Target is letting consumers redeem coupons by scanning a mobile bar code at check-out

Target has launched a nationwide mobile couponing initiative that lets consumers redeem discount offers by scanning a 2D bar code at the point of sale.

The retail giant claims that this is the first program of its kind that is available across the entire United States. Target believes that mobile couponing will be a competitive advantage for its brand.

“At Target, we know that our guests are relying more and more on mobile devices, so we’re providing convenient, on-the-go mobile solutions for our guests,” said Leah Guimond, spokeswoman for Target, Minneapolis, MN. “Target is the first national retailer to offer a scannable mobile coupon program that allows guests to receive exclusive offers directly on their mobile phones.

“Coupons are redeemed by scanning a barcode on the phone at checkout,” she said. “Mobile coupons are available to our guests right now.”

Target’s mobile coupons are available on any phone with a Web browser that has access to text messaging and data.

Currently, there is not a mobile application available for Target’s mobile coupon program.

Consumers can opt-in to the program on their PC at http://www.target.com/mobile, on their phone at http://m.target.com or by texting the keyword COUPONS to the short code 827438 (TARGET).

Target mobile coupons from Kraft and Planters

After opt-in, guests receive a text message with a link to a mobile Web page that contains multiple offers, all accessible through a single bar code.

Offers are single-use and expire on the date listed. New offers are sent each month as the previous offers expire.

This is not a regional pilot—Target is rolling out mobile couponing nationwide.

“Target is the first to have the ability to scan a bar code directly from a mobile device at any store nationwide,” Ms. Guimond said.

In addition to using the new mobile coupons, Target guests can access their Target Mobile GiftCards, view online assortments, check product availability and store locations, manage their Target gift registry and lists, browse the weekly ad, and receive text and email notifications of great deals, all via their mobile phones.

Mobile coupons are heating up
Other retailers have tested mobile bar code coupons, although none other than Target has rolled out the initiative nationwide.

Last year J. C. Penney Co. Inc. began letting shoppers ring up savings at the register using their mobile phones with a 2D-bar-code coupon program.

JCPenney customers at 16 Houston stores can download and carry coupons on their mobile phones that can be scanned directly from the phone’s display screen at the point of sale.

The retail giant tapped Cellfire for the initiative (see story).

“Mobile coupons let retails reach their customer segments that are inclined to use permission-based, interactive channels, like mobile, versus traditional vehicles like newspapers and direct mail,” said Dan Kihanya, vice president of consumer marketing at Cellfire, San Jose, CA.

“Mobile provides convenience to shoppers who can have their coupons with them when they need them—without having to remember to bring paper,” he said. “Since mobile is interactive and digital, it can be targeted and more relevant.

“Finally, the location context of mobile means retailers can present offers that are most relevant when a customer is going to be or is nearby.”

Sarkissian Mason, a digital invention agency, came up with the concept after relaunching Pathways to Housing’s Web site. The company also claims that it noticed the growing trend of charitable giving via mobile text codes.

“The strategy behind the interactive video was to use cutting edge technology to have the public engage with the homeless by giving viewers the opportunity to interact with someone on the street,” said Claudia Dymond, development and external affairs manager at Pathways to Housing, New York.

“The target demographic was younger people who have dexterity with communicating via their phones,” she said. “For whom a $5 donation would not be a burden, and who may not be familiar with Pathways as an innovative solution to solving homelessness.”

Pathways to Housing claims that it is the originator of the Housing First model of addressing homelessness among people with psychiatric disabilities. The company provides housing and supportive treatment services.

Here is an image of the virtual demonstration:

Mobile donation
Pedestrians in downtown Manhattan can see a video projection of a homeless man on the street, asleep, but shivering.

There is a call to action to remove the virtual person on the projection where consumers can send a code via text message.

When a user interacts with their phone, hidden software activates a separate video loop that causes a door to appear in the wall, through which the homeless person enters into a new home.

A text message is then sent to the user’s handset with a code to donate to Pathways to Housing.

