BRANDEL, INC.

Mobile Web browsing has defied traditional Internet traffic trends by increasing this summer rather than dropping off.

The onset of summer tends to mark a decline in Web traffic as consumers spend less time at their desktops and more time on vacation and leisure. However, the mobile medium is not experiencing similar traffic slumps, attributable to the convenience of mobile Web browsing, the growth of the mobile sector and the increasing prominence of data plans.

“What we're seeing is continued growth in mobile traffic,” said Jeremy Lockhorn, vice president of emerging media at Razorfish, New York. “There’s such explosive platform growth happening in the space in general that there [doesn't] seem to be any big seasonal swings as of yet.”

Mobile analytics firm Ground Truth has observed similar trends.

“Mobile Web is a constant in consumers’ lives, whether they’re at work, at home, on vacation, day or night,” said Evan Neufeld, vice president of marketing at Ground Truth, Seattle. “The Internet, on the other hand, is not as easily accessible, so its use is, for most, confined to the home, office or coffee shop.

“This has a negative effect on the time and attention one can give to the tethered Web when they are away from those locations,” he said.

Between February and June, Ground Truth found that mobile subscribers were browsing the Web on their handhelds for an average of about three hours per month.

Additionally, the average mobile user accumulated an estimated 1,000 page views per month.

Ground Truth has not seen any significant dip in mobile Web traffic during that time.

“The fact that consumers are spending three hours per month on average browsing the mobile Web should be a real eye-opener for marketers,” Mr. Neufeld said.

“We have found that people browse the mobile Web throughout the day, which emphasizes the fact that the mobile Web — along with the pervasive mobile device — is a significant component to consumers’ media diet, and therefore a tremendously attractive medium for advertising and marketing,” he said.

Mr. Neufeld emphasized the fact that Ground Truth could not accurately forecast mobile trends for the future, but predicted that traffic would continue to surge going into the fall months.

“We would expect to see growth in mobile Internet use as consumers upgrade their mobile devices during the back-to-school and holiday seasons, coupled with the fact that there is more, better content available as advertisers and publishers increase their stakes in mobile,” Mr. Neufeld said.

The Nielsen Co. says that the number of consumers accessing the mobile Internet in the United States has jumped from 54 million in May 2009 to 72 million in May 2010, a year-over-year increase of 34 percent.

“We are seeing aggressive increases in data consumption across all handheld device categories,” said Ed Finegold, executive vice president of analytics at Validas, Missouri City, TX. “Mobile Web and apps are fueling the growth in mobile data usage.”

“I think this trend will continue on an aggressive curve as we see more compelling apps and mobile-centric Web content come online along with more users with smartphones,” he said.

“The bottom line is that people have their devices in hand a lot more as they become more excited about using mobile data,” Mr. Finegold said. “The mobile screen is more central to users’ every day activity as they are downloading, emailing and going online more from their mobile devices.

“The massive growth in data usage is definitely a signal that people are using more apps and doing more online using their mobile devices,” he said. “There’s a big lifestyle trend here that we are just beginning to see, measure and understand.”

Recommendations for Marketers
As the number of U.S. consumers surfing the Internet on their mobile devices inches closer to 100 million, marketers need to fully integrate mobile into their marketing mixes – not merely as an afterthought, but as a vital component.

“At the end of the day, marketers need to stop treating mobile like some experimental, below-the-line medium, and start thinking about where their audience is on mobile,” Mr. Neufeld said.

-Peter Finocchiaro

Traditional marketing mediums such as print, inserts and direct mail can usually be appealing in terms of creative, but lack a sense of immediacy and do not have an interactive element – until now.

With the rise of QR codes, SMS, image recognition, 2D bar codes, and other mobile tools, traditional marketing is being taken to new heights. Mobile is augmenting the experience of these traditional channels.

“Print naturally, is not going to go away, and direct mail continues to communicate brands in ways that other online channels cannot,” said Oscar Padilla, director of interactive services at Vertis Communications, New York.

“But what mobile is doing is creating ‘trigger events’ that drive consumers to digital media,” he said. “We're seeing this in text messaging, with the emergence of 2D bar codes and other print-to-Web channels.

“Print programs are often large volume campaigns that have highly targeted penetration. With a mobile call-to-action, marketers are piggy backing on a successful vehicle to close the loop in establishing a digital relationship with an audience.”

