds at work in the crusty halls of Old School media. Marketers are starting to combine print media with instant interaction via mobile devices.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.mobilemarketer.com/cms/news/commerce/6395.html">Mobile Marketer reports that Macy's has teamed up with magazine digitizer and distributor Zinio</a> to present their traditional print ads for presentation within Zinio's iPad application. A two-page advertisement has a link-away to Macy's Spring/Summer Journey catalog.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie0eRVCUj3mr4QXSPg8TvuTNEgaPQ2vCZR40sjHMGHuEg_Bif7uXamBNz71xaXul-JzItIapg4rnyJJN1asPewBH2qZrbqvTmhqrNbSsk7FSUIeKdb8SDwz134JBRPXvTOrtDMkvUZ6wUP/s1600/macys_iPad.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477863658752105362" style="WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 143px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie0eRVCUj3mr4QXSPg8TvuTNEgaPQ2vCZR40sjHMGHuEg_Bif7uXamBNz71xaXul-JzItIapg4rnyJJN1asPewBH2qZrbqvTmhqrNbSsk7FSUIeKdb8SDwz134JBRPXvTOrtDMkvUZ6wUP/s200/macys_iPad.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Since catalogs are expensive to produce, Macy's has to be highly selective as to who they send it to. But with the iPad, Macy's can distribute digital versions of their catalog and also get real-time feedback.<br /><br />Consumer electronics giant Best Buy is also starting to build mobile into its print campaigns. One of their circulars includes a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QR_Code">QR code</a> that enables readers to view a special trailer for a soon-to-be released video game. The print ad also includes call-to-action encouraging consumers to text the keyword BBYAPP to the short code 332211 to download the QR code reader application.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiZ373J6C9atgAiluU2uuyVNvNmxNtdAseK2kvrc_DSoWNFtkb_jzUsCdi9rcsfPNYsRnxfqEz5JC9f4wjyyLqDR0wXiY3FkF2hiG73PUAf3IGZ3KmBbTcGx-mAg4E1Q2_553_A-L2JUMd/s1600/best-buy-1-circular.png"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 147px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiZ373J6C9atgAiluU2uuyVNvNmxNtdAseK2kvrc_DSoWNFtkb_jzUsCdi9rcsfPNYsRnxfqEz5JC9f4wjyyLqDR0wXiY3FkF2hiG73PUAf3IGZ3KmBbTcGx-mAg4E1Q2_553_A-L2JUMd/s200/best-buy-1-circular.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477864050640052834" /></a><br /><br />Slowly the print publication industry is recognizing that our collective preferences have shifted towards mobile devices. That is how we choose to consume our media and that's the way we been choosing it for the past ten years. We listen to music on mobile devices. We watch videos on mobile devices. We take pictures on mobile devices. We take movies on mobile devices. We get directions on mobile devices. We communicate with one another on mobile devices. We surf the web on mobile devices. We make purchases using mobile devices. We even read our email on mobile devices. Now, thanks to mobile devices like the Kindle, eReader, iPad, and others like them, we choose to consume our print media the same way. Let's hope the print publishers wake up in time to save themselves and realize that mobile is what will breathe new life into their dying industry.<br /><br />So what are your thoughts? Do you think mobile will save the print industry? Will the iPad and similar products be the boost that they are looking for? Post your comments.<br /></div>Manny Juhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01639753078967616270noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2871062928216679863.post-74750243228173585042010-03-04T13:52:00.000-08:002010-03-04T14:02:07.015-08:00Accelerating Innovation with the Product Innovation QuadrantOne of the hardest things to do in today's uber-competitive environment is to innovate fast enough to stay ahead in the marketplace. Every business wants to succeed by having some type of advantage over the competition. But when it comes to competitive advantage, you need to be clear as to which one you want - there are actually two types. The first type is an advantage occurring with valuable resources in limited supply. The De Beers Family of companies is an excellent example of this type of competitive advantage. Though diamonds themselves are not necessarily a rare resource, the supply of them on the open market is tightly controlled by this corporate entity. The other type of competitive advantage is the one that most of us know about and it refers to an advantage that exists during the period of time between the introduction of an innovation and its subsequent imitation and commoditization. The key to successful business strategy is to have a culture and a process that accelerates product innovation.<br /><br />There is never a shortage of innovative ideas. The separation between market leaders, followers, and stragglers is not always about who can come up with the best ideas. Rather, the separation is based upon who can execute the best both in terms of time to market and customer appeal. At one of the companies where I worked, I lead the creation of the <span style="font-weight: bold;">Product Innovation Quadrant</span>, a new product management framework for accelerating product innovation that was quite successful in helping us to get our arms around the literally hundreds of new product ideas and assign appropriate priorities to them. I'd like to share this framework with you.