“Unlike our Web site, this video seeks an immediate response from the viewer putting the image of the homeless man together with Pathways to Housing,” Ms. Dymond said.

Here is another image of the virtual demonstration:

Virtual project
The virtual demonstrations will be projected on the sides of buildings in March in several downtown locations.

Pathways to Housing claims that it is easier to solicit funds through mobile codes, but the lower cost per donation has made giving more mainstream.

Users can text HOME to short code 56512 to donate $5.

“We have contracted with a mobile giving company, who tracks the donations,” Ms. Dymond said. “The donations are not received until after the donor pays his or her phone bill, then the mobile carrier pays the mobile giving company, who writes Pathways a check. 

“These donations are used to support Pathways’ work in providing housing and supportive services to the chronically homeless,” she said. 

Here is another image of the virtual demonstration:

A mobile-optimized storefront based on Sum Effect's Mobile CoreCommerce platform

News Corp.’s Clear Channel Radio and General Electric have both debuted mobile-optimized online storefronts to expand their respective footprints and drive revenue.

The companies tapped ecommerce service provider Sum Effect Software Inc., which recently unveiled CoreCommerce 7.7, the latest version of its shopping-cart platform featuring a mobile-optimized online storefront. Mobile CoreCommerce extends merchants’ online access to millions of Web-enabled mobile phone users.

“Working with Sum Effect [to integrate] CoreCommerce has been a pleasure from the beginning,” said Matt Scafidi, Melbourne, FL-based webmaster at Clear Channel Radio. “We were looking for an ecommerce solution that required minimal set-up and maintenance while being user-friendly to both administrators and customers—we found our answer!

“The staff have been extremely courteous, flexible and quick to respond to any problems
or questions we’ve encountered,” he said. “Moving our Web store to CoreCommerce has yielded increased profit margins and expanded sales opportunities available to us.

“There are many ecommerce providers floating around on the Web, but before you pick one, do your due diligence and look closely at CoreCommerce.”

Sum Effect Software is dedicated to providing software that makes marketing, selling and supporting products and services easier for merchants.

Sofware-as-a-service ecommerce platform CoreCommerce helps small-to-medium-sized retail businesses sell their products on the internet as an ecommerce software provider.

Mobile CoreCommerce is a new feature that the company has released with version 7.7.

Hardcore mobile commerce
The mobile-optimized storefront in CoreCommerce 7.7 automatically detects if a mobile device is accessing a CoreCommerce customer’s storefront. It then instantly adjusts and optimizes the display for the smaller screens of mobile devices.

The mobile storefront includes an optimized front-end check-out and merchants can continue to use their existing payment processors.

“We wanted to extend our traditional Web storefront software for our clients so they can tap into the growing mobile commerce traffic and give our merchant clients even more prospective customers,” said Matt DeLong, president/CEO of Sum Effect Software, Franklin, TN.

“To my knowledge, we are the only ecommerce software providers to have done this,” he said. “This new feature has been deployed to all our merchants—it’s turned on by default.”

Inline payment processors, such as Google Checkout, have already announced that their payments platform is already mobile-optimized.

Other ecommerce storefronts display full size Web sites, showing only two or three square inches of the full size site at a time on mobile phone screens, requiring users to constantly scroll and move the image around to see the rest of the storefront.

Sum Effect Software claims that the CoreCommerce 7.7 mobile storefront eliminates all of that manipulation to make it easy for mobile device users to buy online using their handset.

The new Auto-Suggest feature in the search function of CoreCommerce 7.7 is designed to help ecommerce shoppers find items they are interested in and wish to buy.

Similar to the search suggestion function of major search engines such as Google, when a shopper starts to type, the CoreCommerce 7.7 search will display a drop-down list of suggestions the shopper can click on to execute the search.

This minimizes typing and mistakes and helps shoppers find products fast even if they are unsure of the name or correct spelling.

Every online store has buttons to facilitate shopping, such as check out, add to cart, save and view cart.

CoreCommerce now comes with a library of 45 predesigned button groups that merchants can choose from. Each group has a theme reflected in button shape, size, font and graphical rendering.

