Vitaminwater recently launched their newest campaign staring the genius that is Gary Busey.  In the new ads Gary Busey plays Norman Tugwater, Fantasy Sports Attorney.  He’s fighting to get monetary compensation from fantasy sports players for the athletes that he represents.  The whole thing is pretty funny and quite entertaining, but Busey’s nut-job cheesy TV [...]]]>

Vitaminwater recently launched their newest campaign staring the genius that is Gary Busey.  In the new ads Gary Busey plays Norman Tugwater, Fantasy Sports Attorney.  He’s fighting to get monetary compensation from fantasy sports players for the athletes that he represents.  The whole thing is pretty funny and quite entertaining, but Busey’s nut-job cheesy TV attorney character takes the cake.

The most interesting part of the whole campaign would be the texting component that they have going on – we are a mobile company and into the whole mobile thing.  It’s nice to see a campaign with integrated mobile components.  By texting in TUG to 70734, users receive a call from Gary Busey followed by an SMS with a link to their mobile site.  Once on the mobile site, users can watch the viral video and share it via Facebook and Twitter.  It’s a pretty robust campaign, from the Facebook page, videos, billboards, and OOH.  We salute you Vitaminwater, welcome to the mobile club!

Mobile Marketing Software Provider iVision Mobile And Textopoly Announce Strategic Partnership

LOS ANGELES, March 21, 2010 — iVision Mobile, a leading mobile marketing company, and Textopoly, Inc., a bleeding-edge mobile & social engagement agency specializing in all things interactive, today announced a strategic partnership that will [...]]]> We’ve partnered with iVision Mobile! Check out the release below!

Mobile Marketing Software Provider iVision Mobile And Textopoly Announce Strategic Partnership

LOS ANGELES, March 21, 2010 — iVision Mobile, a leading mobile marketing company, and Textopoly, Inc., a bleeding-edge mobile & social engagement agency specializing in all things interactive, today announced a strategic partnership that will offer expert strategy, consultation, and innovative mobile solutions to the extensive network of leading brands and content publishers that comprise Textopoly’s and iVision Mobile’s customer base.

iMessenger, the web-based mobile marketing software developed by iVision Mobile is used by businesses across all industries to create and manage interactive mobile marketing campaigns.  From the world’s top brands to small businesses nationwide, iVision Mobile and Textopoly have delivered millions of messages that have provided their clients with revenue generating mobile initiatives to maximize ROI.

“We believe that iVision Mobile’s platform for creating and managing mobile campaigns is one of the most comprehensive and user friendly software systems in the marketplace,” says Naushad Huda, CEO and Founder of Textopoly.  “This partnership enables us to continue to deliver upon our promise to harness the most valuable mobile applications and deliver a fully integrated solution with best-of-breed technology from iVision Mobile.”

“Textopoly is a terrific partner to help us expand our business and penetrate the marketplace,” said Omer Samiri, CEO and co-founder of iVision Mobile.  “Hundreds of our mutual clients have independently made the decision to use our software and engage their end consumers with interactive mobile communication.  Together, we’ll deliver an enterprise class solution that combines Textopoly’s expert consultative approach with iVision Mobile’s advanced messaging technology.”

Under the terms of the agreement, all iVision Mobile messaging and short codes will be managed by Textopoly.  Additionally, Textopoly will market, resell and service the joint solution to enterprise customers, simplifying their mobile marketing efforts while maintaining the high caliber of service their customers demand.

“The announcement of the strategic partnership between iVision Mobile and Textopoly seems to be a logical move for both parties, capitalizing on each company’s area of expertise” said Alykhan Govani, CEO of MX Telecom, the connection aggregator for the two companies. “I’m hopeful that the result of this collaboration will lead to the continued development of innovation and strategic engagement via the mobile channel, benefitting brands and consumers across the board.”

About iVision Mobile
iVision Mobile provides mobile marketing and text messaging software solutions for businesses. iVision Mobile empowers companies across all industries including healthcare, automotive, sporting, religious, nightclubs/restaurants, finance, advertising agencies and more with mobile marketing solutions. For more information, please visit http://www.ivisionmobile.com

About Textopoly
Textopoly is a mobile & social engagement agency that creates highly customized campaigns for brands and agencies. Whether it is through texting, the mobile internet, applications, or social media they bring the brand straight to the users fingertips through easy and fun interactions. Through an evolving form of marketing, as well as research and dedication to both technology and its best practices, Textopoly is the leading pioneer in setting the trends in mobile and social engagements. Visit Textopoly at http://www.textopoly.com

Textopoly Unveils Newport Beach Film Festival’s Social Media and Mobile Mash-up

Textopoly Injects Mobile into Social Media through a Unique Facebook Mobile Opt-in Widget and Debuts Fully Integrated Social Marketing Campaign Capabilities including Social Management

Costa Mesa CA – March 9, 2010 – [...]]]> We’re very excited to debut out latest release!

