Analysts acknowledge that forecasts for the growth of mobile marketing
and advertising are just educated guesses, but Jupiter Research sees a
€700 million, or $895 million, market in Western Europe by 2010, up from
less than €100 million now. Ovum, a telecommunications consultancy,
forecasts a $1.3 billion U.S. market by 2010.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/08/27/business/ad28.php
One can probably assume the same items will apply to Mobile Search
through a in-car mobile appliance
New 411 User Survey Points To Mobile Local Search Demand
Many Internet companies, especially some of the much-hyped Web 2.0
startups, are busy building tools and applications for which no
mainstream consumer demand actually exists. In my view that's what
killed many of early Internet companies after the first bubble burst –
there was no existing use case to sustain them.
But the opposite is true of nascent "mobile local search," a set of
half-baked tools and embryonic applications that seek to deliver local
content to wireless users. People are eager for local information on the
go; and when wireless data services become fast, easy to use and more
affordable, you'll see adoption ramp quickly. Remarkably, the user
demand for local content on mobile devices is much more developed than
the carriers' and wireless content providers' current mobile offerings.
It's in this larger context that I write about a new study released this
week from Tellme, an automated voice services provider and directory
assistance (411) wholesaler. The company engaged Harris Interactive and
surveyed 1,425 adult Americans about directory assistance usage. The
study was conducted between March 31 and June 7 of this year.
At the highest level, the survey revealed that the majority (55%) of
people calling 411 these days are doing so from wireless phones. (That
makes sense because the Internet/local search is often a 411
substitute.) The study also revealed demographic differences in behavior
and attitudes toward directory assistance. The findings showed, in
addition, that mobile 411 callers are most interested in entertainment
(restaurants, bars, movies), shopping and travel-related information.
And reading a little deeper you also get a fascinating sense of the
immediacy and intensity of user interest in local content in the mobile
context.
Directory assistance is a mature, multi-billion dollar industry in the
U.S. and Europe (although the industry structure in Europe is
different). It is based on a consumer pay-per-use model, although a
number of providers in the U.S., such as 1-800 Free-411 and
1-800-411-Metro, are now offering free, ad-supported 411 to consumers.
But as I lay out some the Tellme survey findings don't think about
"directory assistance" (i.e., "What city, what listing?") per se, think
about mobile local search with a voice interface. That's where directory
assistance is headed anyway: category search with a voice front end.
From a user-experience perspective the wireless industry must address
some of the more challenging usability issues before mobile data becomes
mainstream in the U.S. Imperfect though it is, voice is one of the
potential responses to some of those wireless usability questions.
On to the survey . . . First, the demographic findings:
As mentioned, 55% of all U.S. adults used 411 in a mobile context. That
number was even higher for 18 to 28 year olds (63%). According to the
findings only 26% said they used directory assistance most frequently at
home. Almost half of women use 411 one or more times a month as compared
with 37% of men.
The survey segmented the data by gender and according to three
demographic groups: Boomers (41-60), GenXers (29-40) and Millennials
(18-28). You can read the segmentation breakdowns by content category
usage in the release. In the aggregate, however, when users called 411
they were typically looking for the following information:
• Restaurants & Bars: 43%
• Retail Stores: 36%
• Hotels/Lodging: 24%
• Movie Theaters, Amusement & Recreation: 20%
• Transportation: Taxis & Airlines: 10%
Another interesting cluster of findings surrounded use of 411
"alternatives." In other words, what did people do when they didn't call
411? (I for example pay Sprint $1.25 every time I dial 411, so I don't.)
Again, there are differences by age and gender. But here are the overall
data:
• Called a family member: 58%
• Called a friend: 46%
• Stopped at a phone booth: 29%
• Called a colleague: 27%
• Torn page from phone book: 7%
• Booted up computer in the car: 7%
• Driven to wireless “Hot Spot”: 5%
These creative alternatives – we've all done some version of this –
reflect both the determination and the immediate need of mobile users to
get information en route to their destinations. I believe these
alternative behaviors also show a pent up desire for mobile applications
that are more flexible and versatile than today's 411 (i.e., "What city,
what listing?"). In other words, it reflects the demand for true "mobile
local search" capabilities. Friends at home, for example, can also look
up reviews, menus, store hours and so on.