A merchant can choose a theme, and CoreCommerce automatically installs all of the buttons from that group throughout the storefront to give store owners control over the look and feel of their sites.

Keeping online product offerings and images up to date is essential in ecommerce, according to Sum Effect. To that end, CoreCommerce 7.7 launched ccImagePlus with Picnik, a Web-based photo manipulation program.

Store owners can upload product photos and use ccImagePlus tools to resize, crop, touch up and edit images automatically, on the fly, then post them on their storefronts in real time.

Current CoreCommerce customers will automatically be upgraded to version 7.7 at no extra cost.

While GM and Clear Channel Radio have adopted the platform, CoreCommerce’s shopping cart system is designed specifically for the small business retailer.

Other clients include Olan Mills, Minnesota Work Wear, the Outdoor Store and BorgWarner, as well as basketlady.com and careformenaturally.com.

Enterprise-grade hosting with Rackspace and fully-encrypted security, 24/7 ticketing support, live chat and flexible payment processing and shipping integration, CoreCommerce is geared toward businesses looking to add ecommerce to an existing Web site, replace their current shopping cart provider or build their first online store.

Support for iPhone and BlackBerry
Mobile CoreCommerce has been optimized for Apple’s iPhone and Research In Motion’s BlackBerry platforms.
Sum Effect is currently working on other mobile platforms based on our customer feedback.

Merchants can use their existing payment methods to accept payments from their customers via Mobile CoreCommere.

These include MasterCard, Visa, check, money order, COD, pickup, post office, gift certificates, Google checkout, PayPal, checkout by Amazon and echecks from Transaction Central, Payments Gateway and Authorize.net.

Also, merchants can accept traditional credit cards—Mastercard, Visa, AmEx and Discover—through one of Sum Effect’s 33 payment gateways with which the company integrates.
 
“Our clients are the merchants who sell stuff online,” Mr. DeLong said. “We didn’t want our client’s customers to have to download and install an app to make a purchase from our
clients.

“Client customers can find their mobile optimized store fronts the same way they would with traditional desktop storefront—Google, Yahoo, Bing, etcetera,” he said.

John Foley Jr. is president/CEO of interlinkOne

By John Foley Jr.

As people become more dependent on their smartphones, the opportunities to benefit from QR codes continue to grow for marketing departments.

QR codes connect people between traditional media and new media in just a matter of seconds, making printed materials truly interactive.

Forward-thinking companies are already seeing success with QR codes in a number of different areas. These include business cards, promotional materials, outdoor signs and banners, and flyers.

While the use of QR codes is certainly on the rise in many places, there still may be a high level of unfamiliarity within your target audience. 

If you are thinking about adding a QR code to your printed materials, it will be important to break down potential barriers with education.

Here are a few ways to help ensure your audience becomes aware of what a QR code is, and what they can do with it, before they actually see yours:

Place one in your email signature, blog posts and online newsletters.
Sure, a QR code’s primarily application may be on print.

However, putting a QR code on an email or a Web page may help to raise curiosity. You can let consumers click on the QR code as a link, and direct them to a page that describes what they are and how they work.

Provide how-to information on your printed materials.
We may strive to keep our message short, sweet and simple on our postcards, flyers and advertisements.

However, if you are including a QR code as a call-to-action, provide a bit of how-to text on the printed piece.

Specific instructions that make it clear that people can take a picture of the QR code with their phone or a webcam to access additional information or listing a Web site URL that lets them download QR code reader software is a start.

Polo Ralph Lauren, winner of the 2009 Mobile Marketer of the Year award by Mobile Marketer, provided how-to text in a U.S. Open promotion that included QR codes. If you are looking for inspiration, that ad might be a great place to look.

Designers - take advantage of the Reed-Solomon error-correction code!
QR codes may still be readable with up to 30 percent deterioration. This allows you to take a few liberties when it comes to designing a QR code. Perhaps you can put your logo in the middle of a QR code, or add a wrapper around the QR code that fits in with the overall creative theme of your printed materials.

