Lenco Mobile Marketing

The automotive vertical has been one of the strong performers all year in regards to mobile advertising. Auto manufactures and auto dealers have both leveraged mobile ads and developed specific mobile applications to increase brand awareness and to manage customer relationships as they see sales come back strong from a dismal 2009 slump. Here are a few of the iPhone and iPad applications within this vertical.

iPhone Apps

Lenco Mobile iPhone Apps Example

The majority of large auto manufacturers, including premium niche brands, have developed iPhone applications available in the iTunes store. These apps are designed to both inform and deepen existing relationships with the auto builder’s brands. They allow you to view product lines, obtain specific vehicle information (incl. owner’s manuals), customize virtual cars (choosing interiors, exteriors, rims, etc.), locate dealerships, purchase gear/parts/accessories, play games and more.  These apps are typically free (except the Envi series apps, which are built around brands but are more ‘enthusiast’ oriented). Brands such as Audi, BMW and GMC have option code apps that translate all the specific car options based on a code. You can then email this list from within the app. These specialty apps typically cost $2.99.

Additionally, many local and regional dealerships have developed apps for their businesses as well. These apps allow users to schedule test drives, make service appointments, obtain body shop estimates, etc. General Motors has even developed an app specifically for dealership personnel.  The dealer apps allow salespeople to obtain inventory, interior and exterior options, product videos and other sales tools.

iPad Apps

The penetration of iPad apps among major auto manufacturers and dealers is significantly less than on the iPhone. At the time of this research, only Ford, Saab, BMW (magazine), ini, Audi (Italy) and Rolls Royce had iPad applications in the iTunes store. These apps are slightly more robust than the iPhone ones, with features such as the 360 spin view (Saab) and viral ads, video clips which can be posted to Facebook and Twitter, interviews, etc. (Mini).

iPad In-App-Ads

Several Auto manufacturers have developed and launched iPad ad campaigns than run inside of other applications. For example, Mercedes-Benz is running banner ads within the New York Times Editor’s Choice iPad application. The banner ad runs on the apps homepage and within other sections.  It prompts consumers to click the ad and watch a video on the 2011 E class sedan.

General Motors launched an exclusive sponsorship within ESPN’s iPad application for its 2010 Silverado trucks. The campaign features a logo and message while the app is loading as well as expandable banner ads and is also running pre-roll and interstitial video ads within the application. And Infinity is running a campaign across both the iPhone, iPad as well as Android devices through Google’s AdMob network. The in-app-ad unit takes users into an HTML 5 full page experience with robust video content, interactive elements and an option to visit the Infinity site. To learn more about mobile apps, visit Lenco Mobile, an international technology solutions group.

During the global recessionary crisis, the automobile industry had been one of the hardest-hit sectors all over the world. So it is only natural that in the post-recession period, the spotlight would be on this industry and how it performs and markets itself in a resurgent economy. Spend on advertising is generally regarded as one of the Key Performance Indicators (KPI) of an industry. Independent studies by various groups have revealed some interesting trends in ad spending by the automobile industry:

• In the US, ad spending by automobile manufacturers increased by almost 27% in the first half of 2010. These figures, released by Nielsen Co. show that auto makers, lead by giants like General Motors, spent a staggering USD 3.5 billion on advertising.
• Borrell Associates predicted that US auto manufacturers will raise their ad spend online by 14% in 2010. They even predicted that this figure will surpass those for other media forms. According to them, this increase will be steered by emails, social networking, and streaming media.

It looks like automobile manufacturers are expecting sales to soar in the coming months and are thus increasing the amount they invest in advertising. And what is more, they are also looking to tap new mediums of communication to reach out to a larger number of people. The influx of Smartphones and the burgeoning popularity of mobile applications have given them ideas!

The developments in the capabilities of the mobile phone or any other hand-held device augur well for advertisers. In fact, advertisers are already using Targeted-Audience campaign methods like Demographic, Behavioral Audience and Audience Takeover to reach out to more people. On the other hand, automobile makers use the View Map/Store Locator post-click campaign actions to attract traffic to their brick-and-mortar stores. It is thus not surprising that mobile advertising spend was predicted to rise by 80% in 2010, according to a study by DM2Pro.com and Mojiva.