According to mobile analytics firm Telephia 34.6 million U.S. wireless
subscribers accessed the Internet from their mobile phones in June of
this year. However, none of the top 10 mobile sites had a reach of more
than 3%. Here are Telephia's top 10 sites:
1. Yahoo! Mail
2. The Weather Channel (Weather.com)
3. ESPN
4. Google Search
5. MSN Hotmail
6. MapQuest
7. AOL Mail
8. CNN
9. Yahoo! Weather
10. Yahoo! Search
Last September, Telephia reported on the top mobile content categories:
1. Email
2. Weather
3. Search
4. Sports
5. News/Politics
6. Entertainment
7. City Guides/Maps
8. Games
9. Portals
10. Business/Finance
Earlier this year AOL released the results of its own mobile user
survey. Among the findings of that survey were that maps were the number
one "must-have" new feature. And last July TNS found that local content
(driving directions, restaurant reservations, and weather and traffic
alerts) topped the list of services that users wanted on their mobile
devices.
These myriad data points show the demand among wireless users for local
content is strong and that they'll go to some lengths to get it. And
unlike some of the startups online -- that will be waiting for a long
time for consumers to show up -- users already have an expressed desire
for mobile local search. It's now a question of the carriers and content
providers getting all their "ducks in a row" and making wireless data
services more affordable and more usable.
Lower Prices Boosting 10-GigE
JULY 31, 2006
The 10-Gbit/s Ethernet market could be poised for a growth spurt, as
prices are getting down to the critical level to kick up some serious
demand, according to the latest Heavy Reading report.
That's the conclusion of "10-Gbit/s Ethernet Components: A Heavy Reading
Competitive Analysis," which was published last week. The report breaks
down the 10-Gbit/s market, looking at transceivers, transponders, and
chips, covering 225 devices from 38 vendors. (See Cheaper Chips Drive
Sales.)
Chip vendors "shipped as many 10-Gbit/s Ethernet devices in 2005 as they
did in the preceding three to four years combined," analyst Simon
Stanley writes in the report. "This activity at the components level
means significant growth in 10-Gbit/s Ethernet port shipments will
accelerate, as the cost reductions work through the supply chain."
That's good news to some, because while volumes have been enough to fuel
some cost reductions, they've been too low for some suppliers' tastes.
The ultimate demand for 10-Gbit/s Ethernet has never been in doubt,
particularly when it comes to short-reach environments such as data
centers or carrier hotels. The problem is that pricing has stayed high
enough to keep some customers from diving in wholeheartedly.
"Its deployment has lagged behind the forecasts because the prices were
higher than people expected, or higher than the value proposition,"
Finisar Corp. (Nasdaq: FNSR - message board) CEO Jerry Rawls tells Light
Reading.
Of course, 10-Gbit/s Ethernet isn't completely stalled -- otherwise
Force10 Networks Inc. wouldn't still be around. And transceiver modules
for 10 Gbit/s are fueling the IPO filing of Optium Corp. , although that
company sells to the Sonet market in addition to Ethernet. (See Optium
Files for $100M IPO.)
For each generation of Ethernet, the magic number has been between 3 and
4 -- that is, the next speed grade starts to take off when its price
falls to three or four times the previous generation's.
By some metrics, 10-Gbit/s Ethernet is finally getting there. Prices for
10-Gbit/s ports have only recently dropped to less than $10,000 per
uplink -- which, with 48-port switches on the market, translates to less
than $200 per user. That's finally an acceptable premium over the $50 to
$100 per port for Gigabit Ethernet.
Suppliers, likewise, are reporting a bounty of shipments. "We expect to
see 10-Gbit/s Ethernet shipments nearly triple this year from last
year," Mitch Kahn, Quake Technologies Inc. VP of marketing, tells Light
Reading.
If volumes didn't drive those prices down, what did? It's the chip
technology -- PHY prices are one-tenth what they were in the first
generation of 10-Gbit/s Ethernet, Stanley notes.
Modules are lowering systems prices, too, by getting smaller. The
industry started with the 300-pin multisource agreement (MSA) and has
been moving through smaller module generations since -- to Xenpak, then
X2, and eventually XFP.
And vendors are already working on the next step beyond the XFP
transceiver, called SFP+. It's even smaller -- Stanley reports it's
one-third the size of an XFP -- and pluggable. It's expected to bring
prices down even further by lowering power consumption while increasing
the potential port density of equipment. (See XFP Module Gets a Shrink.)
