While the child is young these virgin parents are scheming on how to use technology to be better, or at least better informed, parents.  The simplest technology asset they have is their mobile phone. A recent study conducted by Harris Interactive found that parents, especially those with children under 6 years of age eagerly want text messaging alerts from their favorite brands/entities to make their parenting life easier.

Grocery coupons and promotions were the most popular among all parents, including among the subgroups with older children and teens.Don’t think that parents’ activities on mobile stops with texts. Parents considered several mobile activities at least somewhat important at higher rates than mobile users without children, including searching for retail locations (57% vs. 42%), making purchases (40% vs. 26%) and accessing the internet in general (63% vs. 48%).

The instantaneousness of mobile, with texts, mobile sites or apps is a valuable asset for any parent. Being able to find local information such as the nearest pharmacy, where to buy certain products, get nutritional information, get alerts on consumer product recalls, or even a video on how to change a diaper are useful tools for any parent. Today my lifeblood is my mobile device; I use it for everything – I can only imagine how useful it will be the day I end a conversation with “. . God please don’t let my kid do that.”

Over the years our team members have attended the show (Vegas one always rocks!) and each year, before the the upcoming show we get reminder pamphlets. This year the number of pamphlets for the Fall show just exploded and we thought it was hilarious that the wireless association who advocates the use of wireless would send out so much paper to us! Couldn’t they just send us a text message with a link to a mobile site for me to get info on the show and a way to register! Here are some fun snapshots of the stack we got in the mail last week!

Do you wish some of the paper you get in your mailbox would go mobile with an App or mobile site?

What would you have replied back with? Why couldn’t there be a multiple choice!? Is this the best execution for a Coke brand? Am I making too much of this and everyday people totally get this? Holla’ back if think I’m off base on saying this is poor user experience.

Maybe brands think that mobile-internet hasn’t caught on?  That can’t be it.  Mobile-internet usage is increasing at near-exponential rates – 110% increase in 2009 over 2008. (http://leep.it/hR)

Maybe brands think that most people don’t have internet-accessible mobile devices. Don’t think so.  Nearly every (if not all) new mobile phone can access the web.  Granted, viewing may be more pleasurable on smartphones, but even smartphones are more prevalent today than ever before.  Every carrier offers a myriad of smartphones and many have become very affordable – special thanks to Google for indirectly paying carriers to sell Android phones (http://leep.it/hS)

Could it be that brands think users are happy accessing their normal websites from their mobile phones and thus they don’t need to create WAP sites? Nope.  A recent report shows that 60% of mobile-internet users have had problems accessing websites on their mobile in the last 12 months. Additionally, 51% have experienced content on websites being too large or too small. (http://leep.it/hT)

So I am left dumbfounded.  What in the world are brands waiting for? Do you know?

3 years ago I lived in Japan and when I first moved there 2D barcodes were old hat.  Pretend you are sitting on a train in Tokyo.  All around you are advertisements, and in the corner there is a 2D barcode.  Most Japanese handsets have some kind of 2D barcode reader preinstalled and all you have to do is scan the barcode and it provides some information related to the advertisement such as a phone number, web site, and email address.  A simple interaction to provide basic information which the end user can do whatever they would like with it.  Nothing further happens on a marketing level, advertising level, handset level, or carrier level.  I like simple, simple works best.

There is nothing simple about what people were pushing at CTIA.  2D barcodes that launches apps, 2D barcodes that open websites, 2D barcodes that add contacts, 2D barcodes can do all sorts of things, but I’m not sure if I want them to.  It is up to us, the marketers, to create the most interaction with the end user doing as little as possible.  Am I really going to download a barcode scanner, scan the image, wait for the app to download, enter in all my information, and then get to watch a video?  That’s about 5 too many steps.  Our goal should be to make things as easy as possible, but it seems like we’re just complicating things more and more.  There are no barcode clearninghouses in Japan, no further interaction, no carrier compliancy.  There were no rules because 2D barcodes are used for simple interactions.

I’m sticking to my guns and saying simple interactions will defeat complicated marketing tools.  I bet we can get more people to opt into a SMS club than we can get them to scan a barcode – any takers?

Text messaging is a digital and mobile tool that enables people anywhere at anytime to communicate with anyone anywhere.

