Back in early 2007 Facebook was all the craze. Hours were spent on writing blog posts on its target demographics, its growth forecasts, how it impacts communications, business and branding. Marketers spent days at conferences educating on the new wave of customer relations, the changing face of the media and the demise of non digital die-hards.

Sadly, not much has changed. The Facebook mayhem was substituted by Twitter. The hype, the same, if not worse. Twitter is three years old and get-rich-quick e-books are abound. People now sell themselves to businesses as Twitter experts (Seriously). Tech crazy TechCrunch is smitten by it and Twitter even graced the front page of Time Magazine (Seriously).

People all over the world are dancing at its feet. No…wait a minute…that’s a lie. For all the online craziness the Twitter population is anything but mainstream. Hard to believe, yet most, yes most people I know, either have no inkling of what Twitter is, or worse, have absolutely no desire to dabble in it. And just when the Twitterati think they have digested enough bad news for a day, damning evidence proves that it’s hardly a retaining concept too.

Still, the Jehovah’s witnesses of the industry are sticking it to their employers. Those that weren’t (aren’t) retrenched because of the glooming recession, is suddenly relinquishing security for the cool tag of “internet consultant”. Twitter Bible under the arm they go around the neighbourhood with their coffee stained teeth convincing people of the ‘second coming’.

Please… more like the ‘second bubble’ really.

Luckily we have a saving grace. And it’s largely due to the iPhone. The mobile phone has created an entry point to social networks without the need for fixed internet lines. The iPhone secured the media sensation. The application developers took note and ran with it. Today, Research in Motion’s (RIM), the iPhone, Palm, Symbian and Windows Mobile is reviving an application market that once existed…deep in the shadows of a poorly developed Windows Mobile platform.

Where disconnected users previously had no means to enjoy social networking, connecting via their mobile phones are now second nature. And that’s crucial. While the mobile social networking market is only starting to shed its nappies, we are already seeing niche social networks sprouting up all over the place. And while these new networks aren’t necessarily a direct result of mobile connectivity, mobile does hold the key in terms of commercialization.

Users are willing to pay for applications. Shocking. And applications are the next best thing since, well…social networks (Even if only according to my humble opinion). Users are willing to purchase products, services and content via their mobile phones. Shocking, isn’t it?

Don’t hold your breath just yet…because it has also been documented that users engage with…wait for it… mobile advertising. It seems everything touted as the next big thing on the internet, but failing miserably, is now being achieved with the mobile phone.

Despite Microsoft’s Chief Executive, Steve Ballmer’s misconception, the best is yet to come. Grab a seat…literally, and hold on to it.

Yesterday I was having a rooted conversation with a couple of people on Twitter about the merits of mobile proximity marketing. Proximity marketing could best be described as communications via mobile when the handset owner is in the vicinity, or proximity, of the related brand.

So for example, if Nine Inch Nails (new IPhone app here) held a concert at Green Point Stadium the proximity marketing communications could take place when a handset owner comes within a radius of 10 km of the stadium, sending permission based (first prompt the user to send information) discount vouchers, reminders or even directions to the stadium.

A great example yesterday was for Ster Kinekor to send a link to a movie trailer including a discount voucher to mall goers who came in close proximity with the movie theater.

Typically, proximity marketing will be executed using Bluetooth technology and many case studies of this practice have been documented overseas. A couple of concerns were raised yesterday and a number of misconceptions were also resolved as our discussion continued. Some were greatly averse to the idea of pushing marketing messages to their mobile phone stating unsolicited mobile communications as primary objections.

On the other side of the pendulum, I was quite keen on this marketing method as I believe it could add tremendous value, especially concerning live events, if done properly and with the necessary conduct. I was under the impression that the proximity server could pick up hand-held devices with built-in Bluetooth technologies regardless of whether it was activated or not.

It turns out that I am completely wrong and for proximity marketing to work, the hand-held device needs to have its Bluetooth technology activated. This poses a huge problem, as my mini survey on Twitter yesterday showed that there are really very few people that are keen on keeping their Bluetooth technologies activated at all times. Shorter battery life and again unsolicited messages were stated as primary reasons.

Only special occasions, for example when the owner is transferring files with his friend, will the Bluetooth be enabled and when finished, immediately deactivated again. Another interesting addition to the conversation was semacodes, or QR codes, which I’m more familiar with.

A QR code, like the image to the left, is a two-dimensional barcode which is fast becoming mainstream in Japan and other technologically advanced countries, adding an innovative dynamic to brand engagement. The codes are typically used to embed links to websites, plain text, business cards or telephone numbers that are displayed and could be executed when a mobile device uses the appropriate application to scrawl over the code, effectively scanning it. (Download the software here and create your codes here…remember to scan mine by hovering over it)

It is popularly used in Japan in print publications, street graffiti where some have been spotted to be painted on building is even and on shopfront windows. Innovative marketers use the code is to engage especially the mobile crazed youths to explore their brands and create a unique experience that is worthy of being shared with peers.