<br /><br />When planning out your product roadmap, its good to look at each of your product enhancement candidates along three dimensions: (1) time to market, (2) revenue potential, and (3) customer appeal. This latter point is something that our company president liked to talk about in terms of "Steak vs. Sizzle". "Steak" refers to the roll-up-your-sleeves, in-the-weeds, non-glamorous capabilities that comprise the lifeblood of the product. Without the "steak", there is no product, or the product is so anemic that it doesn't help the buyer achieve any advantage using it. "Sizzle" is what gets our attention. It's the sound of the steak searing on the barbecue and the its aroma that gets us excited in the first place. Sometimes a product feature needs to be implemented purely for the purposes of sizzle - getting people's attention, capturing the imagination, and building excitement about it. Products lacking sizzle are perceived as boring in the marketplace - regardless of how capable the product is. A healthy product roadmap needs to include a balance between steak and sizzle.<br /><br />So here's how the Product Innovation Quadrant works: as you plan out your product roadmap, create quadrants in two dimensions with time horizon and customer appeal as the two axis. Then, draw a circle for each of your innovative ideas, placing it in whichever quadrant best describes the interplay between the two measurements. Make the size of your circle based upon your estimated revenue potential. Just to keep things simple, I recommend three sizes: small, medium, and large. As you map out each of your enhancement candidates, you will begin to get a good idea how they all fall out. Then you can decide which enhancements to accept for your roadmap, which ones to defer, and which ones to reject.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwjqu8AGoCd2LjpGrosWF8gWBU1ar0sRmMbdPNqg1G7XvAzfH12PA4ogUa2t-Nuuj3W_XDdyILwa_7gu6UBDA6XTQSTFTYiXkKBVaLOuRIqS3ha3HiupMkc_VYGtOjDIXh03xM7UH5AaXG/s1600-h/Slide1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwjqu8AGoCd2LjpGrosWF8gWBU1ar0sRmMbdPNqg1G7XvAzfH12PA4ogUa2t-Nuuj3W_XDdyILwa_7gu6UBDA6XTQSTFTYiXkKBVaLOuRIqS3ha3HiupMkc_VYGtOjDIXh03xM7UH5AaXG/s320/Slide1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444901469667032418" border="0" /></a><br /><br />If a product manager at a typical company were to plot its existing product roadmap on the Product Innovation Quadrant he might be surprised (or not surprised) to see that almost all of the roadmap is clustered in the upper right hand quadrant.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMMJeuL75PLpFp8Q3Wb2H0x1rvWyCSbpnkuXRwiv8wR9xyigkEMb2fRBBFylZheM-ocW5Pot97kGMrbfPwhrgGAR7juG-pBOaKCsqml9oJt51Fk7eJKxfXSe_tHWkAFlTNBgjMJ6TbKn37/s1600-h/Slide2.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMMJeuL75PLpFp8Q3Wb2H0x1rvWyCSbpnkuXRwiv8wR9xyigkEMb2fRBBFylZheM-ocW5Pot97kGMrbfPwhrgGAR7juG-pBOaKCsqml9oJt51Fk7eJKxfXSe_tHWkAFlTNBgjMJ6TbKn37/s320/Slide2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444901675465370514" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Companies - typically technology-driven companies - tend to focus their attention on swinging for the home run each and every time at bat. While this tends to be the most common approach, this practice is risky because it places all of the company's fortunes in long-term projects leaving themselves vulnerable to competitors who can innovate faster than they can - not to mention the risk of finding out too late after all the time and money that they've given birth to a total dud.<br /><br />In the example below, feature candidates A and B should absolutely be accepted for the product roadmap. Feature candidate C should also be accepted for the product roadmap because without it, the company does not have any long-term development projects and may be at risk of mortgaging the future for the sake of the present. I would also recommend that feature candidate A be prioritized ahead of feature candidate C even though it represents a lesser revenue potential. Why? Because it represents an earlier recognition of revenue. Feature candidate D should not be accepted to the product roadmap because its small revenue potential does not justify the long-term commitment of resources to implement a feature that is just there for sizzle and doesn't make that much of a difference in terms of the overall product's capabilities.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWXBpV4hOzHK1-Nqk1N8onJ1R4r7Z8Kg5s9AAlWRBvyBpWpXgW-5nGX4QAerItXpDGVsJOGLwwOcdLPmDtTT8xUxoUSdyI2f568_a8Gud6TPulY_jfsqm_K5tyXLmNEAgSY-4ANrBqESq9/s1600-h/Slide3.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWXBpV4hOzHK1-Nqk1N8onJ1R4r7Z8Kg5s9AAlWRBvyBpWpXgW-5nGX4QAerItXpDGVsJOGLwwOcdLPmDtTT8xUxoUSdyI2f568_a8Gud6TPulY_jfsqm_K5tyXLmNEAgSY-4ANrBqESq9/s320/Slide3.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444901852736786274" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Now if you're working at a software company that implements the Agile software development methodology, then you have a distinct advantage over those that don't. You have the unique ability to accelerate the introduction of long-term product features by slicing it up into smaller iterations that Agile facilitates.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSwEQFYP-4eR9p7G3OdBSYvXARY3qJq2D_nK6Xt_BFvytRegYHQkRx4oElDAVS-DCUF6_uXa5knOdrZvW5sSAT29UJZ9mEmuoPdgrBX0O1SUe_g5vuG74UPsvQDjhpvCT1MyJi87hC_zED/s1600-h/Slide4.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSwEQFYP-4eR9p7G3OdBSYvXARY3qJq2D_nK6Xt_BFvytRegYHQkRx4oElDAVS-DCUF6_uXa5knOdrZvW5sSAT29UJZ9mEmuoPdgrBX0O1SUe_g5vuG74UPsvQDjhpvCT1MyJi87hC_zED/s320/Slide4.