Quake has declared itself an SFP+ frontrunner, having recently announced
the necessary PHY chip for such a module. Not surprisingly, the company
now sees a bigger future for SFP+ than for the long anticipated XFP MSA.
"It looks like that's going to be displaced in favor of SFP+," Kahn
says. (See Quake Intros SFP+ PHY.)
That may be a bit hyperbolic, given SFP+ is only starting. Stanley notes
50 XFP modules are available from 13 vendors. XFP "is already being used
by OEMs across the industry for a wide range of applications," he writes.
The report compares the offerings of 38 vendors, noting that Finisar and
Broadcom Corp. (Nasdaq: BRCM - message board) offer the broadest range
in transponders and PHY chips, respectively.
— Craig Matsumoto, Senior Editor, Light Reading
Please don't feed the monkey. Copyright © 2000-2006 Light Reading Inc. -
All rights reserved.
MapQuest Mobile is Top Mobile Application
MapQuest Mobile was the top revenue-generating downloadable mobile
application in the first quarter of this year, according to Telephia.
The Weather Channel came in second, with 5.7 percent of the total
revenue share, while Verizon Superpages 2.0 came in third posting a 5.3
percent share. Two music applications, Music Choice and Sirius Music,
rounded out the top five with revenue shares of five and 4.8 percent,
respectively.
"Local maps/directions and up-to-date weather are well-suited to
delivery via mobile phones because they are information needs
characterized by immediacy, location-specificity, and time-sensitivity,"
said Kanishka Agarwal, Vice President of New Products, Telephia.
"Downloadable mobile applications present a significant opportunity for
higher ARPU, with more than 3.3 million mobile consumers downloading
these applications during the first quarter of the year."
Top 10 Downloadable Mobile Applications by Total Revenue Share (U.S.)
Application Publisher Share of Revenue
MapQuest Mobile Zingy 21.9%
The Weather Channel Weather Channel 5.7%
Verizon Superpages 2.0 Verizon Directories 5.3%
Top Downloadable Mobile Applications by Repeat Purchase Revenue Share (U.S.)
Category Repeat Purchase Revenue Share (%) First-Time Purchase Revenue
Share (%)
Maps/Directions 39.5% 16.8%
Weather 18.9% 8.7%
Entertainment 12.0% 29.9%
Posted: 10-Jul-2006 [Source: Garmin]
[Phones equipped with Garmin Mobile can now receive new content
including fuel prices, weather, and traffic information.]
When launching the powerful Garmin Mobile application, subscribers will
be greeted with the intuitive "Where to?" and "View Map" icons, which
are also found on other Garmin automotive navigators. They can then
navigate to an address in the United States, Canada, or Puerto Rico; or
search millions of points of interest (POI's) such as restaurants,
hotels, ATMs, shopping and tourist attractions. Garmin Mobile maps are
server-based and give consumers the most recent mapping available.
Consumers have unlimited access to all Garmin Mobile content -- which
includes fuel prices, weather conditions and forecasts, and traffic
content -- for just $9.99 per month.
http://www.mobiletechnews.com/info/2006/07/10/122539.html
Mobile Local Search Index Shows Biggest Brands on the Mobile
http://www.webitpr.com/release_detail.asp?ReleaseID=4235
m-spatial quarterly figures highlight revenue opportunities in mobile
local search preferences of UK consumers
Commenting on the Index, Andy Walker, CEO of m-spatial, said: “The
Mobile Local Search Index is expressly designed to highlight the types
of local businesses and amenities consumers are searching for and
finding on the mobile Internet. It has been created to underline the
increasing importance of mobile local search and the revenue
opportunities available to operators, brands and content providers by
developing a local presence on the mobile.”
Top Ten Local Search Brands* April - June 2006
Brand %
Tesco 18
Pizza Hut 15
McDonald’s 10
Asda (Food) 9
Domino’s Pizza 9
Halfords 8
Sainsbury's 8
Travel Inn 8
KFC 7
Argos 7
* based on the final chosen result of each individual mobile search by
brand. Percentage figures based on breakdown of searches to top ten brands
The Mobile Local Search Index also uncovers data on the categories of
business and services users are searching for while on the move,
including fast food, cinema, cash machines and taxis.
