April 30, 2010

Tim Reynolds: 7 Ways To Grow Station Web Revenue

Tim Reynolds, director of interactive media for Meredith Local Media Group, shared seven ways that stations can grow web revenue. Mobile made this list:

Mobile and Apps: Mobile sponsorships are starting to sell. Right now it's a simple banner ad on the mobile device leading to a sponsor mobile splash page. The "click to call" feature of the page makes it attractive to roadside assistance, lawyers, restaurants and anyone who wants to be top of mind with the mobile user. As phones get even smarter, location-based services will be the next big thing in the mobile arena.
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News Over Wireless is Meredith's mobile partner for local TV stations.

Juniper Research: Shopping by Mobile Creates an $8B Opportunity for Mobile Advertising and Coupons

The mobile marketing and retail sector (including mobile advertising, coupons and smart posters) will exceed $8B by 2012 globally, according to Juniper Research. The report states that retailers were already starting to exploit the mobile channel through mobile advertising and couponing, and the market for these two activities alone is forecast to grow by half in the next two years.

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Samsung Handset Market Share Drops to 20 Percent

Samsung reported that it sold 64.3 million devices in the first quarter, an increase of 40 percent year over year; however, the company's mobile market share declined from 21 percent to 20 percent. This is the result of increased competition from Research In Motion and Apple.

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Will HP’s Acquisition of Palm Shake Up the Smartphone Market?

Computer giant Hewlett-Packard believes the $1.2 billion it is paying to acquire Palm will accelerate its growth within the $100 billion-plus connected mobile device market.

Industry analysts are split over whether or not HP’s backing will help Palm jostle in a competitive smartphone market ruled by Apple, Research In Motion and a growing stable of Android-based devices.

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Apple to Demand $1M for iPhone Mobile Ads

Apple is planning to charge close to $1M for mobile advertisements included in iPhone applications when its iAd initiative launches this summer.

The Wall Street Journal reports Apple could charge marketers as much as $10M for inclusion in the first wave of iAd promotions when the service goes live on iPhone and iPod touch devices in June, with the iPad scheduled to follow later this year.

By comparison, ad execs say they typically pay between $100,000 and $200,000 for similar mobile deals. The Journal adds that in addition to the exorbitant price tag, Apple is also demanding greater control over campaigns that run on the iPhone platform.

ComScore: Google Android on the Rise

ComScore's U.S. smartphone figures show Microsoft on the decline and Google's Android on the rise. The firm's market share trends for February show Research In Motion's BlackBerry platform retaining the No. 1 position and Apple's iPhone OS continuing to fill the No. 2 slot. Microsoft's market share fell from 19.1 percent in November to 15.1 percent in February, while Android jumped from 3.8 percent in November to 9 percent in February, according to comScore.

RIM kicks Motorola out of Tier 1 global handset listing

BlackBerry manufacturer Research In Motion (RIM) is now the world's fourth largest maker of cell phones, according to new numbers from research firm IDC. This demonstrates the global strength of BlackBerry as well as the dramatically increasing pace of smartphone shipments.

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April 23, 2010

Spots 'n' Dots: Local Mobile Advertising Surpassed $200 M in 2009

In the April 21 edition of Spots 'n' Dots, a daily TV sales news source, mobile was mentioned.

From the article:
Gordon Borrell, CEO of Borrell Associates, noted that stations are "seeing the emergence of a new disrupter: mobile." According to the report, local mobile advertising surpassed $200 million last year, with TV broadcasters capturing about 12% of the total. "I expect that figure to skyrocket into the billions within two years as the transition from desktops and laptops to hand-held devices takes off," said Mr. Borrell.

Top categories include major retailers, car dealers and real estate agents. Health care is another large category, comprised of hospitals, outpatient clinics, physicians, and other health professionals such as LASIK surgeons, dentists, chiropractors and cosmetic surgeons.

Borrell: Mobile Users Respond To Location-Based Ads, Coupon Biz To Hit $57 Billion in 2014

Borrell Associates are sharing the results of new survey showing one-quarter of U.S. adults have used location-based mobile services. The Mobile Marketing Association survey, conducted in partnership with Luth Research, also found that mobile users are more likely to respond to mobile advertising delivered with location-based targeting than regular ads.

Overall, 91 percent of American adults own a cell phone, according to the survey. Within this group, 26 percent have used a map, navigation tool or some other mobile service that determines their location.

While 10 percent of cell phone owners use a mobile location-based service at least once a week, the number is much higher for iPhone owners at 63 percent.

In addition, Borrell predicts mobile coupons growing from $2.7 billion in 2009 to $57 billion in 2014. Mobile advertising will grow from a $285 million business in 2009 to $11.3 billion by 2014 -- increasing from about one-tenth of total mobile spending to about one-fifth.

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Six Flags maximizes fun for guests with mobile Fun Finder offering

Theme park giant Six Flags is using mobile to provide an interactive tour of its locations to help guests maximize their fun.

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Pepsi drives participation in multichannel campaign with mobile video ads

PepsiCo is driving awareness and participation in its "Pepsi: The Game" program via a mobile video campaign in India.

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Rolex taps mobile to make print ad more interactive

Rolex is just one of several companies that took part in the image recognition-enabled ads that are included in this month’s issue of W Magazine. Mobile social media technology company, Pongr partnered with the magazine to make the ads interactive for the publication’s readers.

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April 14, 2010

Borrell: Local Mobile Ad Spend to Double This Year

According to a Borrell Associates forecast, local mobile spending will double in 2010 as it begins a similar 5-year boom.

"If this were a drag race, the pacer car just exited the track and everyone's hitting the gas," said CEO Gordon Borrell. "With mobile devices already in the hands of 80% of consumers and devices suddenly becoming more graphical and useful, local mobile marketing appears to be on a very fast jag."

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FCC Chairman Mentions News Over Wireless in NAB Keynote Speech

On April 13, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski gave his keynote address at the NAB Show in Las Vegas. In the keynote, he mentioned LIN TV and News Over Wireless' partnership when he discussed innovations in the industry.

Read the transcript [PDF]

April 1, 2010

SMS Being Used Successfully by Scotty P's Hamburgers

A Texas fast food chain, Scotty P's Hamburgers, has used SMS to increase lunch traffic. If business is slow at one of the locations, they send out SMS coupons to patrons that dine at that location. The result of one campaign was a 12 percent response rate with zero opt-outs.

News Over Wireless can help with your SMS needs. Contact us to find out more information.

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