Renu Mobile has partnered with TechnologyGuide.com to produce its first-ever Web-based Scavenger Hunt for its online readership that will span across a number of the group’s product review and evaluation Web sites and focus on the innovative Apple iPad tablet PC.
About TechnologyGuide
TechnologyGuide.com is a family of review and evaluation Web destinations that provide a range of consumer and business information of influencers and buyers of technology products. It is owned by TechTarget, Inc., a leading publisher of online news and information sites dedicated to specific technology and vertical market areas. The TechnologyGuide sites account for close to 24 million page views and serve more than 8.3 million unique visitors per month, and include a number of highly-active user-generated forums that deliver more than 3,600 posts and peer reviews daily. In addition to technology reviews and news, TechnologyGuide regularly offers the latest information cost-saving deals, coupons and real-time product data.
Renu Mobile is currently powering crowdsourced campaigns where consumers use their mobile phone to snap a picture of favorite brand logos in use. The pictures are instantly scanned to identify the brand logo or product. The consumer is provided with an immediate, branded response via SMS or WAP with next steps and the option to post the picture to their personal Facebook page or Twitter. This final step is key- the consumer broadcasts their endorsement of the brand to their valuable social network.
Consumers appreciate coupon offers that save money on favorite brands or products. Coupons are an integral part of keeping consumers engaged and returning to stores. The largest challenges that conventional paper and web coupons have faced have been overcome by mobile (SMS) coupon programs.
Immense clutter exists in the mail and email channels. These channels are filled daily with coupon offers that are rarely relevant, as a result consumers automatically disregard many offers that come in via mail or email, or the offers are sent to junk mail.
The mobile phone and text message coupons offer brands the opportunity to immediately cut through the clutter and present coupons to consumers on a personal device, their mobile phone. Consumers pay attention to text messages because most of them come from friends or peers. Brands that create a presence in the mobile phone space can enjoy much of the same attention that people give to important individuals their lives.
The mobile coupon can remain on the mobile phone for as long as the consumer needs to keep it. This efficiency makes it much easier for the consumer to redeem the coupon at the next possible opportunity-no need to remember a paper coupon or print out an email offer. The consumers’ phone is always with them.
According to the new Juniper Research white paper on mobile coupons, “Marketers can use the mobile device as the ultimate personal marketing channel. It is almost permanently switched on and physically with the consumer. This makes a great opportunity for brands and marketing agencies to access clients immediately, driving footfall and encouraging an instant decision,” said Howard Wilcox, Senior Analyst at Juniper Research and lead report author.
Creating a text message coupon program with Renu Mobile can be easy and affordable. Our coupon programs have seen ROI of 230% and higher. Coupon programs can include unique codes for each user or a general code with encouragement to consumers to go viral and send to friends, increasing your brands reach. Renu Mobile can use your current coupon code system or assign as many coupon codes as your campaign needs. Typical coupon campaigns can be set-up within a few days, ready for you to promote in stores, in print ads or on-line.
Our customers use coupons currently to drive consumers to complete brand surveys, reward them for shopping at specific locations, as an incentive to spend higher amounts at specific times and also to determine which print/web ads are getting attention from consumers.
Using the mobile phone for coupons is effective, cost-efficient and convenient for the consumer. Make your coupon program mobile and begin to experience the increased ROI and response rates that Renu Mobile customers are enjoying.
Acision and Ogilvy released their cooperative white paper on the future of mobile phone marketing. As with many areas of marketing the individual is a major focus of the predictions. “The consumers will evolve from those having advertisements pushed to them, to being able to select what information is allowed to reach them.”
Creating value through consumer selected advertising makes great sense for mobile phone marketing now. We see services such as coupon opt-ins via short code and product alerts via SMS growing so fast that they are almost doubling in use year on year.
Because the mobile device is still a very personal channel it remains uncluttered, much like the very early days of email. It is critical that brands respect this channel by creating compelling CTA that let the consumer choose what marketing they need to receive.
In the not too distant past it was the carriers that created walled gardens that marketing had to penetrate. In the future (and in some ways right now) the consumer will easily create his or her own walled garden. They will curate the marketing that they are exposed to, only allowing the most intriguing or relevant ads to get through. Å´ßÅ´ìno longer (will) the advertisers and media agencies deciding which consumer segment to target via which channels based on their demographic and usage profiles. Instead we will see individuals identifying brands which match their own needs or interests and granting them permission to reach them.
The white paper also notes that agencies and media buyers will lead the way in helping brands to establish an actual line item for their mobile marketing spends as well as road maps for mobile marketing strategy. “Agencies need to be constantly on the look out for new ways for the brands they represent to be relevant and helpful to their target customers.”
As agencies take the helm in the race to reach out to the consumer via mobile they will see an increased need for partners who are well versed in the mobile space. Many companies that provide mobile messaging are either pure technology plays or a hybrid SaaS. Only a few have experienced marketing pros on their teams. It will be critical that agencies make the right choice when finding mobile service providers to get the message to the consumer device. Do-it-yourself services are a big hazard and risk as even a small misstep can mean that future ads will be entirely blocked by carriers.
In short, the future of mobile advertising pyramid puts the consumer at the very top-choosing his or her own ad experience. The agencies and media buyers come next-directing buys and creating compelling CTA that offer value and a serendipitous approach to brand referrals. The social networks and ad serving platforms will offer the inventory that is sorely lacking at the carrier level now. Brands will begin to recognize mobile as a leading media tool and fund it accordingly. Mobile service providers will underpin the ad serving and response infrastructure at all levels of the pyramid from beginning to end.
Renu Mobile is the first mobile marketing boutique firm dedicated to ecologically responsible marketing via the mobile phone. Our firm boasts a combined 20 years of mobile experience servicing agencies and brands. As you plan your mobile marketing road map, Renu Mobile can offer you a full-service suite of text message and WAP products to execute your mobile strategy. Email gotext@renumobile.com or call 617-240-4674 or visit www.renumobile.com
The U.S. Hispanic population represents sales in excess of $1 trillion this year. Creating a message that truly resonates with this demographic calls for communicating in Spanish. Hispanic consumers have been telling brands in focus groups for years that they highly prefer to learn about products in Spanish.
We also know that Hispanic households spend significant amounts of time interacting with others through their mobile phones. Hispanics are spending more time interacting via mobile phones than through landlines or their PCs.
* 87% of Hispanic households have multiple mobile phones and use them more than any other form of personal or hand held technologies on the market today
* More than half regularly use text messaging
* Text messaging has increased 59% YOY among Hispanics
* Responding to mobile marketing text messages is up 74% vs. last year
Marketing to the Hispanic population using a combination of Spanish text messages and mobile coupons creates a powerful call to action for the Hispanic consumer. A Spanish-language call to action sent directly to the Hispanic consumers’ phone cuts directly through all of the clutter associated with traditional mediums such as TV and radio.
Brands place themselves in the spotlight on a device that rarely leaves the consumer side by using a text message to communicate or reinforce a message. Including Spanish in a text message campaign increases the reach of the message and in turn the ROI.
Executing a multi-lingual campaign is not difficult with the right partner. Renu Mobile operates 50% of current campaigns in both Spanish and English. When purchasing advertising that is targeted towards Hispanics we recommend using a Spanish call to action, Spanish opt-in keywords and Spanish copy for text messages responses. We take care of tracking which respondents wish to receive messages in Spanish so that future text messages are created in the language of their preference.
Contact Renu Mobile today to get your next Spanish-language mobile campaign started. Email gotext@renumobile.com or call 617-240-4674.
