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News...Nokia, others join MC2...
http://www.mobilecodes.org/JuneAnnouncement.pdf
Progress update from the Mobile Codes Consortium
June 5, 2007
Pressure Mounts for Industry Standards as Telecom Giants Join
Mobile Codes Consortium
Telecoms industry leaders Nokia, KPN and Telefónica O2 Europe have joined the
Mobile Codes Consortium (MC2) – a cross-company group set up to promote unified
standards in camera cell-phone barcode reading technology. They join the original
founding companies Gavitec, Hewlett-Packard, NeoMedia Technologies and Publicis, to
form MC2’s steering group, which will be responsible for guiding the new organisation.
MC2’s aim is to accelerate the adoption of code-reading technologies that will enable
users of modern camera-phones pointed at a printed or displayed 2D barcode, to
activate the phone to connect to a particular web-page, download coupons or other
digital files, make a phone call or send a text message at the click of a button. Based on
the widespread adoption of this technology in Japan and the growing popularity of
camera-phones, the MC2 believes that this will have many important applications for
both the marketing and public communications industries.
Examples – 2D Barcodes
"KPN is constantly exploring new innovative services for its customers and considers 2D
Barcodes to be an important breakthrough development, offering consumers
considerable advantages while also generating interesting business opportunities for
participating companies", said Marcel Annaka, Business Incubator of KPN.
“This technology could make traditional advertising as interactive as the internet, both in
terms of helping customers go straight to offers, and in terms of helping marketing
agencies measure which ads are generating what levels of response,” said Thomas
Curwen, Planning Director at Publicis.
“The standards for wireless technology in Asia far exceed those in Europe and America.
A unified consortium is the first step to worldwide advancement and NeoMedia is
committed to such a partnership,” said Chas Fritz, CEO of NeoMedia Technologies.
And Tim Kindberg, a senior researcher from HP Labs, who has been working with
mobile code technologies, said: “MC2 believes that standards or recommendations are
necessary to make the technology as popular and useful in the Europe and the US as it
already is in Japan and South Korea, where market dominant companies set the
standards.”
Kindberg added: “If, on the other hand, the new technology is allowed to develop without
standards, it will result in gradual fragmentation, with readers and barcodes not working
consistently together. This could prevent the widespread adoption of the technology by
both the public and the marketing industry and may confuse customers.”
The newly created steering group will now focus on the best approach to enable MC2 to
press for widely accepted industry standards. In the first instance, this will mean guiding
it until it can join an existing mobile industry body, where the group will be better able to
meet its objectives of recommending business models, technology standards, and
methods of making mobile code technology useful to the public and to the marketing
industry.
For more information visit www.mobilecodes.org
For those looking for revenue forecasts...
Looks like Sponge's revenue could soar with this "sales agreement from a major customer".
· NeoMedia’s subsidiary Sponge has entered into purchase commitments to procure the functionality needed to support a sales agreement with a major customer. The purchase commitments require payments of $1,121,000 in the fourth quarter of 2006, and $2,200,000 in 2007. Revenues related to this program are expected to exceed the purchase commitments over the one-year life of the contract.
10Q page 44.
This agreement would more than double Sponge's annual revenue.
Schep
Haymarket is the largest private magazine publisher in the United Kingdom, with titles published in 23 languages across almost 100 nations.
http://www.haymarketgroup.com/aboutus/
N E O M...this Mobot promotion no longer exists.
Elle Girl magazine has ceased publication.
Mobot website is out of date.
See my post 87155:
http://investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=13084221
RE ElleGirl & Mobot...
This is very old, out of date stuff.
Elle Girl magazine no longer exists:
http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002277497
Hachette Folds Elle Girl Mag
Stephanie D. Smith
APRIL 04, 2006 -
Hachette Filipacchi Media will cease publication of Elle Girl as a magazine effective with its June/July issue and instead invest in Ellegirl.com and its wireless properties.
Although we do have an upcoming promotion with Elle magazine:
http://www.neom.com/press_releases/2006/20060626.jsp
I must say, it's rather disappointing to have such outdated websites. Mobot.com is still featuring a promotion with a magazine that announced it was ceasing publication five months ago and no mention at all of the new promotion with Elle magazine which begins this month! We are in the business of linking the world to the internet and our own web content is consistently lacking. There really is just no excuse for this. What message are we sending with links to six-month-old, dead-end promotions from magazines that have ceased publication? If you are going to have a website it simply must be kept current. My 14 year old daughter and her friends could update this stuff in a couple afternoons!