Textopoly Unveils Newport Beach Film Festival’s Social Media and Mobile Mash-up

Textopoly Injects Mobile into Social Media through a Unique Facebook Mobile Opt-in Widget and Debuts Fully Integrated Social Marketing Campaign Capabilities including Social Management

Costa Mesa CA – March 9, 2010 – Textopoly, Inc., a bleeding-edge mobile & social engagement agency specializing in all things interactive, announced today the debut of their new mobile marketing tools in the social media space.  Through a creative social media mobile opt-in method and integrated social tools such as Facebook, Twitter, RSS, and leep.it, Textopoly has delivered brands a new way to extend their message to interested and engaged users.

Textopoly’s new social suite includes mobile opt-in integration into Facebook. The new Facebook opt-in Widget enables social publishers to build a mobile community of opt-ins directly from their Fan Page through a customized tab and send targeted mobile alerts, video clips, images and audio clips through Textopoly’s proprietary mo:base platform.  Through this unique widget, Textopoly has created a whole new communication paradigm connecting social media with mobile.  Additionally, through the use of mo:base and it’s unique interaction with Twitter, brands now have the ultimate space to post their updates and have it sent out across their social media sphere and mobile communities.

“Textopoly had a lot of creative technologies which would help us better utilize and integrate our social media offerings,” said Todd Quartararo, Co-Founder & Director of Marketing for Newport Beach Film Festival. “We’re really proud to debut Textopoly’s new tools and have seen amazing results thus far. Through their social media & mobile offerings, Textopoly has helped us reach our goal this year of extending and organizing the social media and mobile space of the festival.”

“The Newport Beach Film Festival is just the start,” said Naushad Huda, CEO and Co-Founder of Textopoly. “We can now extend our social media offerings to all brands, providing them a space to further engagement with their fan base by fusing mobile and social together. As seen with the Newport Beach Film Festival, we’ve created a whole new way to vitalize end users; and this tool is the first of many on slate for this year.”

Alongside of the social media mobile widget and Twitter integration, Textopoly is debuting their social media campaign management offering.  By moving beyond mobile services Textopoly has planted its foot in the overall marketing game by being the first to offer mobile and social from one shop.  Through strategic content updates and mobile interaction, Textopoly vows to help every brand move beyond its traditional static methods and into the expanding social-metaverse of the future.

For information visit www.textopoly.com or their Facebook page at http://leep.it/fk

About Newport Beach Film Festival
Celebrated as one of the leading film festivals in the United States, the Newport Beach Film Festival has evolved into a prestigious multicultural event, attracting over 51,000 attendees to Southern California. Committed to enlightening the public with a first-class international film program, a forum for cultural understanding and enriching educational opportunities, the Festival focuses on showcasing a fresh and diverse collection of studio and independent films from around the globe. Located along the pristine Orange County coastline, the Newport Beach Film Festival offers attendees an optimal setting to experience filmmaking at its best. With its action packed slate of film screenings, red carpet galas, international spotlights, nightly receptions, compelling conversations with filmmakers, fashion shows, music performances and industry seminars, the Newport Beach Film Festival has quickly gained recognition among filmmakers and audiences worldwide The eleventh annual Newport Beach Film Festival runs April 22-29, 2010 and will spotlight over 400 films from around the world. www.NewportBeachFilmFest.com

About Textopoly, Inc.
Textopoly is a mobile & social engagement agency that creates highly customized campaigns for brands and agencies. Whether it is through texting, the mobile internet, applications, or social media they bring the brand straight to the users fingertips through easy and fun interactions. Through an evolving form of marketing, as well as research and dedication to both technology and its best practices, Textopoly is the leading pioneer in setting the trends in mobile and social engagements. Visit Textopoly at www.textopoly.com/.

Textopoly, Inc. Media Contact:
Evan Kennedy
Textopoly Inc.
O: +1.949.281.7201
evan@textopoly.com

Ohhhh little brother… You have so much more to live and learn. Kudos on the attempt though!

We can at least agree on the fact that AT&T’s network is anemic at best. However, when comparing the HTC Hero and Apple iPhone, both of which I have also owned and operated, [...]]]> In response to Shehzad’s “HTC…No One’s Hero”

Ohhhh little brother… You have so much more to live and learn. Kudos on the attempt though!

We can at least agree on the fact that AT&T’s network is anemic at best. However, when comparing the HTC Hero and Apple iPhone, both of which I have also owned and operated, I still feel as though the HTC, for my purposes is far greater than the iPhone.

Let me address a few of your ‘points…’

1)   Size Always Matters

You are definitely correct, the HTC Hero is 10% smaller than the Apple iPhone; I don’t have a huge bulge in my hip pocket when I have the HTC Hero. However, this does not necessarily mean that it is less functional when using the virtual keyboard. I can type text messages and directions just as fast, and when the HTC Hero predicts the word you are trying to type it’s at least close if not exactly what you want to type!

2)   HTC Hero = Non- Sense mobile phone

I’ll give you this one. Yes, I agree they should have made a sensor to when you put the phone to your ear it would lock the screen.

2a) HTC Hero = Social Media Guru

One of the other things that the HTC Hero does a lot better than the iPhone, is keep me connected with all my friends and family! Its’ simple integration with my Facebook, Linkedin, and Twitter account, keeps me updated on all the ‘status changes’ and organizes my messages from my friends, and overall lets me stay in touch with everyone no matter where I am! I don’t even need the Facebook mobile application! With the iPhone, I have click on the stupid Facebook application, click on ‘home’ to view status updates, click on ‘profile’ to view my profile, why couldn’t they make it all integrated?!

