Abstract
The increasing availability of affordable mobile business services (or “m-services”) across different telecommunication carriers and platform is now a reality that is changing the way customers perceive products and solutions: mobile TV, one of the latest m-services, can be now seen either as a stand-alone channel or in conjunction with other media, thus providing several levels of engagement and interaction. Marketeers are now talking about “experiential marketing” to explain how customers and businesses are now reacting to market stimuli: Philip Kotler talked about “sense and respond” in his book “Marketing moves”. Technology development is now taking a step forward enabling customers to be users and creators of products, services and brand image. This chapter provides and overview about traditional mobile marketing and mobile TV, describing how those interact and how business can be affected in some crucial areas: platform interoperability and revenue models. Some real examples of mobile initiatives are also provided.
TopMobile Marketing: An Overview Of Past And Current Initiatives Carried Out In Conjunction With Other Channels
Mobile marketing is now a very effective communication channel enabling wider and closer relationships with audience for brands, products and services willing to promote themselves. The difficulties of implementation (from both technical and business standpoint) are mostly overtaken due to the improved cooperation between carriers, service providers and companies (Harris and Dennis 2001; May 2001; Settles 2002).
Mobile marketing can be via SMS (limited at 160 characters only) or MMS, browser based via mobile Internet WAP format through banner ads and interstitials, voice based using voice lines and as emerging technologies via Java based games, LBS (location based services) and voice mail marketing (Paavilainen 2002).
Some of those formats can be delivered via land-lines to customers, thus enhancing the reach of the message and engaging the recipient in a more comprehensive way.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Mobile TV: it refers to the capability to receive TV signal on a mobile device, assuming that the handset is enabled for this and the geographical area is covered by the network signal
Experiential marketing: it refers to a new marketing approach based on a comprehensive experience between customer and product/service
Mobile Marketing: it refers to a marketing channel and communication where the message is designed and customized to be broadcast to a handset. Mobile marketing can be seen either as a stand-alone initiative and in conjunction with other marketing initiatives
WAP: it refers to wireless application protocol and is an open international standard to enable access to the Internet via a mobile device
SMS: short message (also known as “text”) sent and/or received via mobile system but limited to 160 characters. That limitation is a contributing factor for the development and dissemination of new language, practice and habits, also in face-to-face communication
ARPU: it means Average Revenue Per User and refers to the profitability of each user of mobile devices for voice, data and multimedia
Mobile business services (m-services): the expression refers to a wide set of applications and tools through which data, information and files can sent and received via a wireless device