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Initially, this was a 3 part blog posted on my company’s corporate blog at http://www.rockfishblog.com. I have condensed it into 1 article for Gooruze.com.

What forces are going to drive marketing, branding, sales and store communication in 2008?

It’s a big question on the minds of business leaders. As I have pondered this question over the last three weeks, I have come to several conclusions. Over the coming months, I will address them one at a time through this blog.

In the first few weeks, I will approach one that keeps coming to mind: Mobile Web. Now, there are many forms of mobile web. Today, I will specifically address the mobile web infrastructure as it relates to phones and wireless broadband cards.

Sooooo, Mobile Web you say? It has nearly become a dirty word in marketing because it’s been such a flop so far. All of the promise of seeing a potential customer walk past your coffee shop, only to receive a coupon on their cell-phone, turn around and enter your shop for a Gargantuan Frapa-capa-chalupa-chino has never materialized. HOWEVER, I have seen some exciting progress first hand, so let’s dive into the infrastructure advances.

The Mobile Web is not a new concept. In the US, we have been viewing WAP pages on our cell phones since the late ‘90s. However, what is worth noting is that in January 2007, the web was accessed from a mobile device by 30 million users in the US. That is 19% of the users that accessed the web via a PC over the same timeframe (comScore). Further, web data services are growing at a rate of 17% annually (Questex). This is a mass considered to be a tipping point.

The great news is that we can see this number continuing to increase in 2008. With 3G (3rd Generation) networks reaching places as remote as NW Arkansas (Editors note: Rockfish Interactive is headquartered in NW Arkansas), the world can surf the internet with mobile devices at download speeds reaching 2Mb per second. That is faster than a T1! Further, with Sprint visiting us in the Rockfish office in late August, we learned that Sprint XOHM networks, pronounced ZOAM, capable of speeds near 70Mb/s are already soft launching in three US markets: Chicago, Baltimore and Washington. (XOHM is the brand name for Sprint Nextel’s WiMax, which is a 4G technology.) Sprint Nextel, partnered with Clearwire Corp, expect to cover 100 million people in the US by the end of 2008.

Whew, that was a bit technical for my liking, but I think it got the point across that the infrastructure is finally available and only getting better. This opens a lot of doors for marketers, but also leads us into a developing market that is sure to experience some growing pains.

Let’s now move on to Mobile Web from hand-held devices – mainly phones. This is a medium becoming known as the “third screen”. The first screen being the television, second screen the PC and the third is your cell phone. Imagine that. I suspect the fourth will be the visions from microwave beams into your head, but we can address that in a few years.

So how do companies leverage the third screen infrastructure to build a brand? I have some good solutions, but there are also an awful lot of barriers, so let’s address those first.

Barrier: Aren’t most mobile screens around 1.5” wide? How do brands do any decent advertising?

Response: Well, screens are getting larger every month. The most drastic example is the Apple iPhone. However, good marketing can be done even on smaller screens. Just think outside the box.

One of my favorite solutions is actually an SMS (text) solution. You start by texting a keyword to 4info (44636). The keyword can be a ticker symbol, college mascot or flight number. Moments later, you will receive a response with the stock’s current price, the team’s game score or the flight status (which is never good news anymore). Accompanying that information is often a short message from a sponsor. Think Chevy during March Madness.

The user receives quality, useful, requested information and the sponsor reaches a grateful consumer with a targeted message. Since you can target the user based on their query, the marketing value is very high.

Barrier: People hate pop-ups and a phone is much more personal than a PC. Won’t I turn the customer off if I send ads to their phone?

Response: My short answer is maybe. I believe this is the biggest issue facing Mobile Marketers over the next 2-3 years.

Ironically, I was at Buffalo Wild Wings last Wednesday when my roommate Jarrod received a text from sender 000000. He looked at me with confusion, and then checked the message. It said something along the lines of: “For cheap MEDS, visit …….com for Valium, Viagra,…” Look familiar? Yeah, it’s like the general SPAM you receive daily in your e-mail.

I asked Jarrod what he thought about it and his first question was, “Did they do something to screw up my phone?” His concern was that his Motorola Razr had just received a virus. Luckily he was just the recipient of SPAM, not a virus, but you can see the implications of unsolicited ads on a cell phone: confusion, concern, frustration, disappointment and disgust.

One more thing to consider: some users pay per text message over a certain limit. If you send unsolicited text ads via SMS to my phone and it costs me money, you are definitely going to tick me off. However, if you are giving me quality info that I have requested, I will appreciate that. Even if an ad is included? Yeah. I understand the way the world works and so do most consumers.

What about banner ads on a mobile device? It’s fair game. Consumers know they are part of the web experience and that translates to the Mobile Web.

