NEWS GROOVE: BuzzCity, GetJar, Helio, Limbo & Next2Friends
BuzzCity on expansion course? The Singapore-based developer of global wireless communities and consumer services provider is close to signing a strategic partnership with an Indian company that will help it grow its footprint in mobile advertising, according to reports. BuzzCity, which also operates the myGamma.com mobile social network, expects the alliance to be finalized this month. KF Lai, BuzzCity CEO, was quoted as saying that that the focus is on “targeting this unique group of people who are using Internet on phone, PCs, Blackberry, and iPhone in the 20-35 age group in India, Indonesia and South Africa. There is a new opportunity for advertisers emerging in this segment.” BuzzCity works with leading advertisers and content providers including HDFC Standard Life, Indiatimes, Tata AIG, Nazara, ICICI Bank and Kodak, among others, and “$10,000 is the average spending of our advertisers on our network per month.”
Meanwhile, recent stats from BuzzCity shed light on exactly what mobile Internet users (1,000 users of the myGamma mobile community portal) really want from their wireless services-a wide range of functionality: from access to financial services transactions to more ecommerce capabilities, such as the ability to purchase movie and travel tickets via their mobile devices.
The takeaway: BuzzCity is gaining traction and its sharp focus on two distinct and underserved audiences (the newly connected emerging middle class in developing markets and the blue collar sector in developed regions) could pay-off. Peggy adds: I’ve connected with KF for an initial briefing and I like what I hear. We have a more in-depth briefing set for later in the month (timed to a significant new announcement, I’m told). Thanks to Claudia Bate at Skywrite Communications for lining this up and keeping me in the loop!
Room for another social media platform? If it combines mobility, marketing and interactivity, then there is potential. Mobile social media platform Next2Friends is set to launch its Interactive Marketing Services (IMS), a solution that combines online community interaction, social media marketing and offline advertising into a platform designed to help marketers reach the most relevant audiences for their offerings. Details are a bit thin, but Next2Friends says it will make it possible for retailers to deploy promotional vouchers based on user location and interests.
The takeaway: Not so clear on how deep or well this service can target users. But the real selling point may be the platform’s potential to unleash the potential of individual bloggers, podcasters and small publishers. The platform aims to “extend their reach, with audio books and articles being driven to handsets in real-time” – all the more powerful if the content correctly matches the user’s interests.
Do social apps eat away at MMS revenues? A recent survey from GetJar, a portal for downloading software sure thinks so. A survey of 1,500 mobile users worldwide found that U.S.-based mobile phone users are increasingly opting to use phone-based social applications, such as Bing, Cellity and eBuddy, for messaging and photo sharing instead of their carriers’ mobile messaging services (MMS). GetJar statistics also reveal a recent increase in the overall popularity of messaging applications-from developers and downloads-with more than 3.7 million user downloads in the last month alone.The takeaway: MMS is popular, but application-based messaging is gaining ground. The jury is out on whether Ilja Laurs, GetJar CEO, is right when he says “the wide range of free messaging applications will likely supplant MMS in the long run.” But the fact that nearly 50 percent of users said they did not know what MMS actually is should have alarm bells ringing in carrier boardrooms across the U.S. Consumers can’t use what they don’t understand.
What drives growth in social networks? We might get some ideas from Limbo, which claims to be the fastest-growing U.S.-based social network. Only six months after boasting a membership of one million U.S.-based users, Limbo has more than doubled that with a membership that now totals two million. Another impressive statistic: Members generated more than 44 million messages in June alone. Limbo executives attribute the membership growth to the community’s ability to further bolster the mobile entertainment applications members enjoy. Yet Limbo’s recent release of a new iPhone application that helps members connect via their mobile phones, has likely helped fuel growth as well.
The takeaway: Limbo claims to add a new member with a registered US cell phone number every 12 seconds. The growth could be a cultural thing. But it’s more likely linked to the variety of tools and toys at users’ finger tips. Limbo recently added location features (allowing members to set what activity they’re doing, where they are, and who they’re with, through mobile phone applications, text messages, Internet or mobile Web). It also added a group messaging tool that allows members to send a text message to multiple friends who can then reply to the entire group. Lots of stuff to do and lots of people to do it with (Limbo’s community is open to all members, regardless of carrier or mobile phone model) could add up to continued growth.
Are location-based games back? They were never gone, but the excitement has certainly subsided. Interesting that Helio network users now have access to The Shroud, a mobile role playing game that enables players to physically locate breaches in real locations. The game, which uses location-based technology and GPS capabilities, is a joint creation by Your World Games and Hardcore 3D Wireless, a game developer. The Shroud was created for a broad audience of casual and serious gaming enthusiasts and is accessible on all GPS-enabled Helio devices.
The takeaway: Location-based games were too much too soon. But now GPS-enabled devices and other factors are coming together to enable deep, immersive gameplay experiences. Let the games begin! (But limiting them to specific networks or devices may not be such a smart move.)