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444902025222315266" border="0" /></a><br />In the diagram above, we have feature candidate C that is accepted for our product roadmap because it represents a good revenue potential and it's a good balance of long-term and "steak" for our product mix. We then break up the implementation of this feature into a series of three iterations as shown below.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Zvs1_AorlSeYrADWf5uWt8HwDf8KYU_n_hkZWqTbNPKhqRR6v3z3CNxzWN0QTL65vycrS1x0ekQCU-pUu60U4VVMOxkRmLwdSiJrZnXb2S7ZcBD7A-lnHymTLP4CrMiGQ2ImYobJuxqM/s1600-h/Slide5.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Zvs1_AorlSeYrADWf5uWt8HwDf8KYU_n_hkZWqTbNPKhqRR6v3z3CNxzWN0QTL65vycrS1x0ekQCU-pUu60U4VVMOxkRmLwdSiJrZnXb2S7ZcBD7A-lnHymTLP4CrMiGQ2ImYobJuxqM/s320/Slide5.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444902143552054146" border="0" /></a>The first iteration is purely a short-term, sizzle implementation of the feature. The purpose is to minimize our risk by getting the product into the marketplace as quick as possible. Real market feedback trumps focus groups, market research, and "gut feelings" every time. You then have a second iteration scheduled which works on more of the "steak" features and incorporates the market feedback you've gotten from that first iteration. The third iteration is intended to be The Full Monty. This is the one where the fullness of the product is realized. In real life, it could actually be more than three. I've introduced product features to the marketplace that took ten iterations.<br /><br />Remember: we're dealing with product innovation here. So this means that you have a little bit of a head start over your competitors when you introduce your first iteration. They key is that you have already scheduled the subsequent iterations so that you maintain your lead over your competitors.<br /><br />The Product Innovation Quadrant I've introduced here is a suggested framework for evaluating all candidates for product enhancements. It's value is that it doesn't take weeks of analysis. It's a quick tool to get a sense of how things stack up. I hope it helps you as it has helped me. Do you have other frameworks that you've successfully followed? I'd like to hear from you.Manny Juhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01639753078967616270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2871062928216679863.post-11954286797889568082010-02-25T10:34:00.000-08:002010-02-25T10:48:25.324-08:00Genachowski Dreams Big for 21st Century Mobile Broadband<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr6ybLgNxvhPtIshdxSwhIj0Sv8plIQGq86kfntbFc0gRPpqAyL2LqsFfL-ZvViOFq2rcJ1AfVbhz5-s78MHT7humBmbwwpkO-CFnwcCpr_eRWHxaGdzRLhv5LArmfcSZ2eB3kcKFCEX85/s1600-h/4480.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 185px; height: 185px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr6ybLgNxvhPtIshdxSwhIj0Sv8plIQGq86kfntbFc0gRPpqAyL2LqsFfL-ZvViOFq2rcJ1AfVbhz5-s78MHT7humBmbwwpkO-CFnwcCpr_eRWHxaGdzRLhv5LArmfcSZ2eB3kcKFCEX85/s320/4480.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442253202265234402" border="0" /></a><br />I still like Julius Genachowski. There I said it. From everything that he's said since becoming chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, it appears to me that He Gets It and his policies are good for the long term growth of the mobile marketing industry. His most recent speech at the New America Foundation in Washington continues to illustrate his grasp of what needs to be done to move an infrastructure so mired in the days of vacuum tube radios and black and white TVs into the new century of mobile smartphones, video on demand, and location-based services.<br /><br />You can read the entire text of his speech here in <a href="http://www.mobilemarketer.com/cms/news/associations/5495.html">Giselle Tsirulnik's column</a> of the Mobile Marketer, and you can quickly browse some of the points that I especially like below.<br /><br />I like how he starts out his speech with a simple sound bite to serve as the rallying cry, "<span style="font-weight: bold;">we are lagging behind when it comes to broadband.</span>" When I was in business school, I learned that the key to initiating organizational change - especially in times of laissez-faire status quo - is to clearly articulate a crisis that everyone can relate to. In this case, Genachowski's opening remarks appeals to the competitive nature and the drive to succeed that historically compels our national psyche.<br /><br />All eyes will be on the FCC next month whey they are scheduled to announce their National Broadband Plan to Congress. Genachowski gives a five-point summary of this plan:<br /><ol><li>Accelerate mobile broadband deployment by recovering and reallocating spectrum</li><li>Revise outdated policies to reflect 21st century technologies and opportunities</li><li>Remove barriers to broadband buildout</li><li>Lower the cost of deployment</li><li>Promote competition</li></ol><br />While each of these points have merit in themselves, the devil, they say, is in the details. I clearly see government's role in helping to recover and reallocate unused spectrum, and to revise outdated policies. But call me a cynic: putting government in the same sentence with removing barriers, lowering costs and promoting competition strikes me as an oxymoron.