Field Notes Inside an Integrated Communications Agency

When it comes to health and fitness I feel comfortable saying I am a tech junkie, and maybe even border line obsessed. I love everything about the fitness world and technology. My latest obsession are the "Snap It" features in this and future months of Selfmagazine. Using a QR code (learn more here, under 10 word definition: a two-dimensional image of a barcode) they have linked my gym time reading directly to my phone. Self is connecting traditional magazine readers back to their mobile devices using the free app http://gettag.mobi (Microsoft). Every few pages you see a barcode related to a story simply take a photo using the Microsoft tag mobile app and boom, you have more information right on your phone.

My trial run with the new app started after reading the article "Meals that melt fat!" great place to start. The barcode encouraged me to "Snap It" so I could download my "get fit" grocery list right to my phone, um yes please. I opened my new Microsoft tag app, went through the initial set up and got to snapping. It was easy, just point and click using my phone camera. I was so excited having no idea where this barcode was going to take me. The barcode directed me to the Self Web site and rendered a mobile friendly version of the shopping list. I am in LOVE, being not only a foodie but also a list maker, this combined two of my favorite things. Now I had the list on my phone so I could take it anywhere.

This is a great move for Self because it not only encouraged me to become more deeply involved in the magazine, but it also connected me to their site. I now have the grocery list on my phone ready for my next trip to the market. I was sucked in and began cruising around their site along with my grocery list I could learn more about that months cardio moves, beauty tips and more. Maybe even while I shopped for my new food to help melt fat.

I can see the possibilities are limitless with this, tags to workout demonstration videos, information on health clubs they feature and even locations of where I can buy the coolest new running sneakers. All right on my phone. I don't think it will replace my love of the physical magazine but it is handy for keeping me organized and on the move.

Over the weekend I was somewhat surprised that no one brought up mobile analytics at the AnalyticsCamp. As mobile users keep expanding and the functionality of mobile devices continually improves, measurement will come to the forefront.

This post takes a quick look at some easy ways to measure mobile users that come to your web site. Future posts in this series will look at success criteria, tracking mobile apps, and some of the interesting location-services like Foursquare. For now, let's just focus on mobile users coming to your existing website. 

First, some business questions we are trying to answer:

• • Do we need to build a mobile version of our site?
• • Are there certain activities that mobile users do?
• • What kind of devices are accessing our website? 
• • How are mobile visitors getting to your site?

 

Android is coming on fast. Is it a flash in the pan or is it the first real contender to iPhone in the next-gen mobile market? I am hoping it's a real threat to Apple since nothing drives innovation quite like competition. (except maybe Steve Jobs)

ChangeWave's December survey showed that "21% of those planning to buy a smart phone in the next 90 days say they'd prefer to have the Android OS on their new phone – a monstrous 15-pt jump in just three months." It also showed that most of their gain was Apple's loss.

So, the jury is still out but here is some acedotal evidence from mobile traffic to our Web site. Notice the HUGE jump in Android traffic in just four months.

First graph is October 2009. The second is January 2010.

Want harder evidence?

Android OS Jumps to 27% Market Share, iPhone OS Remains Unchanged at 55%

IDC: Android to be No. 2 mobile OS by 2013

With rapidly changing technology channels, it seems every crisis or natural disaster ushers in new ways to communicate. The devastating earthquake in Haiti, while being one of the most catastrophic disasters in recent memory, is no different in this respect. From mobile video and photos shared in tweets to eyewitness reports via Skype, our early news came through new communications.

With all the new ways of communicating, one relatively low-tech communication stands to have the biggest impact on the crisis in Haiti - text. In the hours after the crisis, the Red Cross and others mobilized to offer individuals an immediate way to contribute - a text through their cell phone to donate $5 or $10 that will be added to their monthly phone bill. News of this option is rapidly spreading on social media with people posting information on how they donated.

Text is a great way to mobilize a mass audience. In fact, with the fragmentation of traditional media, text, may be one of the last true "mass media" left. Text does not require special downloads or a special phone. The technology is available on 98 percent of mobile handsets and 86 percent of the US owns a mobile phone. Nielsen mobile projects that there will be 100 million text messaging users by the end of 2010 sending and receiving more than 75 billion texts each month. That's a lot of thumb-typing.

Text users aren't all kids either. Nielsen mobile says the media age of a text user is 38. This is a generation that has grown up with mobile technology. So it stands to reason that these text messaging users would be open to making a contribution via text. A short message for a truly worthy cause.

It used to be that retailers and restaurants turned to radio or billboards to reach people on the go. Advertising on highway billboards not only drove business but also provided a useful service to motorists looking for a place to eat, shop and fuel up. For decades, radio ads have been a mainstay promotional tool to drive people into stores and onto car lots.

Smartphones are poised to change these longstanding approaches. According to research from Compete (link below,) 37 percent of smartphone users have used their phone to purchase something other than a mobile product. What's more, people are using smartphones for precisely the type of information previously provided by billboards and radio - research, including price comparison (41%) and locations or directions.

With e-mobile poised for explosive growth, what can get in the way? Well, according to the research, it'll be basic functionality problems that limit e-mobile in 2010. Consumers will leave sites that are not optimized for a mobile experience.

Once the mobile experience is enhanced and smartphones become more prevalent, what will happen to highway billboards and radio promotions? Doesn't the notion of a radio remote where a live DJ goes to a retailer and invites listeners to stop by seem quaint in a world with iPhones and Pandora?

http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/compete/41839/ 

I attended the Internet Summit ‘09 here in Raleigh last Thursday. The lineup of speakers was quite impressive and the topics were definitely timely. However, the one panel that was stuck in my mind was ‘Mobile Strategies.' The speakers - Andrew Lacy (Tapulous), Sam Matheny (News Over Wireless), Douglas Miller (Evryx Technologies), Barg Upender (Mobomo) and Jud Bowman (PocketGear and Motricity) - really understood the need to integrate mobile applications into all aspects of marketing: branding, acquisition and retention.

