Mobile Advertising and Technology Top 10 for 2009

Mobile Advertising

IM-Mobile, like its MobileBeyond sister site, had a high-growth year covering mobile relationship marketing, advertising and technology. Posts and podcasts about mobile advertising dominated the top ten. But mobile technologies that enable brands, advertising agencies and publishers to display mobile ads on thousands of handsets are critical for successful mobile campaigns.

During 2009, comScore, Gartner, Nielsen and other research firms released very optimistic forecasts in mobile marketing and advertising through 2014 and beyond. The studies, based on trends and interviews with those holding the purse strings, though, were perhaps a bit optimistic. But who will complain if by 2014 mobile advertising only grows 45% a year rather than 60%? The numbers are still staggering.

For me, personally, 2009 was an exciting year. Harald Neidhardt with Smaato, one of the largest ad networks in the world, asked me to participate in the annual Smaato awards event and appear on a mobile advertising round table that we recorded. (Hear the complete 70 minute discussion about the current status and future of mobile advertising in two parts here on IM-Mobile.)

The recorded podcast interviews with mobile ad and technology experts around the world improved in quantity and quality over the months. I hope you’ve had a chance to listen to most of them because they chronicle many of the trends and developments rapidly changing mobile marketing and advertising across the globe.

Top Ten Podcasts and Blog Posts on IM-Mobile in 2009

Keep in mind that the top ten posts are those with the highest number of visitors. That means posts that appeared earlier in the year were more likely candidates for the top ten posts over newer posts. I’ll list them first, add a few personal comments and finally give honorable mention to other interviews and blog posts I think are outstanding and worth your attention.

“India 2009: Viral Growth Market for Mobile Voice & Data Subscribers”
Mobile growth in developing nations, especially India, is staggering (15M-20M new handsets are activated daily). The Indian population is hungry for news, information and entertainment and the mobile phone is, in most cases, the only way to access the mobile Internet. Mobile commerce in India is critical to watch. If mobile commerce is successful in this huge country, it will become a model for both developing and developed countries and continents. This post generated twice the viewership of the second most popular post on IM-Mobile this year.
“NeuStar 2D Bar Codes Enhance Mobile Advertising & Brands” Bar codes that appear on you cereal box are very powerful tools in mobile. While the Japanese first adopted the use of bar codes captured by cell phone cameras at the start of the decade, the rest of the mobile world now realizes the potential uses of bar codes with unlimited possibilities in mobile marketing and advertising: launching websites and apps, generating text messages and more. Although a standard in Japan, the rest of the mobile world has embraced bar code technology for maximizing marketing and advertising success.
“Sellers Dumping iPhone SmartPhones on eBay USA“The continued fascination with my eBay iPhone sales stats continued in 2009 as users around the world unlocked the device and waited in anticipation for version three of Apple’s software. The number of iPhone owners who sold their original iPhones when the 3G version was released and then the 3Gs is staggering.Previous eBay iPhone counts were reported on my Mobile Telephony Innovations blog in March and July of 2008. What’s most interesting about the iPhone eBay dumping is the sheer number of units. Compared to other brands–Nokia, RIM and HTC–iPhone sales on eBay greatly exceeded other mobile phone brands.
“Is Advertising Necessary?”
This March, 2009 post drew a lot of attention from readers. While the title is a bit provocative and, to many, senseless, the post deals with the changing face of advertising. The necessity of digital and non-digital advertising isn’t the issue. How advertising engages or disengages mobile phone users, reflecting social media trends, is. If you haven’t read the post yet, take a peek.
“SMB Mobile Advertising with 4INFO’s Kirsten McMullen“Most of the case studies and research in 2009 focused on major brands. This was my first podcast interview about how small-to-medium size businesses can cost-effectively implement mobile advertising campaigns. Kirsten, who works with smaller advertisers, clearly describes how advertisers on a budget can effectively use SMS Text messaging to engage mobile phone users.
“Improve Mobile Website Optimization with SiteSpect: Eric Hansen Podcast”
Eric is an expert in advising companies how to maximize the effectiveness of their mobile websites. His Boston-based firm, SiteSpect, ensures that mobile websites offer a rich Internet experience. Unlike the non-mobile website world, mobile websites require special attention to ensure text and graphics are readable. This post is an eye-opener for businesses that think their mobile websites are only miniature versions of their regular websites.
“Multimedia Mobile Advertising: David Miller & Mobile Discovery Podcast“David Miller is a young, brilliant guy who runs a multi-channel advertising firm that helps clients integrate their advertising campaigns. As you listen to the podcast, you quickly learn from David that engagement across multiple media is the key to success with mobile, a theme I heard from other mobile marketing and advertising professionals in 2009. If you’re interested in learning how to launch multimedia advertising campaigns incorporating social media, this is a great place to start.
“Mobile Ad Networks and mKhoj’s (now called inMobi) Naveen Tewari“Naveen is CEO of inMobi, one of the largest mobile ad networks in the world. The company expanded its operations in Europe and elsewhere in 2009. If you’re interested in how mobile ads end up on your mobile phone or you’re seeking a mobile advertising network that serves Asia and other areas of the globe, my interview with Naveen will help.
“Best Practices Marketing on Twitter to Engage Your Audience“Although this post is not specifically about mobile marketing on Twitter, it does address my views on using Twitter professionally and effectively as a marketing channel. Mobile marketers and advertisers can’t ignore Twitter any longer. Its reach and influence are remarkable. As Twitter rolls out advertising programs in 2010, mobile professionals need to learn how Twitter fits into their marketing mix. Reading this post will help you get started.
“Mobile Websites (Dot Mobi) Show Rapid Growth“Marketers and advertisers now have a variety of ways to mobilize their websites or blogs and the Dot Mobi organization is one approach. Many companies prefer keeping their .com or .net domains. Others would like to brand their mobile sites with a .mobi domain name. The post shows several dot mobi screen shots.For other mobile website and blog alternatives, check out Wapple, MoFuse or Winksite. If you only want to mobilize your blog I highly recommend Rich Gubby’s WordPress plugin. He also offers an admin tool plugin letting you manage your WordPress blog remotely. The WP plugins are amazing. Check out IM-Mobile.com or MobileBeyond.com on your mobile handset for examples.