Archive for July, 2010
Uppercut Motion + Sound | Construction Update
Uppercut Motion + Sound | Construction Update
We’re pleased to announce that the construction of our new studio space is moving along quite nicely! We will post more updates in the near future, however, here’s a tease to peak your interest:
We look forward to the completion of our space come early fall.
Whose is using iPhones and smart phones?
The way users connect to the internet is changing radically over time. Not only do more people have smart phones, but added tools for feature phones are starting to blur the difference between the categories. According to a recent study by Pew on mobile access, 40% of adults now access the internet using cell phones – an increase from 32% in April 2009.
So people are using phones more to access the internet, and smart phone users are leading the way.
In the ‘smart’ phone camp, there are a few platforms to track including iPhone, Android, Blackberry, Palm and Windows Mobile. The interesting thing is that Pew research points out the demographic differences between these platform users. Why is that important? If you are going to develop a mobile app, it allows you to target demographic groups based on platform.
Here is the breakdown as provided by a Media Post report:
| Phone | Male | Female | Age | Income | Ethnicity |
| iPhone | 60.5% | 39.5% | 25-34 (34.3%) | $100K+ (47.1%) | White (74.4%) |
| BlackBery | 58.2% | 41.9% | 25-34 (26.1%) | $100K+ (42.7%) | White (74.4%) |
| Android | 57.5% | 42.5% | 25-34 (29%) | $100K+ (35.1%) | White (75.4%) |
| Windows Mobile | 64.8% | 35.2% | 25-34 (26.8%) | $100K+ (35.6%) | White (77.5%) |
| Palm (WebOS) | 57.2% | 42.8% | 25-34 (29.6%) | $100K+ (33.4%) | White (77.1%) |
The report also details the types of activities and the frequency in which they are done by each demographic group. Although the phone ownership is dominated by whites, minority cell owners are significantly more likely than whites to use most non-voice data applications on their mobile devices. They also take advantage of a wider range of mobile phone features compared with whites.
When it comes to accessing the internet via a cell phone the breakdown is 33% (white, non-Hispanics), 46% (black, non-Hispanics) and 51% (English-speaking Hispanics).
Vertically Integrated Marketing Stream Of Consciousness
Kendall Allen calls it “Ad Hoc Digital”. Tom Schick calls it the “Duct Tape Approach.” What ever you call it, the non-strategic, non-integrated and non-connected -together injection of tactically employed digital “media” into an overall marketing strategy continues to stunt the growth of many marketers.
Personally, I like the concept of vertical integration as a metaphor for building effective marketing integration: In classic vertical integration in manufacturing, there is upstream vertical integration (like Ford owning steel and rubber companies). There is downstream vertical integration (like American Apparel owning its own retail outlets), and balanced (both upstream and downstream) vertical integration where the company owns or controls the whole process, from raw material to final distribution.
For my metaphor, think about your owned content as your upstream vertical integration, and your owned or borrowed channels as your downstream vertical integration.
Unlike classic vertical integration, which can be visualized as a linear path with a beginning and an end (the one way stream), great integrated marketing now should be seen as a never-ending circular whirlpool-like stream with analytics and ROI measurement built in along the stream to allow for flexibility, speed, scalability and precise addition and subtraction of tactics throughout the continual process.
Like classic vertical integration, this approach is a strategic initiative with a lot of moving parts that requires a strong partner and organizational commitment and resources.
If you are currently doing the “Ad Hoc” or “Duct Tape” toe in the water approach, it’s time to jump into the stream.
Mobile Marketing for B2B Companies
Business-to-business marketers always seem to be taking a backseat to consumer marketers. From their lag in adopting the latest marketing technologies, to just lacking that cool and creative element. But why does this have to be the case? Isn’t good marketing, good marketing…as long as it supports the overall corporate strategy (and I guess it probably should get results and be measurable too, right?)
Take mobile marketing for example. Are B2B marketers going to wait years to catch on to what consumer marketers are now just starting to tap into? Or did we forget that B2B targets are consumers too…equipped with the latest smartphones that they use continuously?
A recent article in B toB Magazine, B-to-B marketers cautiously explore mobile marketing, indicated that total mobile marketing spending was up 43% in 2009 from the year before. Further, the research anticipates a 27% compound annual growth rate through 2014. This sounds like a huge opportunity that no marketer – be consumer or business-to-business – can afford to ignore.
Mobile marketing, where do you start?
I suggest starting off small. Setting up a simple, yet effective texting campaign can be a springboard to achieving increased sales. For example, if you sell products to customers who to install them in the field, I’m certain those installers, from time-to-time, have forgotten to bring your product to the job site with them or didn’t order enough product to fulfill the order.
If you want to demonstrate great customer service, while also selling some incremental product, why not allow installers to text you the part number they are looking for and you kick back a message that includes the closest dealer and pricing. In fact, you can take it a step further and deliver the product right to him/her on the job site.
Return on Investment
Quantifying return on investment in mobile marketing can sometimes be unclear, but in the above example, your ROI gets a little closer to measuring purchase decisions. And if you don’t have mobile numbers in your database, use your other marketing tools to promote and drive an opt-in for customers to receive mobile messages from you.
The bottom line is this: just get in the mobile marketing game. Start small, but get started. There are several low risk options to get your mobile marketing off the ground, such as iPhone applications, display advertising, texting, tradeshow tie-ins and conference registrations. Just remember to be relevant to your audience.