Mobile Groove

In brief: MSG kicks off MAD Movers, a series profiling a wide range of players across the emerging mobile marketing business ecosystem. Thomas Labarthe, Alcatel-Lucent VP Mobile Advertising, talks about the importance of permission, the evolution of advertising and the approaches that will keep mobile operators in the game. Will people-powered mobile marketing become the norm?

In April Alcatel-Lucent officially made its bid for leadership in the mobile advertising space with Optism, an ecosystem approach to mobile advertising that has been designed and commercialized to bring together mobile operators, agencies and advertisers. To achieve this Alcatel-Lucent has specifically brought

Editor’s Note: The market is poised for growth. But how can mobile operators gear up for this opportunity? Lisa Cianguilli offers some business guidelines that deliver results.

The advertising industry is huge, with an estimated value of $1 trillion (Source: WPP, STL, Kelsey Group, PWC). While about half of that amount is spent on traditional advertising (including print, radio and television), the market is largely flat. Traditional media simply don’t provide the level of response advertisers are looking for. It’s also becoming increasingly difficult to reach audiences over the usual channels (consider the impact of the PVR on television advertising!).

Most importantly, traditional advertising doesn’t enable brands to measure how many people view an ad. Digital advertising, on the other hand, is a healthy, dynamic market with the potential for an excellent return on investment. It also offers the personalization needed to improve targeting, relevance and responsiveness. And thanks to the proliferation of mobile devices, the mass consumer audience is there.

Editor’s Note: This blog post originally appeared on the Optism blog, a home for engagement marketing. You can follow Optism on Twitter (@optismww) and sign up here for the latest news.

Hulu, the U.S. online video service announced a stream of changes to its offering a few days back. Our favorite was the ‘Ad Tailor’. As Hulu puts it, “The goal of Ad Tailor is to increase the relevance of ads for our viewers.” It’s very simple. When a viewer watches a program on Hulu, during the ad break, the user is asked how relevant the ad was to them. This helps Hulu overtime to display more relevant ads to that viewer.

The advertising industry is so often caught up in clever technology that involves complex behavioral or contextual algorithms that they forget that ‘users’ are actually ‘humans’. What better way to find out what is relevant than to ask?

In brief: Gearing up for the Open Mobile Summit, the deal-making mobile industry happening and conference taking place tomorrow in London, with a sneak preview of the key points Alisa Bowen, featured

Editor’s note: This provocative guest column from Andy Bovingdon, Bango VP Product Marketing, takes a hard look at the critical questions publishers, developers and advertisers need to ask themselves as they architect truly effective mobile strategies. Should the Apple iPad, just now coming to Europe, be considered a mobile device (and therefore take a central role in mobile strategy)? Or do other factors beyond technology play a deciding role?

In the run up to launch of the iconic iPad device it’s no wonder that the topic has come up in several recent mobile marketing meetings with clients and colleagues alike. The emotional bond – even obsession – with this device is understandable. But the need for hard-nosed business realism (particularly if you are a publisher or marketer aiming to delight your particular customer base or target demographic) is much greater.

In brief: Details of this week’s commercial launch in the Netherlands from Pekka Ala-Pietila, CEO and Co-founder of Blyk, PLUS an update on activities elsewhere and a look at the social media marketing approach that the company has chosen to stand out from the crowd.