A panel at Mobile Marketing Day, hosted by Mobile Marketer and the Direct Marketing Association, featured mobile marketing case studies from brands such as Macy’s, Domino’s and Unilever’s Dove Hair Care.

Read more at  http://www.mobilemarketer.com/cms/news/messaging/5572.html

The panel featured Reed Smith lawyer Adam Snukal and Lustigman Firm principal attorney Andy Lustigman, as well as Siteminis chief operating officer Steve Timpson. Mobile Marketer’s Mickey Alam Khan moderated. The agenda included insight into law enforcement related to mobile marketing, important cases and best practices, including tips for mobile contests, sweepstakes and promotions.

“Direct marketers need to understand and embrace the concept that unlike most other forms of direct marketing, this is an opt-in channel,” Mr. Lustigman said. “Marketers need to be very careful at analyzing exactly what consent the consumer has given to be contacted and not merely accept a third-party’s representation that the list is opt-in.”

Read the complete story on Mobile Marketer

http://www.mobilemarketingmagazine.co.uk/2010/03/sms-dominance-to-continue-says-frost.html 

Steeped in digital technology and social media, they treat their multitasking handheld gadgets almost like a body part — for better and worse,” the report says. Millennials, Pew said, “are more likely than older Americans to treat their cell phones as a necessary and important appendage. Many even bring their cell phones to bed,” with 83 percent of them saying they have placed their cell phone or or right next to their bed while they sleep.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35545420/ns/technology_and_science-wireless// 

Two persons were detained on Feb 20, while the rest received administrative punishments for sending illegal text messages, according to a statement released by the regional police.

More than half of those punished are students and self-employed people. A number of people who sent the messages meant them as jokes, China Daily reports.

Text messaging services were suspended in the provincial capital of Urumqi last year because it was said to be a major tool to instigate violence, which left 197 people dead and over 1,700 injured.

Domestic text messaging services in the region resumed on Jan 17 after authorities found the overall situation stabilized, although sending messages overseas remains prohibited.

Each mobile phone user in Xinjiang was allowed a maximum of 20 messages a day, and they cannot transfer any unused messages next day.

The quota was increased to 50 a day during the Spring Festival holiday so people could send greetings to each other.

Police also fined many people in Urumqi for fabricating and spreading firearms-related rumours during the Spring Festival.

Xinjiang authorities have warned residents not to spread rumours about disease, unrest or terrorism and said that any offender will be punished. (ANI)

Via One India

At the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, Gavin Krugel, the director of mobile banking strategy at GSM Association said “We see it as a very big oppurtunity” and “one billion consumers in the world have a mobile phone but no access to a bank account,”.

Today, 40 million people worldwide use mobile money, and the industry is growing, according to the GSMA. “Africa and Asia are the most active regions right now,” Krugel said. “We expect Latin America pick up this year.”

Infact, there are 18,000 new mobile banking users per day in Uganda, 15,000 in Tanzania and 11,000 in Kenya, he said.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/telecom/Mobile-phones-become-pocket-banks-in-poor-countries/articleshow/5598653.cms? 

“GOMOTEXT will soon be releasing its iPhone App, that will allow users to manage all their campaigns using the iPhone. This release will make Campaign Manager, one of the only Mobile Marketing platform offering this feature.  In addition, as part of our ongoing commitment to provide our clients with the best user experience possible, we have made It possible  to launch Mobile Marketing Campaigns without the clients having to spend the time and money in developing their own platform. Campaign v4.0 is extremely robust platform and can be licensed as a White Label hosted solution”, said Dr. Roni Dhar, President GOMOTEXT.COM

Read the complete story at PR Log

Today, there are roughly 4 mobile phone users world wide for every 1 computer user. When looking at the numbers, it is clear that SMS is still the widest reaching communications tool available today:

–  4 billion mobile SMS users, globally

–  10 million iPhones shipped, globally, in ‘08

–  3 billion Nokia phones shipped, globally, in ‘08

–  150 million Facebook users

–  45 million LinkedIn users

In predicting the 2010 US mobile messaging landscape, we reflect on 2009, a year, which many predicted, would see the demise of SMS (being made obsolete by mobile IM and email); but, in reality, we saw SMS continue to remain the long-standing “killer app” on the mobile phone. Last month, Gartner made its Mobile Predictions, projecting that SMS money transfers will be the number one mobile application in 2012.

Source: Market Wire

American teenagers send an average of 10 text messages per hour they are not in school or sleeping, according to research by The Nielsen Company.

By analyzing more than 40,000 monthly U.S. mobile bills, Nielsen determined American teens sent an average of 3,146 texts a month each during Q3 2009. Their tween counterparts (ages 9-12) sent an average of 1,146 monthly texts each, or four per hour not spent asleep or in school. In comparison, the average number of monthly texts sent by all mobile users combined was a little more than 500, writes Marketing Charts.

In Q4 2009, 9-12s increased text usage by 8% and almost doubled their text message volume.

Text Costs Typically Remain Low

While parents may fume that teen and tween texting will land them in the poorhouse, Nielsen analysis indicates the average cost of a single text message is one penny. Only a small percentage of mobile users belong to a “pay as you go” plan typically charging 20 cents per text. Most mobile users subscribe to plans with messaging bundles that substantially reduce the cost of an individual text.

Youth Text Market Will Grow

Nielsen predicts overall text message usage will grow as the heavy text messaging population ages and entices the older generations to text with them in order to stay in contact with them. The average text message number has increased every year, but the huge room for growth that is still remaining has been underestimated given the penchant for texting among the 17 and under segment.

‘Sexting’ Poses Teen Danger

‘Sexting, or the sending of risqué photos via text message, likely poses a greater threat to teens and tweens than heavy text usage. According to nationally representative research from Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project, 8% of 17-year-olds with cell phones have sent a sexually provocative image by text, and 30% have received a nude or nearly nude image.

17% of teens who pay for all of the costs associated with their cell phones send sexually suggestive images via text; just 3% of teens who do not pay for, or only pay for a portion of the cost of the cell phone, send these images. Pew research found that sexually explicit text messages have become “relationship currency” among U.S. teens.

Via Marketing Vox