Users responding to a mobile coupon are providing a full-cycle data measurement component, from initial opt-in data, subscriber list growth, through full mobile coupon redemption at the point of sale level, per Mr. Padilla.

-Giselle Tsirulnik

Rumors of a Verizon iPhone have existed since AT&T was announced as the exclusive carrier of the Apple smartphone better than three years ago.

But this week, the rumor mill slowed and the fact checking began via an intriguing report from Bloomberg News that cited two sources (supposedly) within Apple claiming that the iPhone will soon be available through Verizon.

If sources are to be believed, Verizon the largest U.S. mobile-phone company will roll out coverage for the iPhone next January at the Consumer Electronics Show.

Bloomberg indicated in its reports this week that Verizon Wireless is still working tirelessly on a high-speed fourth-generation network to accommodate the iPhone 4 and present a caliber of service not presently available through AT&T.

Apple is going to dramatically increase the number of devices it sells in the U.S. when exclusivity at AT&T ends.

After the Verizon iPhone rumor was given a credible lift from Bloomberg, Yair Reiner of Oppenheimer said that Apple could sell upwards of an additional 12 million iPhones per year if AT&T's exclusive agreement lapses and Verizon hops on the iPhone bandwagon.

Understandably, mobile marketers and digital advertisers of all shapes and sizes are salivating at the obvious exposure potential...if only a fraction of Verizon's 83 million subscribers finally have an opportunity to give the Apple smartphone a look.

The Obama administration relaunched the USA.gov website, introducing 18 free mobile applications spanning a host of federal bureaus and initiatives. According to the White House, the USA.gov redesign promises a less bureaucratic approach than in the past, mirroring how private sector websites function, including a search bar powered by Microsoft's Bing technology--the site remains a resource for information on taxes, school loans, consumer protection and other subjects impacting the American population. ""Across the past couple of decades, the private sector has made great gains in productivity and customer service," the White House's Office of Management and Budget deputy director Jeffrey Zients tells CNN.com. "The Federal Government has largely missed out on these gains as it has failed to harness the power of new technologies. Closing this technology gap between the Federal Government and the private sector is key to saving taxpayer dollars and making government services faster, easier and more responsive."

Most of the new mobile applications featured in the USA.gov store are optimized for device browsers, although some target specific smartphone platforms like Apple's iPhone. Apps include FBI's Most Wanted (which encompasses information on criminals and terrorists as well as updates on missing children), Alternative Fuel Locator, Product Recalls, U.S. Postal Service Tools and UV Index.

-Jason Ankeny

Twenty eight percent of U.S. wireless subscribers say they are "somewhat interested" in opting in for location-based mobile marketing and advertising offers, up 2 percent year-over-year, according to a new study conducted by Harris Interactive and sponsored by location solutions provider Placecast. Younger consumers lead the way: 42 percent of users between the ages of 18 and 34 express some level of interest in mobile offers. Among users receptive to mobile marketing, 68 percent say they would like to receive discounts on groceries, with 64 percent desiring promotions and offers from nationwide restaurant chains--58 percent want alerts tied to entertainment products and availability (e.g. movie tickets and concert tour dates), and 50 percent hope for promotions tied to fast food. Women skew higher in expressing interest for promotions tied to groceries and apparel, while men skew higher in interest for electronics and sporting goods products.

Harris reports that about a third of Americans already signed up for mobile marketing alerts indicate such campaigns shaped their decision to visit a business. Twenty seven percent credit alerts for impacting their purchases.

-Jason Ankeny

EDITOR'S NOTE: We all know it - the smartphone market is growing every day. Check out these latest numbers and get in on it by creating your very own customized App with AdKing's App4Ads. Click here for more.

Smartphone ownership in the U.S. surpassed 49.1 million at the end of May 2010, an 8.1 percent increase over the previous three-month period, according to new data from market research firm comScore. Although Research In Motion's BlackBerry operating system remains the dominant smartphone platform in the U.S., representing 41.7 percent of the market, its market share dropped 0.4 percent during the period as Google's Android increased 4.0 percent to 13.0 percent. Android was the sole platform to grow its market share during the period: Apple's iPhone slipped 1.0 percent to 24.4 percent, Palm's webOS fell 0.6 percent to 4.8 percent and Microsoft's Windows Mobile dropped 1.9 percent to 13.2 percent. comScore notes that despite losing share to Android, most smartphone platforms continued to gain subscribers during the period; the firm adds its data does not include Apple's new iPhone 4, issued in June.

