The Wall Street Journal follows the aftermath of Obama's mobile marketing success:

Tech-savvy tactics helped give Barack Obama's presidential campaign an edge. Now, several of the ad-technology companies that powered the campaign's digital push are touting their role in its success, hoping to gain an edge over their own competitors.

No sooner did the polls close than companies such as New York communications agency SS+K, mobile-marketing firms Distributive Networks and Quattro Wireless and online-ad firm Pontiflex began highlighting their role in the campaign to solicit new business. Now, big-name marketers including retailer Gap and insurer Allstate are seeking out these firms, hoping the Obama effect will rub off.

By using mobile-phone advertising, the Obama campaign rounded up volunteers and encouraged voters to go to the polls. It built a list of mobile-phone numbers, developed profiles of potential voters and sent them targeted messages.

Real the full story here.

This recent report from Mobile Marketer is bound to have some effect on mobile marketing targeted to the younger demographic.

"With tweens and elementary school kids increasingly carrying smartphones with Web access, many marketers are looking to reach those audiences through SMS and mobile-friendly Web applications. 

Marketers seeking to attract those age groups must, however, remain vigilant about privacy compliance.

As a recent Federal Trade Commission settlement with Sony BMG Music Entertainment (Sony Music) illustrates, interacting with the under-13 crowd remains a precarious marketing activity that must be vigilantly monitored."

Read the full report here.

Have a safe and happy holiday weekend from your friends at Club Texting!

Women in procreation mode can now sign up for a new series of text message alerts from BabyCenter.com reminding them just when the most opportune times are each month to attempt to get pregnant.

The new set of mobile fertility alerts, dubbed Booty Caller, are free to BabyCenter users who fill out some basic information on their menstrual cycles. BabyCenter then will deliver a total of 18 text messages (three per menstrual cycle), which provide women with information on just where things stand fertility-wise at that particular moment. For example, a message might read “Your fertile window opens today and lasts 5 more days.” BabyCenter will use Booty Caller to drive users to its mobile site for more information.

Read more here.

It's great to see organizations using SMS for the "gr8r" good.

The United Methodist Church is testing out a mobile ad campaign this month that will incorporate a two-fold strategy of text messaging along with outdoor advertising.

“Open hearts. Open minds. Open Doors” campaign was launched in the Pittsburgh area last week and will run until Christmas Eve with the aim of reaching thousands of commuters and pedestrians with more than 40 billboards and transit shelter ads.

Ads simply stating messages of hope will prompt the public to text a keyword such as “believe” to a designated number. Those who text will receive a longer message inviting them to attend a United Methodist church for Christmas and offering them the opportunity to reply with their zip code to find a nearby church or to get more information at the denomination’s Web site.

WeatherBug(R), the leading provider of live, local weather information for consumers and professional users, launched an integrated mobile advertising campaign today for the cold and flu season. The new ad-supported Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) campaign, which runs throughout the winter season, integrates daily forecast information from WeatherBug, cold and flu tips, and outbreak statistics and maps from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The Utah Department of Transportation has launched a mobile version of its CommuterLink site, giving the state’s travelers real-time traffic data while on-the-go.

The CommuterLink mobile site at http://www.commuterlink.utah.gov can be accessed from any Web-enabled mobile phone or PDA. Powered by Usablenet, the site provides travelers with traffic data from most of Utah’s major roads.

Read more here.

The promise of interactivity between potential customers and display technology is only at its beginnings; however, advertisers are looking to enable a higher level of engagement with digital signage audiences by enabling a backchannel. Due to the simplicity of SMS messaging and the ubiquity of wireless handsets, 40% of new network digital display platform installations will leverage SMS for interactivity by 2012, according to MultiMedia Intelligence. This is up from approximately 5% in 2007.

Read more here.

For all those who have not been in a NYC Yellow Cab this year, you may not be aware that practically every single taxi now comes with Taxi-TV, powered by one of three major networks. These networks have looped programming that usually repeats itself during a 20 minute ride and, of course, the screens are full of ads. Recently, we have noticed a rise in SMS call-to-actions.

Just this morning, a Club Texting team member noticed a static banner for none other than Victoria's Secret saying: Sign up for exclusive alerts and offers at VictoriasSecret.com or Text VSNYC to ANGEL. Standard rates apply. Call 877 209 7575 for complete terms and conditions.

So what are you signing up for? UR now on the Victoria's Secret mobile list! Look 4 exclusive offers, event coverage and new product info. Rply STOP 2 optout at any time. Txt HELP for help

We have to admit, it does help pass the time in rush hour traffic.

We came across this "go green tip" from UC San Diego and just had to share it:

UCSD has developed a online feature that allows students to click a "Send by Text Message" button on while browsing the online Library catalog. Within seconds, students will have a new text message that includes the title, call number, and location of the item they wanted!  Students can then stop by the library on their own time and reference the SMS message to quickly find the book.

The city of Decatur, GA, is going mobile to make fumbling for change at the city's parking meters a thing of the past.

The city tapped StreetSmart Technology LLC and MobileNow for a pilot program letting consumers put time on parking meters by dialing in on their mobile phone. Decatur's single-slot parking patrons can call a central number posted on the meter and charge their parking time remotely.

“The primary strategy for implementing the smart meters is to increase turnover in the parking spaces in downtown," said Erik Puskar, director of MobileNow, Whitestone, NY. “The City is responding to complaints from both business owners and motorists that many cars overstay the 2 hour time limit and will occupy a space for extended periods.