<br /><br />The answer to growth for the mobile ecosystem is "more bandwidth". We can all agree to that. But the problem is, unlike vegetables, you can't grow spectrum. The spectrum is what it is - it is a finite resource, and the problem is that somebody somewhere already owns the spectrum that mobile broadband needs to grow.<br /><br />Says Genachowski,<br /><blockquote>"One of the best ways for us to achieve the right balance in the supply and demand of spectrum is to establish market-based mechanisms that enable spectrum intended for the commercial marketplace to flow to the uses the market values most.<br /><br />The Broadband Plan will recommend one such mechanism. It will propose a "Mobile Future Auction" -- an auction permitting existing spectrum licensees, such as television broadcasters in spectrum-starved markets, to voluntarily relinquish spectrum in exchange for a share of auction proceeds, and allow spectrum sharing and other spectrum efficiency measures.<br /><br />Now, I’ve mentioned broadcast spectrum – so let me be clear: the recommendation is for a voluntary program."<br /></blockquote><br />Yeah right...<br /><br />I can just see all the television network executives choking with laughter when they heard that idealistic statement of hubris and wishful thinking.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj96SzKZqrBJ_zd_SPuQd4l44dNBrJUL5Bv0DDb08i9mQFuS7AQ5qpvmjtjnwzZpwutsmQQzsiy7pScjDste2CQacCiGCL0x4zrRDmozIATQyXIfDQaAJraT5vdSbRHSHMuZNJXrYwUEWS6/s1600-h/you_want_it_when.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 154px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj96SzKZqrBJ_zd_SPuQd4l44dNBrJUL5Bv0DDb08i9mQFuS7AQ5qpvmjtjnwzZpwutsmQQzsiy7pScjDste2CQacCiGCL0x4zrRDmozIATQyXIfDQaAJraT5vdSbRHSHMuZNJXrYwUEWS6/s320/you_want_it_when.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442252776183416786" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />If you owned vast tracks of open undeveloped land and you learned that within ten years an entire city will be built on your land - the land that you solely own - would you voluntarily give it up in exchange for a share of the auction proceeds?<br /><br />Uh huh...<br /><br />The reality is that TV networks are on a downward trajectory as viewing audiences are moving to other forms of video entertainment. The fact that bland reality-based shows have replaced high-production quality dramas underscores the cost-cutting wave that is sweeping an industry disparately grasping for new ideas to grow.<br /><br />Spectrum - unused as it may be - is one of the last golden egg assets that these networks own. The day that the FCC can convince even one of the networks to voluntarily give up its spectrum license, is the day that I'm looking out for flying bacon.<br /><br />But don't get me wrong. I truly agree with Genachowski. In order to grow, the mobile ecosystem absolutely needs more spectrum - spectrum that unfortunately is firmly held in the grasps of the TV networks. It may just boil down to an Obama-esque "stimulus program" courtesy of your taxes and mine to get them to give it up.Manny Juhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01639753078967616270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2871062928216679863.post-3628626615901722342010-01-12T10:16:00.000-08:002010-01-12T10:21:47.975-08:00Blockbusters Versus Bombs: Storyboards and The Pilot<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjibp6oPmK7Tq2pXn4h1KxCFjDBH_oCoSYyk8GOR2VAtxODmtCqlLGU1p3FTV9z2uoRberdFq51h8DdVzUAlAg-_WDxBWC9Im4nmhfHaqitkb_bDV_Lf9QBZUspbaCt86wJlbjSAoN5YNjS/s1600-h/Star+Wars+storyboard.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 221px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjibp6oPmK7Tq2pXn4h1KxCFjDBH_oCoSYyk8GOR2VAtxODmtCqlLGU1p3FTV9z2uoRberdFq51h8DdVzUAlAg-_WDxBWC9Im4nmhfHaqitkb_bDV_Lf9QBZUspbaCt86wJlbjSAoN5YNjS/s320/Star+Wars+storyboard.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425919378257378978" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">(I continue my temporary digression from my usual posting about the mobile industry to blog about a topic near and dear to my heart: Product Management.)</span><br /><br />Product Managers at technology-driven companies are challenged to evangelize their exciting new product ideas. Effective product managers need to paint the big picture first and foremost - whether to management or to their peers. To this point, there are some amazing parallels between the making of a blockbuster movie and the making of a blockbuster product. I'd like to draw your attention to three of these points: (1) The Pitch, (2) The Storyboard, and (3) The Pilot.<br /><br />My <a href="http://mannyju.blogspot.com/2009/12/blockbusters-versus-bombs-perfecting.html">previous blog post</a> was about The Pitch. This blog post finishes with a discussion on the final two items: The Storyboard, and the Pilot.<br /><br />All movies - be they animated or be they live action - all start with a storyboard. It's during storyboarding that writers and directors work out the plot, the flow, and the structure of the movie. The structure of the movie includes things like lighting, and camera angels.<br /><br />In the world of software application development, storyboarding is akin to requirements gathering and feature definition. The concept of storyboarding fits nicely with the Agile software development methodology in which requirements are defined in terms of "user stories." If you're not familiar with the Agile methodology (or others like it), user stories are small and atomic feature implementations that when strung together, make up the full product, or product feature functionality. If you've ever seen Agile development at work, you'll see a remarkable similarity between the user story cards pasted on a wall and the individual scene drawings of a movie story board. Just as scenes of the story board cards are quick hand-drawn sketches, user stories are quick definitions of a specific feature capability.