News
- Desktop Wireless Apps News
- Mobile phones will overtake PCs as the dominant web access device worldwide by 2013...
- How Obama used Texting
- The first presidential campaign to leverage the power of text messaging ...
Wireless Apps in the News
Mobile phones will overtake PCs as the dominant web access device worldwide by 2013 according to a new forecast issued by research firm Gartner. Based on Gartner's PC installed base forecast, the total number of PCs in use should top 1.78 billion units in 2013--by that time, the combined installed base of smartphones and browser-equipped enhanced phones is expected to exceed 1.82 billion units, and the gap will continue to grow in the years to follow. Gartner adds that mobile web users are typically prepared to make fewer clicks on a website than PC users, contending that most websites not yet optimized for smaller device screens will need to be rebuilt and their content reformatted.
Looking even further ahead, Gartner anticipates that by 2015, context will be as critical to mobile consumer services and relationships as search engines are to the traditional web. Gartner argues that context will provide the key to delivering hyper-personalized experiences across smartphones in the same way search enables web users to organize information and services, adding context will center on observing patterns, particularly location, presence and social interactions. Gartner also notes that while search is predicated on pulling information from the web, context-enriched services will typically prepopulate or push information to users.
Obama ’08 offered a special bumper sticker to individuals who texted in, as well as ringtones, phone backgrounds and issue-driven content. The vice presidential announcement via text was also a major draw. Though the media scooped the SMS blast, “lots of people signed up and … still to this day are continuing to receive messages,” Bertram said.
4. Get focused. “Targetability” of mobile messaging is increasing. “Operators are now able to tap into more demographic information than ever before. Political campaigns have utilized these features to target voters in particular cities, regions or with specific issues in mind,” said Chris Lennartz, VP-product marketing for mobile applications provider Airwide Solutions.
The Obama campaign frequently targeted voters by geographic location, informing them about rallies and other events in their areas. “That notification of when things are occurring locally … has been a very effective use of text,” said Bertram. “I don’t think I’ve seen even any commercial brands use that level of sophistication to make sure people get relevant information.”
5. Make messaging timely. Relevance is not just about getting the right information to the right people. It also requires delivering the information at the optimal time. Bertram said the Obama campaign leveraged such timeliness, especially when tapping text messaging’s power as a “get out the vote” tool.
“As the campaign [went] into its final days, it was very important to let people know when particular deadlines in their states came up—whether it was the deadline to register, when you could engage in early voting or different administrative things like that,” Bertram said. “That’s extremely helpful for people because those deadlines can pass very easily.”
6. Establish a dialogue. It might be called “short” message service, but SMS can still be used to cultivate meaningful conversations with consumers. “The [Obama] campaign’s mobile outreach … not only had an eye toward distributing the information but also continuing a dialogue and establishing ongoing relationships between the campaign and supporters,” said Laura Marriott, president of the Mobile Marketing Association.
Obama ’08 used text to direct voters to more in-depth information sources. “If Obama was going to publish a new paper or have a speech on a particular topic, they would let people know how that was available by text message,” said Bertram.
The campaign also routed text messages that didn’t conform to preordained keywords to an in-box. Staff could then review the messages and reply.
For SMS success, such responsiveness and continuity are key. “Once you’ve got [consumers’] interest, continue to provide the information they’re looking for,” said Marriott. “Don’t just do a one-time interaction.”