Adding a creative touch may encourage people to take the initiative to scan the QR code just to see what will happen.

John Foley Jr. is president/CEO of interlinkOne, Wilimington, MA. Reach him at johnf@interlinkone.com.

Columbia used Demandware’s mobile commerce services to create a rich multichannel shopping experience for customers. By pointing their mobile browsers to http://www.columbia.com/mobile, outdoor enthusiasts can learn more about Columbia, its product line and shop on the fully  mobile commerce-enabled site.

Giselle Tsirulnik, senior editor of Mobile Commerce Daily interviewed Paul Zaengle senior director of ecommerce at Columbia Sportswear regarding the company’s mobile strategy in terms of commerce, inventory management, fulfillment and returns.

Here is what he had to say:

What is the strategy here for Columbia? Is this site meant to be an additional sales channel?
The goal of the site is not to be an additional sales channel. The site is meant to provide a digital experience appropriate to the consumer’s device.

We are seeing a large number of consumers accessing our brand on their mobile phones, so we wanted to create an experience optimal to those devices.

Why is it important for retailers and brands to have a mobile commerce presence?
Consumers need to be able to access retailers and brands in whatever way they feel best. If a consumer is on the go, or prefers to access via a mobile device like so many today do, then they need access that is optimized for that experience.

Has Columbia done anything else in the mobile space? Mobile advertising? SMS campaigns? Or is this the brand’s first foray into mobile?
Columbia also has begun developing mobile applications.

Our first mobile application, “What Knot to do in the Greater Outdoors” has been downloaded more than 60,000 times, and is ranked one of the top 150 Utility applications for iPhones. 

Here are some screen grabs of the “What Knot to do in the Greater Outdoors” application:

We have much more planned and in development.

We also do SMS as an added value for customers who want to send store locations to their mobile phones.

How do you select which products to display on the mobile site? Or is the entire inventory on the mobile site? Basically what is the inventory management strategy?
The entire inventory that is available on Columbia.com is also available on our mobile site. 

We want consumers to have access to a broad range of products, whether they are purchasing on their phones, or they are using the site for research in one of our partner’s stores. 

Customers can easily see the product ratings and reviews, which is a key decision point for consumers these days.

Here is a screen grab of a product page on the mobile commerce-enabled site:

What about fulfillment and returns? How does that work for the mobile site?
The transactions are handled exactly like an ecommerce order. If someone chooses to join our “Greater Rewards” loyalty program, they can get free shipping on their orders!

SMS donations raised around $40 million for Haiti disaster relief

An executive of Mobile Accord Inc.’s mGive discussed the most successful SMS donation program ever and the exploding mobile giving space in an exclusive interview.

Hundreds of thousands of mobile phone users have made $10 donations to the American Red Cross Haiti Relief and Development Fund by texting the keyword HAITI to the short code 90999, raising a record-shattering $32 million in mobile giving for the ongoing relief efforts. The mobile giving program was established within hours of the January 12th earthquake in Haiti through the efforts of the U.S. State Department, Mobile Accord/mGive Foundation, CTIA–The Wireless Association and the American Red Cross.

Mobile Commerce Daily’s Dan Butcher interviewed Tony Aiello, cofounder/CEO of mGive, Denver, about the current state of mobile giving and its potential. Here is what he had to say:

What is the state of mobile giving nationwide?
It is still very early days for the whole mobile donation category. We think a comparison of the history of online donations is instructive.

In 2007, $10.44 billion was raised online for various charities. However, it took some time for the online channel to gain the awareness and credibility necessary to achieve this level of impact.

In the second year of online giving, just $300,000 was raised. In the third year, donors gave $10 million online.

We’re now in the second full year of mobile donations and we have clearly seen a faster start than online.

As people responded to the terrible disaster in Haiti, their response raised visibility for the whole idea of text donations.

People are becoming increasingly comfortable with the technology and we think that adoption will continue to increase as more nonprofits understand how to run successful mobile donation campaigns.

