Ever since it became apparent that consumers were spending more and more time on their phones (and less time tuned into the television set), companies have been scrounging for ways to avoid missing valuable touch points with key audiences.

Introducing iAds - Apple's new mobile advertising system. Developed to be part of the iPhone 4.0 OS, Apple has sold ad space to a number of big-name brands hoping to break through the clutter of mobile marketing. What makes iAds different is that once the user clicks on the advertisement, they are no longer forced to exit the app into a separate web browser. Rather, the interactive ad opens into an HTML5 window, allowing the user to stay within their current app and "emotionally experience" the ad.

But, how will people actually feel about iAds?

Reviews have been mixed. A recent study conducted by JiWire found that people have been surprisingly open to mobile advertising as a whole.

Why you might ask? It turns out that if consumers can forgo paying for an app in exchange for putting up with a few ads, they're all for it. Another reason is that mobile ads tend to be tailored to specific consumer preferences (based on their location). In this way, consumers immediately benefit from deals and offers they may have otherwise missed.

On the other hand, not everyone is looking forward to iAds. An article by Slate notes that the new ads will only contribute to the online clutter by overwhelming people and invading privacy. It's also been noted that despite the hype, there really isn't anything new behind iAds, beyond the name itself.

The comments above point back to a theme we've seen since digital and mobile marketing started gaining speed: as long as the consumer believes they are being targeted in an authentic way, everything remains copacetic. Cross that line, and that's when things start to get messy. Authenticity is key for mobile marketing. If companies are bold enough to invade people's space while they're on the go, they better have something of value to offer. This holds true whether using AdMobs (Google's version of mobile advertising), or iAds.

While iAds may have a catchy name, companies choosing to be among the first to advertise through the system have realized the value of being associated with Apple. This goes to show that you can't underestimate the value of a name and the fact that consumers expect Apple to bring their "A" game, thus making them more likely to click on the ad in hopes of discovering what the "experience" is all about.

It will be interesting to see how the success (or failure) of iAds plays out and the effects that the new system will have on the way brands and consumers play in the mobile advertising space.





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With a greater number of brands and marketers realizing the value of blogger and influencer outreach programs, it's becoming necessary for these individuals to find ways to differentiate themselves from their counterparts. If the goal is to engage consumers in new and innovative ways, how can bloggers or influencers stay ahead of the game to be recognized as a leading expert with mass appeal and influence? In short, how do they prove to marketers that they're right for the job?
 
The increasing use of live video broadcasting from mobile devices might just be the ace in the hole that bloggers and influencers need. There are a number of different phones that support a handful of mobile broadcasting services, such as Qik, Bambuser, and Next2Friends, but Ustream is emerging as one of the most widely used platforms currently available.

Ustream offers a free, interactive video broadcast platform that allows anyone with a webcam and an internet connection (or smartphone with the Ustream Application) to broadcast live, high-quality video to an audience of unlimited size. Users can either broadcast live to their Ustream channel or straight to their own website with an embeddable code.

This 'Social Stream' feature also allows Ustream users to chat live with viewers and simultaneously send updates to their Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, and AIM accounts - all in real-time. With the combination of this live broadcasting and online connectivity, a new level of interactivity has been created for users.

Imagine that a car company is hosting a test drive for influencers and bloggers. Now imagine that one of the bloggers in attendance is broadcasting the event live to their blog. Using Ustream or similar technologies, they could easily conduct live video interviews with product directors, capture in-the-moment footage of a test drive, demonstrate the car's sound system, or show off the rumble of the car's exhaust. By communicating with viewers in real-time, the blogger is able to tailor the viewers' experience and foster deeper engagement.

As with any sort of endorsement or review, transparent disclosure of the blogger's relationship to the brand and/or product must be shared as well. When done responsibility and consciously, using live and mobile video broadcasting could be a creative way for bloggers and influencers to set themselves apart.

So, I ask you, what best practices would you share when using this technology? What do you see as some of the risks and/or benefits? How will brands and marketers evolve this this to fuel engagement and recommendation?

Image Source: http://techcrunch.com/2009/09/17/ustreams-mobile-video-broadcasting-comes-to-android/






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Recently, it seems as though the majority of conversation surrounding Twitter focuses on its marketing value. With celebrities like Kim Kardashian reportedly being paid $10,000 per tweet, it's easy to overlook other less profitable aspects of the social media site.

With the natural format of many college courses making it difficult for students to focus, it's not really surprising that schools are turning to social media to try and win back their students' attention. Incorporating Twitter into the educational dialogue is a great way to create authentic conversation around course material that can often become muddled and confusing. If absent from class, the ability to scroll through previous posts and comments gives class notes a whole new meaning.  

Take the University of Texas at Dallas, for example. With decreased class participation coupled with increasing class size, Dr. Monica Rankin knew she needed to do something to engage the students in her U.S. History class. Dr. Rankin, who wasn't incredibly familiar with Twitter, introduced it into the course as a way to expand discussion and increase participation. With a real-time feed displayed in the front of the classroom, students can tweet comments and questions during class. Any issues that aren't addressed during the hour-and-a-half time period are then tweeted by the TA afterward.



What both educators and students are finding is that incorporating Twitter into the classroom creates an ongoing dialogue, allowing students to interact with the material long after class has ended. Another benefit of using Twitter in this capacity is the ability for it to overcome the shyness barrier. For many students the thought of having to ask a question in front of 100 of their peers can be extremely daunting. Ben Van Wye, a student at Purdue who is also part of a course that is experimenting with Twitter, agrees. Twitter is allowing for a certain amount of anonymity while still providing students the opportunity to participate and interact with one another.

A recent course I took at the University of Pennsylvania clued me into the fact that many college students have yet to understand the appeal of Twitter. Seeing it as a marketing scheme or a haven for the narcissistic, many refuse to jump on the bandwagon. Add the educational value however, and many people seeking higher education may opt to join.

The slow adoption rate of Twitter among young adults has been cited before, in articles featured on CNET and The New York Times to name a few. Unlike most social networking sites, Twitter has a surprisingly low adoption rate among an otherwise media-savvy age group. As more colleges begin to integrate Twitter into courses, this could be a significant push towards getting that untapped demographic to finally latch onto the site. Once they become familiar with using Twitter for academic purposes, it's more likely that this group will continue using it on a regular basis. This means something for marketers too, who up until now have had a hard-time honing in on some of the specific dialogue occurring among this group.

On the other hand, one has to wonder about the negative implications of courses relying too heavily on social media. Students could begin feeling less pressure to attend class and instead, view their tweets as sufficient class participation. Or, as Professor Chakravarty at Purdue noted, there is the potential for less ethical behavior. In some ways, social media tips the balance of power from the teacher to the students.

If used productively, Twitter in the classroom has the potential to be groundbreaking - offering students a unique way to connect with course material and their classmates. With the popularity of social media continuing to rise, I think we will see an increasing number of teachers attempting to use it to get back in touch with their students.



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