Author Archive for Ainsworth BoylePage 2 of 7

South Florida’s Fastest Growing Technology Companies

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Ainsworth Boyle
on July 30, 2008
in Industry News
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Over the past year the 3Ci team has been working hard to grow our staff, technology, and clients. Earlier this year The South Florida Business Journal named 3Ci the 2008 Technology Company of the Year for Interactive Marketing.

With the downturn of the economy, companies are trying to find newer and cheaper ways to acquire and retain customers. They are asking for what seems to be impossible, “How do we lower our marketing budget and increase our consumer base?”

There couldn’t be a better time for mobile. With over 262 million mobile subscribers, mobile is the most direct and cost-effective marketing channel. With that in mind, it might be the only way for brands to reach increasingly frugal consumers.

Mobile technology is just starting, but growing fast. In fact, each second 36 mobile devices are activated in the world, compared to just 3 births.

3Cinteractive would like to thank its partners and clients for turning to us for their mobile solutions and making us South Florida’s Fastest Growing Technology Company.

- Ainsworth

Can Facebook Save Microsoft?

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Ainsworth Boyle
on July 28, 2008
in Trends & Research
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Steve Ballmer is in an interesting situation. This past week he’s had to address tough challenges with two of Microsoft’s biggest competitors: Apple and Google. Translation: mobile, search, and advertising.

In his most recent letter to employees, Ballmer specifically addressed Apple, Yahoo!, and Google. As many know, Ballmer has pretty much called it quits on their bid for Yahoo!. In the meantime, Apple has continued to grab chunks of the PC market, and the iPhone is dominating the smartphone world.

Ballmer has announced Microsoft’s intent to spend a lot of money acquiring companies to heal their search engine wounds several times. So far they’ve acted, investing $240 million into Facebook (Oct. 2007), and there are reports that the relationship is becoming even closer. This isn’t a bad move from Microsoft. They can’t seem to buy their way back into the search engine ranks just yet, and they need to find exposure for their ad network.

But I wonder: is Microsoft really getting the most out of their relationship with Facebook? Most of what Ballmer has talked about has been purchasing to compete with Google, instead of researching and redesigning. It reminds me of the Intuit vs. Microsoft story (see: Inside Intuit). Back when Intuit was first designing Quicken, they beat Microsoft by effectively researching the target demographic and designing a product to meet their needs. In contrast, Microsoft approached the issue by designing Microsoft Money the way they felt software should work. In the end, Microsoft’s extremely high marketing budget would fail to get Money to consumers, and Intuit’s better designed product won out. For me, that story has been a big lesson: understand who you are designing your product for.

Apple and Google have succeeded by understanding the needs of their audience. The iPhone OS is more intuitive and stable than Windows Mobile, and Google search actually pulls up legitimate results. Microsoft needs to spend more time looking at their audience and designing their product appropriately. They actually did very well with the XBox; it’s not a surprise this was designed through a separate product development process.

Facebook can be a saving grace for Microsoft, but not in the way they seem to be working right now. Instead, Microsoft needs to take full advantage of its exposure to 70+ million web consumers and allow them to influence their next product. The information age has changed, no longer can Microsoft be the second or third mover and expect to succeed by throwing more money at the problem.

- Ainsworth

Mobile Marketing Best Practices: Convert

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Ainsworth Boyle
on July 21, 2008
in 101
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The following is part 2 of a 3 part introduction to mobile marketing best practices.  You can find part 1 here and part 2 here.

The beautiful thing about mobile marketing is its ability to act as both a capture medium and a conversion medium.  Ideally, successful mobile programs will serve as a revenue generator rather than a marketing expense.  Other applications leverage text messaging as a more direct, less expensive alternative to achieve traditional marketing or communication objectives.   Once your programs have reached critical mass, you can begin considering methods to convert your database into revenue.

Just as we do not recommend buying third party lists, selling your opt-in list is a poor way of monetizing your hard work.  If possible, construct your mobile marketing message to have a response that occurs on the handset.  This has proven to be an extremely successful approach in mobile marketing for content providers offering ringtones and wallpapers as the call-to-action, download, and product were all received on the handset.  Conversions are still very high when the end-user is required to convert outside of the handset by visiting a website or store, however, a conversion that happens on the handset, keeping a user in his/her context, limits the barriers to entry.

Users love the convenience and instant gratification of mobile technology.  Appeal to that desire, and your conversion rates will directly reflect ease of use and immediate gratification.
If you are driving consumers outside of the handset, such as visiting a full html website, be very clear with the offer to the end users.  While a baited call-to-action may receive more conversions from handset to website, the conversion from website to product will not be any better.  An honest call-to-action will have great conversion rates and leave consumers satisfied with your mobile offering.

