UPDATE: Mobile Advertising In Mobile Social Networks; Can BuzzCity Beat Facebook? PLUS Mobile Advertising Powwow
On the road again – but only a short trip to London. In addition to client meetings, I started work on the next in a series of mobile advertising white papers. This time I have chosen to run banner ad campaigns in three mobile social networks. I won’t outline the results here (the white paper will launch in time for Mobile World Congress), but I will share a few observations. Surprisingly, BuzzCity stands out as a company (among social networks) that allows me to target campaigns according to key variables including time of day and content channel, options that understand – and address- advertiser requirements for spending control and improved targeting.
This emphasis doesn’t only make for potentially more effective campaigns; it confirms my view that this is the one to watch. Earlier this week KF Lai, BuzzCity CEO, briefed me on company strategy and revealed a raft of upcoming announcements that likely will move BuzzCity into the major leagues. The end-game: To become the emerging market’s answer to Facebook, enabling a platform and ecosystem that benefits developers (I’m under NDA, but will have more closer to the date), and to operate the world’s leading long tail ad network.
My take: After a road test of BuzzCity’s offer today I’m convinced KF not only has his eye on the prize; he has developed the capabilities that will allow him to reach for it. More in my analysis early next week.
Mobile advertising tops my agenda here in London for the rest of the week. In addition to a series of briefings with company executives, I greatly look forward to an in-person meeting with Scott Seaborn, who heads up mobile advertising at Ogilvy. I did a phone interview with him for the Netsize Guide 2009, during which he outlined a number of super-cool projects, and this week he’s invited me for a tour of Ogilvy’s Innovation Labs (and the opportunity to ask a lot of questions).
But the real highlight is discussing next steps during the Every Single One Of Us Powwow tomorrow with Jonathan MacDonald, who launched the venture (and accompanying knowledge resource/thinking space), and the capacity crowd of supporters who have signed up to attend. The meet-up starts off with presentations and perspectives from a roster of esteemed colleagues and mobile advertising evangelists including Andrew Grill (a frequent MSG columnist), Dominic Travers, Vikki Chowney, James Whatley, and Alfie Dennen.
I’ll be there to outline MSG’s new role in Every Single One Of Us. I am proud to announce that my proposal – one of many submitted by firms to research and write an authoritative report on the mobile advertising markets in the U.K. and Germany – has been chosen. To correctly assess the landscape MSG’s new custom research division will undertake 25+ in-person interviews with companies, stakeholders, and shareholders across the emerging mobile advertising value chain. This research will also include the results of a comprehensive questionnaire and online survey aimed at industry experts, as well as relevant consumer segments.
(Indeed, understanding attitudes toward mobile advertising is critical if we consider the current controversy brewing around mobile marketing practices, personalization and targeting. Mobile Marketer will publish my personal take on this topic in a column early next week.)
I am excited about this project and confident the research we conduct will provide advertisers, operators, media agencies, and other interested companies insight into consumer attitudes/behavior, best practice, and offer recommendations on how to drive acceptance of advertising and grow the overall mobile advertising market. If you are interested in learning more about the research, or in joining the group of sponsor companies lining up to lend their voices to Every Single One Of Us of Us, then contact me directly – peggy@msearchgroove.com
Tags: Every Single One Of Us, Mobile Advertising, mobile analytics, Ogilvy