Top Ten Local Search Categories* April - June 2006
Category %
Fast Food & Takeaways 21
Drinking 15
Taxi 12
Cinema 9
Hotels 9
Cash Machines 9
Supermarkets 8
Electrical & Electronics 6
B&Bs 6
Clothing & Fashion 5
* based on the final chosen result of each individual search by
category. Percentage figures based on breakdown of searches to top ten
categories.
The category search data also highlights Italian restaurants as top of
the ‘world food’ rankings, with the UK’s generally acknowledged
favourite, Indian, being beaten into second place, ahead of British and
Chinese respectively.
“The category figures will perhaps come as little surprise, with
on-the-move mobile users searching primarily for fast food, pubs and
taxis. However, the top ten local search brands results are more
significant, highlighting the value that mobile local search can present
to these high street giants, “ said Andy Walker. “By requesting
information while in the vicinity of the store or restaurant, the
consumer is much closer to a buying decision than if they were simply
searching online. This knowledge is of incredible value to the brand,
and offers merchants an ideal opportunity to target their consumers
through contextual advertising – based on location and demands of the
user, and even using factors such as time of day."
Mobile Local Search Index rankings are based on usage of local search
services built on m-spatial’s Local Search & Discovery Engine (LSDE)™.
This is a unique platform enables m-spatial’s partners to provide highly
personalised, intuitive and detailed mobile local search services -
connecting local merchants with consumers at the precise moment of need.
The m-spatial Mobile Local Search Index will be published quarterly from
July 2006.
http://usatoday.printthis.clickability.com/pt/cpt?action=cpt&title=USATODAY.com+-+Where+in+the+world+am+I%3F+Your+phone+might+know&expire=&urlID=18437310&fb=Y&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.usatoday.com%2Ftech%2Fproducts%2Fservices%2F2006-06-01-location_x.htm&partnerID=1660
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Where in the world am I? Your phone might know
Posted 6/1/2006 9:41 PM ET
By Edward C. Baig, USA TODAY
NEW YORK — Jacqui Fahrnow used to worry when she couldn't reach her
teenage boys on the cellphone.
"My oldest son wouldn't answer because he was playing basketball and
left the phone in his duffle bag," says Fahrnow, a single mom in
Shawnee, Kan. "It was a point of contention."
Now, Fahrnow has signed up for Sprint Family Locator by WaveMarket, a
wireless location-based service — or LBS — launched in April by Sprint
Nextel. From her own cellphone or the Web, Fahrnow can track the
whereabouts of her kids' cellphone in real time on an interactive map,
without them having to take a call.
The $10-a-month Sprint service, and most other emerging LBS technologies
that work on wireless phones, use the same Global Positioning System
satellites that keep car navigation systems on course. Fahrnow says
Family Locator has been accurate within 11 yards.
Since the late '90s, LBS has been linked to a host of intriguing, yet
somehow not-quite-ready-for prime time, mobile scenarios involving local
search and advertising, gaming, dating and perhaps most promising,
safety and security.
Yet, despite mounds of hype, few companies rolled out services, and LBS
has mostly been lost on regular consumers. LBS is the killer application
"that got killed on the way to mainstream," says Joe Astroth, vice
president of the Location-Based Services division at Autodesk, which
provides the technology to wireless phone carriers.
Now, there's evidence that LBS might have a pulse with the masses, after
all. Market researcher Frost & Sullivan forecasts the total LBS market
in the USA to exceed $600 million in 2008, up from about $90 million at
the end of 2005. "There seems to be a fair level of commitment to the
technology now, giving a big sigh of relief that it is finally
happening," says Ken Hyers, an analyst at ABI Research.
Several services recently made their debut or are coming soon. A sampling:
•When it arrives this month, Disney Mobile-branded phone service will
include a family finder capability akin to what Sprint is offering.
Verizon Wireless is about to launch a service called Chaperone. For $20
a month, parents can establish a virtual fence around a child's school
during set hours and receive a text message when a kid goes outside the
boundary. Similarly, Wherify Wireless is planning to peddle a locator
phone in the back-to-school timeframe.
•Verizon's Networks in Motion VZ Navigator service transforms certain LG
or Motorola phones into portable navigation systems for $10 a month, or
$3 for a day. The phone tells you where you are and which restaurants,
hotels and shops are nearby, and provides turn-by-turn directions to get
you to those destinations. Sprint offers a similar navigation service
through TeleNav.
