Mobile Marketing

The simplest ideas are often the best and most useful. Case in point: American Airlines' WiFi Widget web page found at...

http://www.aawifiwidget.com/

...that helps you find American Airlines flights with in-flight WiFi service. All you have to do is enter a flight number or identify a departure airport and tap the Find WiFi button. You are then shown a list of flights with WiFi service departing from that airport. What could be easier? Nice...

Via the Dallas News Airline Biz Blog: American offers tool to find if your flight will have Wi-Fi

YouTube video courtesy of GoogleMobileBlog

If you develop apps for Android based phones or the iPhone, Google might have an app analytic tool for you...

Introducing Google Analytics for Mobile Apps

Google Analytics is best, and perhaps only, known for its ability to provide detailed information about website traffic and use. Google Analytics for Mobile Apps provides similar kinds of information and analyses for Android and iPhone mobile apps. It can tell what is being used within an app as well as information such how many people are using your current release compared to older versions.

BTW: In case you were wondering... Yes, there is a Google Adsense for mobile apps too (in beta)...

Google Adsense for Mobile Applications

YouTube video courtesy of GoogleMobileBlog

The Google Mobile Blog cites a Gartner study that estimates 177 million smartphones will be sold this year. This represents a 27% sales increase during what I think most people will agree has been a horrendous economic period. So, naturally, Google goes where people are searching. And, more and more people are searching on smartphones these days. So, Google announced...

AdSense for Mobile optimized for high-end phones

So, what does this mean?

- Google defines a high-end phone as one with a big screen and powerful browser. Think iPhone.
- AdSense for these phones translates to ads that take up a lot of space compared to the friendlier small two line ads we've seen so far on mobile phones (high-end or otherwise).

These giant mobile ads can be turned on or off by people buying AdSense space.

To paraphrase Mark Twain and Benjamin Disraeli... There are lies, damned lies, statistics and mobile app analytics. There's no doubt in my mind that apps for the Apple iPhone and iPod touch lead in number of apps, percentage of users on a platform installing and using apps, and overal growth in apps for a mobile platform. But, I also like seeing actual number to back up my belief. So, I was pretty excited when I noted this title over on AppleInsider...

End users, developers seen flocking to iPhone apps on wide scale

But, I was not very enthusiastic after reading the entire item. The first thing that bothered me was the self-selecting nature of who gets measured (developers who sign up with Flurry). The second thing that bothered me is that the study leaves out Symbian S60 (probably the largest smartphone platform in the world) and Windows Mobile (probably second or third largest smartphone platform).

So, yes, the study is interesting. But, it really doesn't tell me anything.

Fox Mobile Distribution (FMD) is celebrating Earth Day by unveiling the Green Living Guide. The mobile application, available in the US through FMD's Jamster content portal, is chock full of tips and recommendations on how to live a "greener, environmentally friendly life." The guide includes info on conservation, recycling, reuse, Earth-friendly transportation and more.

Although Earth Day is April 22, the app will remain a free download on Jamster through April 26, to Jamster subscribers and non-subscribers alike. Developed by Incelligence, the Green Living Guide is available on the Jamster site or by texting "GOGREEN" to 75555.

The companies also offered up some tips that mobile consumers can use to help save energy. You can check them out after the jump.

continued...

Mobile Marketer Daily reports that CBS has launched a mobile marketing campaign for Harper's Island, a 13-episode miniseries that debuted earlier this week.

Powered by Apptera's MobileAd Xchange, the campaign is running on AOL's Moviefone, MovieTickets.com and the HeyCosmo Blaster social planning service. On the movie ticket service lines, only folks calling in for info on films in the same genre as Harper's Island will hear an ad for the series.

Additionally, mobile consumers can opt-in to receive a weekly Apptera Buzzz Alert reminding them when it's time to go watch that week's episode.

The limited-run series is a murder mystery that follows a group of people who head to a secluded island for a weeklong wedding celebration. Naturally, murder and mayhem ensue.

[Image courtesy of Mobile Marketer Daily]

Verizon Wireless, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile have joined forces with the Mobile Marketing Association to create a single set of mobile marketing guidelines. According to the MMA, this new approach will result in lower costs for marketers and a better end-user experience.

The marketing practice alignment was helped along by VeriSign, Limbo, Thumbplay and other major mobile content providers. The plan is expected to go into committee review next month, with a final version available for public consumption by the end of June, PC World reports.

The five main objectives of the new guidelines are to promote a consistent consumer experience; enhance efficiencies for marketing campaigns using short codes; get campaigns to market quicker; guarantee consistent monitoring and auditing and reduce operational costs.

Electronic coupon service Shortcuts.com, which cuts the paper out of coupons by linking them directly to grocery store savings cards, has launched mobile version of sorts.

The new Shortcuts.com Mobile lets shoppers choose electronic coupons using their cell phones. This means that instead of having to use a PC to select which coupons to activate before heading out to do the grocery shopping, consumers can make the decision on-the-fly while browsing the aisles and click to have the savings offers downloaded to their savings card. Consumers can also search for coupons by category.

To take advantage of the AOL-owned service, new users first need to sign up at shortcuts.com on their PC before logging in from a cell phone.

Mobile marketing outfit HipCricket is going international. The company's first stop outside the US comes in the form of HipCricket de Mexico. From there, it intends to expand into other Latin American countries.

To build HipCricket de Mexico, the company partnered with Mexican telecom execs Pablo Peralta and Enrique Lopez-Negrete, both of whom have invested in the Mexican start-up. Lopez-Negrete has been named CEO of the new venture.

According to HipCricket, it's the first company to bring comprehensive mobile marketing solutions to Mexico, which has nearly 78 million mobile subscribers. These mobile consumers are doing much more with their phones than just talking. According to the Mobile Marketing Association, 70% of mobile users in Mexico expressed some sort of interest in mobile marketing. A third are highly interested in receiving mobile alerts for sales and other promotions, 30% would like to get info on new products or services delivered to their phones, 30% are highly interested in text-to-win contests and 29% want to receive mobile coupons.

HipCricket's Latin American expansion comes nearly a year after it launched the first Hispanic Mobile Marketing Network in the US. The network reaches 14 of the country's top 15 Hispanic markets and more than nine million consumers.

Cellit is flying high with its new partnership with Space Center Houston, which has it providing mobile marketing for NASA's official visitor center.

Using the Cellit Studio platform, Space Center Houston can use text messaging to send special offers and discounts. These offers include a unique redemption code that gets verified in real-time by the Cellit Redemption Widget, which gets works on any Windows-based point-of-sale system, whether keyboard-based or touchscreen.

During "Spring Break season" Space Center Houston launched its first mobile campaign, offering 50% off the admission price to visitors who texted "SPACE" to 30364. The same keyword and shortcode are used to opt in to receive all future offers as well.