<br /><br />In my opinion, all software development processes should include storyboarding. This enables all stakeholders including Product Management, Developers, Executive Sponsors, Sales and Marketing, and Technical Support, to map out the framework of a product or product feature long before a single line of code is written. Unlike traditional full blown requirements documents that can take weeks or even months to write up, storyboards are fluid, dynamic, and easily modified.<br /><br />Television series for both comedies and dramas always have a pilot. No television executive would dream of providing full financial backing without the pilot. The purpose of the pilot is to test the concept of the series in real life. Feedback from the pilot is crucial. Projects many times never make it past the pilot. Other times, modifications are made to the cast of characters, to the story concept, and even to the title. (Quick Quiz: for those of you alive during the '90s, what was the original title of the "Seinfeld" comedy series? Who were the original characters and actors?)<br /><br />Once again, the Agile software methodology fits well with the concept of The Pilot. Basic functionality is quickly introduced to the marketplace. Though not the full-blown product, the initial releases are used to gain valuable market feedback. Is the market need for the product still viable, or has it changed to something different? Better to know quickly before sinking time and money down a black hole.<br /><br />The art and science of developing toward the first product release is so much like the television serial pilot. The pilot does not go into any depth and detail of character development, or of where the series will be going. It's only purpose is to see if the audience (a.k.a. the marketplace) will accept the concept. In like manner, the first iterations of a product should not be the full solution - but yet they should be complete enough to effectively tell the story of the product roadmap to the marketplace.<br /><br />Here's also where people used to traditional software development are uncomfortable with the Agile process. They are more comfortable selling a complete solution; they are more comfortable supporting a fully end-to-end developed solution. Frankly put, these people need to "get with the times." Waiting around for a full solution before unveiling it is very risky. Market needs move at light speed because competition is fierce. If you take too long to move, someone else will. Believe it.<br /><br />So, in conclusion, how do you increase the likelihood of a Product Blockbuster versus a Product Bomb? Take a lesson from Hollywood. Adopt the concepts of The Pitch, Storyboarding, and The Pilot into your product management process.Manny Juhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01639753078967616270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2871062928216679863.post-83001523325546133412009-12-15T09:25:00.000-08:002009-12-15T09:29:10.671-08:00Blockbusters Versus Bombs: Perfecting the Product Pitch<span style="font-style: italic;">(I temporarily digress from my usual posting about the mobile industry to blog about a topic near and dear to my heart: Product Management.)</span><br /><br />Product Managers at technology-driven companies are challenged to evangelize their exciting new product ideas. Effective product managers need to paint the big picture first and foremost - whether to management or to their peers. To this point, there are some amazing parallels between the making of a blockbuster movie and the making of a blockbuster product. I'd like to draw your attention to three of these points: (1) The Pitch, (2) The Storyboard, and (3) The Pilot.<br /><br />This blog post is all about The Pitch. Future posts will expound upon the other two.<br /><br />Technology products are ... well ... technical. Technical products require technical explanations. Or maybe not. Psychologists tell us that the human mind needs context before it can grasp detail. To be an effective product manager, you must be a Master Storyteller.<br /><br />Imagine that you're sitting in the Brown Derby making your pitch to a movie studio exec. You only have ten minutes - fifteen at the most - to get him interested enough in your idea to give the go ahead and proceed to the next step. Are you going to start talking about camera angles and special effects details and who is going to play what part? Of course not. What are you going to do? You're going to tell the big picture story, a summary, an overview. But not just any overview. You're need to present a summary that is so compelling that in fifteen minutes or less, the exec is willing to commit millions of dollars to making it happen. Can't be done? Dude. It's Hollywood. It happens all the time.<br /><br />How do you tell your story? Movie plots always have three elements: (1) the hero, (2) the villian, (3) the resolution. Here's an example of a movie plot overview. See if you can spot the hero, the villian, and the resolution:<br /><blockquote>A Mumbai teen who grew up in the slums, becomes a contestant on the Indian version of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" He is arrested under suspicion of cheating, and while being interrogated, events from his life history are shown which explain why he knows the answers.