M/C/C Blog

Staying true to its enterprise-oriented roots, Research In Motion (RIM) recently launched the latest version of it BlackBerry Mobile Voice System (BlackBerry MVS) business software for mobile devices. While it boasts similar capabilities to Google’s Google Voice application, RIM’s new baby may see accelerated adoption due to the company’s mastery of delivering products that meet enterprise needs better than any other player in the wireless market as well as its end users’ absolute affinity for software that comes in any size or shape as long it syncs beautifully. Let’s also not forget: Google Voice is processed through Google’s offsite servers rather than on your local BlackBerry Enterprise Server and while that may be alright for some people, many companies don’t want to risk the potential security threats of having critical emails going through another company’s servers.

In addition to call waiting, call hold, call transfer, call scheduling and simultaneous ring, MVS 5.0 also packs these whizz-bang-wow features:

Mobility has opened a door for public relations professionals in ways they never could have imagined. Public relations professionals have to be ready for whatever curve ball may come their way and now they can receive the information at two in the afternoon or two in the morning by having a mobile phone. Mobility provides PR teams with e-mails, calls and Internet around the clock.

It also allows professionals to keep up with their clients no matter where they are or what they are doing. Miranda Yow wrote an article in Platform Magazine discussing mobility and how it has taken PR to the next level. She asked professionals to picture themselves at a grand opening for client A and getting a phone call from client B who reports that they have a product that is up for recall and would like to hold the media back until all communications points are written.

With mobility this is no problem at all; you whip out a phone, shoot out an email, set up a news conference and go from there but without mobility that would be impossible. You would have to get to a computer before anything could be done.

This keeps PR teams on their toes and allows them to maintain top quality media relations and communicate effectively. Public relations is formed around the acronym R.A.C.E. which stands for research, action, communication and evaluation. With mobility we are able to be effective communicators and to take action no matter where we are. Mobility has opened the door for public relations in more ways than one and is revolutionizing the world in connectivity. There are so many smart phones to choose from and PR professional can find a phone tailored to his or her needs. To read more about mobility in PR click here.

It should be the first thing that crosses the minds of app designers, mobile marketers, carrier executives and anyone else working in the mobile industry: Who is going to use my product? It’s no secret that everyone from McDonald’s employees to CEOs are required to know their audience the best they can, and with the continual growth of data-based, wireless services, the market is also growing more and more elusive. Sure, there is Google Analytics for your site, but mobile data is a different breed of information with more complicated needs and interests. So how is it that mobile marketers are able to target wireless consumers effectively?

The difference is between in-network and out-of-network analytics services. Out-of-network analytics services such as Google Analytics use website tags, cookies and the cache to record information via JavaScript regarding the user’s actions. The problem is that this does not record all of the information for all users. Not all mobile browsers are supported by these services and much of the information is easily lost during transmission due to the analytics platform’s location outside of the information route. In short, the website sends whatever information it can gather from the mobile browser to the analytics platform

Another option for capturing analytics information is an in-network analytics service. These services place the mobile analytics platform in the information flow so that the mobile internet gateway sends information directly to it as opposed to the website’s JavaScript gathering and sending it. This provides for more accurate information regardless of the mobile browser.

Since the mobile industry is so driven by data plans, which is usually controlled by a carrier’s hardware, the accuracy of mobile analytics plays a key role in a carrier’s ability to provide dependable service to wireless consumers. This means that with more accurate information, consumers may spend less time chasing low introductory rates or limited-time offers and experience less frustration with unsatisfactory service from carriers. Not to mention you, as the designer, programmer, sales rep or otherwise, will have a better grasp on how to design, program or sell your product to picky consumers.

Mobile marketing has been going through quite a change over the past few years. Even on television, most networks are airing those obnoxious commercials imploring you to text a noun or adjective to an odd string of numbers in order to find out how compatible you are with your mate and subscribe to ads. Aside from wondering how many relationships these services make or break, advertisers should be thinking about what’s going on with mobile advertising. Clients are often asking agencies to break into the mobile market, but so many of them steer clear of this part of the digital arena because they are unsure of its logistics or fear they will not be able to quantify results. Alcatel-Lucent Market Advantage recently did some research regarding how well young consumers respond to mobile advertising and how we, as advertisers, can utilize the medium to effectively reach them.