Netbiscuits, Impact Mobile to deliver messaging campaign services

Michael Neidhoefer is CEO of Netbiscuits

Netbiscuits is working with Impact Mobile to deliver templated messaging campaigns for brands.

By integrating Impact Mobile’s technology with Netbiscuits’ development platform, publishers and developers can further their marketing reach by establishing a one-to-one relationship with the consumer’s mobile phone via SMS and continue that dialogue via opt-in subscription services.

“Brands and agencies are looking for 360-degree solutions,” said Michael Neidhöfer, CEO of Netbiscuits. “We need to provide the tools to allow our customers to simply and effectively achieve any marketing challenge.

 

“Impact Mobile enhances Netbiscuits’ ability to extend the mobile Web experience,” he said.

Netbiscuits operates a business-to-business Web software platform for the creation, operation and monetization of mobile Web sites. It serves the mobile Internet programs for brands such as Yahoo, MTV and eBay.

Gary Schwartz is president of Impact Mobile

The new services will allow publishers and developers to add rich functionality to bridge the consumer to high-ROI destinations such as the mall, convenience store, dealerships and events.

The services target any company that is online and needs a mobile Web site, because the mobile Internet is happening right now.

“In this context, we see intelligent cross media and multi channel marketing, which also includes text messaging, as the next step to engage and retain today’s customers,” Mr. Neidhöfer said.

Short code registry NeuStar, SMS aggregator mBlox and trade publication Fierce Wireless are leveraging the Netbiscuits’ “send-to-friend” SMS service today at CTIA Wireless 2009 show.

Consumers can try these services on their phone by text messaging NEUSTAR to 88398 or MBLOX to 88398.

“Marketing is all about moving the customer closer to a sale,” said Gary Schwartz, president of Impact Mobile, New York. “Mobile is the most effective media to do this as it is horizontal and better connects the media touch points.

“This Netbiscuits/Impact Mobile solution helps the brand move the consumer seamlessly from mobile Web to retail, into viral opportunities and other high ROI-destinations,” he said.

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Associate Editor Giselle Abramovich covers ad networks, advertising, content, email, media, messaging, legal/privacy, search, social networks, television and video. Reach her at giselle@mobilemarketer.com.

Mobile cannot just be about impression-based advertising

Gary Schwartz is president of Impact Mobile

By Gary Schwartz

There is nothing like a good old BBC nature series. And after eight years in the mobile marketing world, I can safely say that the mobile ecosystem is as complex and fragile as any recondite nature show.

The problem is that we do not have Sir David Attenborough’s fatherly voice to help explain how all the pieces fit together.

 

On the contrary, we are faced with mobile evangelists who travel through town with a loud bell touting one or two isolated services. What is for sale today? Bluecasting, Microsoft’s mobile tagging, QR codes at retail point-of-sale and etcetera.

Unfortunately, solution-driven strategies rarely work.

Can’t we lobby the BBC to run a stop-motion documentary on the mobile ecosystem and explain how each piece works or does not work in any given situation? What would Sir Attenborough say?

Discovery
Usually Attenborough starts at the bottom of the food chain.

I would guess that the mobile food chain begins with “discovery.”

Mobile, unlike push media and even online media (that has better search ergonomics) is not something the consumer can easily find.

Without a well planned discovery strategy, mobile is vanity press and simply does not exist.

Discovery primarily comes through short code activation of SMS and SMS with link to a mobile web destination. There is also direct access through the mobile web which is gated by the wireless carrier’s on-deck links or the pervasive iPhone store.

There are other discovery solutions in market: image recognition applications that require the user to send in the photo image for processing.

Additionally, there is one-way content bluecasting.

Another often discussed strategy is adapting Japan’s DoCoMo solution of using the phone to scan codes to discover Web-bound product details.

SMS is data-light, simple-to-use and an effective, monitored channel.

Most U.S. marketers recognize that SMS is the top menu button on every loyal customer’s phone and is the communication channel of choice of millions of prose-challenged Americans daily (Well over one billion text messages are sent every day).

Activation
Whichever way the channel is discovered, “mobile interactive” is a fundamentally different animal to its related genus, “online interactive.” Although a click is a click is a click, and thus follows many of the online characteristics, there are two key differences:

1. Geography: The mobile primate is “mobile” and therefore closer to where they and their brand sponsor would like them to be: the mall, convenience store, dealership, event . . .

2. Consumption: Mobile is on-the-run snack food and online the main course. As my colleague at the IAB, Joe Laszlo, writes: the mobile consumer uses the phone to “save time” ( Looking up an address or map are examples of a time-saving application, as are checks of traffic or travel information) or “kill time” ( fill unexpected slow moments in the day. This use case, too, is likely to be short and interrupted unexpectedly; however, a user in this mode is open to—indeed hoping for—amusing distractions.)

The mobile user is often consuming in a quick, impulse manner, therefore it is an ideal environment to opt-in to saving alerts, coupons, promotions, store reminders, etcetera. And because these offers are consumed on the run, the mobile user is often ideally positioned to act on a call-to-action.

With this in mind, mobile cannot be just about impression-based advertising but must extend beyond-the-click activation and bridge to point-of-sale, point-of-entry, etc. The brand misses half the mobile ecosystem if he/she does not explore passed the mobile display.

Mobile is all about “what next.”

Of course, this is admittedly an abbreviated overview of the mobile ecosystem but I am sure Sir Attenborough will oblige us with a more detailed Blu-Ray series on homomobilius very soon.

 

Gary Schwartz is president of mobile marketing technology firm Impact Mobile Inc., New York. Reach him at gary.schwartz@impactmobile.com.

Source:  mobile Marketer