Automobile makers are stepping on the gas on their advertising costs and marketers are leaning to mobile ads. These inclinations culminate into an interesting trend for the automotive industry: mobile ad spending in this sector will increase significantly in the coming months.

Lenco Mobile is a global leader in developing customized mobile solutions for wireless carriers, brands, and agencies. They are indeed looking forward to tackle the increased technological challenges that this new development will pose!

Lenco Mobile Social Gaming

Social games have become so wildly popular that Zynga’s Farmville, Cityville and Mafia Wars are becoming mainstream names often bandied about in the media. Often, the first notifications one receives when joining a social network are from these viral games so the logical evolution has been for the companies that make social games to port the games to mobile.   Zynga announced plans for Android apps for Farmville (62 mil active users in Facebook as of Sept, 2010) and Mafia Wars (45.5 mil active users as of August 2010), two of their most popular games.

So the space is heating up not just for game developers but for advertisers as well. A recent study released by Juniper Research shows that a ten fold increase in ad spend is in the works by 2015.  We’re talking $87 mil in ad spend rising to nearly 900 mil by then.  As far as global mobile gaming revenue, the study predicts that revenues from download fees charged by game developers to the consumer and in-game virtual goods could yield ten times that.  The whole space could hit $11 billion in revenue by 2015.

Logically, game players prefer free games and don’t mind the ads as it’s the path of least resistance.  This freemium model has been the most successful so far thanks to app store resources like Getjar which according to info on its own site is “the world’s second largest app store with over 1 billion downloads to date, second only to the Apple App Store.”   Apple lead the charge early in the in-game mobile advertising space with their robust iAd platform.  The novelty of the iPads, coupled with the interactivity and ability to display video on the ads has yielded a higher response rate for advertisers.

Angry Birds by Rovio Mobile has been a smash hit on the iPhone, so much so that Rovio is concocting its own one-tap payment system called “Bad Piggy Bank,” slated to release later in the year.  Conceptually, one-touch payments work by allowing the consumer to be charged on their cell phone bill rather than enter in a credit card.  Angry Birds has 50 million active users who spend a collective 200 milion minutes  per day in the game.

Social gaming in and of itself, is highly disruptive to the traditional video game world of game consoles, physical games and even the nature of questing.  Ad spend and revenue will naturally increase and new channels for income will be tested out for the mobile operating systems, game developers and advertisers. To learn more about social gaming, visit Lenco Mobile.

2011 is boom time for the confluence of mobile marketing and retail.  Retailers that do not adopt and embrace these guidelines could get lost in the shuffle and miss out on reaping the greatest benefit.  To get the maximum return on investment by implementing a mobile coupon strategy as a retailer, the Mobile Marketing Assocation (MMA) recommends the following guidelines in their recent whitepaper.  Understanding the following concepts will help increase your success of a mobile price promotion integrated into your marketing campaign.

Lenco Mobile Couponing Platform

5 Best Practices – Mobile Coupons

• Honesty: Ensure the customer knows the terms and conditions, can easily read disclaimers, warranties and guarantees and expiration dates, indicate the delivery method and make sure they can give feedback.
• Content  and Placement: Operate in good taste with your content.  Make sure the audience is accurately targeted.
• Transparency: Make your logo, name and product name prominent so the customer can see it right away.  Be clear about your identity and offering as a business.
• Price and Value: It’s important to let consumers know about any pricing involved in participation.  Make sure any requirements are simple to find.
• Privacy and Security: As in all permission marketing, allow the consumer to opt in or out quickly and easily.  Make sure to follow the guidelines set forth by the MMA.

5 Stages – Mobile Price Promotions

• Setup and Communication: Become well versed in the guidelines in the MMA Code of Conduct for Mobile marketing.  Be prepared for the redemption of your coupon.
• Discovery and Acquisition: Discovery is consumer opt in.  Acquisition is the actual delivery method of the coupon.  There are a variety of ways to promote mobile coupons.  Push and pull are two of the most common.  Push allows coupon delivery once a customer is already opted in to receiving messages.  Pull requires a consumer to take an action such as send a shortcode via text message, get an app on their smartphone, banner ad interaction or Quick Response (QR) Code scanning at the point-of-sale.
• Presentment: How does the customer present the coupon to you as a retailer?  They can redeem it by barcode, mobile number, entering a loyalty card number, texting special shortcodes in product packaging or entering other specific rebate information.
• Validation and Redemption: First verify the campaign.  Validate the coupon and make sure there is no fraud to ensure it can be redeemed and granted smoothly.
• Reconciliation: This is the technical process where data is gathered from the point-of-sale system and processed by a coupon clearinghouse in general.

