Digital Republic’s Karim Khalifa Maps Out Mobile Marketing Opportunities In Middle East

permission marketingMobile marketing in the Middle East and North Africa is flourishing, driven by a boost in marketing budgets and a new excitement about social media. In fact, an April report released by Econsultancy (based on a survey of more than 500 B2B marketers in the region, undertaken in partnership with Arabianbusiness.com) found that just over half (53 percent) of companies are planning to increase their budget for mobile marketing.

Where is the opportunity in this rapid growth market? What is the role of the mobile operator? And why does text messaging dominate? Karim Khalifa, CEO & Co-Founder of Digital Republic, the number one digital and creative advertising agency in Egypt, provides us the inside track on developments in the region.

Celebrity CMO Jeffrey Hayzlett Talks Mobile Marketing, Social Media & Privacy

jeffrey hayzlett profileHow should marketers approach social media marketing? What is the place of mobile in an effective advertising campaign? And why is mobile video shaping up to be the next big thing? These are just a few of the questions I explore in an exclusive podcast with Jeffrey Hayzlett, frequent speaker, Celebrity CMO, change agent and sometimes cowboy.

We also walk through the key themes of The Mirror Test: Is Your Business Really Breathing?, a must-read business book (authored by Jeff) that has been on USA Today, Wall Street Journal and Inc.’s best-seller lists.

Tigo Ads Service Drives Positive Brand Results With Permission Marketing

A surge of mobile advertising interest and activity has made Africa the market to watch. We look at recent brand campaigns running on the Tigo Ads service. Tigo, a leading mobile operator in Ghana, has implemented the advertising solution to bring personalized mobile advertising to its over 3 million subscribers.

To increase revenues, differentiate services and reach a wide and willing audience with mobile advertising, Ghana's mobile operator Tigo has become the first in the country to introduce permission-based marketing.

M&C Saatchi Mobile’s Jon Kwan Talks Mobile Marketing Strategy; What Brands Want From Mobile

brands mobile marketingAnalyst reports are bullish about the outlook for mobile marketing, a positive development that is confirmed by data from mobile ad networks and ad spend trends. However, the best way to get the inside track on what brands expect (even demand) from mobile campaigns is to ask the agencies that are commissioned to develop and implement these strategies in the first place.

Jon Kwan -- Head Of Strategy at M&C Saatchi Mobile, a full-service mobile marketing agency whose clients include Speedo, Harper Collins and Reebok -- tells us what brands really want from mobile - and why.

A raft of recent reports and ad network data show that key factors, such as smartphone penetration, mobile Internet usage and unlimited data plans, are aligned to move mobile marketing a huge step forward.

Hipcricket’s Jeff Hasen Talks Permission Mobile Marketing; Why Social And Mobile Are The Same

permission advertisingAs more marketers move from one-off mobile campaigns focused on brand awareness to delivering ongoing campaigns aimed at driving customer engagement and loyalty, there is more emphasis on permission-based marketing as a way to kick off and continue a conversation with consumers -- on their terms.

The timing of this shift in strategy is interesting, and no doubt driven by two factors: the concern of individuals about their personal privacy and the desire of brands to conduct an ongoing dialogue with people who -- because they opted in -- are likely to appreciate the advertising they receive.

Personalized Mobile Advertising Gains Acceptance; Tops Expert Opinion Download List

Is personalization essential to unlocking mobile marketing profits? A recent report from Accenture -- titled The Brave New World Of Mobile Commerce and based on a survey conducted by Lightspeed Research -- sheds new light on global mobile advertising attitudes.

Specifically, the survey of 1,100 users ages 18+ in Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Spain, the U.K. and the U.S. found that 65 percent of respondents in Asia and 32 percent of respondents in the U.S. and Europe would "welcome receiving personalized mobile phone ads when within a few steps of the promoted product or service."

Dancing with Digital Natives: Staying in Step with the Generation That’s Transforming the Way Business (2011)

Dancing with Digital Natives: Staying in Step with the Generation That’s Transforming the Way Business (2011)

Honored as a "Award-Winning Finalist in the General Business category of The USA "Best Books 2011" Awards, this stellar assemblage of experts from business and academia provides vital insights into the characteristics of how digital natives work, shop, play, and learn. I contribute the chapter on marketing and advertising, showing how brands and businesses must connect and communicate with this always-on, socially networked generation. This resource, edited by Michelle Manafy and Heidi Gautschi, offers practical advice geared to help managers, marketers, coworkers, and educators maximize their interactions and create environments where everyone wins.

