Retail, Marketing and Entertainment – Storied Engagement and Virtual Characters

October 11, 2010 By

After a couple of weeks of being very focused on technology, platforms, compatibility, integration, pricing. . .

Well, it was refreshing to reach a LINKEDin Discussion today from @GavinJohnston a business anthropologist, who reminded us of “why” we created our platform and “why” we enjoy the work so much.

It’s about story and entertainment.  Sure, it’s about a lot of other things as well.  But, at it’s heart, we have a story and virtual character engine that’s, well, fun and entertaining.

These lines stood out:

“…entertainment and a memorable in-store experience probably have more to do with a sale than the product…”


“The retail environment is essentially an expansive, immersive media platform”


“The products may mean less than the underlying value of “story” being told.”


This is not intended to demean the value of the product – particularly, once it’s been purchased, used and enjoyed.   But, the in-store experience for customers is not always logical and rational.  It is emotional.

Emotions are best reached through story.

UPDATE: The discussion thread resulted in a follow up from @GavinJohnston that should be included here:

Increasing sales revolves around more than getting people in the store, it involves getting them to think of the store as a destination and thinking of it as a “Place” rather than a “Space.” Place comes into existence when humans give meaning to a part of the larger, undifferentiated space. One of the most affective ways to do this is to incorporate people into an experience and directly involve them in the story.



Filed Under: AI conversation, Brands and Mobile, Conversational AI, Introduction, Mobile, mobile marketing, Virtual Agents Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Mobile Marketing Stew: Apps, Mobile Web, SMS, QR, 2D, Tagless. . .

October 7, 2010 By

Aye yi yi.

The past day has seen so many conflicting statements emerging about what should, and shouldn’t, be done in a mobile marketing campaign (Ah, the CTIA headlines continue to keep it all stirred up).  The “Apps” v. “Mobile Web” v. SMS is one battle (all three have their rightful place).  And, over on the other front is QR v. 2D v. Image Recognition v. Tagless (all have their rightful place) with Goggles waiting in the wings (in a Goggle blog this week, Google  proclaimed “no more QR”).

This is not the 1970′s and a Beta v. VHS showdown where only one format will win.

Within the QR camp, there’s a whole other sub-branding skirmish that does need to resolve itself.  It doesn’t do anyone any good to add a layer of confusion to the game.

We have little doubt that there is room for “all of the above,” in mixing and concocting campaigns across Apps, mobile web and SMS/text.   There’s a time and place for text-only SMS.  There’s a time and place for mobile video.  There’s a time and place for mobile web; Apps offer terrific experiences, provided you can reach everyone you want.

The contentAI.com platform, includes reach to SMS and mobile web/WAP (and, no reason we can’t integrate within native Apps too) is founded on one basic premise.  Text-based conversations are the #1 use of mobile devices for communication. Regardless as to how you get there, or where the text conversation takes place, it’s how Users (Customers) prefer to engage.   We can add value to SMS (via ReST APIs); mobile web (via our WAP partnership; and through integration into native Apps.  You can launch a mobile marketing conversation from nearly any 2D, QR or readerless tag option; or, from a simple URL or Link.

That’s our offering to the Stew.  We like to think that it’s both the spice and the substance.

Filed Under: Brands and Mobile, Mobile, mobile marketing, QR TAgs, Virtual Agents, WAP Chat Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

WAP Chat and Rich Media = Best of Mobile Marketing

October 5, 2010 By

People use their mobile devices to engage in text-based conversations — all day long (some, hundreds of times per day).

Brands like images and interactive graphics.  Some even like video still!

WAP chat with in-chat stream graphics (including audio and video) is a winning combination.  It’s the best of all worlds.

Please take it for a spin on our WAP chat demo that we’ve just released:

http://contentAI.com/demos/retaildemo


Filed Under: AI and Twitter, Brands and Mobile, Mobile, mobile marketing, Virtual Agents, WAP Chat Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

In Store Mobile Marketing and Customer Engagement – Putting Virtual Agents to Work

October 5, 2010 By

While we’re watching a number of different “solutions” presented for engaging Customers in-store or at events, sometimes, well, we’re left scratching our proverbial heads.

We think about the Customer’s mobile engagement, their time and the value they receive, throughout the process of developing a Virtual character (Virtual Guide, Virtual Clerk, Virtual Agent…what’s in a name?).  We compare this to video, proprietary apps, even mobile web pages that require focused navigation to drill down to relevant data.

Basically, a Virtual Clerk needs to deliver a positive and memorable experience for the User quickly.  Not unlike the surprise many of us experience when we have a great Customer experience with a human — something that’s become too rare.  In fact, we want the Customer Experience to be be identical to when they find that great sales clerk, or waitperson or person behind the Counter who actually seems to care about them as an individual – the upside is, we can replicate that experience 24/7.

