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Tag: advertising

  • Mobile Business Advertising Made Easy with Peperoni Mobile

    Doing business on the web is vital, the next major step is doing business on the go, and that requires mobility.

    Mobile content is catapulting companies into an entirely new market of individuals consuming content as they move from place to place. Companies making their content mobile are seeing huge results compared to those that have not taken that step.

    Peperoni Mobile & Internet Software is a company that is offering a complete mobile solution for businesses. Their site states that “Peperoni develops and operates solutions for mobile communities, online shops and individual software solutions.”

    Smartphone.Biz-News.com recently had the pleasure of interviewing Marcus Ladwig, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Peperoni and discussing the use of mobility services, how businesses are expanding, and what the future has in store for businesses and Peperoni alike.

    Smartphone.Biz-News.com: Share with us a little about Peperoni Mobile & Internet Software and what mobile platforms you support.

    Marcus Ladwig: Peperoni is a Wireless Application Service Provider focused on Mobile Web 2.0 applications. Our mobile social networking and site building platform peperonity.com works browser-based and is supported by a number of small clients. This means that anyone with a mobile internet-enabled handset can use our services via the built-in WAP or WWW browser. It does not matter what make and model the handset is – our platform automatically selects the optimum display available for that device to make best use of its capabilities. peperonity.com is available both in WAP and Web and supports 11 languages right now. It’s really a worldwide service.

    Marcus Ladwig

    What type of business can be done via your platform and when a company would consider using your services?

    peperonity.com offers advertisement slots all over the platform. Companies can reach their target audience easily by advertising to our mobile social services and tap into formerly unaddressed target audiences. We offer attractive CPM and CPC advertisement models and we are open for sponsorships, whether for particular devices or in certain sections of the platform.

    Share with us your thoughts on the explosion of the mobile market.

    With more and more web services offering mobile extensions and more web-centric people becoming aware of the mobile world, the market is growing at a rapid pace. What’s also important is that all participants in the mobile market make clear what their USP is in mobile and what kind of audience they are addressing. But it’s good to be finally taken serious as an industry sector.

    Do you see the future of business being handled more on mobile devices, as opposed to computers and laptops, or do you see mobile devices only remaining as a supplementary tool to existing platforms?

    I don’t think it’s a question of either this or that – mobile and PC are two different worlds and like with TV and PC business, there are and will be brands that are successful on TV, others are on PC’s and there are those that make use of both media. But there will always be a particular medium firstly associated with it. For example, CNN is a TV station but also has a sophisticated website. EBAY is a website but has a mobile extension. peperonity is a mobile platform with a web interface and so on. Mobile is the 4th screen besides Print, TV and Online and therefore, cross-media brands will need to include mobile into their portfolio in order to be taken seriously …

    How do you compare business done via mobile devices between Europe, Asia, and the United States?

    To me it seems as if European customers are the most willing to pay for extra services, while Asian customers make up for the most usage. US customers seem quite over-fed with advertising bringing click rates and ad prices down. Plus, European and US markets face the problem of lower conversion rates as customers still associate mobile with being ripped-off by some strange subscription-based ring tone services.

    You’ll be speaking on Dec. 7th at the Mobile Monday event in Switzerland, share with us the topic you’ll be speaking about, and will you be showcasing anything at that event?

    The topic of my presentation will be "Keys to successful community growth with mobile" and I will be talking about success factors in mobile social networks, how platforms converge and what challenges and opportunities social services are facing in a changing environment with spoiled customers. One of the highlights I will be showing will be our new and completely refurbished web interface which we hope to be launching in the beginning of 2010.

  • US Mobile Market Ready for Location-Based Advertising

    INTERVIEW: Location-based advertising (LBA) is still in its early stages – and has so far mostly been rolled out in European markets, including France, Romania and Germany.

    Now TechnoCom has brought a mobile advertising and marketing content delivery platform to the US where it believes the opportunities are huge.

    Smartphone.biz-news spoke to Janice Partyka, vice president of external affairs at TechnoCom, about its SpotOn GPS application and plans for combining location-aware advertising with navigation.

    TechnoCom last month announced that it was launching SpotOn GPS, a mobile navigation system that offers turn-by-turn navigation, search and mapping.

    Nothing particularly startling in that. But where this hosted solution differs is that it is a mobile advertising and marketing content delivery platform that combines advertising with navigation.