As smartphone penetration continues to grow, so too does mobile data usage--65.2 percent of U.S. subscribers sent and received text messages, up 1.4 percentage points over the previous three-month period, and 31.9 percent accessed their mobile browsers, up 2.3 percentage points. Thirty percent of subscribers downloaded applications (increasing 2.1 percent); 20.8 percent of users accessed social networks or blogs (up 2.6 percent); 22.5 percent played mobile games (up 0.7 percent); and 14.3 percent listened to music on their phones (increasing 1.2 percent).

-Jason Ankeny

EDITOR'S NOTE: Mobile Web use is growing each and every day and that is why Brandel has created our App4Ads system. Visit AdKing.com for more information on how to start your own money-making App today!

Thirty eight percent of U.S. adults now access the Internet via mobile phone--up from 25 percent a year ago--according to a new survey published by the Pew Internet & American Life Project. With 47 percent of respondents going online via laptop connected to a WiFi connection or mobile broadband card (up from 39 percent in April 2009), Pew notes that 59 percent of American adults now access the web wirelessly using a laptop or handset, an 8 percent year-over-year increase.

African-Americans and English-speaking Latinos are at the forefront of mobile web growth in the U.S. Pew reports that mobile handset ownership is higher among African-Americans and Latinos than among whites (87 percent versus 80 percent), with minority subscribers leveraging a much greater range of mobile data services--64 percent of African-Americans now access the mobile web, growing from 57 percent in 2009.

Although young adults between the ages of 18 and 29 remain the most avid mobile data consumers, the survey notes that older adults are gaining fast, and are now significantly more likely to embrace non-voice functions. Seventy six percent of U.S. adults now snap photos with their phones, up from 66 percent a year ago; 72 percent send and receive text messages (up from 65 percent), 34 percent play mobile games (up from 27 percent), 34 percent record videos (up from 19 percent) and 33 percent play music (up from 21 percent).

- Jason Ankeny

Plantation, FL - South Florida-based software company Brandel, Inc. introduces APP4ADS, a premier app-based marketing system designed to offer advertisers multi-channel exposure.

Advertisers will jump at the chance to reach out to customers four ways: via an iPhone App, the Mobile Web for other smartphones, the regular Web for those without smartphones, and SMS text messaging, which can reach 99% of all mobile phones. Apps are the hottest items in mobile marketing today, and advertisers know it. Anyone interested in or currently involved in the mobile marketing ecosystem needs to add an app to their marketing repertoire. APP4ADS can be transformed into apps featuring Coupons, Travel & Tourism, Mobile Directories, Entertainment, Professional Groups, Real Estate & Home Improvement Guide, and so much more. It is particularly suited to Churches & Schools, that can make it the site for all pertinent information on-the-go and regular updates.

Publishers who offer mobile advertising can brand their own app under the domain name of their choice and offer their advertising service to businesses, professionals, and institutions - in their own local area or in any market they choose, in the U.S. and around the globe. Publishers get paid directly by advertisers for the service. Each service can host 1,000+ Advertisers.

APP4ADS Publishers receive an E-Commerce-enabled Marketing Website allowing advertisers to pay them using Credit Cards, Debit Cards, or their PayPal account. The private-labeled system also features password-protected back offices for both the publisher and the advertiser, a unique SMS keyword search, plus all the mobility files that offer unlimited text messaging for the service.

Any advertising placed in the iPhone app also becomes available on the Mobile Web, making it viewable on all smartphones, such as Android, BlackBerry, Palm, etc., as well as on the Regular Web. Therefore all the publisher's ads are viewable on laptops, desktops, netbooks, and iPads, giving advertisers expanded exposure.

In addition to SMS text messaging, each APP4ADS system also includes POSTXT, an exclusive in-app messaging service that allows Publishers and Advertisers to collect contact information from current and potential customers (name, phone, and email), making APPS4ADS an essential tool for any lead-hungry business person. Lead capture is so essential to a plethora of businesses: real estate, auto sales, insurance, finance, and more.