Yes, we want to clone your best customer support, wrap it up in a package and get it onto your Customer’s mobile phone.  We want to deliver consistent, wonderful customer engagements.

Filed Under: AI conversation, AI conversational network, Conversational AI, holiday mobile marketing, Mobile, mobile marketing, Virtual Agents, WAP Chat Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Mobile Marketing and Text-Based Engagement, Mobile Virtual Agents Play Here

September 30, 2010 By

We pull out facts and figures quite a bit to legitimate our focus on Mobile Text based engagement — Whether via SMS, IM (Instant Messaging) and now WAP Chat (which allows graphics to be included in-stream).

SMS remains the #1 form of mobile texting.  Instant Messaging grew 50% last year.  And, WAP Chat is poised for a hockey stick graph.

To drive home the VOLUME that takes place, this Post from @Techcrunch (Europe) caught our attention:  eBuddy, the IM consumer gateway to most legacy IMs just surpassed 100 million downloads.  The number that’s really notable is:  They process over 17 Billion Messages PER MONTH.

Being compatible and including all major IM carriers in our delivery network remains important.  Though, most of those using Mobile IM can and do also have WAP access, where the benefits of in-stream graphics, video and audio are attractive both for the users and Brands.

17 Billion Messages PER MONTH – Just had to write it one more time.

Filed Under: AI conversation, AI conversational network, Brands and Mobile, Conversational AI, Mobile, mobile marketing, Virtual Agents, WAP Chat Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Before QR and 2D are Established, Here Comes GOGGLES

September 29, 2010 By

As the debate over proprietary QR and 2D formats moves into full gear – In the background, Google (with Android rising) and it’s GOGGLES technology are already making reference to “No QR, No Download.”  It’s interesting to consider how the evolution of print-to-mobile (or some screen-to-mobile) will take place and how Brands and Agencies may embrace one format over another.

This was from a Google announcement yesterday found here:

http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/09/what-does-future-of-display-advertising.html

The relevant passage here:

You might be familiar with Google Goggles, a way to search the web on mobile devices just by taking a picture. We gave a preview of some experimental uses of Google Goggles that could one day enable advertisers to deliver great display ads to users. Imagine pointing your phone’s camera at an ad for a car in a magazine, and having the car appear in 3D in your mobile device. Or pointing at a movie poster and having the movie trailer play in the device, right in your hand. No QR codes, no downloads!

/////

“One day” is probably a lot sooner than most think. The integration of GOGGLES with ANDROID seems more “around the corner” than some distant future. Integration with other mobile OS would be App based, so, not an intuitive. But, not a huge leap.

I have to wonder if QR is the advance guard (fodder) for leading consumers to another format altogether, in the quest to migrate Users to Mobile experiences? Will Agencies and Brands adopt the GOGGLES non-Tag format (or, some other emerging non-Tag format) given a chance?

For today, QR and 2D are great tools to migrate and transport Users to mobile experiences.  We wholly support innovation and efforts to expand these formats.  But, we’re also thinking of how this will evolve.

Ultimately, we’re “content” people.  Our “content” can flow across almost all digital channels and can be reached via QR, 2D, or, one day, GOGGLES.  The key is providing Users with great content and mobile experiences so that they look forward to their next adventure into a Brands mobile space.

Filed Under: AI conversation, AI conversational network, Brands and Mobile, Conversational AI, Mobile, mobile marketing, QR TAgs Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

QR and 2D Tags for Mobile Marketing – SOME NUMBERS!

September 28, 2010 By

It was great to see SCANLIFE release a comprehensive, global report on QR and 2D usage today:

http://blog.scanlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/ScanLife-Mobile-Barcode-Trend-Report_9.10.pdf

There have been a number of discussion over the past month with Industry associates about the need for getting some hard and fast numbers disclosed.

One major take-away: Mobile Web is the winning combination with QR.

Thanks SCANLIFE for providing these numbers.  It’s a nice start to getting a picture of the marketplace.

UPDATE: Upon review of the numbers, one curious item pops out.  Either stereotypes are collapsing, or Males are scanning some unusual items based on traditional concepts:  45% of the Category scans fall into the Health/Beauty, Kitchen and Grocery categories, while 74% of the scans were conducted by Males?  Is it couples shopping and Males scanning?  Some other explanation?  Opinions would be welcomed.

Filed Under: AI conversation, Brands and Mobile, Conversational AI, Mobile, mobile marketing, QR TAgs, WAP Chat Tagged With: , , , ,

QR — 2D — AR — Motion Detection…Redefining “Camera” to “Sensor”

September 27, 2010 By

We really like QR and 2D Codes.  They are a visual cue to Users that there is a -available to take them into some wonderful mobile experience (complementing their real world exposure).  We like the idea of extending a Brand’s story from realworld to mobile with blended, integrated campaigns.

So, we think about QR and 2D Tags a lot.

