I have a thought.

I was just reading an article on RCR Wireless about political text messages, Obama’s in particular. In it, author Colin Gibbs writes, “But in the course of a few weeks, Obama’s text-messaging effort has grown from a national curiosity to a bona fide new way to register volunteers, create stickiness with potential voters and keep supporters in the loop.” This got me to thinking.

In two weeks the election will be over. Someone, Obama or McCain, will emerge the victor. Afterward, there will be no more campaigning, no more debates, no more rallies or fund raisers. In short, there will be nothing more to receive a text message about.

But does it have to be that way? (more…)

Yesterday I found myself sitting at home, contemplating life’s big problems. No, not how to find happiness or balance work and family or reach spiritual enlightenment. No, those are trivial dalliances. Yesterday I was contemplating how I was going to get over this super-duper combination of sinus infection and bronchitis that I’m currently suffering from while simultaneously finding the time and energy to create the most fantastic duck costume ever…by Friday. (And you thought your life was hard.)

Of course the best way to do this would be to

1. Go to a Doc in the Box and be diagnosed with near-death syndrome.
2. Visit a pharmacy and pick up my prescribed cocktail of antibiotics and cough syrup to be taken twice a day for four days.
3. Awake from my haze just in time to rent a giant duck suit from a costume shop so I can waddle my way to a Halloween party.

(more…)

I can’t tell you how little I care about sports.

I couldn’t care less that it’s football season, and that’s kind of scandalous if you know anything about me. I really should care about football—I’m from a football-crazed family. And I really should care about Alabama football—I went to UA as an undergrad and played a pretty big role in the team spirit department.

But the thing is, I was always more interested in watching the half-time show and never gave a rip about what came before or after it. And despite the fact that everyone who knows me knows that I don’t care, I still hear the question “What did you think of the game?” and I never know what to say.

What’s the point, you ask. The point is that I just signed up for ESPN’s sports alerts. Why? Because now I can find out who won without actually watching any football at all. (more…)

So, maybe the Obama VP text message didn’t turn out like it was supposed to. And maybe I’m a little embarrassed because I hyped it up. But rather than rant about how horrible it was (because that’s what I thought I’d do that Saturday morning), I’m going to try, try to be objective about. Therefore, I’m going to use a numbered list because nothing is more objective than a numbered list.

1. Sending a text message to 2.9 million or so people at 3:24 AM ET is generally a bad thing. I’m a little strict about this, so I think sending a text after 7pm in most cases is pushing it (unless it’s a severe weather warning or a snow day announcement or about a dozen other reasonable things that I can’t think of at the moment). Therefore, in my mind, any time during the dark AM hours is off-limits. You risk waking up people in middle of the night (like this guy) and losing their trust, their business, and maybe even their vote.
2. Sending a text message containing information that the press leaked hours before is generally a bad thing, too. With mobile marketing, you should try to send timely, valuable information. Therefore, if everyone already knows the information you would like to present in 160 characters on their cell phone, then you also risk losing their trust, their business, and yes, maybe even their vote.

(more…)

Verizon sent me a pretty cool text message on July 7. I would have written about it sooner, but I was, um, washing my hair…for, um, over two weeks.

Here’s what it said:

From: 900070003548
Free Verizon Wireless
Msg: We will give you a
$10 bill credit AND plant a
tree on your behalf when
you sign up for paperless
billing & autopay! Log on
to vzw.com/myverizon,
click profile, & update bill
options. Offer ends
7/13//08. To opt out of
future messages, reply X.

I thought that was a pretty cool offer, especially since I always view my bill online and never actually open the paper bill I receive at home. And a tree! Just for me? Just for getting rid of something I didn’t like anyway? Very cool. (more…)

Good morrow, mobileteers.

So according to FierceWireless and RCR News and probably every news site out there, Apple sold 1 million iPhones in the opening weekend.

I haven’t jumped on the bandwagon yet because I still have a year to go on my Verizon contract (and because I think I’d find myself in an identity crisis without my trusty RAZR). However, as Miss Mobile, I feel I need to have an iPhone. You know, just for the sake of research purposes. (Ahem, Air2Web, I’m dropping a hint here.) (more…)

So, I just had lunch at Pricci in Buckhead, and as I was waiting at the red light at Pharr and Peachtree, I saw an advertisement on a bus stop that said, “Text TAN to 38714.” So I did, of course.

After the initial confirmation message (”Hollywood Tans Alerts. No charge per msg but stnd rates apply. Up to 5 alerts per month. Reply YES to continue. Txt STOP to end or HELP 4 info.”), I received a pretty cool offer:

Show this text 2 any
Hollywood Tans - ATL
salon & get 1 FREE HT60
or a $10 spray tan. Call
404-240-3323 for info.

As a marketer I’m thinking, how cool is that! For the cost of one poster and some ad space, you not only put your brand-name in the palm of someone’s hand, but you also get that person in your store where you can sell them even more stuff. (more…)

Hello everyone. Miss Mobile here. Sorry I haven’t written before now. I’ve been busy saving people from spending too much on their car insurance. No, wait. That’s that other cartoon girl.

So, I’ve been mulling over something all weekend.

I read an article on eMarketer last week entitled, “Young Adults Influenced by Mobile Ads.” Here’s what caught my attention:

Many mobile marketers are still struggling to influence consumers, judging by an analysis of BIGresearch’s “Simultaneous Media Usage Study.”

Only 6.9% of adults surveyed said that video on mobile phones influenced them to purchase electronics; 6.4% said text messaging did the same.

However, mobile media was twice as effective among young consumers, with 14.2% of 18 to 24 year-olds saying that mobile video influenced them and 15.9% saying text messaging did. (more…)

Hello everyone! Hope you enjoyed the beautiful weather yesterday. I know I did, and my skin can prove it. It’s as red as salmonella-contaminated tomato.

I haven’t caught up on my mobile marketing research yet, so instead of informing you of the latest mobile news, I thought I share with you two small tidbits from Miss Mobile’s personal life. (more…)

For seven years, I didn’t have a landline phone. As they say in the mobile industry, I had cut the cord. My cell phone and I were free to roam (and believe me, it roamed constantly) across the country. Those were the most telemarketing-free years of my life. Never did I receive a call from a stranger who mispronounced my name and then had the audacity to ask for money. My email may have been full of unwanted solicitations, but my mobile was not.

Until recently. Ladies, gentlemen, I have received text message SPAM. (more…)