The speakers discussed the latest trends and the needs that businesses today face and drove home the idea that we have to engage our customers better than we have in the past. To that end, Barg emphasized that "technology is what is driving demand. Users want relevancy and accessibility" and it is up to us as marketers to meet this demand.

The question for a businesses to include mobile marketing into their programs is not an ‘if' but a ‘how' - what SMS program or what iPhone/BlackBerry/Android application they should invest in. The necessity to reach consumers through multiple, relevant touch points is clear. As consumers become more and more comfortable with mobile technology, they will seek out businesses that suit their abilities best. If mobile is not part of a business's strategy the result will be the risk of losing customers to competitors who have these efforts in place.

The main challenge businesses face when entering the mobile marketing world is the lack of consistency. The way campaigns are launched and tracked is not consistent across vendors and neither is the device users' use. A user's experience is dependent on what they view, how and on what medium they used. With over 1,700 different mobile phones currently in use, it appears to be impossible to get a consistent look and feel on the user end, thus not enabling control of the user experience. How do we make sure that users' have a good experience? How do we ensure that what they see is what we want them to see? There are always barriers to reaching your audience with any new form of advertising. Stay tuned as mobile marketing strategy unfolds.

It doesn't take much to read between the lines of Adobe's release of Flash player 10.1. Just one word sums it up - mobile. Adobe is working it's tail off to get the newest version of Flash onto devices.

Adobe realizes that if the Flash platform is going to survive, it needs to get off of the desktop and go mobile. Enter Adobe Flash 10.1 with new features to program in the mobile environment. The highlights include support for:

• Multi-touch
• Accelerometers (used to detect motion of the physical device)
• Screen orientation
• and power consumption throttles

The other thing Adobe needs is to get the Flash player onto as many next-gen platforms as possible. So far the list includes Android, MS Mobile, Palm WebOS, and Simbian. Not bad, but the the iPhone and the Blackberry are still holding Flash at arms length. Those manufacturers have cited Flash's power consumption as the reason to not allow Flash. We'll see if Adobe's latest efforts is enough to woo them.

More info at adobe.com.

 Author: John Romano

With my Psychology background from college, I couldn't resist the "Therapy 2.0: Mental Health for Geeks" session at SXSW09. This core conversation organically took on the feeling of a support group meeting. I honestly kept waiting for someone to stand up and say, "Hi, I'm Bob and I'm addicted to my mobile device" and for the group to chime in unison, "Hi Bob."

I personally came over to the dark side three months ago when I caved and bought my very own shiny Crackberry. I don't know that I'll ever be able to find my way back into the light, that thing comes with me everywhere.

All joking aside, in today's over connected world, the ability to have true solitude becomes more and more difficult to come by. It's hard to just "be" in a space when our devices represent a constant reminder of our digital responsibilities. Yet this is the world we've actively chosen to be a part of, so how to we manage our love hate relationship with our devices? The two moderators of this session, Thomas Roche and Dr. Keely Kolmes, left us with five things we can do in our everyday lives to feel more balanced.

1. Create a weekly gratitude practice/journal.
2. Use breathing exercises and mindfulness practice throughout the day.
3. Make an extra effort to connect with others for social support offline.
4. Exercise in some way every day.  Study after study proves its positive stress reduction/management effects.
5. Use thought tracking to become more aware of your moods.

To my fellow geeks out there, are you able to distance yourself from your devices or do you experience information anxiety from time to time? What techniques can you share that help you stay balanced?

I'll get us started.

• "Hi, I'm Laura. (Hi Laura.) Sometimes I send Kira an Instant Message to ask her a question instead of just asking it out loud. She sits right beside me."
  
• "To stay balanced, I take a Yoga class every Monday night at my gym. It starts my week out on the right foot." 
• Come on folks, who's next?

At an interesting panel* at SXSW 09 , YinYin He demonstrated a device she created, dubbed "Patches," that was designed for touch via the Facebook "poke" interaction. This little patch, easily worn on your clothing, has sensors inside it that vibrate or "buzz" when you're poked on Facebook. After a Facebook user "pokes" you, a message is sent to a server and them to a microcontroller on the patch. A text message is also sent to your mobile device.

The patch is made of snaps, conductive thread, fabrics, and grey thermocromic ink (the same stuff mood rings are made out of).  Pretty cool, huh?

So for those of you that always thought the good old Facebook "poke" was pretty pointless, maybe we're on our way to a more interactive experience via touch technology.

*Touching Me Touching You: How We Feel Technology

I bought an iPhone a month ago. Now I join the wanker ranks who are always checking something. Weather in Singapore, got it! A cheap hot dog joint downtown, bingo! Email, check! Texting? Ha! LMAO! Heck, I even check the GPS while driving to work. I know exactly where I am and I know where my office is, too. I guess I want to make sure the iPhone knows where we are.

 

So here’s my dilemma: I’m compelled to destroy my old phone?

It’s the worst phone ever. Half my calls never come through and it has all the convenience of cute little piece of Styrofoam. Mostly I’m tired of being ridiculed like, “Barbie called, she wants her phone back.” Or, “Dude, is that your Hello Kitty lighter ringing?”

With hundreds of cool iPhone applications available, not one will destroy my useless, elfin phone with due flair. Give me some great suggestions and I’ll document it here. *

 

 

* I realize I can donate it. Should I pass along my aggravation?