Of course for something to become mainstream it has to be adapted by the masses and Nokia seems to be leading the way by including the software needed to perform the scanning with many of their N-series mobile devices.

Again there seems to be a barrier to entry as I found little evidence to support, but from experience at least evidence to suggest that these codes can only be read in the formats of the operating system it was created in. For instance, Nokia mobile phones will only be able to read Nokia created codes as I found it impossible to scan the code on the Nokia web site with my Samsung Windows Mobile-based Omnia phone.

I have countless questions this week and I hope to have my readers engage in a bit of debate.

1. Are you those to keeping your Bluetooth technology enabled at all times? Why or why not?

2. Have you ever received marketing communications via your Bluetooth enabled phone when in a shopping mall or something similar? Which brand was it? What do you think about this tactics?

3. Have you seen or worked with QR codes before? Do you believe it will become mainstream in the South African?

There is something distinctly different between iPhone users and well…the rest of the mobile world. For one, iPhone users are decidedly more attractive than their rather unspectacular smart phone using peers. At least that is something they will have you believe. And they probably have a point.

Steve Jobs is the male sex symbol of technology companies (He made turtlenecks fashionable again…no?). Compare Steve to Microsoft’s man of mediocrity, Bill Gates, and it is probably not very difficult to fathom where Apple users get their profound sense of vanity from.

But in addition to that, you get the sense that iPhone users have a rather unwholesome affinity to their mobile phones, something they seem willing to fight till death for. It is not unlikely at any given moment to witness a war of words between Apple iPhone users and especially our Windows Mobile burdened Boondocks. And considering the inferiority complex most Windows Mobile users suffer from, it’s not a fair battle in the least.

Some of us have gone to great lengths to find applications to override the Windows Mobile operating system. There are even applications out there that simulate the Apple iPhone interface. Can you imagine the verbal abuse one would have to cop if an iPhone user recognizes your cheap attempt at twinning a unique product such as the iPhone? I mean, who does that? (I only had it on like, briefly, ok!)

According to @nealkernohan, a rather eccentric looking chap, not at all unlike the sort you would imagine using an Apple iPhone, “there is an active iPhone community and a buzz about them. People who have them are excited when they talk about them and about the apps.” Further, he reckons “other phones just cannot gain that much hype and momentum. Everybody knows Apple and knows Steve jobs. Who is Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo?” And I must admit I don’t have the faintest clue…

Despite the fact that the iPhone is the best selling phone of all times, it is unlikely that the iPhone would ever enjoy the market share of Nokia. Still, the business world seems desperate to get into its pants. Of course it is 2009, and if content is king, niche is queen and Apple is the sultry mistress. And we all know which is the most fun (wink…wink). Yet, it is still rather profound to witness the lopsided buzz that is created around this “superb” phone.

And I use the word superb very loosely. Considering that the Apple iPhone cannot send MMS messages, forward standard text messages, record videos, cut and paste, has a meager two megapixel camera and can only run applications that are specifically built for the it, superb is hardly a word I would use, yet its owners are perversely loyal to a model that doesn’t carry the grey matter, but packs the rack of your typical Girl of the Playboy Mansion.

Yet it’s the Windows Mobile owners that take the abuse, regardless of phones like the Samsung Omnia, HTC Touch Pro and the likes that can do all of that and more, but is rather nonchalantly dismissed as a competitor, simply because of the operating system.

But dismissed it should be. For a Windows Mobile driven phone is not a player in the mobile technology field, it is just too darn boring.

News just broke that Amazon released an application for the iPhone to work like their fairly popular Kindle. From a colossal smart mobility market, Amazon chooses (consciously above all) to only target the Apple iPhone user base. In essence, that grants them exclusivity, causing hype and an ever inflating ego among Apple iPhone users. And this is just one example of the enormous first-to-market benefits iPhone users have.

It is obvious that if you want to be part of the cool gang in gadgetry, an iPhone is a non-negotiable. It is the gadget of the new millennium and multi-billion-dollar companies, application vendors and garage-bound college dropouts simply salivate at serving the godlike creatures that own them.

If you’re a regular Windows Mobile smart phone user like me, get to the back of the line idiot…and wait for the good stuff. For it will come. Eventually. And while we wait, let’s marvel in silence at the functionality of the piece of equipment we hide from rest of the world.

Because…We chose functionality over cool! We chose cost effectiveness over hype! We chose mainstream over niche! And for that we’ll have to pay the price of an average eternity…

I’m away on vacation and what better way to entertain than to provide you with my “mobile and the holidays” snippets where I’ll explore the world of mobile communications, marketing and value added services that I pick up or conjure up during my vacation.

