Every year I think, “This is it. This is the year we see a Super Bowl ad touting a short code.” And so far I’ve been disappointed.
This year will (probably) be no different.
GoDaddy will apparently have a QR code in their ad (good luck capturing it from your sofa), and I think Doritos will be touting a mobile site or an app.
The opportunity to lever text message marketing and promote a keyword and short code is huge. Imagine a Papa John’s commercial instructing 90 million viewers to ‘text PAPA to (PLUGIN SHORTCODE HERE), for example, in order to get a coupon code or whatever, then opting that person in for ongoing deals, updates, etc.
This isn’t some fringe technology. This is practically 100 percent of the Super Bowl watching audience, smarthphones and feature phones alike.
I’m truly baffled that no major advertiser has embraced this opportunity. I’m hoping to be surprised this year, but most likely my fingers will be crossed for 2013.
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Pinterest Drives More Traffic Than Google+, YouTube and LinkedIn Combined [STUDY] -
![Pinterest Drives More Traffic Than Google+, YouTube and LinkedIn Combined [STUDY]](http://mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/125,pinterest-600.jpeg)
Pinterest is social media’s rising star — and now has the traffic stats to prove it. The darling network of brides-to-be, fashionistas and budding bakers now beats YouTube, Reddit, Google+, LinkedIn and MySpace for percentage of total referral traffic in January, according to a Shareaholic s…
In Tech, Starting Up by Failing -
Entrepreneurs are finding that many investors will keep the money flowing even when an unsuccessful start-up decides to take an entirely new direction.
Only 1% of Facebook 'Fans' Engage With Brands -
Only 1.3% of Facebook users actually interact with the company brands, according to a Ehrenberg-Bass Institute report. “To change the way people interact with a brand overnight is just unrealistic,” says one of the report’s authors, Karen Nelson-Field.
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“My job as a leader is to make sure everybody in the company has great opportunities, and that they feel they’re having a meaningful impact and are contributing to the good of society.” — Larry Page, Google
I’ve been blogging, tweeting, Facebooking and YouTubing for a long time. And one of the things that always bugs me is how challenging it is to get content in front of the very people who wanted to see it.
Email open rates are abysmal, studies show less than 30 percent of tweets are actually read, and even RSS readers get so packed with content, it’s easy to get lost in the clutter.
That’s why I’m working on a new project called Textvana: http://bit.ly/textvana
If you blog, tweet or publish content of any kind, I think you owe it to yourself to check it out. Getting our launch alert is FREE: http://bit.ly/textvana
Google badassness drives mobile estimate to $2.6 billion -
Google’s “exceptional” mobile advertising and new data has prompted eMarketer to revise its 2012 estimate for mobile advertising spending upward, from $1.8 billion to $2.61 billion. Google has already come to dominate the field, capturing 51.7% of mobile revenue, far ahead of Apple’s 6.3% share. The competition is tighter in the area of mobile display, with Google at 24.8%, Apple at 18% and Millennial Media at 17.7%
No More Résumés, Say Some Firms -
Instead of asking for résumés, the New York venture-capital firm—which has invested in Twitter, Foursquare, Zynga and other technology companies—asked applicants to send links representing their “Web presence,” such as a Twitter account or Tumblr blog. Applicants also had to submit short videos demonstrating their interest in the position.
“47% of those who have Twitter accounts are no longer active.” — Fortune Magazine
(Source: pinterest.com, via coca-cola)
Snack Time
Big welcome to @atsbesttacos for joining the family. Fan of great tacos in Phoenix? Text ATS to HUNGRY (486474) now! (msg&data rates may apply).
MLK Day is one of those WTH holidays. That is, some retailers are open while others are not. Or at least there’s enough uncertainty to just screw the whole thing and not even go out at all.
Discovering the holiday hours of your favorite dry cleaner, restaurant or salon is a pain in the butt. And by “pain in the butt” I mean, search online, find the right one, hopefully click-to-call and wait for someone to (hopefully) answer. Don’t even get me started on Yellow Pages.
SMS, in contrast, is a great way to alert your customers about holiday hours. Closed Christmas, but open till 5 o’clock on Christmas Eve? Let ‘em know with a text message. Open on MLK Day but closing earlier than normal? Do it in 160 characters.
The indirect benefit of this is that it turns into a promotional opportunity. If you’re a restaurant, let fans know you’re open at 10:30 a.m. so they find out right before lunch. Remember, 90 percent of texts are opened within 14 minutes of receipt.
Or use it to push specials honoring the holiday. I remember once grabbing carryout on Father’s Day only to see a piece of paper on the door mentioning a Father’s Day special. If I had only known about it beforehand.
It’s possible thanks to that little miracle in your pocket.