Finally, send good offers!  You’re participating in one of the most direct and powerful marketing mediums ever: a billboard in consumers’ pockets!  Send users something that makes them feel like a VIP.  Remember - text messages, even on an unlimited plan, are a cost to the consumer; don’t take advantage of that.  Send reasonable offers to your targeted groups and your consumers will happily reward you with high response rates.

-Ainsworth

Mobile Marketing Best Practices: Capture

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Ainsworth Boyle
on July 18, 2008
in 101
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The following is part 2 of a 3 part introduction to mobile marketing best practices. You can find part 1 here.

To run a successful text message marketing campaign, it is important to provide information and content that is considered valuable to consumers. Be sure to avoid third-party lists; building a database of consumers interested in your brand is the most successful strategy. In addition to not being carrier or MMA compliant, third party lists will also generate complaints. For consumers to join a mobile marketing program, they must opt-in or confirm their intent to receive your content. Carriers have two types of opt-ins; single and double, determined by the type of program. These opt-ins are limited to the particular program and short code and are not considered blanket approvals for other programs and short codes that you are marketing.

When a mobile subscriber opts into your mobile marketing program they are agreeing to receive information or mobile content from the offer you described. The best mobile marketing programs opt users into programs when demographic information can be inferred directly or indirectly. Having deeper levels of demographics allows your program to be selective when sending out future marketing messages. The more refined your marketing message is, the more receptive your end-users will be to your offer. For example, a sports radio station would benefit from individual lists for the area’s sports teams rather than one combined list of sports enthusiasts. Using this method, more general sports messages can be sent out to applicable lists but the targeted messages can be sent to the receptive users.

Be straightforward about the content and messages that users are going to receive. At a minimum include pricing, terms and billing intervals, and a notice that the cost will be charged to or deducted from their mobile phone. Do not use “free” or “bonus” terminology as end-users are still subjected to standard text messaging rates from their carrier. Including “standard carrier and other charges may apply” in your text message properly notifies the consumer of charges when joining a mobile program. Stay tuned for the wrap up…

- Ainsworth

Continue to part 3…

Mobile Marketing Best Practices: Create

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Ainsworth Boyle
on July 17, 2008
in 101
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At 3Cinteractive, we design campaigns around the motto that our company is named for: Create, Capture, Convert. First, you Create compelling, targeted “calls to action” to engage consumers via mobile. Next you Capture that consumer’s mobile number and any relevant demographic information into a consumer database. Lastly, the mobile consumer database is Converted into a new marketing channel, one that helps you achieve new and existing marketing goals. Utilizing this system and the best practices associated with each step, you will ensure a successful campaigns that build revenue and consumer loyalty for your brand.

The following is part 1 of a 3 part introduction to mobile marketing best practices.
Continue reading ‘Mobile Marketing Best Practices: Create’

MobileMe: Re-Launching the iPhone vs. BlackBerry Debate

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Ainsworth Boyle
on July 16, 2008
in Industry News
. 1 Comment

When Phil Schiller first introduced MobileMe at WWDC he likened it to “push for the rest of us.” Now that the iPhone supports Exchange, and MobileMe offers a consumer-level solution, the debate of iPhone vs. BlackBerry is back. Many of the complaints I had heard were related to the lackluster e-mail service always loading, and the inability to easily manage junk mail.

MobileMe, the 3G service, and the iPhone 2.0 OS resolves these issues and more. During the first introductory days of the MobileMe service, “Push” was choppy and delayed by several minutes. By the end of the weekend, I was able to erase and re-sync/Push my contacts, calendar, e-mail, and bookmarks. Monday morning, I made a couple of changes using iCal and Address Book and the changes were at my iPhone just a minute later.

But, even before this feature, the largest complaint was not calendar or contact syncing; it was e-mail. If you’re wondering if Apple resolved the junk filter issue, you’ll still be disappointed. They have, however, made a small step by allowing users to easily delete multiple e-mails. The 3G network and Push e-mail have made e-mail faster, with no “loading…” screen, which was an irritating feature of Apple’s “fetch” solution. It’s not perfect yet; I hit a terminal “loading…” screen when I dropped service while opening an e-mail. Compared to iPhone 1.x, it’s night and day.

With Apple on the path to creating a MobileMe service that ousts BlackBerry’s Push service, what more is there left to compare? Keyboard? OS?

With the rumors of BlackBerry’s touch screen Thunder device, it’s even more of a debate of operating systems, and I don’t think BlackBerry is suited for an OS war.

- Ainsworth

See Also:
MobileMe on Wikipedia

My Experience at the 3G iPhone Launch

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Ainsworth Boyle
on July 11, 2008
in Industry News
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Last year I made it to the initial iPhone launch. I arrived at a small AT&T store, on Linton Blvd, in Boca Raton, FL, six hours early. I was one of the first 20 people in line and just after 7:30PM I walked out of the store with one of the first iPhones.