Sheesh!
Thanks for the rant.
Schep
I like this part (from the 8-K)...
7. No Other Offers. Neither the Seller nor the Company (or the Company’s directors, officers, employees, agents or representatives) will solicit, encourage or entertain proposals from or enter into negotiations with or furnish any nonpublic information to any other person or entity regarding the possible sale of The Division's business, assets or stock. The Seller shall deal exclusively with the Purchaser, except that Seller may solicit or entertain offers regarding a potential sale of the Division from E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company (“DuPont”) or PPG Industries (“PPG”).
QCurt, I believe the contest is over.
It was a three week promotion.
Schep
5...text and photos...
That's me on page 1 of the photos, pointing to the pomegranate!
http://www.starbuckssummer.com/photos.cfm
Received two Starbucks prizes in Saturday's mail...
A Starbucks card loaded with $5 and a "Pepsi Coupon" for a 4-pack of Starbuck's Iced Coffee (retail value up to $7.25) good at any retail location where the product is sold. It looks like Pepsi Cola Co. handles the coupon processing for the retailers.
I assume my third prize will be arriving soon.
Schep
BINGO!
Here comes .20 folks...
Clue #2 = TANGERINE
Mazagran is correct...
I used my phone to snap a pic off my computer screen and sent it to starbucks@mobot.com and got a quick reply!
FREE Iced Coffee...nice!
Starbuck's photos are now posted...
http://66.77.119.147/photos.cfm
Week 2 Starbuck's clue is out...
Anybody know which rain forest it is?
starbuckssummer.com is back up!
YJ - Yes I saw that. Just wondering why the FAQ only shows two phone models currently supported.
YJ - What do you make of this from the new qode FAQ section?
What Devices Does qode Support?
qode for Camera Cell Phones™ is currently supported on the Nokia Model 3650 and Model 3660 cellular phones. For these phones, NeoMedia offers device software that uses the built-in camera in the cell phones to decode barcodes and display the content on the phones’ built-in browser. NeoMedia is actively working with other cell phone manufacturers to expand the list of supported cell phones.
clawmann..here you go:
http://www.scanbuy.com/website/company_intellectualproperty.htm
Schep
I agree...the potential here is huge...
This is why I'm unconcerned about Scanbuy making headway with "comparison shopping".
This deal with McDonald's is an example of where the REAL money will be made in mobile marketing.
McDonald's has 110 locations in Portugal (eom)
SS9173: re shareholder questions:
Great work...this obviously represents many hours of research on your part. Thanks from all of us.
One additional point I haven't seen discussed lately:
What is the status of our "co-marketing agreements" with FCB and Arnold Worldwide?
http://www.neom.com/press_releases/2005/20050329.jsp
http://www.neom.com/press_releases/2005/20051012.jsp
These were viewed as groundbreaking announcements last year and to date I am unaware of any developments from either of these relationships.
Thanks again for your efforts.
Schep
Premarket .254Bid / .255Ask
Sponge is awarded a Media Momentum Winner 2006
21 Apr 06
Sponge made it to the Media Momentum Top 50 list - awarded to the UK's Most Dynamic Media Companies.
The list draws upon companies as diverse as the world's leading online betting exchange to Manchester United FC's media sales agency.
This year's Media Momentum, presented by GP Bullhound (the specialist technology investment bank)
http://www.spongegroup.com/news/article.html?articleID=148&years=2006
DD: Mobile Marketing article featuring Enpocket...
http://targetmarketingmag.com/leadstory/285570927149794.bsp
Share of Pocket: Mobile Marketing Is Poised for Growth
With cell phones more commonplace than computers and mobile devices—such as PDAs and smart phones—catching on quickly, it's no wonder mobile marketing looks attractive to direct marketers. According to the Cellular & Telecommunications Internet Association, there are 203 million wireless subscribers in the United States, with 70 percent or higher penetration in most major metropolitan areas.
On the demographics end, this market trends younger, with most wireless subscribers between the ages of 13 and 34, cites mobile market research firm M:Metrics Inc. But the 35 to 44 age group continues to expand its use of these devices year over year.
"What we are seeing is the majority of users on mobile campaigns are in that 13 to 34 age demographic, but that is starting to skew upwards as campaigns become more and more relevant to consumers. So now you can target a broader age range ... depending on what campaigns are being launched," says Laura Marriott, executive director of the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) in Boulder, Colo.