Retailers who grasp the stages of deploying mobile coupon campaigns and the best practices that govern them can drive increased traffic in 2011. By effectively utilizing discounts to boost ROI from a classic marketing standpoint translated to this new and exciting platform of the smartphone, merchants can hit the moving target of the coming coupon craze. Make sure to consult with a company well versed in mobile platforms such as Lenco Mobile before starting.

Estimates on the growth of mobile ad market vary, however all projections show significant growth in the next five years. Mobile ad market spend in 2010 is estimated at between $800M and $900M, with growth to propel the market size to over $2B by 2015. The explosive growth in mobile ad dollars is reflective to the ever increasing adoption of smartphones and mobile search and mobile web browsing to locate goods and services.

The flow of ad dollars into the mobile ad channel not only reflects consumer usage, but also effectiveness. A recent study by Insightexpress reveals that mobile advertising is, on average, four to five times more effective than online advertising. The study looked at several factors including aided and unaided awareness, brand favorability and purchase intent. Some of the reasons cited were the streamlined nature (less clutter & distractions) of the mobile phones allowing the ads to receive more attention. In any case, the effectiveness depends on ad units and landing pages, especially across different operating systems (OS).

Market share numbers of the major networks seems to be continually in flux, with the advantage recently tilting clearly in Google’s favor. According to IDC, Google is now the leader in mobile advertising and is on track to command a 59% market share by the end of 2010. Apple is the second leading player with a distant 8.4%, followed by Millennial Media with 6.4%. One of the factors of the recent Google ad revenue rise is the proliferation of the Android operating platform and the fact that Google dominates mobile search at over 90%. According to the research by Kelsey, Mobile Search and Mobile Display advertising will account for 81% of mobile ad revenues (with SMS accounting for the other 19%).

Lenco Mobile integrates with all major mobile advertising networks and manages budget based on market share and effectiveness.

Despite the fact that Google now reaches more handsets than any other mobile advertising network, careful attention should be paid to the demographic make-up of the intended audience. While mobile audience reach is one thing, each campaign needs to be crafted towards the exact user base within each network and delivered in a manner that allows them to best interact on their particular device (OS).

Lenco Mobile is integrated with all the mobile advertising networks and works closely with all the major wireless carriers concerning device standards and deliverability. A variety of targeting options are employed such as: by carrier, handset/OS, demographic, geo-location, contextual and publisher.  Mobile advertising campaigns can be run for exposure (CPM) or traffic (CPC) and all results are continually optimized for performance in conjunction with creative testing.

Lenco Mobile also manages advertising inventory for Jetcast, the largest online internet radio platform, which generates nearly 1 billion ad impressions worldwide. The network is currently only accessible online, but is slated to go mobile sometime in 2011 and offers some unique targeting opportunities across a variety of demographics and countries.

Recent estimates by Nielsen place smartphone ownership among the US mobile population at nearly 30%, and as this trend continues (they estimate over 50% by the end of 2011) so will the consumption of rich media. In particular, mobile video viewership continues to climb having increased some 43% with more people watching videos on their mobile devices (approx. 22 million). And while this is still only 10% of all mobile owners, the growing smartphone numbers will surely support this trend.

In addition to the overall numbers, the length of time spent viewing mobile videos is increasing as well. The demographic tilts towards teens, which spend the most total time watching mobile videos (7h 13m per month), but the largest demographic in volume is the 25 to 49 year old segment as they are also the largest US smartphone owners. And overall, men view more mobile videos than women by a 55% to 45% margin.

Despite expanded 4G wireless network capabilities providing an enhanced video viewing experience, it won’t be the primary driver in customer interest in 4G networks. Mobile apps and web browsing will still dominate 4G network use (Nielsens, Econsultancy). Nonetheless for advertisers, the steady migration of online video to mobile video will offer opportunities to continue rich media engagement with potential customers in a familiar context.

Lenco Mobile’s ReplaceAds™ network reaches over 40 million unique listeners each month and more than 10 million mobile users.