The key here is two fold: either walk on a well traveled path such as banner ads or stay with a strict policy of only delivering content that has been requested. Is a one-time opt-in enough? Probably not. Be sure they want the content they are receiving each time they receive it.

Barrier: Who owns the advertising medium or space: the phone manufacturer, the service provider or the website owner?

Response: This is another big issue and one that is still up in the air. Lucky for you, it’s not your responsibility to solve so don’t over-think it. If they have the ability and medium to distribute ads, then they have the right to do so.

The biggest issue is going to surface when phone manufacturers, service providers and websites are all driving ads to the same consumer, during the same session. We can only hope that it won’t get too overwhelming. The best news here is that it hasn’t happened yet, so you are safe for now.

Barrier: Is it easy to calculate an ROI?

Response: Billboards, TV ads, magazine ads, etc. make it difficult or impossible to calculate ROI. The Mobile Web, because of its electronic and decentralized nature, is much easier.

Being able to track a customer from a specific ad to the point of purchase or sign-up is ideal. If you are offering a contest, just check out the number of entries. If your campaign does not have a natural tracking method, create one. Set up a landing page with a hit counter, add a contest sign-up or create a text-to sweepstakes.

If you create a way to measure ROI on your first campaign, you won’t be facing the same questions about it next time around.

Now that we have covered some of the barriers, let’s take a look at the best options for utilizing the “Third Screen” to build your brand.

Mobile Web Advertising Options:

SMS/Text Messaging
Earlier I described the 4INFO text tool. It gives real-time updates of information based on keywords text to (44636). This is a great method. Another solid example is American Idol for surveys and contests.

The drawback is that you lose interactivity, flashy graphics, etc. However, the stability and proven infrastructure are big advantages.

Interested? Check out Enpocket at http://www.enpocket.com/

Banner Ads
Nothing new here, they have been around since the advent of the Internet and won’t go away anytime soon. Banners are typically shown at the top of content pages, similar to standard websites, so they are not offensive or inconvenient in nature. The biggest question here is whether or not the average user is trained to look right past the banner ad.

Interested? Check out Third Screen Media at http://www.thirdscreenmedia.com/

Games
Companies like Samsung have commissioned mobile games to be created that promote their brand and feature products they intend to promote. It’s a great strategy because the games usually carry a cost, they can pass virally and they entertain the user with your advertising message.

Another option is product placement. It is taking off big-time in video games, so why not mobile games? What pizza place will Spider Man enter to save the day? Maybe Papa John’s. Hmmm…pizza sounds good. I should order Papa John’s, who now has internet ordering ability from my cell phone. Go figure.

Interested? Check out Barking Lizards at http://www.barkinglizards.com/

Video Ads
One of the most talked about recent Mobile Web applications is mobile television. This is actually watching television programming on your mobile device, even live events. ESPN Mobile did flop, but big players keep coming to the table to make this a reality. With 3G available and 4G progressing nicely, we should be seeing live video in our hands shortly.

As for current options, the biggest name is MobiTV. Their self description reads: “With MobiTV your phone becomes a portable TV. Watch your favorite channels right in the palm of your hand. See channels you watch at home, made for mobile programming…over 100 TV channels worldwide, such as MSNBC, ABC News Now, FOX News Channel, Fox Sports, ESPN 3GTV, NBC Mobile…and more.” They offer service for dozens of mobile phones from dozens of service providers and for PCs. It is actually a pretty robust service.

I can sum this one up with one question. Mobile commercials anyone?

Interested? Check out MobiTV at http://www.mobitv.com/

Mobile Coupons
This is a little off of our current focus, but it is interesting enough to note and certainly does help you build your brand and promote your products. A California company, Cellfire, has developed an application that allows users to register for coupons that are delivered right to their mobile phone’s screen. You can actually scan barcodes on most mobile phone screens at the register to receive the discount! If it doesn’t scan, the clerk simply types in the coupon’s code and you receive the discount anyway.

Who is working with Cellfire? Just a few companies like Papa John’s, Ben and Jerry’s, Hollywood Video, TGI Friday’s, Subway and EMI Music, among others.

Interested? Check out Cellfire at http://www.cellfire.com/

WAP Websites
This one was saved for last because it works great in conjunction with the strategies above.

One of the key technologies that Rockfish pushes to clients is the utilization of microsites. Microsites are standard websites that focus on a specific product or theme, instead of a company or entire product line. The advantages are many, but the most important are ease of navigation, focus of message and indexability by search engines.

A WAP page can work the same way. Utilize it to feature a product or message with 3-6 pages of content. You get your own site to customize your message, so the sky is the limit. Just remember to keep information brief, screens are small.

Interested? Check out Rockfish Interactive at http://www.rockfishinteractive.com/

This wraps up the article. If you have some burning questions or further suggestions I am all ears.