Texting has been internationally adapted because it is much cheaper to send a short text message than make a phone call. In the Philippines, text messages cost less than a penny and in Europe texting is still, economically, a better form communication due to high roaming charges. For U.S text messaging fanatics, unlimited text messaging plans prove to save users money when juxtaposing how many phone calls users would typically make, if texting were not available. Source 1

The convenience of communicating on this scale has overridden talking on the phone with exponential numbers. In fact:

• There are 280 million U.S. mobile subscribers. Roughly, 91.4 percent of total U.S. population uses mobile. Source 2
• 740 billion text messages were sent during the first half of 2009. Making an average of 4.1 billion text messages sent/received a day. These statistics nearly doubled from 2008. Source 3
• As of the second quarter of 2008, a typical U.S. mobile subscriber sends or receives 568 text messages a month. While the number of calls has remained relatively steady, the number of text messages is up 450% from 2006. Source 4 / Source 5

Users also use text messaging as a social informative tool. After news broke about Michael Jackson’s death, 65,000 SMS messages were sent per second on AT&T alone. This vital information can be sent faster and easier via text message, versus calling individual, thanks to the forwarding feature. Source 6

Going back to the initial article that sparked this blog, I think the only argument worth explaining here is the argument suggesting that text messaging and its language based off abbreviations (i.e. TTYL and BRB) is preventing our youth from writing academically correct and efficiently.  This is not the case, and this is why:

• A 2010 research found that extensive exposure to texting does not erode a child’s ability to spell but creates strong literacy and spelling skills. This Phylogeny awareness indicates that although using initials, abbreviations and understanding phonetics and rhymes are a part of texting – they are also a part of developing successful reading and spelling skills. Source 7
• A 2009 survey highlights how children who acquire a mobile phone at a young age become more financially aware and learn how to manage money earlier then they would with out a mobile phone. Children want to be able to afford ringtones, call costs and computer games even offer to do chores in exchange for cash to afford mobile add-ons. Source 8
• Abilene Christian University conducted mobile research and found that iPhones present a more attractive platform for learning than current classroom tools. Research also found that mobile instruction can transition to a mobile platform with no loss in student mastery of content. Furthermore, 89 percent of students and 87 percent of faculty called the mobile program successful. Source 9
• Public educator, Edutopia launched “The Digital Generation Project”, a media-rich digital based program that helps educators and parents understand how kids learn, communicate, and socialize in very different ways than any previous generation. Edutopia believes that the collaboration of new technology with new approaches to teaching creates a personalized style of learning students can benefit more from. History, literature, and art can be taught via text, images, and sound. Source 10

In addition, I have added a couple of statements from the article, in which I will comment on:

MYTH: “Text messaging is replacing talking, hindering the ability to form a face-to-face relationship.”

FACT: Text messaging is a new form of correspondence that encourages communication and allows friends to stay in contact in situations that phone calls cannot (i.e. working, in class, in the library, on an awkward date etc.) In fact, 3 billion of the world population text messages. Source 11

MYTH: “My mom learned to text because she found it was the best way to get a hold of my sister.” (Implying that it is bad to learn how to text.)

FACT: 60 percent of adults said that the new technologies did not affect the closeness of their family, while 25 percent said cell phones and online communication made their families closer. Source 12

MYTH: “Kids are getting in trouble for texting during class.” (Implying text messaging inspires bad behavior among kids.)

FACT: Kids get in trouble in class regardless!

MYTH: “Phone bills have racked up hundreds of dollars due to texting. Most people have unlimited which is actually a good investment if it is your main way of communicating.”

FACT: Phone data plans are decreasing, saving people more money. Source 13

MYTH: “How is this affecting to the up and coming generation? The generation is expecting immediate responses.”

FACT: The upcoming generation is expecting access to information on a 24 hour basis, access to social media networks in order to stay in touch with family and friends, and of course the ability to communicate on a level that is available to everyone, anywhere, anytime of the day; mobile does that. I hope the upcoming generation expects the best, because the industry is catering!

MYTH: “Cell phones are constantly glued to people’s hips, you would think it was a life-saving device. Of course, in some situations, it is. For example, if you are stranded on the side of the road.”