Lenco Mobile’s internet broadcast audience consumes quality, branded entertainment (avg. listening time exceeds 2 hours) through its proprietary UniversalPlayer™. The player was designed to increase ROI for advertisers by maximizing listening frequency, market reach and ad targeting capabilities on PCs, tablets and mobile devices. Pre-roll and display ads are standardized across thousands of the most popular radio station and premium programs available online, and now via mobile.

Additionally, Lenco Mobile’s MMS video platform is an efficient way to create an impactful messaging campaign. MMS messages are created and screened across the various networks and handset types, to ensure MMS videos are delivered and viewable. Consumer can then click to visit a mobi enabled website and redeem special offers or learn more about products and services. Lenco’s patented compression technology can reduce MMS messages by 50% reducing wireless carrier bandwidth costs and increasing campaign volume loads.

Since the advent of the internet, online searches since have simplified our lives not only by enlightening us with an exquisite wealth of knowledge, but also by making us competitively aware of the world around us. That has now been worthily substituted in recent times with mobile search as mobile devices rule the roost in the current scenario – in personal life as well as business.

Much credit for this goes to the consistently innovating mobile technology that, in a way, has made mobile search volume accessible, hassle-free and almost as agile as online internet searches. Another interesting feature of mobile search that has added to its popularity is the ability to use shorter keywords (compared to online searches). It has also contributed to the emergence of mobile advertising amongst many others.

It is a fact that mobile devices including the arrival of the smartphone in recent times has rejuvenated the way the world deals with their day-to-day life, including the way how business is done. Just as advertising or business promotion is now no longer restricted to stereotype advertisement techniques like billboards and print media; more and more business are exploring emerging options like mobile advertising through MMS messaging, offered by pioneering mobile platforms like Lenco Mobile.

Exploring the prognosis of Lenco Mobile search volume

A recent survey has revealed that mobile messaging with 95 percent readership has the highest mass penetration when it comes to reaching out to your audience. This also accounts for 85 percent of mobile subscribers who remain loyal enough to expect more product campaigns in the future. Lenco Mobile has reiterated this as an encouraging trend as it paves the way for generation of more leads, maximum conversion and a boost in sales.

Lenco Mobile search draws encouragement from statistics which has recorded 62 percent mobile search volume in the first quarter of 2010 for the Apple iPhone. A similar trend has also been stated for Android devices, with an awesome 300 percent growth in mobile search over the same timeframe.

Another interesting aspect that has been brought to light in the context of mobile search is that most of these searches undertaken via the mobile web relate are mostly location-based. This has inspired Lenco Mobile search volume to concentrate its interests to searches based on location, which also has proved to be an effective solution getting the maximum conversion from mobile advertising campaigns.

Another successful strategy adopted by reputed mobile services provider like Lenco Mobile with high success rate is the ‘Click to Call’ search ads. This can be referred to as a perfect amalgamation of skillful mobile search and articulate mobile advertising, as you are allowed to add phone numbers along with the ads. Thus, ‘Click to Call’ search ads feature apparently has heightened chances of generating more leads and driving sales instantly to boost business revenues like never before.

Mobile broadband has revolutionized the way business is done today. This new version of internet technology is also the quickest way to stay connected to the rest of the world today. If internet has defined the way how the global community can stay connected in this diverse planet, mobile broadband in a sense has redefined the way in which you can unleash the full potential of the internet by accessing it anywhere and anytime.

The global mobile business is at its prime now with mobile subscribers estimated to touch the 5.2 billion mark by 2011. Overwhelming statistics have also been recorded for mobile broadband subscribers, which has projected a compound annual growth rate of 104 percent between 2007 and 2011. This trend is inspiring not only for the mobile platforms like Lenco Mobile, who have been consistently promoting technological innovation and creative aspect, but also for the millions of businesses around the world who are benefiting from this development.

One of the primary advantages of mobile broadband in business is that you can stay connected to your clients and customers, even when you are away from your office. This has proved to be a boon for all those who are constantly on the move and surveys have revealed that it has significantly helped businesses to boost their revenues as well. This is possible because with mobile broadband, you can no longer fail to seal a business deal when it is most appropriate.

Advertising with Lenco Mobile broadband….

Lenco Mobile broadband has been playing a major role in upgrading the lives of consumers around the world with its dedicated services. It has indeed made mobile business lucrative and has played a pioneering role in influencing many other technology giants like Google and Apple, Inc. (who recently acquired AdMobs and Quattro respectively) to foray into happening areas like mobile advertising.