</blockquote>Recognize the story line? It's Slumdog Millionaire, this year's Academy Awards Best Picture winner.<br /><br />As a Product Manager, you are the evangelist for new product ideas. Work the three elements of the story plot into your pitch. Naturally, your idea is the hero. What's the villian? Is it an unserved need? Is it a rival company? What's the resolution? What's so gosh-darned exciting about your idea that makes it the perfect solution? It is absolutely essential that you perfect your story in three sentences or less. If people don't get it, or they aren't as excited as you are, then keep working at it.<br /><br />Can't be done you say? Your products are too technical to get people excited in three sentences or less? Au contraire. Which of these two product descriptions gets you the more excited:<br /><blockquote>A new portable MP3 player combining a small 5GB hard drive, a FireWire port, and a standard 3.5-mm headphone jack in an ultrasleek white and stainless steel case with a 2-inch white backlit LCD display and an estimated 10 hour battery life.</blockquote>or,<blockquote>A thousand songs in your pocket.</blockquote>Anyone who attended Macworld when Steve Jobs unveiled the iPod will recall that single memorable sentense that brought the house down.<br /><br />The Pitch is absolutely essential in order to establish crystal clear product vision within your company. Above all, the perfect pitch minimizes scope creep and scope dilution. It helps keeps everyone focused with a clear understanding of WHAT they are all working towards, and WHY they are doing it. There's an old saying, "Without vision, the people wander aimlessly". Likewise, without The Pitch establishing the clear product vision, the product wanders aimlessly in development, in marketing, in sales, and in the marketplace.<br /><br />Finally, every good product just like any good movie needs a memorable tagline.<br /><br />"A long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away." - Star Wars<br /><br />"Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water..." - Jaws 2<br /><br />"The Last Man On Earth Is Not Alone" - I Am Legend<br /><br />"A Thousand Songs in Your Pocket" - iPod<br /><br />"The World's Thinnest Notebook" - MacBook Air<br /><br />"Can You Hear Me Now?" - Verizon<br /><br />What's the tagline to your product? What is the one sentence that sticks in peoples minds and brings instant connection with your idea? Be creative. Be imaginative. Make it memorable.Manny Juhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01639753078967616270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2871062928216679863.post-19864330529246629862009-12-02T12:28:00.000-08:002009-12-02T13:38:54.386-08:00I Still Like Julius Genachowski<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgrig2sVl1363Pjo9jjX6GApolIhxbpDjRgoSjJ7svrxm-KPY8Q1g3ZRBuQZNPE6-hlKyGYhsb2Q6mGT8udVfG2dWGXgv82Qnbc7Y_myHcno8s6bfFYAQNPJiVH6ZWFhUiXZafMRGoJGHb/s1600-h/4480.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 185px; height: 185px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgrig2sVl1363Pjo9jjX6GApolIhxbpDjRgoSjJ7svrxm-KPY8Q1g3ZRBuQZNPE6-hlKyGYhsb2Q6mGT8udVfG2dWGXgv82Qnbc7Y_myHcno8s6bfFYAQNPJiVH6ZWFhUiXZafMRGoJGHb/s320/4480.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410756096836645026" border="0" /></a><br />Last June, I stated my case that FCC Chair <a href="http://mannyju.blogspot.com/2009/06/why-genachowki-is-good-for-mobile.html">Julius Genachowski is good for mobile marketing</a>. Today, I re-iterate my case, though with a bit more guarded enthusiasm due to greater education on my part.<br /><br />I originally was highly in favor of Network Neutrality which was one influence in my support for Genachowski. Since that time, I've had the opportunity to hear both sides of the story - especially after having a good chat with two representatives of the CTIA when we were all in Los Angeles for the Mobile Marketing Association Forum last November.<br /><br />How would you feel if a complete stranger moved into your house, ran his business out of your house and make millions every month. Meanwhile, you're stuck with the mortgage payments, the utility bills, the food bills, and oh - by the way - you have to clean up after him. And you don't see a single penny of that money much less even get a thank you. I'm sure that you wouldn't even allow this stranger anywhere near your property. But <span style="font-style: italic;">what if the government said that you had to</span>, and there was nothing you could do about it? That, my friends, is Network Neutrality in a nutshell.<br /><br />The network infrastructure providers maintain that Google and others like them have made vast fortunes freeloading on their groundwork. Meanwhile companies like Global Crossing, Level 3, and Nortel Networks took a beating in recent years.<br /><br />The FCC's <a href="http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-293120A1.pdf">recent inquiries into competition in the mobile wireless industry</a> is another cause for raised eyebrows. As long as the inquiry remains an inquiry and does not devolve into intervention, then I'm okay with that. I believe in free market principles - not "fair market" principles. There is no such thing as "fair". Only little children and socialists believe that "fairness" is a reality.<br /><br />So even with this dose of reality, I still am a fan of Julius Genachowski.