This week, I’m on vacation in New York City. Late last night I debated making the trip over to the legendary 5th Avenue Store - I was at that store’s grand opening - but I decided a local AT&T store might be the better bet - I should have remembered AT&T stores sold out last year and Apple stores did not.

This years launch was 8:00AM; I strolled up to AT&T 86th and 3rd street store in New York City at ~8:30. I was about 150 people deep, give or take the handful of people that “ran into friends who happened to be standing in line.”

As many of you know, the activation process was now set to be done on sight. That only worked for the first customer as both AT&T and iTunes (Apple) would crash by 8:15.

As I got to the front of the store, the countdown began: “We have no more 16GBs and only 10 8GBs. We are accepting direct fulfillment.”

At this point, I began running the number of line cutters through my head, realizing I was 11 from the front. No more announcements would come, yet I was invited into the store with the chain closing behind me.

5 minutes later my AT&T salesman was handed an iPhone 3G and told, “That’s the last one.” Alas, I was handed my new iPhone 3G and told that the remaining activation process would have to be done at home using iTunes.

Needless to say, the new phone is sexy… however, iTunes is still struggling through the activation process. Once I’m able to get through the set-up process I’ll be sure to add updates on the MobileMe experience; I know there are a few debates about it’s ability to dethrone BlackBerry.

- Ainsworth

Text Your Crime Tips

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Ainsworth Boyle
on July 8, 2008
in Industry News
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As the teens and 20-somethings transition from voice-to-text, major city resources are doing the same. Brian Bernardi, Sgt of the Louisville, KY, Metro Police Department, who was interviewed in Fox News’ article realizes that the target demographic wouldn’t normally dial a Crime Stoppers line to report a crime. Departments are hoping a more familiar and discreet medium, like text messaging, will encourage use.

More than 100 communities, including Boston, Cincinnati, Tampa, San Francisco, Seattle, Denver, Indianapolis, New Orleans, and Detroit have implemented the system. Fox reports that in the 12 months since they launched the system, Boston police have logged 678 text tips, nearly the same as the 727 phone tips in the same period.

And tipsters aren’t shy when it comes to providing information. Police have reported tips that include specific times, drug information, names of suspects, locations, and license plate numbers.

Best of all, text tips still carry a cash reward.

- Ainsworth

3Cinteractive Powers Innovative HD Digital Radio Alliance Conversion Campaign

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Ainsworth Boyle
on July 7, 2008
in Press Releases
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Boca Raton, FL (PRWEB) – 6/30/2008 – 3Cinteractive, a leading creative mobile marketing company, announced it is powering the innovative consumer awareness campaign for the HD Digital Radio Alliance. The expanded marketing campaign is aimed at accelerating the adoption of HD Radio. The Alliance is featuring a text messaging call to action in more than half of all of its radio ads nationwide.

3Ci’s mobile messaging platform is creating real-time, measurable conversations with consumers by promoting listeners to “Text UPGRADE to 34343”. “By establishing a direct, instant relationship with consumers who show an interest in HD Radio, we are activating a whole new category of catalysts,” said Peter Ferrara, President and CEO of the HD Digital Radio Alliance.
Radio ads within the new $57 million, 13-week marketing campaign are running in 100 markets on more than 700 stations. A full 65% of the radio ads invite consumers to text UPGRADE to 34343 with the remainder issuing the familiar call to action to visit www.HDRadio.com.
Continue reading ‘3Cinteractive Powers Innovative HD Digital Radio Alliance Conversion Campaign’

3Cinteractive Completes Trial for Industry Changing Text Collect™ Service

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Ainsworth Boyle
on July 5, 2008
in Press Releases
. 1 Comment

Boca Raton, FL (PRWEB) – 7/7/2008 – 3Cinteractive, a leading mobile marketing agency and application development company, announced it has completed a successful 9 month trial of the company’s patent pending Text Collect™ service. As a result, 3Ci is announcing an immediate full scale launch of the product. Text Collect combines Interactive Voice Response, SMS and Premium SMS (PSMS) mobile billing, producing the only service that allows collect calling and operator services providers to complete collect calls to mobile phones.

Prior to Text Collect™, the ability to complete collect calls to mobile phones has been a major challenge to the collect calling industry. With the number of mobile lines quickly outpacing the number of landlines in the U.S., the solution could not have come soon enough. Collect call completion ratios have been steadily declining for years due to the rapid growth in mobile phone usage. According to David Ellerstein, 3Cinteractive’s Text Collect™ General Manager, “Text Collect™ has driven significant positive results for collect calling providers and all of the major mobile carriers participating in the trial.”
Continue reading ‘3Cinteractive Completes Trial for Industry Changing Text Collect™ Service’