Mobile advertising has its own appeal when it come to doing business in style and that coupled with the marvel of mobile broadband has completely given a new dimension to business. More recently, there has been a substantial growth in the demand and acceptance of video based advertisements.  A recent  survey has projected that in 2010, 23.9 million subscribers have been regular viewers of mobile video in the United States; and this number is estimated to double by 2013.

This is indeed a positive trend for the mobile advertising industry. And with the increasing popularity of mobile broadband, mobile platforms like Lenco Mobile can play a vital role in generating finely crafted video based advertisements for mass advertising that will ensure reaching out to a maximum number of consumers with minimum investment.

The adage “It’s a small world”  holds true for internet in general and mobile broadband to be more precise. Even though mobile phones are considered a vice when it comes to intrusion of privacy, its advantages in personal life and business are enormous and invaluable. Doing business has become a lot simpler and  sophisticated with the use of mobile phones and has also opened up newer avenues like mobile business.

Mobile broadband has also made it feasible for businesses to reach out to a broad cross-section of your market within a short span. If you are planning to launch a new product or service and wish to create the maximum impact with minimum investment, mobile broadband is the ideal way to go about it. All you will need to do is create a striking well designed video based advertisement and stream it to numerous customers in your database within seconds for mass advertising.

Mobile advertising is the surest way to reach out to your targeted consumer base and make yourself heard. A recent survey has revealed that mobile messaging has managed to garner 95 percent readership – this in itself is a huge achievement. But as the mobile business gains momentum and mass advertising reach a near saturation point; it will be interesting to see how business houses keep themselves thriving in this battle of advertisement. Of course, it will always be the titans in the business who will bring laurels for themselves and boost business revenue for their clients.

Enter the vivid world of Lenco Mobile broadband

It is basically a tough competition on the forefront as premier mobile platforms fight it out on the global market for a sizeable share of the mobile industry pie. One of the strongest contenders which has won over the trust and adulation of consumers worldwide is Lenco Mobile. Besides being one of the pioneers in the field of mobile business, primarily mobile advertising, Lenco Mobile broadband services promises to take your business onto the next level.

With Lenco Mobile broadband, you can be more assured of creative video based advertisements designed and developed under the expert guidance of a team of skilled professionals, who are masters in their own field. Whenever you choose a mobile broadband service provider, it is of utmost importance to ensure that an infallible mobile advertising strategy is designed, so as to unleash the full potential of the mass advertising drive.

Lenco Mobile with its years of experience and accomplishments can be your perfect mobile broadband partner and maneuver your business to new heights. It has indeed made the world a small place – stay connected!

Do you have a business website that you use to interact with customers or sell your products? Then keeping the website online for as long as possible will be crucial for your business. Or do you have a business where you have to deal with large amounts of data about clients on a daily basis? Then, storing the data securely and retrieving it as and when required is a must for running your business smoothly.

You could consider getting some high speed data storage servers and storing the data on site, but that would mean investing a huge amount of money. Besides, think of the hassles you will have to endure. You will need an air-conditioned server room, many servers to take care of, and you will have to make sure that maintenance procedures are carried out at regular intervals as well.

Third party hosting services can be the answer for your problems

Why not try something a less ridden with hassles? How about finding some reputable data storage service or web hosting service provider and getting your website and client data stored at their facilities? That way, your data will be stored in a secure manner, far away from your business facilities. This will immediately get you some significant advantages, such as:

1.         There will be fewer infrastructures to take care of. Since all your data is stored off-site, all you have to take care of is the internet connection, so that you can access the data without any interruptions.

2.         Your data will be stored at a location far away from your business facilities, so even if some major disaster occurs at your office, all of your data will still be safe and sound.

3.         Any reputable hosting service provider will have excellent, round the clock technical support available for clients. So, in case you are ever unable to access your business data due to some technical difficulties, remedial measures will be just a call away.

4.         The cost for off-site data storage is always a mere fraction of what you would have to pay if you tried to set up your own data server. You will not have to break the bank to get your data stored with most reputable hosting service providers.

These are just some of the advantages you will get by opting for off-site data storage services. Always contact reputable organizations like Lenco Mobile to have your business data stored securely.