Getting right into it then. It is my brother’s birthday today and his phone has been ringing off the hook with text messages and congratulatory calls.

One such text message came through from his Medical Aid Service Provider. My immediate reaction was to commend them for the personal connection they have with each of their customers, if only until my brother mentioned that he had signed with another Medical Scheme more than a year ago.

Pity? Bad database management? Or a way to remind my brother that they’re still out there?

What do you think?

Mercedes Benz has recently added to their marketing mechanics by including mobile to its repertoire of value added services. This is another innovative move from another top international brand, one that surely puts a smile on the faces of each of the Benz’s family members, iPhone users, not to mention the agency responsible for this piece of development.

The mobile portal as it is known contains four sections including New Vehicles, Brand World, Entertainment and Service & Contact and it has been joined by additional entertainment platforms such as Mercedes-Benz TV and the music download service Mercedes-Benz Mixed Tape.

The range of personalized services is rounded off by a car configurator and information on the technical details of each model offered by the Stuttgart-based automotive brand.

There are a multitude of features to this new development, but I’d rather spare my readers the technical specifications and focus on one rather important question: Why would Mercedes Benz, “the car for the older man”, identify the need to create a mobile internet platform for its fans?

Some of you might rightly argue that Mercedes Benz have become a lot more savvy of late, especially considering their uber cool new C-Class BMW basher, a car that certainly appeals to the more established and young executive market alike. But is mobile marketing pushing the envelope a bit far?

Let’s look at a couple of the core benefits of mobile marketing: Adding value to service delivery, ranging from access within reception areas to the global accessibility and uptake of the device. That’s massive value any which way you look at it. It is also likely to cloud the downsides to any mobile campaign, which is where my skepticism is borne from.

Without having any figures or ROI measurements to my availability, there are a couple of problems I can identify with developing mobile services to complement your brand, more so if you are smaller business and every marketing penny counts.

After the initial hype around the platform, what are the reasonable expectations of sustained usage of the site? If we look at demographics, it’s almost a given that the younger generation appeals much stronger to these types of technological advances and the younger the user, the shorter the attention span or interest.

Yes, it is a cool new addition to my iPhone, but how long does it take before this excitement is filed in the back of my phone’s memory bank and first in line for deletion once I run out of my incredibly large storage space?

Mobile is a strong and effective medium for marketing and brand awareness, but it’s important to keep a clear understanding of the basic needs of your business. It’s sometimes very easy to get carried away with creative campaigns, often lacking longevity, when simple and clear communications would’ve sufficed.

There are two types of businesses:

1. The Mercedes Benz’s with the capital to fill every possible marketing channel with content, regardless of the sustainability of its value add and the purchasing potential of the market it serves.
2. The hundreds of thousands of other businesses that need to focus a lot of time and energy on selecting a channel that reaches the largest possible target audience and ensuring that the campaigns possess the potential to optimally sustain its value.

Make sure you know in which category your business resides.

I know people that could well have been surgically attached to their mobile phones. These people hardly ever miss a call, regardless of who is calling, their phones often don’t even have the opportunity to complete the text message alert or the text has been read and replied to.

I have categorically positioned these people on my high potential mobile marketing list. Come hell, high water, divorce, dinner or speed traps, a beep from their phones creates an instant extrasensory reaction from these people.

What I’ve found from my close observation of these people is that they seem somewhat more prone to responding to marketing material, signing up for various services and are more often than not seemingly oblivious to fine print.

The amounts of time I have been asked why their phone bill accumulates unknown deductions each month is countless. They are soft targets, for want of a better phrase.

What I’ve gathered from my informal research is that these consumers have quite similar character traits among them.

1. They are predominantly female.
2. They are younger, typically youths and young executives.
3. They are creative people, communicative and generally the social type.
4. They are risk takers. It seems that women are more likely to take risks than men. Invaluable to the business world in my opinion.
5. They are better at time management, are more organized and also more impulsive.
6. They are better listeners and would allow you more time to conduct your message than men. Therefore, if it’s attention you’re after, women are more lenient.

Marketers sometimes have difficulty identifying target audiences. Generally, you may find that they portray marketing messages to men if the product in question is targeted at men. Similarly, I have spoken to numerous people that simply cannot comprehend marketing to youths. More often than not, their reason for it is that youths don’t have spending capacity.

They possibly don’t have spending capacity, but the power to influence should not be disregarded.

Women and youths are perfect digital marketing target audiences, especially in the mobile field. If the message is correctly conveyed, timeously delivered and properly addressed, the returns should be greater, regardless of the product.

In Cape Town there are 7 men to every woman according to popular statistics, but in the world, there are probably 7 women to every male that would consider marketing and advertising messages.

I believe a smart marketers should fancy their chances.