There are a number of tech blog posts and analysis of advertising’s use of QR and 2D Tags and the (often) failures to properly instruct the public with a simple “how to” use the applications.

What I have not seen addressed is that the general public are coming from a 200-year old, ingrained definition of the concept of a “camera.”  i.e. Something you use to snap pictures of people, places and things, put in a box, and then look at some day.

Educating the general public in QR/2D Tags seems to have leapt over the fundamental disconnect between a User’s general understanding of the concept of a “camera” and the “how to” instructional mandate.

While digital cameras in industrial/medical applications have long done more than “snap pics” — for the general public, they haven’t.  But, with QR/2D, Augmented Reality (AR) and Motion Detection on gaming platforms, “a camera is no longer a camera” – It is a “Sensor.”

More precisely, it is an “interpretive sensor,” taking in visual data and interpreting that data to deliver some new product/experience.  It does far more than deliver you a picture, that you place in a box, then look at 30-years from now.

That’s an epochal shift in the fundamental understanding of the word “camera.” The “picture” means nothing, but the interpretation is where the value resides. In some respects, I wish that mobile device manufacturers started referring to the devices “Sensor” and not the “Camera and pixel resolution” — They are selling their devices based on the old definition of “camera.”

It’s a transition phase as we move from “camera” to “sensor” in terms of a broader, general public, understanding ofwhat this item on our mobile phones is capable of.  It would be nice if some campaign came along and started shifting general public awareness at this root level:

A camera isn’t just for taking pictures anymore.  It’s a sensor, a bridge, for delivering new experiences (as well as snapping pics).

Kids under 15 will be the first Generation growing up understanding this new definition without a second thought.  For the rest of us, we need to relearn the meaning of the word “camera.”

When our root level definition changes, the “how-to” instructions won’t even be needed.

Filed Under: Brands and Mobile, Mobile, mobile marketing, QR TAgs Tagged With: , ,

QR Tags as Killer App – IF: “Content Remains King”

September 24, 2010 By

It’s an interesting day in the news.  It’s hard to remember so many Mobile Marketing articles all pointing in the precise direction we have embarked upon.   From MOBILEMARKETER.COM comes a very timely article re: QR Tags HERE.

These are the salient points:

*  “QR codes are very close to the ‘tipping point,’ and the fourth quarter will push us over the top…”

*  “Carriers are doing their part to create awareness. For example, Sprint is preloading the application and Verizon is using codes in marketing….”  (OUR NOTE:  T-Mobile is doing a terrific job as well)

* QR Tags:  “established the dialogue with the consumer…”  (OUR NOTE:  Particularly, when using Conversational Mobile Marketing!)

*  “Codes offer a great way to drive people into the store, or incite purchase on the mobile device…”

*  “Ensure that the consumer’s experience and privacy of interaction is safeguarded in all instances….”

*  “Have fun and get creative in the campaigns that you deploy…”

*  “You have to provide end users with compelling content at the end of a scan…”

OK, for anyone who’s read our Posts here about QR Tags, this concise summary is going to appear rather redundant.  We aren’t in the QR Tag business, but, we do launch our Interactive, Conversational Engagement from QR and 2D Tags (or, even image detection that resolves to a mobile URL).  We think they can be part of an intuitive and natural User Engagement.

The only thing lacking in the summary was raising the questions:  Can QR Tags lead to conversational text engagement, since that’s how Users typically use their mobile devices?  Or, can a QR Tag lead to a Virtual Agent conversation?  Can a QR Tag deliver great Customer Relations Management?

Of course they can.

Filed Under: AI conversation, Brands and Mobile, Conversational AI, holiday mobile marketing, Mobile, mobile marketing, QR TAgs, Transmedia Content and AI, WAP Chat Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Holiday Mobile Marketing – Opportunity for Brands

September 24, 2010 By

This is one of those rare articles that is on-point on so many items.  It’s worth a full read at MOBILE COMMERCE DAILY.

Best take-aways:

* …allow advertisers to engage in a deeper dialog with mobile users…”

* “There is a new retail audience that can only be reached through mobile and that means it is imperative to invest now in mobile for this holiday season or risk missing out on revenue that can only be gained through mobile…”

* “it is imperative that brands double down with mobile for the 2010 holiday season…”

It is late in the Calendar for new commitments to media buys and campaigns for November/December — As we just launched our WAP conversational mobile marketing channel, we’re introducing our  Virtual Character Holiday themed chat application and can deliver for the Season.  Hope we can get this one in the market this Year…it’s an ideal opportunity to demonstrate the engagement value that conversational marketing can deliver.

Filed Under: AI and Twitter, AI conversation, Brands and Mobile, Conversational AI, holiday mobile marketing, Mobile, mobile marketing, QR TAgs, WAP Chat Tagged With: , , , , , ,
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