If radio understood the appeal of the internet, they’d know a great website isn’t the key to the battle to raise revenues.

Despite a growing database of purchased MP3’s, an iPhone, and an in-car iPod cable, I still enjoy listening to the radio. I have several routine drives that I make throughout the work week, and at least two of them are spent using the radio to catch concert news, hear sports updates, or stumble upon a new band. I think of radio like a nice blog, I visit because they offer a mix of opinions and content I can’t find anywhere else (i.e. it can’t be downloaded from iTunes). New music, a pinch of throw-back music, and DJ commentary add a spin that you might find in a podcast, but podcasts don’t have the same feel.

But in a suffocating attempt to leverage new media, radio stations are building content-oriented websites and promoting them on-air to their listeners. This was a great idea when users were listening to radio in the workplace… but with the boom of iTunes, most people who work at a computer aren’t listening to the radio. Instead, radio is slowly being limited to in-car entertainment.

The biggest problem with website-oriented in-car entertainment? No one is by a computer! So why are Radio DJ’s asking their in-car listeners to go search the station website to learn more about an artist, concert, or song? The last thing radio needs to do is push more people to the internet, especially for content better served by a Google search! In the off-chance a consumer remembers to look for the information, the chances of them using the radio website to find it are slim. Sure, there are exceptions, like station specific information, but by the time someone gets to a computer, do they really care? In an society dictated by instant gratification, I doubt it. If listeners are really looking for funny videos or concert clips they’re better off on YouTube… and the listeners know this!

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I’ve had this sitting on a burner for a rainy day and Victor’s post on Mobile Marketing Watch was enough to bring it to the surface:

The prognosis on WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) hasn’t changed since the turn of the century. WAP technology had a premature introduction to the mobile phone as it came before the infrastructure and consumer interest supported it. The early complaints of WAP were closely related to those of the early internet, which left hope for WAP developers but, unlike the internet, WAP had to compete with a more complete sibling: the internet. In my mind, 7 key things pile in the barrel of WAP’s struggle:

7. Not Supported by All Major Carriers
WAP’s initial lax in the content delivery space was relieved by the WAP push. A WAP push allows content providers to deliver content to a mobile device using a WAP browser connection. In addition, the WAP push is a favorable alternative to MMS, a technology that is/was suffering from a lack of universal standards across the major carriers. But the major carriers have their own business to protect, so off-deck content delivery through WAP is not supported by all of the major carriers. This alone eliminates at least 30% of the mobile market. Imagine having a billboard that 1/3 of the motorists couldn’t read.

6. MMS is Next
Because MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) is not a ubiquitous mobile offering, mobile ASPs have relied heavily on WAP to deliver their content. Since the carriers have agreed to MMS interoperability, that is going to change. MMS allows sending and receiving of graphics, video, and audio clips - most of the information sent through a WAP push. There is very little that needs to be changed for WAP interoperability, instead it is limited by the carriers’ business decisions to block off-deck WAP delivery. MMS interoperability is a step up from the limits of WAP, by allowing users to be billed directly through SMS without the additional pain of a WAP download. There is potential for one bill, one technology, interoperable delivery.

5. Billed by Data Usage
Consumers are already wary of the premium paid for direct mobile content such as ringtones. Most of the paid ringtone services are charging a minimum of $0.99 p/ ringtone, which is the price of a full mp3 from iTunes. Consumers are still downloading ringtones despite the premium charge, however, many consumers are shocked to see WAP data charges on top of their premium sms charge. This will leave many consumers frustrated until unlimited data plans become more of the norm. People dislike being billed twice for the same content.

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The only thing worse than a stranger talking loud on their cell phone, is a being trapped, 35,000 feet above ground, with a stranger talking loud on their cell phone. With a slew of European airliners, such as Air France, beginning to test in-flight mobile use, the US is going to find itself with a decision to make. Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore, has decided to put his stake in the ground, requesting the government to clarify the use of mobile phones on commercial airlines. In his bill, The Hang Up Act of 2008, DeFazio suggests banning voice communication, while still allowing use of text messaging and e-mail capabilities.

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Most brands are familiar with the potential for mobile, but they still ask the same question, “What do we do with this?” Explaining how to build a mobile marketing campaign won’t cut it anymore. There is another “How to” feature: mobile advertising.
I was reviewing the MMA Global Mobile Advertising Guidelines and came across a great reference piece that I thought would be a great starting point for those entering the mobile advertising space. I’ve included the original list as well as my thoughts on each.

1. Click-To-Call – Users place an outgoing call to the content provider or advertiser.

I like this approach because it is fairly easy to implement on SMS, as well as WAP. Most handsets can recognize an embedded phone number, making this a great starting block. In a recent mobile advertising study by Neilson Reports, 9% of those that were exposed to a mobile advertisement responded with a call.