It is important to note that many individuals have been touched in some way by the recession and are seeking income opportunities. The APP4ADS mobile ad system could be just the right fit. Those seeking extra income can offer their own Private-Labeled version of APP4ADS to local merchants looking to expand their marketing to include the hippest solutions available: smartphone apps, mobile Web, SMS text messaging, and via the regular Web.

Carnival Cruise Lines aimed to increase bookings when it tapped Google Mobile Ads to deliver platform-specific ads such as click to call to mobile users searching for travel information.

As a result of the campaign, the ratio of sales calls to service calls into the inbound call center are claimed to have increased by 20 percent. Additionally, Carnival was able to boost booking on mobile devices 175 percent over a three-month period, it was claimed.

“With more and more people searching the Internet from their phones, mobile advertising has become a great new way to reach users of high-end mobile devices,” said Samantha Hartsfield, search account manager at Razorfish, Chicago. “We have already worked with several clients to successfully use Google Mobile Ads to drive more leads and conversions.

“Carnival was curious as to whether such a considered and complex purchase like booking a cruise would be executed on a mobile phone,” she said. “It’s logical that consumers would investigate and purchase things like retail items on a mobile device, but what about booking travel and cruises?

...Carnival and its agency added click-to-call numbers in the mobile search ads.

“Carnival saw click to call as a great value, because the cost of a call is the same as the cost of a click,” Ms. Hartsfield said. “It was a low-risk, high-value proposition.”

The ratio of sales calls to service calls into Carnival’s inbound call center as a result of its click-to-call mobile search campaign was 20 percent higher.

Overall bookings increased as well.

While there is typically a small seasonal spike in bookings in January and February, Carnival claimed to see a 175 percent increase in bookings on high-end mobile devices from January to March.

Despite the fact that the number of bookings occurring on the Web site is substantially higher, conversion rates from click-to-call leads are comparable.

“With Google Mobile Ads and click to call, Carnival Cruise Lines is ahead of the curve in understanding how consumers use mobile devices in the context of travel – and it's driving tangible returns,” she said.

-Giselle Tsirulnik

EDITOR'S NOTE: Link your profile page inside the app to your ecommerce mobile page to increase orders on-the-go! Find out more at AdKing.com.

Juniper Research has published a new study/forecast for the mobile payments and M-commerce industry that boasts some pretty strong estimates. The company predicts that the value of digital and physical goods that people buy with their mobiles will reach $200 billion globally by 2012, compared to just less than $100 billion this year.

Consumer intimidation and fear of overall security remain leading hindrances to its proliferation, but Juniper forecasts that those fears will continue to subside as the availability of secure, easy-to-use payment applications and industry regulation continue to evolve. Juniper also underlined that retailers and merchants need to communicate the cost of transactions clearly so that people are not discouraged from buying via mobile.

North America and Western Europe will lead the adoption of mobile commerce, the study suggests, and in that sense Juniper sees a “significant opportunity” for brands, retailers and merchants to increase their revenues through highly targeted marketing campaigns, using apps and mobile web payments as a convenience play for users.
-Mobile Marketing Watch

EDITOR'S NOTE: Our new App4Ads system will have a global version released this summer. Watch for it at AdKing.com!

NEW YORK – Brands need to leverage one global strategy for mobile and then adapt and deploy it locally, according to a SanDisk Corp. executive at the Digital Marketing Days Conference & Expo.

Launching global mobile programs is challenging due to wide variance in mobile and privacy rules internationally. However, with 4 billion mobile phones worldwide, the mobile channel offers the widest reach of any channel and gives brands the opportunity to form more personal one-to-one relationships with consumers.

“With mobile, as with any marketing program, you have to determine what you want to get out of this program, formulate your goals and an overall strategy with an eye to what role mobile can play to boost ROI,” said Beth Caltagirone, senior manager of worldwide retail marketing at SanDisk, Milpitas, CA. “Will you use solely SMS or integrate mobile as part of a larger campaign—how will it contribute to making your program successful?

“A global mobile strategy lets us standardize marketing programs and put procedures in place,” she said. “We’re working with a lot of different regional marketing teams around the world, and we enable them to run local promotions and it is so easy to get a different look and feel, as well as different messaging, for each region.

“We have been targeting the 18-to-30-something age group, and the response when I targeted that demographic using mobile was huge.”