<br /><br />Genachowski's <a href="http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-294942A1.pdf">recent speech</a> at the Innovation Economy Conference in Washington D.C. gives me reason for hope.<br /><br />He displayed a fascinating insight when he equated his vision of the impact of universal broadband to the impact of universal electricity - something that we today take for granted (at least until the lights go out).<br /><blockquote>"Broadband is reshaping our economy and our country more fundamentally than any technology since electricity. Indeed, there are echoes in the current moment of the era when electricity became widely available in America, unleashing a torrent of innovation. Ubiquitous electricity extended the day into the night. It brought us refrigerators and washing machines; radios and televisions; phones, wired and wireless; data processors, then computers. These and other electricity-driven appliances transformed virtually everything about how we live and how we work."<br /><br />"Ubiquitous high-speed broadband, like other transformative general purpose<br />technologies, can spark innovation of every kind -- many we can imagine, and even more we can’t. Indeed, broadband offers particularly powerful opportunities for accelerated innovation through the broad and fast collaboration and information-sharing it enables.<br /><br />Because of its power to propel innovation, broadband can be our platform for economic prosperity and opportunity for all Americans. It can be our engine for enduring job creation and economic growth. Our Internet ecosystem has already created millions of jobs, and universal broadband can accelerate that. Studies show that<span style="font-weight: bold;"> increases in broadband penetration translate into increases in GDP</span>." <span style="font-style: italic;">(my emphasis added)</span><br /></blockquote><blockquote>"...we see huge opportunities -- and real risks -- around mobile broadband. Much of what we see suggests that mobile broadband can be the preeminent platform for innovation in the next decade. To be the global leader in innovation 10 years from now, we need to lead the world in wireless broadband."<br /></blockquote>I think Genachowski "gets it." He clearly understands what's happening in the world today and where it is heading tomorrow.<br /><br />Check out this quote from the closing of this speech:<br /><blockquote>"While invisible, spectrum is the lifeblood of our wireless networks and a critical part of our innovation infrastructure. In recent years, the FCC has authorized a <span style="font-weight: bold;">three-fold increase in commercial spectrum</span>. But experts anticipate a <span style="font-weight: bold;">30-fold increase in wireless traffic</span>. Given that spectrum can take many years to reallocate and build out, if we don't start the process now, we'll pay a steep price in innovation down the road.<br /><br />To meet this spectrum challenge, the FCC will have to encourage more efficient uses of spectrum and devices through innovative spectrum policies. We’ll look at increasing spectrum flexibility and opening secondary markets for licensed use. And we’ll look to <span style="font-weight: bold;">unlicensed spectrum</span> as well, so that entrepreneurs and inventors have some open space in which to dream up the next miracle wireless technology.</blockquote>I totally love the idea of opening up an unlicensed spectrum to facilitate innovation incubation. By lowering the barrier to broadband spectrum access, the FCC helps to make it easier for entrepreneurs to develop world-changing inventions.<br /><br />By recognizing the economic value of broadband - including mobile wireless broadband, Genachowski bodes good news for the growth of the mobile marketing industry.<br /><br />I'm not a starry-eyed follower of Genachowski, but so far so good. <blockquote></blockquote>Manny Juhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01639753078967616270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2871062928216679863.post-37289022823476693352009-11-19T22:50:00.000-08:002009-11-19T22:56:03.619-08:00Is THIS the Year of Mobile Marketing?"Is this the Year of Mobile Marketing?" That was the running gag at the recently concluded Mobile Marketing Assocation Forum in Los Angeles.<br /><br />I attended the Forum back in 2007 and again this year. Oh, what a difference two years makes. Back then, the iPhone was only a few months old. Android phones weren't even on the market. Carriers controlled the majority of subscriber's web experiences; "on-deck" and "off-deck" were the buzz words of the day. Fast forward to present day and here's what we have now:<br /><br /><ul><li>100,000 apps in the iPhone app store with a total of 2 billion downloads<br /><br /></li><li>For the first time in this year, the total number of text messages sent exceeded the number of voice calls placed.<br /><br /></li><li>The average age of "texters" is 38-years old.<br /><br /></li><li>Mobile phones outnumber PCs by 4 to 1 worldwide with 6.8B people, 4B mobile phones, 1.4B TVs, and 1B PCs<br /><br /></li><li>Mobile adoption is no longer the domain of the affluent. Of the 4.1B mobile subscribers, 70% of them live in so-called "developing nations".<br /><br /></li><li>An extra ten phones per 100 people in a typical developing country boosts GDP growth by 0.8 percentage points. (The Economist, November 2009 issue)<br /><br /></li><li>There are >4.1B text msg sent in the US every day compared to 304M Google searches in the US every day<br /><br /></li><li>The mobile phone has become the convergence of many consumer devices. Quick question: who is world's largest manufacturer of digital cameras by total units sold? Who is the world's largest manufacturer of MP3 players by total units sold. Answer: Nokia on both counts.