Conversational Messaging and mHealth

This story caught our attention today, about using SMS “reminders” for mHealth in Kenya:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/16/health/16global.html?scp=6&sq=kenya&st=cse

http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736%2811%2960783-6/abstract#

Now imagine that the health workers could query the system for instant answers to common questions?  Or, be lead through step by step simulations for circumstances they face?

We can route via SMS, but, even at the 1-cent per message, our platform would be delivering 3x or more messages than a “notification system.”  With expanded data access, there would be no per message costs, using mobile web.  There is also the capability to work through “light data” engagement such as IM platforms; including pushing mobile web pages through IM widgets.

But, the natural next step is to bring conversational engagement to mHealth to deepen the value that’s offered.

We’d welcome an opportunity to discuss this with any groups working in this space.

Effective, Contextual & Personalized Location Based Mobile Engagement

We’ll have to place this in our site somewhere since being asked a few times this week to run through the most basic steps involved in a User’s experience if coming to the App based on Location:

*  2D/QR Tag, or Shortcode/Keyword triggers Link or opening of mobile web chat landing page

*  User engages in one-to-one chat with virtual character where contextual user preferences are established via text, the User’s preferred form of mobile communication

*  User is delivered a contextually relevant mCoupon + User may elect to seek additional ‘backstory’ information about the Brand, store or restaurant from the virtual character

*  User has been responded to on a personal basis and delivered a Premium specific to their interests.  The exchange was valuable and they’ll return for more.

That’s it.  That’s the most basic walk-through.

There are a range of  variations on this, ranging from more game-like experiences and enhanced personalization; or, through the inclusion of social elements (group chat) or other location based incentives or data.

Now, we’ll have to make that shorter and snappier. . .

Mobile Marketing – LBS, Apps, SMS & Mobile Web – Some Thoughts

Hardly a day goes by that the Apps v. Mobile Web argument isn’t posited by a dozen blogs.

Or, where Location Based Services (LBS) are touted as the next sliced-bread killer.

Or, where the success/failure of QR and 2D Codes in the US is debated.

It’s great to find some reasoned and objective discussions.  Recently, the post:  MOBILE APPS…ALL SAUSAGE, NO SIZZLE from DIGITAL MINISTRY by David Jarvis was an example of extremely well written and considered thought on the subject with more perspective than most, concluding  with his call for:

“I strongly feel our industry groups should work towards some sort of commonality, leadership and self-regulation now to avoid another potential massive bursting bubble to the ultimate detriment of everyone.”

What I believe Jarvis is seeing, as we do, is that Brands and Agencies are already starting to realize that much of their mobile marketing efforts in the past year have been based on hype-and-circumstance.  That is, they’ve followed the “technology” and forgotten the consumer.  Below are the few points we feel are relevant and speak to how contentAI studios and interactive conversational mobile engagement will be a lasting and valuable platform:

LBS – There will be the emergence of private, Brand-to-Consumer LBS services that do NOT require Foursquare, Gowalla, Facebook Places, etc.   Private being the operative word.  Cutting out the middleman being another value.  A QR/2D Tag can launch a location based engagement, with some Session Management (we offer) and fun game or conversational exchange (we offer).

The Forrester Research seems overly kind is estimating that there may be 1% of the US market who are active Users of LBS Services.  Our estimates are about 1/4 of that.  Regardless, LBS services are not and may never be mainstream.  While private, direct Location based engagement between a Brand, Retailer, Restaurant may have some legs, if done well.

QR/2D – As above, they should be used for location based engagement in addition to brand packaging.  Their failure to date is that they are rarely used in integrated campaigns where the “story” that starts with print (a magazine ad) is then extended to the mobile engagement.  Once Tags are used as a “bridge” to extend storied engagement, Users should start seeking these out.  The current Tag-to-Push campaigns are examples of wasting people’s time.

* Mobile Web, Apps & SMS - How do people use their mobile devices for their non-marketing communication?  Voice is in decline, Text is increasing (including a 50% increase in mobile IM last year).  Mobile video chat is really voice with images, so, it may level off Voice.  But, Text is King.

We are going to see (we know, since we’re working on this), more mobile web chat.  No need for SMS or IM.  Apps will start to incorporate chat functions within them (we’re offering our platform for App integration).  SMS pricing will drop (between Twitter and Google, someone is going to get it down to near-free) and SMS will remain an effective conversational communication platform.

Brands who want to “start a conversation” with their Customers should look no further than the tools Customers use in their day-to-day conversations with friends.  Mobile is a perfect device for conversational engagement.  It’s remarkable that so little of it has been done.

We hope to be a part of very successful campaigns that point to win:win scenarios for Brands and Consumers with their mobile engagement.  We want Consumers to “want more,” not to have turned away from mobile marketing due to App-burnout, Location Based privacy invasion or lack of value, or a failure to deliver appropriate Content within context to where a Customer took their valuable time to engage with a campaign (i.e. pushing a video to someone on a street corner).

The Rise of the Mobile Virtual Agent – Location/Item Specific

The Rise of Virtual Agents in the online world has been steady and well accepted.  However, in the world of “mobile,” the hype of Apps, mobile video and other bells and whistles has overshadowed the most natural User engagement — and, the value that Virtual Agents can provide.

First, mobile Users are increasing their use of Text based communication.  Despite the increase in smart phones, Text Messaging (SMS and IM) both are on the increase.  It’s the backbone of mobile communication.