    What makes this interesting – especially at a time when budgets are being fiercely scrutinised – is the potential it offers carriers and brands to increase the effectiveness and reach of advertising and promotional messaging.

    The argument is that the return on investment from mobile advertising dollars is greatly enhanced by presenting ads, coupons and offers to consumers at select times, in the right places and close to points of sale.

    Recent figures show that the mobile advertising market in the US is expected to reach USD $2.3 billion, roughly 25 per cent of the overall market by 2011.

    Janice Partyka, vice president of external affairs at TechnoCom

    The largest segment is expected to be mobile couponing reaching almost USD $4 billion by 2011 or 42 per cent of the overall market.

    Janice Partyka, vice president of external affairs at TechnoCom, said a key factor in launching the navigation system was their popularity as mobile applications.

    "We see it as a marketing and advertising pipe," she said. "In Europe there are offerings that combine navigation with advertising and marketing. But we are the first to introduce it to the US."

    Appeal of LBS

    Location-based advertising has been shown to yield significantly higher conversion rates with direct response modes, such as click-to-locate and click-to-navigate, compared to non-location-based advertising.

    This makes LBA and navigation an appealing combination.

    Helping drive the adoption of both is that fact that for end-users, ad-funded navigation can represent a balance between exposure to advertising and access to reduced-cost, or potentially free, navigation.

    Partyka told smartphone.biz-news that market research shows that a large percentage of people say "yes" when asked if they would be interested in an offering that deferred subscriber costs.

    "We have to be smart about it and not make the advert very intrusive," she said.

    "It has to be relevant to who they are and what they are doing."

    So while someone might appreciate receiving an offer from a nearby restaurant at lunchtime, they are unlikely to be so well disposed to getting one at midnight.
    "That’s not useful. Relevance is really important," said Partyka.

    She said that as well as carriers – the traditional channel for navigation – there were other options for SpotOn GPS.

    These include affinity groups, such as airline mileage rewards programs, shopping clubs or travel clubs, all of which can offer search listings of their inventory, suppliers, and partners.

    Partyka said that, for instance, a mileage program can list restaurants or hotels that offer their customers extra mileage incentives.

    The mileage program member may decide to view hotels on a map, receive coupons, offers and advertisements; click-tocall; connect to a website to see rates and book nights; and click-to-navigate to the business’s location.

    Partyka said this extends the reach of partners to get bookings.

    She said SpotOn GPS has other applications, such as a large retailer branding the application to always show its locations on maps, provide special offers that are regionally or outlet-specific, highlight certain vendors, and display loyalty messages.

    Other customers, such as wireless operators, may opt for third-party advertisements that SpotOn GPS offers as a bundle.

    Flexible Revenue Model

    But Partyka said that what SpotOn GPS also offers is flexibilty when it comes to the revenue model being used.

    While the traditional method is for navigation to be offered to end users on a monthly subscription, TechnoCom’s app can be be adapted to its customer’s requirements.

    The revenue models include subscriptions, premium content fees and advertising transaction fees.

    So this can range from a client paying the full fee or chosing a mix of reduced subscription with a share of advertising revenues – to the extent that it could is heavily discounted or even free.

    Partyka said that how customers end up working the charge with the end user depends on them.

    "In some cases they would not charge the end user for the service," she said.

    So, for example, it could be part of the American Express offering for Platinum Card holders, with the cost fully absorbed by membership charges or promotion budgets.

    "Someone else might make a minimum charge but much less than what would have found before," she said.

    Speedy Launch

    Designed as a turn-key solution, SpotOn GPS can be ready for service launch within sixty days of contract signing.

    Partyka said the app does what any other navigation, search and mapping service does.

    Worldwide rich mapping options include street maps, 3-D map views and satellite images. Location-specific traffic and weather are also offered.

    She said it is initially being supported on Windows Mobile, Blackberry and Java handsets but will be coming out on Android in Q3 and the iPhone Q4 2009.

    Based on LocatioNet’s amAze GPS service, it has has been white-labeled by leading international carriers and service providers, including Bouygues France, Orange Israel, Vodafone Romania and Telegate Germany.

    Partyka said SpoOn GPS is aimed at a wide range of end-users with access to international local search databases, and text and voice prompted instructions in thirteen languages with more being added.

    Other features being developed include user generated content, such as enabling users to identify where speed traps are located.