<br /><br /></li><li>There are seven Mass Media Channels defined as: Print, Recordings, Cinema, Radio, TV, Internet, Mobile. The mobile device has become a single device that can consume all 7 channels of mass media.<br /><br /></li><li>Thanks to the precedence set by the iPhone, carriers' roles are changing from media empire to ecosystem enablers.<br /><br /></li><li>Revenue from voice has been consistently falling over the past 7 years while revenue from data has been consistenly rising over the same time period.<br /><br /></li><li>The Kelsey Group projects that total US spend on mobile search will grow from $162M 2009 to $2.3B by 2013. 50% of US mobile search ad revenue is local search.<br /><br /></li><li>Monthly searches per user are ~20% greater for mobile local search vs. online local search. Call through rates are 30x greater.<br /><br /></li><li>For many people across the world, the mobile device is the only way to access the Internet. By 2020, it will become the #1 access point to the Internet worldwide.<br /></li></ul><br /><br />So what's still next for mobile marketers?<br /><ul><li>Mobile marketing works best when integrated with other media channels. But how to tie all channels together with integrated consistency? It's still too fragmented; it's difficult to communicate the value of mobile advertising; metrics have to be understandable.<br /><br /></li><li>As mobile marketing becomes more mature and marketers become more sophisticated, the need to have independently verified measurements becomes greater.<br /></li></ul><br />...and it wouldn't be a gathering of mobile marketers without a dig at carriers for continuing to make the SMS campaign provisioning process unnecessarily painful.<br /><br />So was 2009 the Year of Mobile Marketing? Only time will tell. But from what we discussed this time around at the 2009 Forum, mobile marketing is certainly one of the fastest growing channels worldwide.Manny Juhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01639753078967616270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2871062928216679863.post-53314641746740901522009-11-12T20:59:00.000-08:002009-11-12T21:13:09.303-08:00Pitching the Mobile Storyline to the Studio ExecMy fellow Product Managers and I recently met to brainstorm ideas on how we could accelerate innovation within ours organization. Over the course of the discussions, we realized that there are amazing parallels between producing a product and producing a movie. In our company, the Product Management Team meets with the Executive Team on a monthly basis to review key product initiatives for the company. The executives are the ones who review and approve the commitment of resources to bring a product to market.<br /><br />Pitching an idea for a movie is an experience similar to ours. A good movie is all about the story. Whether an idea for a movie gets approval or not depends on how well you can tell that story within the first few minutes to a studio executive. Even if the actual plot is complex with convoluted twists and turns, the story about the story has to be concise and it has to be compelling.<br /><br />So - in three sentenses or less - what's the story for SMS marketing?<br /><br />This is what we came up with: You're a marketer and you're already engaged with your customers through your existing marketing mix. Your prospects and customers are holding your brand message and calls to action in their long term memory. An SMS message at the right time brings an instantaneous connection with your brand, pulling your brand and call to action out from memory into the here and now.<br /><br />Here's a simple plotline: You're a national retailer and it's that time of the year to jumpstart your sagging sales with special promotions to bring traffic to your stores. Your marketing mix includes TV, radio, newspaper, email, direct mail, search, and your web site promoting your call to action. "Sale starts this Saturday at 9AM! Come in for discounts between 30% and 70% on all items." People have seen your TV and newspaper ads, heard your radio ads, and read your email alerts at one point or another during the week. It's now Saturday morning. Peoples' awareness are focused on the here and now, "it's the weekend, "what's for breakfast", "what's a fun thing to do today?" Bing! A reminder about the sale sent via SMS on Saturday morning brings instantaneous recollection and connection with your call to action that you spent the whole week building awareness for.<br /><br />Every movie has a tag line, too: "A long, long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away," "Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the water."<br /><br />What's the tagline for SMS marketing?<br /><br />"<span style="font-weight: bold;">Add instant energy to your marketing mix</span>"<br /><br />What one-word keyword(s) best summarizes SMS marketing?<br />1. NOW<br />2. Impulse<br />3. Anywhere<br /><br />What's your take on our story? Do you have a better one? How would you tell your version of the story in three sentenses or less? What's your tag line? What one-word keyword do you believe best summarizes SMS marketing? Post your comments!Manny Juhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01639753078967616270noreply@blogger.com0