It’s also a channel (SMS and IM) that’s ideally suited to Virtual Agents.

How to work with Location based engagement?  QR and 2D Tags are the most obvious (not requiring GPS or “Check Ins” — You can launch an SMS “conversation” with a virtual agent from a QR or 2D Tag easily.  Brand and product engagement can be via Keyword or QR/2D Tags.

For Brands and Retailers, the ability to engage in a personalized and contextually relevant way with Users is fulfilled.  For the End User, they can be lead through a conversation or source information they are interested in quickly by drilling down through a natural language conversation.

The contentAI engine that drives a conversation via it’s “story engine” is perfectly suited to quickly entertain and add value to a User’s mobile experience.

More about QR and 2D Tags – Bridges to Transmedia Story Experiences

We’ve been fans of 2D/QR Tags for almost two years and it’s great to see them moving into the marketplace and gaining some early traction in the States.

The main reason for their appeal is that a 2D/QR Tag creates a “bridge” between two Worlds:  Print and Mobile.  As Producers with a background in cross-platform (transmedia) storytelling for nearly 15 years, in the past, we’ve dealt with disconnected platforms…now, 2D/QR Tags provide a “bridge” between two prime story locations.  Basically, adding a “bridge” to span one media to another makes “transmedia” more intuitive for the End User.

What will this look like?

The most basic example is the Children’s cereal box.  They are deeply engaging and almost always include some storied elements.  With a 2D/QR Tag you can migrate the User to a complementary and allied interactive story on a mobile device.  Done well, the User will acquire story information from the mobile experience that will help them complete their understanding of the story on the IRL physical box in front of them.

Because a bridge, once built, allows you to travel in both directions.

Events: Tags, Narrative, Contest and eCoupons/video

Summer’s here, so the time is right…

Summer Events, with Brands and Sponsors promoting, are fast approaching.  With our new relationships, we’ve turned our attention toward mobile engagement at events.

While Events offer many promotional opportunities, these opportunities can be extended to also include event information and guides, all within the same narrative mobile experience (No more paper).  Our Events demo is now in private Beta; just ping us for access.

And, here is our favorite Tweet of the past two months, now that embedding is up and running:

Gunther Sonnenfeld goonth

Narrative immersion critical to deeper mobile experiences – a balance of utility, consumption & participation. #InnotechPDX 8 minutes ago via HootSuite

5 May 2010 (Cinco de Mayo)


QR Tags and Interactive Conversation = Instinctual Engagement

In digital-years, our awareness of QR Tags was pretty late in the game — about 1.5 years ago – but, in market-year (U.S.) the shift in general awareness over the past year and a half has been remarkable — with market-years “use” just coming into play in a serious way.

In that same time period, our interactive narrative engine has been evolving with a focus on mobile engagement.

The intersection of QR Tags and Interactive Narrative (SMS, IM, Mobile Web, Apps) seems like the most natural end-to-end mobile “pull” engagement because it replicates the User’s typical mobile engagement with friends and family.   So, instead of migrating online ad units to a mobile space, we engage with Users through what is unique to mobile: QR tags are unique to mobile; interactive text conversation is the most common use of a mobile device.

We use medium-specific tools for instinctual engagement.

Mobile marketing has been limited to “push” marketing and very brief, generally non-contextual engagement.  That all changes now.   As we see Central Park being “tagged” with QR Codes (pointing the direction toward “episodic” QR Tags and conversational story episodes), we’re seeing the “internet of things” come to life…

29 April 2010

Talking to the Cereal Box…Brand and Mobile Connectivity

For the past few months, when people ask for “real world” examples of where the connection between Brands (in the Real World) and Users (on mobile) will evolve — We have a hypothetical example of how Cereal boxes will become gateways to conversation.

A User launches a QR Tag to begin an SMS (or mobile web IM) conversation, etc. etc. etc.

Today, we see that WHEATIES are the first to start down this path:

http://blogs.msdn.com/tag/archive/2010/04/21/new-wheaties-boxes-tag.aspx

Except, they connect, but don’t take the next step — and converse.

Let’s unleash the conversations with the Cereal Boxes…they’re waiting to happen…

21 April 2010

Mobile Apps for the Holidays (Q4) – Starting now…

After looking at the calendar, it was apparent that we needed to start gearing up for our Holiday-themed mobile apps now, in April. Between development and approval times, getting into the Holiday-spirit needs to start early.

We are in pre-App preview mode as we evolve our My Santa Talk franchise for Q4 2010. This is one where we want to include all of the bells and whistles of personalized, interactive narrative. And, where we are looking forward to new technology partnerships that will further enhance the end product.

As we move to the next stages of product development, we’ll be assessing the sponsorship/white label model v. paid App. Regardless, what we’re looking forward to is delivering a uniquely personal and contextualized User Experience that evolves annually as we manage the Franchise across emerging delivery platforms (Yes, this year will include iPad).

12 April 2010

Cross Platform Conversional Story Shaping

contentAI are developing a franchise property to be released across a range of conversational platforms: SMS, Chat, Twitter and Mobile web. While some of the Content will be identical, some of the platforms require “re-shaping” of the Content to sync with both the technical and User Experience parameters inherent to the platform.

Announcements coming soon with regard to new Partnership relationships that will expand our network reach and add new options to elevate the User Experience.

26 November 2009