•Sprint and InfoSpace recently launched a $3-a-month subscription-based
LBS search engine, InfoSpace FindIt, that lets you find local businesses
and services, and click to call them without dialing the number.
There are a raft of other offerings, from friend and pet finders to
lifestyle applications. In business, LBS has been used for managing
fleets and tracking mobile workers. Researcher In-Stat predicts growth
on the business side from 582,000 to 1.1 million subscribed devices by
the end of 2010.
Tech tools in place
Why now? For one thing, the technological infrastructure is largely in
place. Wireless carrier networks are faster and more robust. More phones
have decent color screens and extra horsepower to run LBS applications.
What's more, many cellphones, mostly those that work with Sprint Nextel
and Verizon networks, now incorporate GPS chips, partly as a response by
carriers to a government-mandated Enhanced 911 program that was phased
in at the end of last year. Uncle Sam wanted emergency workers to find
folks who dial 911 from their cells.
(Other companies met the E911 mandate through "triangulation" methods
that measure the time it takes signals to bounce off cell towers, or the
angle of those signals.)
Brent Iadarola, industry research manager at Frost & Sullivan, expects
the LBS market to get an additional boost in a couple of years when
carriers such as Cingular Wireless and T-Mobile add GPS capabilities.
Once companies know where a handset is, they can construct applications
that build on that knowledge. "If you're traveling on the interstate,
you don't (necessarily) want to find the nearest gas station if it's by
the exit you just passed," says Mike Gerling, president of map provider
TeleAtlas North America. "You want to find the next one."
Having the proper technology in place is only half the battle. Reaching
consumers and getting them to pay for services might be a bigger
roadblock. "I don't think the average consumer knows what location-based
services means," Gerling says.
The good news for the industry is that people are increasingly familiar
with in-vehicle and portable navigation systems. Based on its monthly
online survey of 50,000 U.S. households, market researcher Synovate says
about 20% more Americans bought a GPS system in 2005 than 2004.
Many people are comfortable using Google Maps and MapQuest. Israel's
Telmap and MapQuest introduced MapQuest Navigator, a cellphone service
coming this summer. Carriers have not been announced.
In a survey of more than 4,000 consumers 18 and older, the C.J. Driscoll
& Associates market research firm found that about one-third of U.S.
cellular subscribers expressed a strong interest in cellphone-based
navigation assistance services. That was greater than their interest in
cellphone-based e-mail, photos, video-downloads or live TV viewing.
More than 80% said they'd pay either a monthly fee for the service or on
a per-transaction basis for driving directions. Social applications such
as locating nearby friends and finding close bars and clubs tested well
with survey participants under 35.
A Starbucks sniffer?
But LBS can also smack of Big Brother. Marketers banking on LBS have to
step gingerly. "LBS is technically feasible today. It's more a matter of
trust and privacy (among consumers)," says Deep Nishar, director of
product management at Google, which has yet to provide a mobile LBS
offering.
One scenario bandied about for years involves consumers getting text
alerts on their cellphones for discounted coffee as they wander near a
Starbucks. "Having a pop-up every time you pass by a store may be what
advertisers want, but it's not what users want," says Dan Gilmartin, who
runs consumer LBS marketing for Sprint.
Verizon Wireless COO Lowell McAdam agrees: "It would annoy me to no end
if every time I passed by a Starbucks, (the phone says) I got 20 cents off."
AstroLeap has developed a location-based couponing system called Eureka
Mobile that would require consumers to actively opt in, then expressly
seek out coffee (or whatever). Only then would they be notified of
nearby coffeehouses and possible discounts. The San Diego company hopes
to launch with major carriers in the next three to six months, says
co-founder Dan Bailey.
"I do think there's a mass-market opportunity for (location-based)
advertising," says Astroth. "But it has to be personalized,
permission-based and in the context of the activity you're participating
in."
Consumers attending a baseball game might not mind receiving a
downloaded ring tone of Take Me Out to the Ballgame. In another context,
they'd the find the sudden arrival of such a ring tone intrusive.
For now, navigation and local search seem to be the furthest along with
additional services such as traffic monitoring starting to emerge.
TeleNav in Santa Clara, Calif., helps subscribers find nearby gas
stations with the cheapest fuel prices.
"The big applications we expect to drive LBS adoption are those services
that have already succeeded in some capacity but are enhanced and become
more compelling by integrating location," says Iadarola of Frost & Sullivan.