Marriott points out that as consumers get more comfortable with mobile marketing, the number of campaigns is beginning to take off; mobile marketing went from a handful of campaigns in 2004 to thousands deployed this past year.
And marketers themselves are beginning to see the value of gearing their marketing efforts to keep up with this increasingly mobile populace. "The idea of time-targeting and place-targeting your message into somebody's pocket has tremendous [appeal]; the challenge is making your message so relevant that it's acceptable and welcome to the consumer," asserts Mike Baker, CEO of Enpocket, a New York City-based global mobile media company.
Messaging Formats
Marketers may choose from a few different types of mobile marketing formats:
- SMS (short message service): better known as text messaging, which involves a prospect keying a five-digit short code into the texting tool that signals the return of a text marketing message to the sender;
- MMS (multimedia messaging service): allows for both images and text;
- mobile video: allows presentation of video clips; and
- mobile advertising: linkable text or banner ads within other mobile applications.
The attractiveness of SMS or premium SMS—premium, because users are charged an incremental fee instead of a text charge, and the transaction involves the purchase of a ring tone, wallpaper or other service—is that it is the most ubiquitous format in terms of the number of handsets that support texting capability in the U.S. market, says Marriott. Specifically, she says, most research puts the penetration of texting capability at 80 percent.
Further, research and consulting firm Yankee Group estimates that about 15 percent of the 350 billion text messages exchanged worldwide monthly are commercial in nature.
Given that some of the other mobile technologies coming onboard—MMS, video—aren't supported by the majority of handsets in operation, Marriott explains, their growth has been slowed. She anticipates these formats will see more of a boost next year, although some adventurous companies will give these types of marketing campaigns a try in 2006.
Enpocket's Baker reports his firm is starting to do more video campaigns with four- to six-minute clips that feature offer screens at the end of the video that look like SMS. Because it's rich media, he says, these campaigns make more of an impact than text messaging does.
For companies that simply want their ads to show up around content that another non-competitive company has delivered, there are ad insertion opportunities. Mobile search offers marketers the ability to deploy ads on the handset's Web display. Selling real estate is limited with these ad vehicles, Baker explains, so you're basically offering a call to action in the form of a text link or simple graphic. But because it's display media, you're taking the opt-in requirement out of the equation.
Marriott explains that mobile search still is in its early days, as carriers are evaluating search solutions to offer carrier-branded search. As the MMA and other parties work to develop standard definitions and guidelines for mobile search, she expects this environment to be more of an advertising player in 2007. She also predicts that the model for mobile search will be similar to that of Internet search, where it's free for users and supported by advertising. According to a recent study conducted by the MMA, financial advisory firm Piper Jaffray puts global search revenues at $11 billion by 2008, a 100 percent leap over 2005 figures.
A New Interaction Mind-set
While well-targeted SMS campaigns can enjoy response rates above 30 percent, says Baker, the trick lies in creating an integrated effort that leverages your existing media buys to develop a list of double opt-in prospects and then following up with a contact approach that continuously resells the audience on the value of mobile communication.
The best example of a value proposition failure in the mobile channel, he offers, is that of a consumer packaged goods company that sent him a daily recipe that used its soup products. "I know people who like soup," he asserts, "but I don't think anyone wants a soup recipe a day." Because the marketer didn't consider the hassle factor of daily contact or provide the recipient with enough message control, Baker opted out of all further mobile communication from this company.
One way to personalize contact is by creating a contact preference database. For example, says Baker, Sprint subscribers can tell the telecommunications provider what types of mobile marketing messages they want, for instance, alerts on new hip-hop ring tones, delivered once a week and in the morning.
Marketers also are starting to develop profile databases of their mobile prospects to help them better target campaigns to attract more opt-in registrants and to convert more mobile interactions into mobile-driven sales. But Marriott explains this trend is in its infancy. It will take some time to achieve widespread adoption and thus yield any deep insights into the mind-set of the mobile marketing-friendly consumer.
Starting Points
Both Baker and Marriott agree that the best way for direct marketers to test mobile marketing's effectiveness in reaching their audience is to integrate a mobile component into an existing marketing program. Use your existing spend on print, out-of-home, radio, television and other vehicles to incorporate a short code to entice a request for more information. For instance, an animal rights nonprofit could offer prospects a list of pet adoption centers in their city by texting a particular code. And because the codes are unique, you will be able to determine which channel is most effective at generating mobile contact.