We are also just seeing the tip of the iceberg in terms of applying emerging mobile technologies to make mobile pledges even more flexible and convenient for donors.

Is $10 the maximum mobile donation?
The carriers determine the donation amounts and today they allow either $5 or $10 donations.

What is the level of consumer awareness of SMS donations?
More than 3 million people texted donations to Haiti in the last month and a half, thanks to the many people who helped to spread the word about text giving, primarily through the Red Cross and the U.S. State Department.

MTV’s “Hope for Haiti” concert and media including [MSNBC’s] Rachel Maddow Show, [CNN’s] Larry King Live, NPR, PBS, the New York Times, a special public service announcement with a call-to-action from the First Lady and thousands of other articles, TV shows and radio shows, more people than ever before are now aware of the potential to use their phone as a way to give to causes that are important to them.

Which nonprofits have found most success with mobile donations?
Using mGive’s platform, the American Red Cross raised more than $32.5 million dollars for Haiti. This is by far the most successful mobile donation campaign ever.

Previously, Alicia Keys worked with mGive to power donations for her charity “Keep a Child Alive.” In a single American Idol appearance, she requested donations and received over $450,000 from viewers.

Including other mobile giving efforts, Keep A Child Alive has raised approximately $1 million dollars through the mobile channel to date.

Teleton MexAmerica raised around $200,000 during a telethon back in December of 2009.

There are many other examples of small and large nonprofits using mGive to successfully raise money.

MGive currently works with 250 nonprofit organizations for their text donation campaigns, so there are many other success stories, but certainly the American Red Cross is the most visible and successful to date.

The American Red Cross is the poster-child for mobile donations. How did it get there?
The successful Red Cross text donation campaign for Haiti was ultimately a collaboration between the State Department, the Red Cross and Mobile Accord’s mGive.

The generosity of millions of Americans who saw the images of suffering in the news really propelled the donations, and many of those same people helped to build momentum for text donations using social media to urge their friends to make a difference.

Was the Haiti tragedy the tipping point for mobile donations to take off?
Since the tragedy in Haiti is still relatively fresh, we do not yet have the benefit of the kind of hindsight that is required to confirm a tipping point. A lot of people certainly think it is a pivotal event.

For one thing, many nonprofits that might have been unaware of the potential of mobile donations now have a clearer understanding as a result of the response for Haiti.

In addition, a lot of everyday people who did not know anything about text messages before Haiti learned about it because of the disaster.

For example, we actually spoke to one man who had just turned 83. He wanted to text a donation for Haiti for his birthday, but he needed help to understand how to send a text message. After a few minutes and a brief explanation he was comfortable with the process and sent a successful donation.

The real power of text donations is in its immediacy and its ability to expand the number of people involved in charitable giving.

People do not need a lot of money to make a text donation; they do not need a credit card, they do not even need a bank account.

We think it is an incredibly powerful platform that will help to change the face of charity.

How can charities promote mobile giving?
There are a lot of different giving campaign models used by the more than 300 charities we are supporting. As a result of their experiences, we are sharing best practices for mobile campaigns with the different charities who partner with us.

Some of these best practices include ways to link mobile donations to events to take advantage of the accessibility of the mobile device.

Other best practices involve ways to build a text donation community by using periodic text messages appropriately.

We expect that new models and campaigns will emerge as new mobile technologies are available.

What is mobile donation’s edge over online and mail?
Mobile is an instant and convenient way to give. Wherever people are when they hear the request to give, they will likely have their phone with them and can give immediately instead of waiting to get to a computer or mail in a check.

With text donations, it only takes a few moments to type in the code and confirm the donation—there’s no need to provide bank account details or credit card numbers.

Online giving and direct mail are still wonderful ways to raise money and will be with us for a long time.

What about donor fears over billing and transaction security?
Donating by text message is very safe, particularly in comparison with online giving, where charities may not be qualified against stringent standards in advance.

In addition, since mobile donations do not require the use of a personal credit card, there is no threat of identity theft or phishing.

Maximum donations are $10, and carriers typically limit the number of donations per person to ensure there is no misuse. Carrier networks are highly secure.