Rod Diefendorf, a vice president at mobile search provider InfoSpace,
says that eventually, consumers will be able to search beyond general
categories — such as finding a seafood restaurant — to satisfy
particular cravings for lobster or other menu items.
Photography is another emerging area. Digital snapshots typically
capture information, including the time and date an image was taken, and
the kind of camera used. Now, companies are starting to add "location
stamps."
Otherwise, "one year down the road, you have no idea where those
pictures were taken," says Kanwar Chadha, founder of LBS chipmaker SIRF
Technology. Location-stamped pictures might also help you resolve
insurance disputes, or locate all the vacation pictures you took by the
Eiffel Tower.
Disney's presence and the peace of mind that comes with making sure
loved ones are safe would seem to be a big driver toward ensuring LBS'
success. But Allyn Hall, the director of the wireless practice at the
In-Stat research firm remains skeptical: "When I call my wife and want
to know where she is, I ask her," he says.
Still, Ben Starkey uses TeleNav on his Nextel cellphone to keep on top
of his pregnant financée's whereabouts. "It's a comfort thing," says
Starkey, a data technician in Roanoke, Va., who jokes that the phone
best not be turned off or he'll be in the doghouse.
"We've been saying LBS is coming since 1999," says Sal Dhanani, senior
marketing director of TeleNav. "This time, it feels a little more real."
Find this article at:
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/products/services/2006-06-01-location_x.htm
What Is Web 2.0
Design Patterns and Business Models for the Next Generation of Software
http://www.oreillynet.com/lpt/a/6228
Boston, MA - May 24, 2006 --
The Q4-05 Strategy Analytics survey of new car buyers across the US and Europe indicates that at least 18 percent of drivers require maps or directions more than 20 percent of the time. The vast majority of consumers, however, over 60 percent, only spend five percent of their travel time going beyond familiar destinations
http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,123705,00.asp
New Model, New Profits
The acknowledgment by search giants Google and Yahoo that they are
dipping their toes into pay-per-call is significant news for the new
online ad model, said Greg Sterling, a Kelsey Group analyst. It is also
good news for companies that would rather generate calls than Web site
clicks from their online ads, Sterling said.
If Google were to fully embrace pay-per-call, the benefits would include
getting a higher revenue rate than from pay-per-click, because
pay-per-call ads in general tend to be more expensive, he said.
Typically they start at around $2 per call, average about $7, and can
cost more than $30, Sterling said.
Advertisers are generally willing to pay more for a call than for a
click because a prospective client who calls is presumably closer to
making a buying decision than one who visits a Web site, he said.
euros in the fourth quarter, but it held above an average expectation of
290 euros in a Reuters poll of 11 analysts as the company sold more
high-end models than in the fourth quarter.
TomTom sold 762,000 devices,
Earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) slipped to 50 million euros
($61.9 million) from 67 million in the fourth quarter,
TomTom's EBIT margin fell to 20 percent from 23 percent in the fourth
quarter, and it maintained its full-year EBIT target of 20 percent as
well as its ASP forecast of around 300 euros.
navigation devices to 8 mllion units. It expects to sell between 3.6
million and 3.9 million units for revenue of 1.1 billion to 1.3 billion
euros this year.
; trade at
about 26 times estimated 2006 earnings.
The U.S. online classifieds advertising market is forecast to grow from
$2.6 billion this year to $4.1 billion in 2010, according to
JupiterResearch.
"Classifieds are $100 billion business globally (including listings and
ads) and every penny of that marketplace is in play. Most of it still in
print...But, even (News Corp.'s) Rupert Murdoch said last week he
doesn't know anyone under 30 who uses newspapers for classified ads."
so far we have a working prototype for the Raleigh News &
Observer for their Print/Web classifieds; AutoTrader.com (to show our
teeth to the newspaper industry) and Mobile Price Comparison (currently
using Shopping.com but if Trans Cosmos invests $3MM in our Series A
round we'll OEM this package to Become.com their newest & prized
portfolio company provided we use the MPC exclusively with the
newspapers web portals. We also developed an elegant work-around to
Speaking or Keying the 12 digit UPC in a cell phone. User's in the next
release will be able to Speak the name of the Manufacturer (Sony) and
Model Name (Cyber Shot W7) digital camera in natural language not via
burdensom IVR prompts.
