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13. Java portal. This is a different form of portal, where you do not have to visit the portal but instead content is downloaded in line with your preferences. Avant Go! uses this technique to download content while a smartphone is being synchronized with a PC.

14. Mobile search. All the main search providers have mobile (WAP)-specific versions of their search engines. These are now becoming more sophisticated. Google Mobile search (www.google.co.uk/mobile) offers Local search to find a local business, and will then display a map (Google Maps is integrated) or phone number with the option of click-to-call on the appropriate handset. Google Local uses listings from Yell.com.

15. Mobile music. Beyond ringtones, many handsets are now designed to play and store MP3 music files and potentially rival the iPod — although we now have an iPod mobile version. As access speeds increase, tunes may be offered in promotions.

16. Podcasting. Podcasting involves streamed delivery of a radio programme, tune, speech or video. Podcasts can be accessed on any device with the appropriate MP3-playing capabilities (see http://www.voxmedia.org/wiki/How_to_Podcast).

17. Blogging and RSS. Blogs are proving incredibly popular with those in the know. Technorati (www.technorati.com) lists around 20 million blogs (it is estimated that around 3 per cent of American are bloggers, while more than 60 per cent read blogs). RSS feeds of blogs (see http://www.wnim.com/archive/issue2203/new_media_innovation.htm) can also be accessed by mobile. While this format works best on conventional fixed web access, mobile blogging is used by those on the move.

18. Moblogging. Moblogging (or blogging from your mobile phone) is possible and, although it can be text-based, makes best use of the potential of the device when images or video clips are submitted by MMS or WAP. We now have citizen journalists who report breaking news before the main networks. Sony Ericsson has used the technique of posting images to a blog to promote its K300i phone, by encouraging users to upload their images to http:// www.shameacademy.com.

19. Bluetooth/infra red. These techniques enable a message to be sent from one electronic device to another. From a marketing application viewpoint, we are only just starting to see this technique used (many phones don’t have Bluetooth). While individuals can exchange a business card or use their phone as a modem which links by Bluetooth to their mobile, a much more exciting application is Bluecasting. This technique was used with the launch of the latest Coldplay album, where a London-based campaign involved 13 000 fans downloading free pre-release video clips, never before seen interviews audio samples and exclusive images onto their mobiles via Bluetooth from Transvision screens at mainline train stations.

In this campaign, 87 000 unique handsets were ‘discovered’ and 13 000 people opted-in to receive the material — a response rate of 15 per cent. The busiest day was Saturday 4 June — two days before the official album launch date — when over 8000 handsets were discovered and over 1100 users opted in to receive a video file. The Bluecast systems can deliver time- sensitive content — so, for example, in the morning the users would get an audio clip of the tracks Fix You and be prompted to tune in to Radio One, and in the afternoon the clip would be the same but users would be prompted to watch Jonathan Ross on BBC1.

And yes, in case you’re wondering, the first cases of Bluejacking other phones, Bluetooth viruses and Bluespamming have already been reported.

Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)
Applications of Mobile Marketing Part 3

• Applications of mobile marketing Part 1
• Applications of Mobile Marketing Part 2
• Mobile commerce & Internal communications
• Challenges of building online customer relationships
• The Genie mobile Internet portal
• Launch Your Digital Marketing Program part 1
• Web Designing the Online Customer Data Model part 2
• Managing your promotions
• Marketing to Drives With Onstar
• E-commerce Branding as part of Integrated Marketing Communication Strategy

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