One hundred percent of donations are passed through to the nonprofit organization.

MGive charges a small monthly fee to the organizations, and carriers do not charge for the use of their networks or billing systems.

What are your expectations for mobile donations this year and next in dollar amounts?
It is difficult to predict the dollar amounts that may be raised using text donations. We do know that the number of charitable organizations that are implementing some type of mobile donation platforms is increasing as a result of increased awareness of the text donation channel.

We believe that we will see a baseline increase year-over-year, but we are unlikely to see another single event raise funds like Haiti.

According to the report, retailers have recognized that people will not leave home without their mobile device. More retailers are implementing handsets into the retail cycle.

“I think in terms of key finding, retailers are finding mobile a very attractive medium,” said Dr. Windsor Holden, principal analyst at Juniper Research, London. “With mobile, you have the opportunity for far greater engagement and measurable engagement.

“You can personalize the advertising and target the campaigns,” he said. “The response rate is far higher and what we see is a gradual evolution of mobile as a channel.

“In terms of retail, the iPhone applications have really revolutionized how marketers thought about the mobile channel.”

Juniper Research assesses the current and future status of mobile retail based on interviews, case studies and analysis from representatives of several organizations in the industry.

Mobile retail
The report found that the mobile retail sector would initially be dominated by coupons, but noted that mobile advertising expenditure would exceed coupon redemption values by 2013 as digital ad spending is increasingly transferred into the mobile space.

The study claims that factors such as the growth of the mobile Web, the availability of high speed mobile broadband networks and the ever-growing usage of SMS were offering retailers, brands and merchants new opportunities to communicate with existing and potential customers and to offer the ability for them to shop by mobile.

“Retailers have seized the opportunity,” Mr. Holden said. “If you look at the pre-application world, retailers and brands were very cautious about the mobile space.

“The application store has changed all of that – there is a much better user interface now with a richer experience,” he said. “There is a necessity to have some kind of convergence which enables users to purchase your products.

“As a marketer you’re increasing the need to engage a consumer, rather than pure reach. You need to go beyond the traditional advertising.”

Brand awareness
Juniper found that for brands and retailers, mobile offers the ability to change campaigns quickly and the use of a handset in a shopping situation can be effective – consumers can compare product prices, for example.

The report shows that while mobile will be an effective channel for younger users who organize their lives around their handsets, older demographic groups are likely to be less receptive to using their phones in a retail situation.

Juniper sees the mobile channel expanding next year and said that retailers should jump onboard.

“I would say [retailers] should obviously go down the application route,” Mr. Holden said. “You are seeing levels of engagement and response rates that are absolutely unheard of in the mobile space.

“[Retailers] should produce and market their products,” he said. “If you are a retailer, produce applications that enable the purchase of your goods throughout the mobile channel.”

In addition, the number of user sessions is up 56 percent in the last two months with visitors spending an average of 23 minutes on the mobile application per day. The AreYouInterested.com iPhone mobile dating application features a complete integration of Web and mobile activity.

“We aren’t selling ad space within the application yet because right now we are just really focused on being best in class,” said Cliff Lerner, CEO of Snap Interactive Inc., makers of AreYouInterested.com, New York.

“We think there will be a huge monetization opportunity later down the road,” he said. “We are selling virtual gifts to users and users just simply charge it to their iTunes account as if they were buying a song.

“We are selling a few thousand dollars worth of gifts each day and are doing very well.”

With the AreYouInterested application, users can contact each other by sending messages, with conversations transferred between each platform, as well as via the new live chat feature that lets singles communicate in real time with others who are online.

Also, within seconds, users can see a complete rundown of singles in order of how close they are geographically, which is a unique feature made possible by GPS technology.

Snap claims that the virtual gifts and other unique features on its site have driven viral growth thus far.

The company has not done a mobile ad campaign to drive downloads of the application.

The increase in activity on the mobile front demonstrates the natural synergy between social media and the mobile platform.

“The activity we are seeing points to mobile as the next generation of online dating,” Mr. Lerner said.