Enough has been said about mobile marketing in general. So let’s focus on some practical matters for a change and see how integrated marketing solutions could add value to a highly influential cause.

During April of this year funny man Desmond Dube organized the Million Man March, an initiative that encouraged a million South African citizens to march against crime to the Union Building in Pretoria.

To be honest, if it wasn’t for the industry I’m in and my work involved on the internet, the Million Man March would’ve gone by me completely unnoticed. And in fact, I think to many of us, it did. The final attendance figures of the march was an estimated 10 000 people.

This was the first Million Man March initiative and therefore posed a number of flaws in the model. These flaws I’d like to highlight here and then hopefully provide some ideas which could’ve spread the message across a wider audience of South Africans.

A television ad campaign was aired apparently, which to this date I have not seen. (Have you?)

Details about the march were also printed in some of the national newspapers. I don’t read any newspapers, so of course this went by unnoticed as well.

Then finally, the march was held in Pretoria only. This posed an enormous logistical problem for anyone outside the Pretoria area to attend.

On the internet though, a Google SA search for “million man march” return an astonishing 14 900 results. Perennial events coordinator, Facebook, was brought in on the action as well and secured a great number of followers as well.

Along with the Million Man March website, it was head honcho of the Mobile Marketing Division at Mail & Guardian Online, Nic Haralambous that made a significant contribution to the cause. Nic is the author of the popular South African Blog, SA Rocks, and used this medium to spread the message of the march across the blogging fraternity.

I caught up with Nic today and asked him how mobile could’ve played a greater part in Desmond’s attempt of getting 1m pairs of feet to the venue.

Firstly, we both felt that the march should’ve been spread across all the major cities of South Africa: Cape Town, Durban, PE, Pretoria and Johannesburg.

I felt more awareness around the campaign in the lead up to the march was necessary when Nic suggested a geo-based mobile marketing campaign that corresponds with each event around the country. In laymen’s terms this means that relevant information will be sent through to mobile phone owners of each designated city and surrounds.

A good example of this would’ve been to feed live stats on crime related issues on a regular basis: “2 hijacks, 2 rapes and 7 murders occurred in Durban during the last 24 hours. Show your support. March against crime.”

When proper awareness around the march has been reached, Nic also suggested setting up a Bluetooth campaign within a 5 km radius of the stadiums / venues.

When people find themselves within this range, the mobile campaign would drive a permission based sms to the user’s phone: “Would you like to exchange data with Million Man March?”

Of course, if the user replies with a yes, a relevant message can be sent to the mobile phone encouraging the person to visit the venue, donate to the cause or carry the message forward.

To the question ‘why mobile’, my answer is simple: Statistics have shown that “There are currently more cell phones in South Africa than TVs, telephones, radios and taxis combined.”

Do the math.

“The elite performers in life spend their time centered on creating and building value rather than on making money. They seek out ways to enrich others, and they live to improve the lot of those who have the privilege of doing business with them. They take themselves out of the equation and exist, in many ways, for others. The irony is that they’re the ones who become the most successful and wealthy.”

Trust, compassion and understanding are among others, three fundamental principles in life. If “happiness and success are the unintended yet inevitable byproducts of a life spent creating value for other human beings”, then surely that should manifest onto business as well.

Marketers sometimes forget that the road to riches lies not in the chasing of money, but in the delivery of a product or service that fulfills the need of the consumer. Instead of feeding the supply and demand chain, we often tend to maneuver our product into the fast lane to expedite turnaround time and secure greater returns.

In life though, every single relationship is based on trust and mutual respect. I don’t believe there has ever been a case of brand loyalty that was based around anything else besides that.

“Good companies focus purely on profits, great companies focus on their higher purpose – to create results for their customers and make a difference in their lives”.

These all seem like sugar coated motivational catch phrases, mainly because the simplicity if it all is so profound that our cluttered minds simply cannot comprehend it.

Marketing has become such a competitive industry that even the most sincere attempts at honesty are greeted with skepticism. Consumers have long since been baffled into a conundrum of deceit and lies, that for any marketer the challenge of making and honest dime probably doesn’t seem worth it.

So we don’t. We wake up in the morning, put on our suit of armor and leave our conscience at home as we head off to work. And many of us succeed in reaping financial awards far greater than our wildest expectations, and yet, these pieces of paper buy us everything besides happiness, contentment and purpose.

“There is no place for weakness in the business world” is commonly thrown in the faces of individuals who dare show signs of humanity and compassion. “It’s a fast paced world out there, and if you don’t keep up, you’ll be left for dead” is another.

But I believe we as marketers have a primary duty toward our clients and customers to carry their interests at heart and deliver a service that adds value to their lives, rather than the profit margins of our own firms.

The irony of course, as mentioned in the quotes from “The Saint, the surfer and the CEO”, is that serving the need of your customers will ultimately enrich your life and your bank balance.