FACT: Text messaging does save lives, and not just for road side assistance. SMS alerts can warn students of school shootings, tornado warnings and other weather alerts, and even mobile helped Malawi people by connecting rural communities to hospitals. Source 14 / Source 15 / Source 16

MYTH: “People feel lost when they forget their phone at home. And I don’t think it is not because they are worried about being stranded on the freeway; it is the missed calls and text messages from friends they are going to miss.”

FACT: People do not wish to leave behind their phones simply because they might miss the chance to talk to a friend or family member (although I would not want to miss their message either!). People use their phones for more then texting. Mobile internet browsing and applications help people accomplish their goals through out the day. 3 billion applications have been downloaded (by iPhone and iPod Touch users ALONE) to help users receive news about stocks, financial accounts, weather reports, traffic reports, business information and more. In fact, users have increased daily use of the mobile internet by 107%. Source 17 / Source 18

MYTH: “I think it is still important to keep our verbal communication skills in tact. I just don’t want text messages to replace face-to-face contact with people.”

FACT: People around the world are not staying locked in their rooms with cell phone in hand, relying only on text messaging to communicate with the world. Living in a fast pace society, people are going to school, going to work, running errands, eating, meeting with friends and family. With this, text messaging simply suits the busy body with a means of convenience. Meaning that when you are on the go, your phone is going to aid you throughout your day and make sure things get done.

MYTH: “You lose other communication techniques as well that are involved in a conversation: facial expressions and body language. A smiley face icon is not the same as a real smile.”

FACT: Text messaging is not meant to replace real smiles or real hugs, nor will it ever. However, if you are having a bad day and a friend sends you a smiley face, the gesture of a smile will somehow make your day a little better. Moreover, if you still do not like the text smile, take a picture of your smile and send it via MMS!

MYTH:  “Communication can be easily misinterpreted over test messaging. You can’t hear the person’s tone of voice in a text message, so the content may be construed by the receiver. Sometimes technology doesn’t work and a text message doesn’t get delivered, whereas then, the sender thinks the receiver is avoiding him/her. It can get very complicated, whereas a simple phone call would have avoided all misunderstanding.”

FACT: A phone call takes more time to get the point across. If text messaging was not a suitable way for people to appropriate get their message across, then people would not be ‘texting more then talking’ (on the phone.) Source 19

MYTH: “It is rude to be having a physical conversation with someone while the other person is having a conversation with someone else on the phone. It makes that person feel like they are not important enough, and again back to the point of not being able to form in-person relationships.”

FACT: It is called texting etiquette along acquired social skills. You can’t blame text message for bad etiquette!

MYTH: “We don’t want technology to take over and become the face of all conversations.”

FACT: This is not a terminator movie, technology is meant to help us. It feeds into our naturally creative swagger and strive for innovation.

These statements (myths) are perhaps what some of the population thinks about text messaging and mobile innovation. But before you judge this incredibly convenient technology, know your facts! Then make an educated decision.

Also, understand that the group of people willing to text is 3.5 times bigger than the number of people willing to pay for TV and these numbers will only continue to grow. Maybe not necessarily in relation to watching TV, but text messaging is a part of the present, and will be part of the future. So hold on tight! And watch the wave of WAP, SMS, and mobile internet entice you (because sometimes the majority knows what is best, in this case, mobile engagement.) Source 20

Want more myths demystified? Want to talk about mobile some more? Send me an email!

For the article in question click here.

The full story was posted on Media Post last week (http://leep.it/cR). I won’t rant on and on about this. However, it is amazing that neither mobile nor social media made it into the final plans of how to spend $21 million dollars. They could have allocated less than 0.01% of that and created some truly engaging interactions with mobile to compliment their TV,print and online elements. Even if they didn’t want to expend the effort in creating original interactive mobile engagements, or placing ads on the mobile internet, or creating mobile landing pages where their target users (full-time workers) could get more information while they eat there $5 subway footlong, they could have at least added text call to actions on print & TV ads to get some measurement of the media spend!

If you’re interested in knowing how we would have used SMS/text, mobile ads, a mobile site and social media for Kaplan give me a holla’, we’ll chat over a footlong & a diet coke.  Naushad out.