As you know when newspapers first started their web initiatives
classified ads that would also run in their online web portal was an
Opt-In UpSell of $x.00. Nowaday's it's an Opt-Out business model for
newspapers. In Jax the Opt Out discount is about $10.00 and $25.00 if
it's Real Estate. What if NewCo could "Voice Enable" on a national
basis 500,000 ads @ $10.00 for an UpSell rate? Split this 50:50 with
the newspaper partner that then equals $2.5M for NewCo. The question
then becomes is this a weekly goal or monthly goal? There's zero burden
to the newspaper partners.... only upside revenue for them!!!! The
factor in a NewCo initiative for Online Classifieds with eBay, Online YP
vendors, Auto Dealer web sites, Real Estate Classified Ads & their
corresponding web sites. Well, there's some damn huge numbers we're
dealing with. Our system architecture is very unique... one that we
feel will resonate with our syndicate partners. US Newspaper Print
Classified revenues is $17B.... again showing we're dealing with huge
potentials.
Guys feel free to chime in with criticisms or encouragement. I'm
looking for both of you being involved in some way, shape or form. Your
background at VCNT is poignant.
I hope to have an informal investment proposal for Trans Cosmos in the
next few days and a fully baked Biz Plan before the end of the month. I
know how Masa Okuda thinks and because TCI is an investor in BeVocal &
Nuance coupled with a few more areas of great synergy I'm keeping my
fingers crossed they invest $3M at >$10M Pre-Money valuation. Your
thoughts?
Cheers,
The U.S. online classifieds advertising market is forecast to grow from
$2.6 billion this year to $4.1 billion in 2010, according to
JupiterResearch.
"Classifieds are $100 billion business globally (including listings and
ads) and every penny of that marketplace is in play. Most of it still in
print...But, even (News Corp.'s) Rupert Murdoch said last week he
doesn't know anyone under 30 who uses newspapers for classified ads
so far we have a working prototype for the Raleigh News &
Observer for their Print/Web classifieds; AutoTrader.com (to show our
teeth to the newspaper industry) and Mobile Price Comparison (currently
using Shopping.com but if Trans Cosmos invests $3MM in our Series A
round we'll OEM this package to Become.com their newest & prized
portfolio company provided we use the MPC exclusively with the
newspapers web portals. We also developed an elegant work-around to
Speaking or Keying the 12 digit UPC in a cell phone. User's in the next
release will be able to Speak the name of the Manufacturer (Sony) and
Model Name (Cyber Shot W7) digital camera in natural language not via
burdensom IVR prompts.
As you know when newspapers first started their web initiatives
classified ads that would also run in their online web portal was an
Opt-In UpSell of $x.00. Nowaday's it's an Opt-Out business model for
newspapers. In Jax the Opt Out discount is about $10.00 and $25.00 if
it's Real Estate. What if NewCo could "Voice Enable" on a national
basis 500,000 ads @ $10.00 for an UpSell rate? Split this 50:50 with
the newspaper partner that then equals $2.5M for NewCo. The question
then becomes is this a weekly goal or monthly goal? There's zero burden
to the newspaper partners.... only upside revenue for them!!!! The
factor in a NewCo initiative for Online Classifieds with eBay, Online YP
vendors, Auto Dealer web sites, Real Estate Classified Ads & their
corresponding web sites. Well, there's some damn huge numbers we're
dealing with. Our system architecture is very unique... one that we
feel will resonate with our syndicate partners. US Newspaper Print
Classified revenues is $17B.... again showing we're dealing with huge
potentials.
> The U.S. online classifieds advertising market is forecast to grow from
> $2.6 billion this year to $4.1 billion in 2010, according to
> JupiterResearch.
>
>
>
> "Classifieds are $100 billion business globally (including listings and
> ads) and every penny of that marketplace is in play.
US Newspaper Print
> Classified revenues is $17B.... again showing we're dealing with huge
> potentials.
>
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/12356390/print/1/displaymode/1098/
Google is testing the next big thing in search: voice.
market for mobile search is expected to be
huge: A recent Piper Jaffray research report forecasts that it will
reach $11 billion by 2008.
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/13669409.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp
One-point-45 million Portable Navigation Devices (PNDs) are expected to
be sold in the U.S. in 2005, versus 1.17 million in-vehicle systems,
according to a May 13 research report from TRG. By 2011, it forecasts
sales of 17.8 million portable devices to 4.4 million in-vehicle units.