    TechnoCom expects to have its first customers for SpotOn GPS shortly, according to Partyka: "This is the beginning of the market. We have clients that are ready for it."

  • Opt-In Subscriber Database "Crucial" To Mobile Operator Ad Revenues

    INTERVIEW: Mobile operators are searching for new and innovative ways to generate revenues beyond service plans.

    Julien Oudart, sales and marketing director for French mobile advertising company Sofialys, tells smartphone.biz-news about the opportunities open to carriers from opt-in subscriber databases.

    There is no doubt that mobile operators are facing plenty of challenges in today’s rapidly evolving telecommunications ecosystem.

    But Julien Oudart, sales and marketing director for French mobile advertising company Sofialys, believes there are plenty of opportunities for operators to monetize their offerings beyond service plans.

    He said carriers in Europe are still a big part of the value chain and have made steady progress in taking "a piece of the advertising action" through offering services such as mobile video and mobile games.

    "All these things work technically. Now it’s a matter of attracting brands," he said.

    Volumes on games and video are still low for mobile, but Oudart said he was confident this would change.

    "We will get there as more people connect to these services," he said. "Mobile has it all in one device. You get video, games, a phone – different options."

    This opens up opportunities for creating cross-media content, but Oudart said the key element is access to subscribers.

    "I think an opt-in database is crucial," he said.

    Especially so since legislators in the US are saying it is illegal to push campaigns to people without their consent – effectively making it spam.

    By tapping their user base to sell to pan-European advertisers, Oudart said operators were in a good position to generate additional revenues.

    Consumer Attitudes

    He said consumers are willing to opt-in and be exposed to advertising if – and this is the important bit – they get something attractive in return.

    "We always try and be transparent. So when we sign someone up there is no pre-ticked box which will then see them receive spam," he said.

    "We explain to people that they will receive promotions. It is then up to them to say yes or no."

    The lure for consumers, according to Oudart is the promotions and coupons they receive for different brands and goods.

    To be effective these have to be correctly targeted based on people’s user profiles.

    "I don’t think people are against being exposed to brands," he said. "What matters is that relevant brands reach people and to communicate to the right segment."

    Another element to specific targeting is geo-tagging, something the French mobile operator SFR has been trialling with a few thousand subscriber volunteers from its user database.

    Four companies were signed up for the trial, including a restaurant chain and jewellery chain.

    Oudart said everytime a user passes one of the participating businesses, a 20 per cent discount coupon might be pushed to their handset, or they are served an ad for the relevant outlet.

    "Geo-location services will be important," he said.

    However, he stressed that it’s vital not to annoy users by bombarding them with messages – Sofialys always asks how many messages someone wants to receive in a week, according to Oudart.

    Headquartered in Paris, the supplier of mobile marketing and advertising solutions was formed six years ago as a technology provider to help operators and publishers monetize mobile portals across Europe, Asia, Middle East and the US.

    Its biggest customer is SFR, which owns a 20 per cent stake in the company, but it also works with a pool of mobile publishers and agencies.

    Expanding Horizons

    However, Oudart said Sofialys is beginning to expand its operations with other operators and clients around Europe.

    He said there are several possibilities in the UK and they have just signed a partnership contract with Adfrap, a UK-based full service mobile agency.

    "For us it’s an interesting step into the UK market," he said. "It generates between 80-100 million pages views every month.
    "When you reach significant volumes like this it starts to be interesting."

    Oudart said they have also signed up a pool of dot.com publishers and are working with a couple of sales houses in the UK.

    In general terms mobile advertising has not been that badly affected by the economic situation, according to Oudart, and continues to grow at a healthy rate.

    Its buoyancy has been boosted by the iPhone, which he said has "shaken up everything".

    The Apple handset has done a lot to drive up mobile broadband use – something that Oudart believes is both an opportunity and a challenge.

    He said it creates more volumes – but because it is easier for the likes of Google and Yahoo to put ads on the iPhone, the entry barrier has been lowered.

    "We know how mobile works and we can bring value to this," he said. "But more people can now do what we do – that’s why we are trying to differentiate ourselves."

  • AnySource Media: Simple UI is Key To Internet-enabled HDTV

    INTERVIEW: Mike Harris, CEO of AnySource Media, talks to hdtv.biz-news about his company’s Internet-enabled TV platform that will start appearing in HDTV sets in the second half of 2009.

    Offering consumers dozens of "virtual channels" that can be viewed on their HDTVs alongside traditional TV networks – without requiring a separate box or complicated wiring – seems like a great idea.

