SnackableContent

VH1 Turns on the Charm Tomorrow

To promote its original series, "Flavor of Love Girls: Charm School starring Mo'Nique," VH1 is sending Charm School ambassadors (beautiful women in school girl outfits) out on the streets of Manhattan. They will reward women they find charming with 500 branded cellphone charms. Those exhibiting ill-mannered behaviors (which includes obnoxious cellphone ring, potty mouth, invasion of personal space and suspicious odor) will receive paper citations. The show, which stars cast off from “Flavor of Love” premieres on April 15 at 10 PM.

Cracking Down on Short Code Programs

To make sure marketers aren’t harassing wireless subscribers, CTIA-The Wireless Association this week launched the “Common Short Code Auditing and Monitoring Initiative.” The idea is to protect consumers by keeping an eye on the 2,000 short code programs in place. Mobile research company Telephia has been tapped to monitor the programs to insure that they comply with the industry’s consumer best practices which include advertising clarity.

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.

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.

Philip K. Dick Would Have Loved This

There was a time that cameras on cell phones seemed silly. Then after watching kids at a Nickelback concert frantically send live photos to their friends, it seemed fun. Now, it’s gotten serious. Mayor Bloomberg is encouraging folks to use their phones to record crimes. Emergency 911 call centers will soon be able to receive cell phone pictures and videos. “If you see a crime in progress or a dangerous building condition, you'll be able to transmit images to 911,” Bloomberg said in his annual State of the City speech last month. If you ever needed further proof that cell phones are becoming a integral part of our life, this is it. And if you need further proof that are lives are officially turning into a Philip K. Dick novel it’s worth noting that MySpace.com now offers Amber Alerts notifying members of missing children. And a company called BigString is offering Mission Impossible-style, self-destructing e-mails. Data can be set to disappear after a couple of weeks or a couple of seconds. A brave new world indeed. Oh wait that was Aldous Huxley.