The AreYouInterested.com iPhone application lets users browse photos of singles in their area and tap “Yes” on people they like, view their “Matches” and find out who likes them.

Users can also check out the “Buzz” and meet singles in their area who are currently online, and contact people to send and receive winks and messages.

“Dating has finally arrived in mobile and what makes it unique when compared to traditional, online dating is that singles get immediate results and don’t need to wait,” Mr. Lerner said. “With mobile you can sign in at any time and see who is around you and that’s fun and interesting.

“Mobile provides instant gratification and its practical,” he said.

Snoop Dogg taps Myxer

Rap mogul Snoop Dogg is using the mobile channel to drive sales of his CDs, DVDs and ringtones, giving away free mobile video content and wallpapers and running a sweepstakes.

The rapper’s agency Cashmere has partnered with mobile entertainment content provider Myxer to promote the upcoming release of Snoop Dogg’s CD and DVD combination More Malice, the follow-up to the Malice N Wonderland album. As part of the promotion, Snoop will use Myxer’s MobileStage product to deliver exclusive, behind-the-scenes branded mobile video content.

“Snoop Dogg was looking for an innovative way to use mobile marketing technology as well as work with a company that has a huge mobile audience,” said Steve Spiro, vice president of marketing at Myxer, Deerfield Beach, FL. “With Myxer, he was able to find both.

“Plus, for Myxer it was great to have such a prominent artist rally behind our recently introduced MobileStage, which is great for indie artists as well as artists from our other partners like EMI, Warner Music and The Orchard, to name a few,” he said.

“Snoop Dogg wanted to try something interesting and new for his upcoming release of the CD + DVD combo More Malice, so his great marketing agency, Cashmere, came up with the idea for a mobile contest whereby words were delivered along with the video, and when deciphered, it leads to an opportunity to attend the premiere screening.”

Founded in 2005, Myxer is a consumer destination for mobile entertainment and content personalization, with a catalog of ringtones, wallpapers, videos, applications and games.

The company recently launched MobileStage as a free, customizable mobile Web site for artists.

Myxer users download more than 90 million pieces of content every month. The company has recorded more than 1 billion downloads to date over its platform.

Snoop Dogg’s tenth studio album Malice N Wonderland was released on Dec. 8, 2009. More Malice, Snoop’s deluxe CD + DVD release, will be released March 23 from Capitol/EMI.

More Malice features five songs from the previously released Malice N Wonderland, along with five entirely new songs and two remixes.

More Malice features songs and remixes with Jay Z, Kid Cudi, Soulja Boy Tell ‘Em and Bun B. Also included in the More Malice release will be a never-before-seen mini-movie entitled Malice N Wonderland.

The movie, which features Snoop in the title role as the super hero Malice looking to save his home land of Wonderland, features all star cameos including Jamie Foxx, Xzibit and Nipsey Hussle.

More mobile content
On the eve of the launch and mini-movie release, Myxer has created a More Malice MobileStage content channel at http://m.myxer.com/malice, which features exclusive videos of the making of the Malice N Wonderland mini-movie, ringtones and wallpapers.

The More Malice mobile portal is accessible to more than 30 million music fans within the Myxer community.

The video clips are free and exclusive to Myxer. Snoop Dogg music ringtones—not from More Malice—are priced at $2.99 each.

Additionally, there are embeddable widgets featured on numerous major music and hip-hop Web sites and on Snoop Dogg’s various social networking platforms for easy access to the mobile downloads, as well as custom text keywords.
Snoop Dogg fans will also have an opportunity to fly to Los Angeles and hang with Snoop based on hidden word clues after the videos are downloaded.

“With Myxer’s 32 million users, there’s already a giant built-in audience to join the contest and/or download his ringtones,” Mr. Spiro said. “The promotion is about mobile content and the contest.”

Myxer will be featuring Snoop Dogg as the main Pick of the Day a number of times over the next two weeks.

Plus, Snoop Dogg has a permanent channel on Myxer at http://www.myxer.com/theme/SnoopDoggMoreMalice, which is heavily promoted on the Myxer home page.