3)   Alphabetically? Really?

The menu button in the HTC Hero is really just a buy-product. They didn’t care about it because you can customize your home screen or any of the remaining 6 screens to have whatever you want on them! For example, on my home screen I have the most common items I use: contacts, Pandora, messages, email, and browser. If I flick the screen to the left, it has all of my wireless amenities, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS, etc. I customize my phone to fit me and therefore never use the menu button! Furthermore, even if it is in alphabetical order, who cares, it’s so much easier to find things! When I had my iPhone, things were all over the place, and never in order, unless I customized them.

In conclusion, the iPhone is a good phone, its easy to use and meant for every Tom, Dick, and Harry, however, when you really want a phone to do a man’s job, get the HTC Hero, it’s a Hero and a Hero always wins!

PS: Let’s not forget, this is HTC’s first attempt against the iPhone, which is in its 3^rd generation. As soon as HTC gets a bit more comfortable, I have no doubt they will out do the iPhone in every category.

Want to chat about mobile over lunch!? My treat! Email me at: Asif[at]textopoly[dot]com

Non-voice activity is considered to be texting (SMS), emailing, taking photos, playing [...]]]> Diving into 2010 many are curious to know where mobile is headed. I recently came across an article with no fluff, just statistics. It did more then explain where mobile has been, where it’s going, and how fast people have adapted to mobile innovation.

Non-voice activity is considered to be texting (SMS), emailing, taking photos, playing a game, surfing the mobile web, and anything that does not require making a phone call.

With this in mind, here are a couple of statistics that caught my eye:

• 85 percent of adult Americans own a mobile phone.
• 81 percent of this 85 percent use their phone for something other than making a voice call at one time.
• 52 percent said they used their mobile phone for a non-voice activity.
• Cell phone users are more than twice as likely to send a text on the average day as do anything else.
• 85 percent of cell phone users have engaged in non-voice activity.
• 36 percent jump was seen over a 16 month period in regards to users that use non-voice data applications on a regular basis; reaching 44 percent.
• 46 percent increase among mobile phone users that engage in activities on a typical day.
• Text messaging increased 40 percent since 2007.
• Mobile email and accessing the Internet via mobile have both doubled during the 2007 to 2009 interval.
• 56 percent reported going online wirelessly via mobile.
• 74 percent have used the mobile Internet or used another non-voice data application on their mobile phones.

There is no doubt that the use of mobile will continue to increase, but I find myself wondering; if statistics are  readily available and accessible, why aren’t more brands taking advantage of mobile marketing, advertising or other mobile services? Especially during this economic crisis, I see how companies can be holding onto traditional marketing, but with such empirical evidence mobile should not be doubted. On a different perspective, over half the population owns a mobile phone and with their mobile phone they are increasingly starting to use the mobile web, text more then they did before (which was already a lot), so why not take advantage of a popular social media the population is already relying on?

I believe 2010 will continue to show how beneficial mobile is, but we will just have to wait and see.

I already know I’m going to be hugging my fellow friends and family on New Year’s while sending out around a hundred “Happy New Year!” texts. At the same time, I know I’ll be flooded with texts, connecting everyone I know, and everyone they know in celebration. So be part of the connection, text! And make note that mobile innovation connects all of us on a unique level and that the first thing you might be doing to start off the new year is exactly what you’ll be doing the rest of the year, texting, surfing the mobile web, taking photos. . .etc!

Read the article here.

iVision Mobile, a text messaging software solution company, recently issued a press release about their  iMessenger platform. As an full-service agency it behooves us to keep up to date on, and provide our clients with the best mobile [...]]]> With each passing day mobile receives a brighter spotlight as more brands realize how effective its engagement is.

iVision Mobile, a text messaging software solution company, recently issued a press release about their  iMessenger platform. As an full-service agency it behooves us to keep up to date on, and provide our clients with the best mobile technology available – especially those technologies that won’t put us in a creative box – we’re not a in-the-box agency!

We’ve used the iMessenger platform and give it high marks for its beautiful interface and its flexibilty. We’re big fans of the text to screen function! We’ve found other platform technologies have their high-points as well, such as a tech-focused, “if / then” programmable technology by MX Telecom called CMX2, a nicely put together platform by GoMoText and the robust platform by 3C Interactive.

When we built mo:base, our customizable web SMS widget tool platform (http://bit.ly/3AcWBR) and our Facebook SMS application (SuperTextMobile http://bit.ly/DazZ1) we incorporated the best parts of the various platforms out there. As we continue to build tools that compliment various platforms the focus for us will always be on the creative, original technology – such as those we used for the Oregon State Lottery, Nieva and Beck’s.

With mobile usage on the rise, and soon to reach full penetration, there seems to be no end in site to innovation and possibilities for mobile and its reach. Indeed we live in exciting times!

Read the iVision press release here. (NOTE: I must warn you that there is a quote in there by Naushad!)