Mobile Groove

Another curated collection of data points you need to know as you map out your #MobileFirst strategies to drive positive results further down in the purchase funnel.

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Check-in offers heaviest between 2-3pm on Saturdays

But don’t ignore Friday night either.  LocalResponse slices and dices data around check-ins to find out who, where, and when we check in so retailers can make the most of their strategy.  The ‘who’ isn’t too surprising, it’s mostly men. (An additional cel…

Mobile apps or mobile Web? If the goal is to reach as many makes and models of devices, then mobile-optimized websites are a natural first choice. If it’s about building “experiences”, then mobile apps — front and center on our smartphones— may have some advantages. It’s often a confusing decision for marketers to make, and the right choice depends on what brands want. However, new numbers from Nielsen boost the argument that apps are gaining some serious traction (despite a…

10 MILLION PEOPLE IN BRITAIN GET ONLINE ON THEIR MOBILE PHONES, or 20 percent of those with handsets, says some new research from Nielsen. The firm also says that smartphone ownership increased by more than 10 percent over the last three months, with 6.2 million of the devices now in use in the UK

NIELSEN SAYS MILLENNIAL MEDIA HAS THE BIGGEST MOBILE AD NETWORK IN THE US, MAYBE: the research firm released a list of the five mobile ad networks with the biggest reach in the US, but with the caveat that it’s not standing behind the list with much confidence. Nielsen says it’s difficult to measure reach with any real accuracy because publishers may use multiple networks on their sites, and if a publisher appears on a site at all, they’d get credit for all its visitors. Furthermore, the data came from the networks themselves, rather than an independent source.

That said, the ranking of ad networks according to potential monthly visitors is:

1. Millennial Media: 45.6 million
2. Third Screen Media: 28.6 million
3. AdMob: 25.7 million
4. MSN Ad Network: 25.4 million
5. Jumptap: 23.4 million
6. Quattro Wireless: 23 million
Source

The bottom line: Nielsen’s warning makes it hard to put a lot of faith in these numbers, but as the company itself pointed out, overall, they illustrate the reach mobile ad networks can now offer, alongside all of their other benefits like effective targeting. So, in some way, having the biggest reach isn’t as important as having the right reach – that is, targeting the correct audience – for each advertiser.
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ADMOB TO SERVE UP ITS 100 BILLIONTH AD sometime over the weekend, the company said in an email. It’s certainly a big number, reached in three years or so, and the company says it’s now serving more than 8 billion impressions per month across its network. Source

The bottom line: Admob continues to grow its number of impressions, but as the above point indicates, it’s not all about quantity. Establishing significant inventory is important, but going forward, that won’t be an issue, as the previous point shows. Effective targeting and other enhancements will be key to unlock the real potential of mobile advertising.
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MARKETERS ARE STILL SKEPTICAL ABOUT TWITTER, with just 8 percent saying they think it’s a “very effective” promotional tool, while 50 percent say it’s “somewhat effective”. Consumers feel the same way, with half of them saying it’s “not that effective” or “not at all effective” for promotions. Source

An exclusive podcast with Bob Rosenschein PLUS a look at some recent mobile advertising stats from the U.S., Vietnam, and Japan.

The 450+ attendees at Think Mobile that descended on NYC in March can count themselves lucky. We were treated to an excellent line-up of 60+ top-notch speakers, chosen by my esteemed colleague Matthew Snyder, Founder & CEO of ADObjects, a strategic cross-media consultancy, for their insights, ideas, and willingness to share both. Feedback from my panel on Mobile Search & SEO has been overwhelmingly positive, in part because Matthew and I brainstormed and purposely brought together an eclectic mix of individuals passionate about their work and the mobile industry at large.

Today I kick off this “mini-series” with Bob Rosenschein, Answers Corporation CEO and mobile search “guru” (my description- he’s far too modest). The company’s social search service WikiAnswers.com has seen some stellar growth, according to comScore. In March, the measurement and market research firm reported that WikiAnswers.com U.S. unique visitors reached nearly 19 million in January 2009, compared to 729,000 in December 2006. I caught up with Bob to get the inside track on his company’s mobile ambitions, discuss the key criteria for an optimal mobile search experience, and the role of mobile advertising in the scheme of things.

Listen to the podcast. [16:18]

How many ad networks can mobile support? Are we heading for a shake-in/shake-out? And, if so, what capabilities will likely separate the winners from the also-rans?

These are just some of the key questions that came up during interviews with ad network executives at Mobile World Congress (MWC), and in a string of recent phone briefings. It’s also a line of questioning I hope to pursue at ThinkMobile, and Meet the Mobile Ad Networks, a panel led by Steve Smith with guest speakers Steven Rosenblatt, VP of Advertising Sales, Quattro Wireless; Eric Eller, Senior Vice President, Client Solutions, Millennial Media; Patricia Clark, Regional VP of Sales, 4INFO; Paran Johar, CMO, JumpTap; Brian Murphy, Eastern Regional Sales Director, AdMob; and Robert Walczak, CEO & Founder, Ringleader Digital. It’s going to be a great session, and I’ll be back with my observations after the event.

BTW: Steve is a must-read columnist at MediaPost. Yesterday’s post, which recounts an experiment (a random click through mobile ads) and the user experience (disappointing and even frustrating), should be mandatory reading at ad agencies and networks everywhere. A key takeaway: “The system still is clogged with some crap even at branded media sites. Of course there are still dancing mortgage celebrants on CNN’s homepage, so we can’t fault mobile too much. But clicking on a mobile ad is an iffy thing. Mobile users don’t know yet what to expect, so if the publishing brand can ensure quality advertisers with quality end-user experiences, it elevates both the ads and the content.”

Steve’s column and my own observations lead me back to the key questions: How do the dedicated mobile ad networks fit in the game, and how will they differentiate? I caught up with Zaw Thet, CEO of 4INFO, the 800-pound gorilla of mobile messaging, and the company that Nielsen identified as the largest SMS content provider in North America for 4Q2008, to get the inside track on AdHaven (a new product 4INFO launched just prior to MWC that represents a rebranding of its entire suite of ad serving products) and where it fits into the roadmap.