SnackableContent

He Got the Hook Up

More than 1.5-plus million people entered to win a Dodge Charger tricked out by West Coast Customs during Boost Mobile and AirG’s “Get Hookt Up with a New Ride” campaign. While that number of entries isn’t all that surprising for a classic muscle car, what is surprising is the fact that more than 98% of the entries came from mobile devices. A radio text to join effort aided the cause as did online promotions. New Jersey gas station worker James Fauntelroy received the keys to the car, bet he’s psyched.

McDonald's Cooks Up Filet-o-Phone

  I have a friend Brandon who I thought liked McDonald’s filet-o-fish sandwiches. I was so confident that I bet $20 on it. I lost that bet thus proving that no one eats filet-o-fish sandwiches or at least anyone I know (Hey, what kind of fish is it anyway?)  Regardless, just in time for lent, McDonald’s is trying to get people try its mystery fish sandwich as well as a double filet-o-fish with a new mobile push. At Filetofish.com, you can download some lame wallpapers, dolphin song ringtones (which would be extra annoying to my fellow morning commuters) and games. Well the games look cool at least, especially The Fast and the Furious Tokyo. Consumers in 40 U.S. markets will be able to sample the content by texting “FOF” to 37438. The company who developed it, iPlay, has touted it as one of the largest mobile efforts of its kind. Maybe it might even get people to actually order a filet-o-fish, but I wouldn’t bet money on it.

Out to lunch

Snackable Content is out to lunch this week as its author is on vacation. Regular blogging will resume on Monday.

How Do You Work This Thing Again?

Americans consider themselves among the least tech savvy in the world when it comes to mobile devices, according to the CMO Council’s Global Mobile Mindset Audit. More than 14,000 mobile users in 37 countries were surveyed. Only half of U.S. users deem themselves "very tech savvy" compared to Latin America (73%), Eastern Europe (69%), Asia (63%) and Western Europe (58%). Other takeaways: The mobile industry’s emphasis on features and functions isn’t resonating as many respondents claim not to use many of the bells and whistles—one of which is the mobile Web. The study calls it "function fatigue." No wonder advertising on mobile in the U.S. is taking so long.

The New York Times Got Hung Up on One Thing

Today’s article, “The Ad-Free Cell Phone May Soon Be Extinct” in The New York Times was a nifty little overview of mobile marketing. However, the American Marketing Association was quick to alert us to “one important point that’s missing. According to AMA: Mobile phone marketing is an effective marketing channel when it is done in coordination with the bigger marketing mix. It adds an additional dimension to the mix but it has to be supported by other channels, namely online. Reaching engaged consumers on multiple platforms can provide opportunities for marketers to utilize research and data to reach consumers with the most relevant messages and on the most relevant platform.” So there.

Cell Phone Porn: Well That Didn’t Take Long

Not so long ago, it used to be you’d have to take a trip to New York’s Times Square to catch some dirty pictures on the silver screen. But today, you can sample smut on your cell phone. At 3GSM, the wireless brand extension agency Brickhouse Mobile was proud to announce that Internet porn princess Aria Giovanni has branched out into the mobile world. At Ariamobile.com, fans can download videos, photos and ringtones. “[It] enables me to connect with my fans – no matter where I am – or where they are…it’s a match made in technology heaven, and I look forward to seeing where we will go,” said Giovanni in a statement. Well I guess it certainly is one way men can get Giovanni in their pants.

At Brandweek, Blog’s ‘R Us

Presuming that you are not only into reading about the exciting world of mobile marketing, you may want to check out some of Brandweek’s other outstanding blogs. The Brandwiki focuses on interactive marketing. BrandweekNRX covers the drug world (legal drugs, big Pharma and the like). Short Takes is a snarky look at all things marketing. And The 16th Minute examines brands and trends that have jumped the shark, as they say.

Yahoo! Comes Out Kicking and Screaming

One of the Web’s trailblazer’s Yahoo! made three major announcements at the 3GSM conference in Barcelona. One, it launched a mobile display advertising platform on the company’s Mobile Web service in 19 countries. Intel, Nissan and Pepsi are already on-board as are Hilton’s Embassy Suites, Infiniti, Procter & Gamble and Singapore Airlines. Two, it already upgraded its mobile search technology Yahoo Go! For Mobile 2.0 (it only launched a month ago). Three, LG will preload this service as well as Yahoo!’s other mobile offerings on tens of millions of phones in 70 countries. For me the big take away, is that I need to book a ticket to this Mac Daddy conference next year. There’s tons of news (more posts to follow) and oh yeah it’s in Barcelona, Spain. Local weather: 61 degrees (versus Manhattan where it’s mid-30’s).

Inventing the Internet Wasn't Enough, Al

Al Gore may have invented the Internet, but he didn’t invent the Mobile Web—Verizon Wireless did. Well I guess they didn’t either, but they rule it if you plan on running ads across their network. That’s why when a Seventeen magazine rep was asked about when ads will arrive on their new ad-supported Seventeen Mobile site available on Verizon Wireless’ Mobile Web 2.0 (catchy), they deferred to the wireless giant as to what kind of advertising they will have and when. Which brings me to the reason the new mobile Web is nothing like the Internet days of old—namely, there are watchdogs galore. Back in the cyberday you could post just about anything, anywhere and scoop up every Web name for profit until that practice was outlawed. So perhaps if Al Gore had invented and policed the Internet like say the Mobile Marketing Association does mobile marketing, we would have all been better off.

A Model Text-to-Win Promotion

The women’s cable network Oxygen is launching a text-to-win trivia promotion today to promote its show The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency. The network, whose viewers’ median age is 42, is trying to skew younger thanks to the male modeling show as well as The Bad Girls Club reality TV show. Oxygen Media rep Rachelle Savoia said, “we’re bringing the promotion to a different platform and targeting a different audience.” One of its first mobile efforts, the promo entails a TV spot running during each episode that asks fans to answer trivia questions. Once they text their answers, they are entered to win a 42” plasma TV. Oxygen hits 71 million homes.