Free mobile content is a good incentive to get consumers to engage with a campaign.

“We added a mobile component because ideally we want people to download directly from their mobile phone, and a mobile Web site provides that ability,”

“We can activate the campaign at events and put content that is specific to an event or a promotion and tell people to go to site for more downloads,” she said.

SanDisk has used SMS embedded with links to drive consumers between the wired and mobile versions of its sites.

Brands can tap the message programs with localized keywords to drive consumers to the point of sale.

The use of Market Activation Kits helps brands communicate the optimal way to launch the programs internationally.

When it comes to launching a mobile Web site, it is important to make sure that consumers get a good experience no matter what device they use to access it.

Steen Andersson, vice president and cofounder of 5th Finger...said that Internet access is evolving rapidly.

IDC, Gartner and Morgan Stanley Research predict an impending inflection point. By 2012, there will be more smartphones than desktop and notebook PCs.
In addition, there will be more smartphone shipments than feature phone shipments by 2011, according to Ehud Gelblum and Morgan Stanley Research.

There are key usage moments for reaching consumers.

Mobile usage breaks down in the following way: 95 percent downtime, 80 percent at home, at work and while shopping, and 65 percent while commuting to work.

“Mobile offers a good way to extract more value from what is already being done by a brand,” Mr. Andersson said. “The mobile channel augments traditional email and print communications, and provides a new way to communicate with consumers.

“Mobile is so personal, and if you use it the right way, it can create a level of dialog and increasing intimacy of that relationship with consumers, which is exciting,” he said.

One best practice is offering consumers an incentive that is exclusive to mobile, something they cannot get via email or on the Web such as code for a special discount offer or mobile content.

“Think about using mobile to elevate a brand, because it provides cache, and it is a channel that makes sense for the consumer,” Mr. Andersson said. “Understand as much as you can about the target customer.

“Provide a mobile extension optimized for what kind of phone they have so you can scale and tier different engagement models for feature phones, smartphones and touchscreen smartphones,” he said.

-Dan Butcher

EDITOR'S NOTE: Attention all App4Ads Publishers - you can get your app listed in getjar.com also. Stay tuned for details! Visit our website for more about App4Ads.

GetJar is one of those companies that's seen huge success, but revels in relative
obscurity from mainstream media. That may change, as the company today announced that users have downloaded over 1 billion mobile apps from its so-called supermarket of mobile apps.

GetJar bills itself the only independent, multi-platform application store, and now is the second largest after Apple's App Store. What sets it apart is that it doesn't focus on one platform, device or OS, but rather a comprehensive repository of apps for any device. The company has said its most popular app downloads include Opera Mini, Facebook and eBuddy.

“We’re delighted to have reached this milestone in mobile app history,” said GetJar CEO Ilja Laurs, in prepared statement. “As a team, we’re dedicated to driving the app market forward through an open approach. We’ve supported over 60,000 apps from developers across all major platforms, including Android, Blackberry, Windows Mobile and Symbian and our open philosophy has been integral to our continued growth and the development within the industry. We’re looking forward to the next billion downloads.”

What's interesting to me is the logic that Laurs upholds; when asked how his company can stay relevant with such competitors as Apple's App Store and the Android Marketplace, Laurs responded by saying he likens his store to a supermarket and the individual app stores are more like boutique delis. Sure, users will go to the boutique places for their specific needs but there will also be a huge audience that wants the variety and simplicity of a supermarket.

-Mobile Marketing Watch

Once again, mobile is providing a lifeline for concerned citizens to donate to the relief of the Gulf oil spill, one of the largest man-made disasters in U.S. history.

The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) has launched a mobile giving campaign as part of its efforts to raise money to help save animals ravaged by the BP oil spill. The new campaign, organized in part by the Mobile Giving Foundation, allows wireless subscribers to donate $10 to the NWF’s Gulf Oil Spill Restoration Fund, by texting WILDLIFE to 20222.

Mobile donations soared in popularity after the American Red Cross launched a text-to-give campaign that allowed cell phone users to make $10 donations by sending HAITI to 90999. The campaign raised $32 million dollars within one month of its launch and threw mobile giving into the spotlight.