Baker says there are some ad buys available on mobile channels, which offer marketers a chance to more easily test across different demographics and ad models. He notes that it's important to consider your market characteristics when selecting different mobile marketing formats, since not every company can make its product or service appeal to the SMS-crazy, urban-youth market. But a banner ad for a travel and leisure product on a travel alert service might be just the ticket for reaching the mature, business executive.
Ultimately, mobile is an inexpensive channel, Marriott concludes, which provides marketers with opportunities to test and refine their messaging during and after the campaign to optimize the audience's experience
Re The Apprentice: Donald Trump and the people behind this show have NO interest in promoting mobile marketing. Their only interest was to stage a contest so they can tally a score and declare a loser to be fired in this contrived drama. The whole show was a set-up for the barrage of Gillette commercials that ran throughout the program. I would guess that HipCricket's role was very limited. NBC is not looking to HipCricket for any "creative input" in their quest to hook joe six-pack on their latest reality farce. I'm quite sure The Donald himself would parade through Times Square wearing nothing but Gillette's shaving cream if he thought it would garner a few more precious ratings points.
I think the PP's rush to judgement on HipCricket is a bit harsh.
Sponge: "600 campaigns running simultaneously at present."
Recent news from www.spongegroup.com:
20 Dec 05 | Sponge goes European
In the last month alone, a number of major international media brand owners have appointed Sponge to manage their mobile campaigns in Sweden, Norway, Belgium, Holland and Germany in early 2006. Sponge’s multi-lingual ability extends even further with discussions on potential projects in Austria, France and Portugal.
GO WINDOW: Ringtones = Cingular
Bio on Arnold's Ken Umansky, who is quoted in today's PR:
Note: he was previously employed at FCB.
Ken was previously the partner in charge of the Technology Group Practice at Arnold's Boston headquarters serving EMC Corporation, Alcatel, Mirror Image Internet and other leading technology firms. He came to Arnold from the Richards Group where he led the transition effort on AT&T Wireless Services from McCaw and was also the principal on PrimeCo Personal Communications, Cyrix and Sage. He began his career at Benton & Bowles, squiring brands for packaged goods clients like Proctor & Gamble, General Foods and Standard Brands. There and at Foote, Cone & Belding, he learned the health and beauty aids business, confections, and paints. Later, Ken helped to run Ketchum Advertising's Pittsburgh office as the Chief Operating Officer, concentrating on Digital Equipment, and HJ Heinz Company. In 1989, Ken was recruited to help Whittle Communications launch the highly successful Channel One, the daily satellite-delivered news program beamed into schools throughout the U.S. Ken holds a BS in Journalism from the University of Missouri, and an MS from Northwestern
ss9173/wooger...Don't you agree the order of events has to be the finalization of the BSDS aquisition (soon, like this week!) and then the announcement of a SP/20% partner (also soon, like next week!)?
Then we crank up the registry and we are off to the races!!!
Schep
Another gapper...is this great or what!
We're gapping up pre-market!
I'm on the bid again at .358
Ten minutes and no fill.
It's a no-lose situation. If I get filled, great...if it runs away from me, better yet!
Schep
Level 2'ers...I'm on the bid at .352
Wish me luck.
Schep
NEOMBRIDGE...Time article is fantastic...
So many here are always bemoaning the excessive DD with no direct relation to NEOM. Well here is a full paragraph in TIME magazine on Mobot, which is soon to be a wholly owned subsidiary of NeoMedia Technologies. It doesn't get more direct and mainstream than that.
Schep
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1098955,00.html
Want to know more about what you see in front of you? Boston-based Mobot has developed technology that maps the features in a picture taken with a cell-phone camera and matches it to a database of images. "Within a decade, it will be inconceivable that you lived in a world where you couldn't interact with the objects around you--taking a picture and getting back information about it or making a purchase--using a mobile device," says Mobot marketing vice-president Lauren Bigelow. Yahoo! has 61% of the mobile Web market with 15 products, including search, and has developed a technique that simplifies Web pages for small mobile screens.
success, any PR related to Virgin Megatstore grand opening next week in New York? I can't seem to find any news on this.
Top secret???
Schep
success, doesn't a "schedule for future compensation"
imply that the amount agreed to is most likely significant?
TIA,
Schep
Beacon... irrelevant, usual and meaningless.