2. Click-To-Locate – Users find the nearest outlet, or car dealer, or movie theatre, enabled by location based services.

As mobile technology develops, this will be a very powerful tool. Right now, there are too few handsets for this technology to reach its true potential. Instead, I would recommend an SMS directory solution that would allow a user to text in their zip code and receive the closest location.

3. Click to order brochure – Users receive marketing materials by supplying their postal addresses.

If used correctly, this advertising method can help push your products to the market. The areas that have built the unprecedented conversion rates have involved “consumption” on the mobile device, or internet. If the company shows a steady rate of growth based on the number of pre-qualified brochure orders, this advertising will benefit the user. I would recommend placing this type of advertisement as a follow-up marketing message once the user has opted in to an alerts campaign.

4. Click to Enter Competition – Users enter text or sweepstake to win prizes.

This is one of the highest conversion options in mobile advertising. In the study I referenced above, 26% of those who viewed a mobile advertisement responded with a text message. Allowing users to convert on their handset makes the task simple and ensures that even the busiest consumers will have an opportunity to join the list.

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Mobile marketing is the next wave of information technology, but this wave is beyond the unprecedented statistics of response rates and highly targetable databases. Mobile is becoming a requirement for the continued development of user content websites. 3Cinteractive provides a level of service, support, and technology between content providers and the wireless consumers. This position gives us a unique perspective on the development of mobile marketing. The 3Cinteractive Blog is our way of publishing that knowledge, providing our analysis, and having a little fun.

Over the life of this blog, you will hear from several members of our team. Each member of the 3Cinteractive team prides themselves in their particular area of expertise, and I will make sure their voice is heard. As in any growing field, our team is always moving, so I’ve huddled up a small group of regular contributers to keep us moving. Here they are… in order of age (or wisdom).

J. Ainsworth Boyle, Editor and New Media: I will be the most regular contributer to this blog. The majority of my input will draw connections between web trends and mobile trends. I will also cover news events in both of these industries and provide insight from a consumer’s perspective.

Jeff Michaud, Creative Director
John Duffy, Founder and Chief Executive Officer

Upcoming Articles:
- 10 Ways Brands Use Mobile
- What Do 58 Million US Mobile Subscribers Have in Common?
- 7 Reasons WAP is Flawed
- Why Websites Can’t Save Radio
- Mobile 101: Understanding Universal Keywords

3Ci welcomes Cumulus Media to its family. Cumulus Media is a leading owner and operator of high quality FM and AM radio stations serving mid-size and smaller cities throughout the US and Caribbean. Cumulus Media Atlanta was looking for an effective way to get information out to its listeners regarding a change of dial position for all of its brands and a new internet radio station launched for alternative listeners.

To support the cluster’s efforts, 3Ci began by “scrubbing” the Cumulus listener database and provided them with 100,000 mobile numbers from their existing database.  Cumulus used this data to invite fans to the
new Internet station 99x.com.  Fans were also invited to win tickets to a sold out concert.  The campaign resulted in over 7,000 entries during afternoon drive on a Friday! Rob Hamilton, Director of Interactive Media at Cumulus is enthusiastic about the cluster’s mobile initiatives, “Text messaging gives us an immediate, direct way to reach our listeners and engage them when they are away from the radio, and that is a very powerful marketing tool for us.”
“We are really excited about the Cumulus opportunity,” stated Mike FitzGibbon, 3Ci President. “An aggressive team of experienced programmers, sale managers and promotion directors are receiving a hands on mobile
education from the 3Ci team.  They are embracing the technology, and are engaged in the boutique services provided by 3Ci including live support during initial mobile campaigns to ensure Cumulus’ early success with mobile.”

- Jeff Michaud

Redline Media Group has chosen 3Cinteractive to be its exclusive mobile marketing partner.  The first project for 3Ci and Redline will be to bring SMS interactivity to Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Properties.

Redline Media Group CEO, Cima Georgevich, a proponent of cutting edge technology, will use  3Ci’s Switchblade™ mobile messaging platform to deploy several SMS concierge applications, including a “meet-n-greet” solution for visitors at airports in Seminole Hard Rock live venue cities.  Most notably 3Ci’s houtbox™, an in-venue text-to-screen application, will bring live interactivity to all Seminole Hard Rock Live shows and events.
According to David Ross, 3Ci’s Chairman, “Redline’s bold initiative is being supported by our “boutique
service” team. We are proud that Redline has chosen 3Ci to help get in front of its competitors by
providing its client base with mobile marketing extensions, in a full service end-to-end fashion”.

- Jeff Michaud