Consumers arrive at the parking space, call into MobileNow's automated line displayed on the meter and follow the phone prompts to enter the space number also posted there.

StreetSmart's system then posts the time on their meter.

It's about time! Read more here.

Another recent report show promise for mobile coupons:

In some parts of the world, most notably the Far East, mobile coupons are already being used by millions, and a new study by Juniper Research forecasts that the North America and Western Europe will soon experience growth in this form of mobile promotion.

In Japan and Korea, using mobile devices to redeem coupons and participate in promotions at point of sale is commonplace, with over 50 million using their mobile devices as virtual wallets. The uptake has been driven by the proliferation of device readers in use throughout a wide range of locations including supermarkets, restaurants, car parks, travel hubs and department stores allowing redemptions and payments with the wave of a mobile.

The lack of infrastructure is currently holding back growth of mobile coupons in Western Europe and North America but Juniper's report predicts that the two regions will account for 20% of coupon redemption values by 2013. Coupons delivered and redeemed via mobile phones are forecast to be used by 200 million mobile subscribers globally by 2013.

This just in:

On Nov. 1 British Airways will launch its remote check-in service, letting travelers check-in for flights from any location through their mobile devices.

Mobile check-in is made possible by the British Airways mobile Web site, powered by Usablenet. It is a free service available across global markets in 11 languages, with no need of additional downloads or software.

“Mobile check-in lets them use the same feature on the return trip,” [Jason Taylor, vice president of mobile products for Usablenet] said. “This benefits the brand on a service level, providing convenience for customers, and the practical aspect, driving people to check-in via the Web and mobile saves the airline money.”

Broadplay, a Toronto-based digital marketing agency with a focus on mobile marketing, offers access to President-Elect Barack Obama's victory speech through text message.

Users in Canada can text "Obama" to the Shortcode 123411 and receive his historic victory speech to their cell phones via text message. The Broadplay platform makes it "easy as 123" to receive information through SMS to all enabled cell phones and PDAs. This platform gives users the freedom to access information without necessitating the purchase of a data plan. On a standard-rated message basis, users experience the cost-effectiveness, convenience and usefulness of mobile data.

Read more.

Over the past year, the concept of mobile donations have created a big buzz. The first we saw in the mainstream media was a United Way Text-2-Give ad during Superbowl XLII. Other than that, the sightings have been rare. Now, however, it seems that times are changing.

A pilot program will allow Ohioans to donate to the Salvation Army's Red Kettle Campaign this holiday season by sending a text message to a number posted near 80 kettles in the Columbus area. The program is aimed at younger, tech-savvy donors who are less likely to carry cash.

When the campaign begins in late November, people will be able to make a $5 donation, which is then posted to cell phone bills.

Salvation Army officials have talked about creating a texting program for about three years and hope it will be successful enough to expand nationally, spokeswoman Melissa Tomme said.

"Particularly this year, where the economy is such a huge factor, we're all cautiously optimistic about fundraising but we don't really know what to expect," she said.

Read more here.

Auto companies have slowly been gearing up towards mobile over the past few years, with many seeing huge benefits from their efforts.  We hear that Lexus has finally thrown their hat into the ring, but not without intense research on mobile practices and how it relates to the consumer experience. Lexus is the first and only car company to participate in a consumer research study lab with the sole aim of understanding and implementing the best mobile-based communications for Lexus guests before attempting to create their mobile campaign.

Perhaps this will set a new standard for national brands, one where planning and patience pays off in a big way down the line.

With so much speculation surrounding the main reasoning behind the Android platform and its intentions, I think it should be obviously clear.  While some argue its Google’s attempt to tread into the enterprise, and maybe some day it will, its main intention is to dominate the mobile-based advertising market like it did on the desktop.

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It's always great to hear how text messaging is being used to help others:

The American Red Cross and the Wireless Foundation announced its Text 2HELP program a day after this publication broke news that the system faltered on Labor Day.

The program will let mobile subscribers make a charitable donation to the Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund by texting GIVE to the short code 2HELP (24357). The funds will go toward helping victims of Hurricane Gustav and any others that make landfall this season.

“We are encouraging cell phone users to make a $5 Text 2HELP donation to help the American Red Cross provide our neighbors in the Gulf Coast and people across the country with the help that they need in the face of emergencies,” said Gail McGovern, president/CEO of the American Red Cross, in a statement from Washington.

Read more at Mobile Marketer.

The best way to reach young consumers is via mobile marketing:

The youth demographic is more inseparable from its mobile device than any other and is the bread-and-butter of many marketers, though marketing to that segment presents its own unique challenges.

So how are the big retailers out there doing it?

“Some of the most common are getting prominent display of the call-to-action, such as in-program TV placement, getting all the stakeholders to buy in and rising above all the noise,” he said.
...
“We try to engage young people using different media to get the call-to-action out and to get responses,” Mr. Andersson said. “Using ringtones and videos as lures for the youth segment has been very effective.

“Rich content download is key—the richer the content, the higher the response rate,” he said. “For example, offering full MP3s gets more responses than offering a ringtone download.”

Read more at Mobile Marketer, or read about mobile marketing for retail at Club Texting.

Univision, the large Spanish language broadcaster is stepping up their mobile efforts:

Media giant Univision Communications Inc. is expanding delivery of mobile services to Univision Radio, one of the leading Spanish-language radio groups nationwide.

Read more at Mobile Marketer, or head over to Club Texting to read more about mobile marketing for radio stations.