Additionally, Myxer has more than 65,000 Facebook friends that have been informed of the promotion, and Myxer has also spread the word via its other social media outlets.

“The plan is for Snoop to also reach out to his large following on Twitter and Facebook, as well as his many other contacts, as this is the promotional centerpiece for the upcoming release,” Mr. Spiro said. “And finally there will be cameo videos with a number of leading artists and friends of Snoop Dogg that will be circulated around the Internet, directing people to the contest.

“We will be primarily focusing on online and mobile, but as interviews are conducted in those other media outlets, there will be pickup there,” he said. “We will run some house ads to our mobile audience regarding the contest.

“With GroundTruth just naming the Myxer mobile site as one of the top 10 most visited mobile sites, we’ll get plenty of traction just internally with our own customers, in addition to all of the other outreach I’ve mentioned.”

Electra taps JHG, targets iPhone users

Electra Bicycle Co. LLC has launched an application for Apple’s iPhone to engage consumers and drive bike sales.

The bicycle retailer tap JHG, a Southern California-based digital marketing agency, to develop a Digital Asset Management (DAM) system and an Electra Bicycle Co. iPhone application, now available in the Apple App as a free download.

“Electra wanted to build an iPhone application that would showcase the style and depth of the company’s brand as well as bring their expansive catalog to life,” said Jacob Shea, executive vice president of interactive and technology at JHG, San Diego, CA.

“Electra has a committed following of fans and riders who wouldn’t trade their bicycles for anything and who needs to keep the brand at their fingertips,” he said.

Electra Bicycle Co. is a recreational cycling retail brand in the Independent Bicycle Dealer Network, showcasing more than 200 models of Ticino, Townie, Amsterdam, Cruiser and children’s bikes.

Electra is headquartered in Vista, CA, with distribution in 27 countries worldwide.
 
The Electra “Way to Roll” is a movement that celebrates individuals around the globe who are taking action to make the world a better place through environmental conservation, social aid, education and artistic expression.

JHG is a digital marketing agency that helps businesses in consumer packaged goods, sports, entertainment and technology sectors to engage the public and drive revenues

JHG’s roster of clients includes Flo TV Inc., Volcom, Qualcomm, Barona Resort & Casino, National University System, Rogers Communications, Toshiba America Electronic Components, JVC U.S.A., Buzztime and Yahoo Sports.

App drives sales
JHG has spent the past few months with Electra, a leading brand in recreational cycling with distribution in 27 countries worldwide, to develop the robust iPhone application.

The application showcases all six Electra bicycle collections, provides downloadable wallpapers of Electra lifestyle imagery and lets users snap and upload their own photos to share with the entire Electra community.

The application also lets fans of Electra to send bikes to their friends and family and offers a built-in dealer locator, which connects users to the closest Electra dealer through the iPhone’s GPS technology, or alternatively by searching by city, state or ZIP code.

JHG’s focus is on creating robust interactive experiences with iPhone applications.

Understanding how to extend a brand’s presence into the mobile and online space is inherent in building a successful project, according to the agency.

While there is not a way to pay for products via the application yet, Electra and JHG are hoping to add the ability to purchase parts and accessories in the next version.

Adding international dealers is also planned for the next version.

Electra has already broadcast news of the application’s release across its Facebook and Twitter pages, and visitors to electrabike.com are met with a landing page detailing the features of the application and linking directly to the iTunes store for download.

In addition, Electra is conducting a public relations campaign focused on spreading awareness of the new application through various consumer and cycling-focused publications.

“JHG has helped to put Electra literally directly in the hands of its most enthusiastic salespeople, its fan base,” Mr. Shea said. “The Electra community is devoted to the brand, and its fans are always turning friends and family—and even the occasional stranger in a bike shop—into new customers with their enthusiasm for riding an Electra bike.

“The app allows fans to spread the love wherever they may be, especially by uploading photos of themselves with their bikes to be shared in the app’s community photo gallery,” he said.