Others have launched SMS-donation campaigns as well. Mad Mobile, a mobile marketing provider, recently launched its Oil Spill Relief campaign that allows users to donate $10 by texting GULF to 50555. Once an SMS is received, the consumer will receive a text message confirming their contribution of which 100% of the donation goes directly to the Waterkeeper Alliance and SaveOurGulf.org. The donation appears as a charge on the consumers mobile phone bill.

-Mobile Marketing Watch

EDITOR'S NOTE: Now is the perfect time to get into the Mobile Marketing business. Please view our website, AdKing.com, for our solutions.

According to new estimates from ABI Research, mobile marketing and advertising combined will grow at an impressive 40% CAGR over the next five years, bringing the numbers substantially higher than the well under a half billion dollars spent in total in 2009.

Like most growth estimates, ABI bases its predictions on several factors including the standard growth estimates for mobile apps and the mobile Web, as well as the fact that compared to campaigns in more traditional media, mobile marketing can be relatively inexpensive. Moreover, ads can be highly targeted and naturally paired with rich mobile content that growing numbers of Consumers are accessing through smart mobile devices.

-Mobile Marketing Watch

EDITOR'S NOTE: Visit the Adking website for info on our latest product, APP4ADS! Private label our 4-in-1 mobile advertising system and choose your theme. Here are some marketing ideas.

This particular article involves mixology and liquor, (two of our favorite topics!), but use this idea as a jumping off point for your own mindstorm. Are you in or near a popular tourism destination? Create your own Private-Labeled iPhone app focusing on travel and featuring hotels, restaurants, entertainment, and more. Partner with a local theme park or tourism bureau.

How popular are coupons and saving money in the midst of this global recession? Advertisers, now more than ever, need new and innovative ways to reach out to their market. And since everyone has a mobile phone, what better way to reach your customers while they are on-the-go? Consumers are easily motivated to text or use a handy app/mobile site for deals at their current (or perhaps their soon-to-be) favorite joint. Partner with a major grocery store or mall in your area.

Restaurants are a huge market most anywhere you go, so why not create a dining guide specific to your area? Target everything from diners to chains to fine dining. It's an easy sell, because a restaurant would much prefer to have their listing included in your App before their competition.

Every city, town, and market has its own fair share of networking and professional groups - think Rotary and Kiwanis Clubs, Chambers of Commerce, and the like. Partner with these groups as they are all business people constantly looking for leads and building stronger relationships. Wouldn't they EACH love to have their own profile page in your White-Labeled Business Directory? It will become the go-to guide for professionals, agents, and practically every business person in the area. And they will pay you directly for your monthly or yearly service. Visit AdKing for more details.


ADOTAS – Apps, apps and apps! While we’re biased in hearing about them all the time as a direct sales and service team for the app space — thanks to Apple and its advertising blitz — apps are being downloaded by the masses on the iPhone, [mobile Web] and other emerging platforms. Meanwhile, developers and publishers have rushed to create useful apps and advertisers have embraced the opportunity in various ways.

The primary ways for brands to join the app world include building an app or partnering with an existing app. I favor partnering, like DonQ Rum recently did with the ultimate drink recipe and bartending guide iPhone app, Mixology, which features nearly 8,000 drink recipes based upon more than 1,300 ingredients.

Why partner rather than build? With an existing app, people are already engaged around content particular to a specific category. Thus, brands have the ability to align themselves with an app and people that are relevant. With this route, brands, also, completely avoid the risk and costs of developing what is hoped to be a successful app.

In addition, if you build an app...the keys are to concept an app with consistent value, fresh content, entertainment or utility that people will appreciate, but that also align with the brand.

In either case, effective brand strategy in apps starts with the user and their activity. Think people first and app second. This is exactly what DonQ did...

DonQ wanted to reach people on the go in a relevant fashion. Sure, they could’ve built an app, but DonQ and its rum products is only one ingredient of the drink recipe world. Rum drinks are large category, but there are a number of drink recipe categories. So, building a niche app didn’t make sense, especially with a number of drink recipe apps already created and that have attracted large and growing audiences.

This is where partnering with an existing app, such as Mixology, made tremendous sense for DonQ. And, the partnership wasn’t about mobile banners. It was about contextually relevant integration and adding value.

The campaign deserves a “toast” of how brands can engage apps, whether in social media or mobile, by being relevant and adding value to the experience.

-Chris Cunningham