    As does the ability to easily navigate the Internet content using a standard remote, and the fact that all of this isn’t going to bump up the price of a new wide-screen set.

    So where’s the catch?

    Well, if you listen to Mike Harris, CEO of AnySource Media (ASM), there isn’t one.

    His company provides a turnkey Internet-enabled TV platform, called the Internet Video Navigator (IVN), to silicon companies and HDTV manufacturers.

    He told hdtv.biz-news that ASM is currently working with the makers of some high-volume, mass market HDTV brands to integrate the IVN client software directly into their sets.

    While he couldn’t name names, the first ASM-equipped products will launch in the US in the second half of 2009 and will then be rolled out in Europe and Asia in 2010.

    No-Cost Embedded Software

    ASM’s embedded IVN software allows TV viewers to navigate Internet video, selecting sites and jumping to specific videos, or sit back and watch videos like a traditional broadcast experience.

    Mike Harris, CEO
    AnySource Media

    Where ASM scores highly is that its software is simply layered on top of chip technology already in HDTV sets.

    Harris said this gives it a big cost advantage – while providing manufacturers with a great opportunity to differentiate their sets in a competitive market.

    Since the intention is to get the platform into the market in "high volume, very quickly", ASM is offering set manufacturers the software licence for free.

    He said with no additional cost for the HDTV makers, the price of the television sets isn’t affected.

    Content Providers

    ASM’s full list of content providers is not yet available, however the company showed 80 different partner channels at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show.

    Harris said the idea is to provide complementary content rather than trying to be an alternative to satellite or cable providers.

    "What we are offering is a high quality experience at no additional cost, which is very easy to use with a standard remote and is very scaleable," he said.
    "The TV continues to grow even as you own it."

    Key to this is the idea that it is "TV on TV" not "Internet on TV". For this reason, ASM has focused on major features such as video quality and channel change speed – which Harris said is almost as quick as a TV experience.

    "It’s about sitting back and relaxing, watching content on a big screen when you have more time to spend surfing for content and discovering new things," he said.

    To make all this possible on low-cost embedded hardware much of the processing burden has been moved to the IVN Data Center.

    The back-end data center aggregates and streams content from providers to the IVN user interface on the television.

    Tailored Content

    Harris said the mix of channels and content depends on the set manufacturer – and on where the user lives.

    So when consumers buy an HDTV a certain list of channels will be available immediately.

    "That list can be modified by the consumer, so if they like sports channels they can put them at the top of the list – or they can remove channels altogether," he said.

    "New channels can appear all the time, without any change to the device being required.

    "We have taken a very scaleable approach."

    Harris said the result was that a particular HDTV, in a particular region would have its own unique look and feel.

    How that was arranged was all taken care of in the backend.

    "An HDTV in Germany will have a different list of channels to one, say, in the US," he said.

    As well as issues such as language and cultural preferences, the fact some content sites are geo-targeted will also influence channel listings.

    Targeted Advertising

    For ASM to make its money the IVN platform includes a targeted advertising and user management system, managed at the IVN Data Center.

    Harris said that AnySource’s method of monetizing content depended on the given market.

    "We have approached advertising in a way that makes it work for the content providers," he said.

    "The service is free for consumers."

    So AnySource doesn’t interfere with content providers’ existing business models, which means if they are ad-supported they keep all the revenues.

    "What we have, through our user interface, is additional ad inventory," said Harris. "There are spaces for ads during the browsing period. That’s where we generate our ad revenue."

    In addition, AnySource also receives commission for any paid content transmissions.

    HDTV And Beyond

    In March, ASM announced it had secured USD $3.2 million in additional funding.

    As well as being used to bring the platform to commercialization and increase the number of content providers, it will fund the development of new technologies that will provide long-term flexibility for viewing online video on HDTVs.

    While ASM is concentrating on HDTVs at present, Harris said the platform had been built for a wide range of devices.

    He said they had had discussions with Blu-ray, MID and mobile makers about future possible applications for the software.

    "What we have built on the cloud doesn’t know whether it’s dealing with a TV or whatever," he said.

    "It just looks at the devices capability and the back-end makes available whatever it needs."

    There’s no doubt that content quality will be a key determing factor in the race to bring the Internet to the TV.

    But it also has to be content that is easy to access. ASM would appear to have that issue firmly in hand.