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Truly Mobile: Netsize Guide by Gemalto, Edition 2011

Truly Mobile: Netsize Guide by Gemalto, Edition 2011

Aptly titled Truly Mobile, The Netsize Guide by Gemalto, underlines three key themes that characterize the state of mobile today and its future. These are Transaction (how we’ve come to rely on mobile devices for commerce from researching products to making purchases); Transformation (how mobile devices are increasingly driving content, communications, and connectivity); and Trust (how we require — and will soon demand — simple, transparent services and devices we can trust). It draws from interviews I conducted with over a dozen senior executives from companies across the business ecosystem including ARM, Atlas Premium Brands, BNP Paribas, CMO Council, The Coca-Cola Company, Gameloft, GlobalPlatform, Informa Telecoms & Media, Millennial Media, SingTel, Texas Instruments, Trusted Logic, Yahoo!, and others.

Aisle411: Accelerating In-Store Engagement With Mobile Search, Mobile Marketing & Social Media

aisle411 appHeightened activity and interest in mobile retail (spurred on by holiday shopping and the rapid uptake of price comparison services and apps), has paved the way for a variety of new and immersive mobile experiences that insert marketing messages and campaigns into our daily shopping routines. From mobile codes (specifically, barcodes) to mobile coupons, companies are enlarging their arsenal of capabilities to capture our attention while we shop.

However, only a handful of companies are prepared to compete where it really counts: at the point of inspiration, otherwise known as the retail shelf.

Pitch Your Best (Practice); Space For Case Studies & Slots For Filming

speak to meRegular readers will know (and appreciate) that I am typically involved in several projects that amplify the analysis I post here at MSearchGroove.

To date I am working on an in-depth mobile marketing report documenting best practice among brands and agencies in Europe. I am excited to include M&S, a U.K. retailer with a holistic and human approach to mobile commerce, and Lufthansa, a major German airline that combines convenience and community in an app that sets the bar. (My personal thanks here to Stephanie Renda at match2blue who has agreed to re-connect me with Lufthansa and provide her insights for my report.)

Global Prepaid Explosion Forces Strategy Shift; MetroPCS Rolls Out Personalized Portal

metroPCS logoThe global prepaid market is growing faster than post-paid, but winning and retaining these customers is no longer about extending plain-vanilla telephony services to people on fixed budgets. The advance of smartphones and faster 4G networks forces mobile operators to get smarter about how they offer data services (that were traditionally offered to post-paid subscribers) to everyone.

A recent poll conducted by research firm Ovum (and commissioned by Amdocs) reveals the vast majority of service providers and operators can read the writing on the wall.

The Mobile Marketing Review: University Use of Mobile Gets High Marks; Millennial Media SMART

the mobile marketing reviewThe Mobile Mavens are back for the first monthly podcast of 2011 with a look at how universities are harnessing mobile to connect with students. A raft of recent press and reports shows that universities are becoming more creative in how they use mobile - specifically text messaging -- to connect with Millennials on their mobile phones.

From alerts about course materials and exams to invitations to join mobile forums and continue class discussions, mobile is front of mind with an increasing number of institutions and educators.

BTW: A great way to keep up with this exciting progress is simply to follow #mlearncon (as I do) on Twitter. That's where the discussion that began around the awesome conference (of the same name) organized by eLearning Guild continues.

Mobile Operators Can Learn From India To Promote Innovation, Rethink Revenue Models

indian marketHow can mobile operators cash in on the huge opportunities in the Indian mobile market? There is no silver-bullet solution. However, a more flexible approach to revenue share agreements would jumpstart services innovation and -- ultimately - benefit mobile operators (and everyone else in the value chain).

To drive this point home I recount observations from my most recent trip to India. I also summarize a raft of recent reports from leading analysts that describe (and quantify) the market for value-added services (VAS). Gartner, for example, predicts that the VAS market, including data, will grow from $3+ billion in 2010 (or 15 percent of the total mobile revenues) to $5+ billion in 2014 (or 21 percent).

Five From Five: Qualcomm Sees Mobile AR Enhancing Print, Education, Mobile Advertising & Smartphones

Qualcomm Jay WrightWe conclude our series of five innovators in mobile Augmented Reality (AR) with Jay Wright, Qualcomm Director, Business Development. In this capacity Jay is responsible for developing and driving Qualcomm's Augmented Reality (AR) commercialization strategy. Specifically, he manages Qualcomm's partnerships with innovators in industry and academia, and leads Qualcomm's efforts to enable AR within the mobile ecosystem.

Qualcomm made great strides in AR last year, releasing its AR Software Development Kit (SDK) for Android smartphones in October 2010. Offered through Qualcomm’s online developer network QDevNet, Qualcomm’s SDK enables a new breed of applications that delivers interactive 3D experiences on everyday objects, such as 3D gaming experiences on tabletops and interactive media experiences on product packaging and promotional items.