Worldwide sales are expected to show similar growth.
http://sanjose.bizjournals.com/sanjose/stories/2005/05/23/smallb2.html?t=printable
Portable navigation systems more popular than ever
10.3.2006.
| Arndt Polifke GfK Marketing Services Tel. +49 911 395-3116 Fax +49 911 395-4019 e-mail: arndt.polifke@gfk.com | Dr. Ulrike Schöneberg Public Affairs and Communications Tel. +49 911 395-2645 Fax +49 911 395-4041 e-mail: ulrike.schoeneberg@gfk.com |
http://www.redherring.com/Article.aspx?a=13934&hed=Omnicom+Buys+Mobile+Ad+Firm#
Omnicom Buys Mobile Ad Firm
Advertising firm buys ipsh to help it send ads to cell phones.
October 10, 2005
Advertising company Omnicom said Monday it bought mobile marketing
company ipsh, signaling the growing use of cell phone ads in the United
States.
The companies didn’t disclose the price of the deal, but ipsh CEO Nihal
Mehta told RedHerring.com the price tag was in the “multimillions.”
‘We are still just scratching the surface of the medium.’
-Daren Siddall,
Gartner
- ADVERTISEMENT -
Mobile marketing, which consists of sending a text message or media clip
in the form of an advertisement to a cell phone, is a big business in
Western Europe and Asia. The mobile marketing industry took in $300
million in South Korea and Japan last year.
But only 20 percent of U.S. mobile phone users received an ad text
message on their cell phones last year, and the vast majority of that
group found the messages annoying or deleted them, according to research
firm Yankee Group.
With nearly 200 million cell phone subscribers in the U.S., mobile
marketing is inevitable as advertising dollars move away from
traditional media like television and newspapers.
The acquisition “highlights the growing importance of the mobile phone
as a viable marketing medium,” Mr. Mehta said.
ipsh created a mobile marketing campaign that printed a text-message
code on 50 million packs of candy like Starburst, inviting consumers to
text in order to get a promotion. Mr. Mehta said the campaign had a
“response rate ten times as high as an online ad campaign.”
Mobile Options
Advertising companies are looking at mobile options, either through
buying mobile marketing companies, or building mobile divisions within
the agencies (see Cell Phone Ads Are on the Way).
Thomas Harrison, the chairman and CEO of Diversified Agency Services,
the unit of Omnicom that is funding the deal, said the acquisition “will
give us a leadership position in the marketplace.”
Gartner analyst Daren Siddall said that deals of advertisers buying
mobile marketing firms are “an inevitable trend. But the market is still
tiny. We are still just scratching the surface of the medium.”
Mr. Siddall said the key is finding what the mobile companies will bring
to the big firms. ipsh is a creative company, not a technology play, so
the firms could likely learn mobile without buying a company, said Mr.
Siddall.
“If the deal was just a couple of million dollars, then the firm could
attract new clients with mobile and make back the expense pretty
quickly,” said Mr. Siddall.
About AdMob
AdMob is the world's first pay-per-click mobile advertising marketplace.
We bring advertisers together with independent mobile content publishers
to create value for all. Our mission is to help spur the growth of the
open mobile web by providing value for advertisers and revenue for
content publishers.
AdMob has developed a number of effective tools to help advertisers
reach their desired audience. Using our target tree and personalization
engine, advertisers can target their ads by region, manufacturer,
platform, or capability level and personalize the ad text to each
viewing device. Advertisers don't even need an existing mobile site to
get started; they can use our easy to build MobPages to reach their
target audience.
AdMob provides an easy way for mobile content producers to monetize
their traffic. We share revenue with our content partners via a very
generous revenue split. To read more about selling on AdMob, click here.
Who's behind AdMob?
AdMob is the brainchild of Omar Hamoui (email:omar-at-admob.com), a
serial entrepreneur in the area of mobile technology. Professionally,
Omar has a technical and business background and is earning his MBA at
the Wharton school of business. Prior to AdMob, Omar worked as a senior
product manager at Sony, and founded two companies in the mobile arena.
AdMob is currently based in Philadelphia, PA.
Contact Us
phone: 1(310)237-6424
skype: Call me! admob1
email:
info-at-admob.com <- general information
support-at-admob.com <- support requests
mail:
AdMob, LLC
3131 Walnut St. Suite 423
Philadelphia, PA 19104
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