Wednesday, September 14, 2005
Grabbing the audience by the phones: Flash mob marketing games
iMedia Connection: Rock Txtn' Roll
ipsh!'s Nihal Mehta describes the possiblities for mobile marketing at Lollapalooza. The trick is to cut through all the clutter of ads and promotions that already fill these events. Mobile marketing via the cellphone is a new option:
According to Mehta the "Mobile marketers behind Lollapalooza recognized that a cell phone based promotion was the best way to reach this 12-18 year old market." While this "may be common knowledge for most savvy marketers," the many distractions of these mass events still pose a problem. Mehta proposes several interesting "best practices" for securing the attention of distracted teens. Most of these tactics involve creating "community gaming" situations that build on the social networks embodied in the cellphone user social group, to get beyond the individual and penetrate the social network of which he/she is only the point of penetration:
Mobile marketing campaigns make use of the ephemeral sense of community created in the shared concert space. "Interaction and audience participation" are what makes mobile marketing work:
Mehta proposes cross promotion with telecom sponsors like Verizon or other cell phone carriers that are trying to reach the same demographic:
Interactive gameplay sure is a 'mindfield' for mobile marketers, balancing gameplay, interactivity with needs of the sponsor for the right demographics.
ipsh!'s Nihal Mehta describes the possiblities for mobile marketing at Lollapalooza. The trick is to cut through all the clutter of ads and promotions that already fill these events. Mobile marketing via the cellphone is a new option:
At last month's Lollapalooza, the first large-scale touring festival in the U.S. featuring 60 artists performing on six stages, thirty thousand fans were offered a chance to play a virtual game in a "Mindfield" using their cell phones as a mobile spin on a "choose your own adventure novel." Concert-goers texted "lolla" on their cell phones and some even won a meeting with Lolla Founder Perry Farrell. An astonishing 10 percent of the audience, that's 3,000 of the 30,000 attendees, participated in the "Txt-n'-Win" campaign. The increase in audience participation, compared to previous years, is strong indication that people want to do more at concerts than listen to their favorite artists -- they want to play around with their cell phones.
According to Mehta the "Mobile marketers behind Lollapalooza recognized that a cell phone based promotion was the best way to reach this 12-18 year old market." While this "may be common knowledge for most savvy marketers," the many distractions of these mass events still pose a problem. Mehta proposes several interesting "best practices" for securing the attention of distracted teens. Most of these tactics involve creating "community gaming" situations that build on the social networks embodied in the cellphone user social group, to get beyond the individual and penetrate the social network of which he/she is only the point of penetration:
Think about creating games where you play against other concert goers or you play as a TEAM. sure Getting friends to play along is a great way to extend mobile marketing beyond one person and allow it to be a remote control of community gaming or promotions.
Mobile marketing campaigns make use of the ephemeral sense of community created in the shared concert space. "Interaction and audience participation" are what makes mobile marketing work:
However you tailor your promotion, interaction and audience participation will be key drivers to your campaigns' success. Videogames, and trivia questions may be used to engage audiences, but more interactive devices such as Flash Mobs, or having audiences pull pranks on their friends, can have a lasting impact. Text message marketing via cell phone can also serve as helpful reminders, and fans will truly appreciate a message alerting them the exact time that a performer is scheduled to appear onstage.
Mehta proposes cross promotion with telecom sponsors like Verizon or other cell phone carriers that are trying to reach the same demographic:
The last thing to remember is to cross-promote with sponsors who will reinforce your brand and may be willing to help add a viral or online component to the mix. There is clearly good money in having a carrier sponsor the promotion like a Cingular or Verizon, but make sure the sponsor money outweighs the reduced gameplay if users must subscribe to a particular service to participate.
Interactive gameplay sure is a 'mindfield' for mobile marketers, balancing gameplay, interactivity with needs of the sponsor for the right demographics.
