Delivering a profitable web project – on time and on budget!

Melbourne – Tuesday 25 November, 2008

Register Here

AIMIA and VentureOne are delighted to launch the first-ever Introduction to Digital Project Management.

You’ve asked for a practical course that meets the needs of the digital professional in managing complex web projects either in an agency or within a company. We’ve invited experienced practitioner, Vishy Narayanan, National Technology Director at Deloitte Eclipse, to discuss the theory and the practical day-to-day elements of project management.

Find out how to negotiate the pitfalls to ensure your project’s success. Gain key insights into:
• Managing difficult clients and negotiating change requests
• Bid management – structuring your bid to minimise risk across contract, rate, timeline, resources and 3rd party dependencies
• Key project metrics and tracking milestones
• Practically managing time and client demands in a chaotic business environment

The numbers are strictly limited to ensure you receive the best learning experience in this highly interactive and structured course. So book now!

Event Details:

Melbourne
Date: Tuesday 25 November, 2008
Venue: Monash Conference Centre
Address: Level 7, 30 Collins Street, Melbourne
To Register for the Melbourne Event please click here

Time:
Start: 8.30 am
Finish: 5.30 pm

Price:
AIMIA Member: $495 (ex GST)
Non-Member: $595 (ex GST)
Which includes workbook, morning and afternoon teas and lunch.
Essential digital project management skills – Advance Notice

Introduction to digital project management – the details:

This introductory course is suitable for digital professionals wanting to become team leaders or project managers. It is also suitable for existing team leaders or managers who have not had formal training in project management.

Course outline:

Each component of the course introduces and builds on key concepts, with the focus on sound business practices, including bid management, risk mitigation, contract and legal issues, reporting and testing outcomes.

I. Principles of Project Management. Introducing project planning concepts

II. Bid Management. Ensuring that your bid is well structured can assist in mitigating risk later in the project cycle. You will receive a check list of issues to watch out for in the contract, rate, risk, timeline, and resources, training, environmental factors, and 3rd party dependencies.

III. Project Control and Management Scope – what are the warning signs that your project has gone off the rails, how to manage the client, and other essentials such as getting a signed statement of work.

IV. The Build Cycle

V. Testing

VI. Hand Over and Post Project Review

VII. PM Techniques:
a. Time Management
b. Negotiating Change Requests
c. Managing extreme situations
d. Self Assessment
e. Asking for Help
f. Additional Resources

Your Trainer:

Vishy Narayanan leads the technical direction and is responsible for Project Governance for Deloitte Eclipse.

Vishy is an experienced program manager backed by solid industry experience that spans over 13 years, working across a number of industries including publishing, telecommunications and media, FMCG and retail, Government and IT Consulting. He brings with him a well-developed understanding of commercial business objectives and proven ability in the architecture, delivery and management of innovative business technology solutions for major corporates.

Prior to joining Eclipse, Vishy has worked in key roles such as Chief Operations Officer at Gravity, Client Services Director at Hyro, with previous roles at CMP Medica (formerly MIMS) and Reed Elsevier.

Vishy holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Telecommunications), a Masters in Information Systems and Technology, and a Certificate in Project Management from Project Management Institute. He regularly conducts training courses on project management across Australia.

Welcome to Digital People, where each fortnight we profile someone in the Digital Industry through a regular series of Q&A’s. This fortnight is Claudia Sagripanti – long time mobile advocate and now Director of Mobile Communications at GroupM.

Name: Claudia Sagripanti

Works: GroupM

Job Title: Director of Mobile Communications

How, where and when did the digital industry find you?

I started at Macquarie Bank in the IT Venture Capital area, just before the Dot Com crash, and saw some great and not so great start up businesses. While I was there I met with a number of senior executives from the online advertising sales companies, and then  went on to co-establish the Online Advertising Taskforce

What is your current role and what do you actually do?

I joined GroupM 2 months ago to manage and develop the strategic integration of the Mobile channel into the overall communications offering across the 4 groups of MindShare, MediaCom, Mediaedge:cia and MAXUS.

I also run training and seminars through my company VentureOne, in partnership with AIMIA, looking at the commercial issues in the digital media sector.

If you could have any job, what would it be (can be in and/or outside the industry)?

I’m doing it!

Take a punt on the ‘next big thing’ in digital?

It’s all about mobile to me – so more on mobile social networking, mobile location based services, and bedding down mobile advertising

Where do you see the digital industry in the next 5 years? (any forecasts and challenges)

The digital industry will be all about engagement, and developing innovative ways to interact with consumers and users.

There are big expectations for mobile advertising so the huge budgets expected will be enough of a challenge. It will be interesting to see how mobile internet will grow as consumers become accustomed to searching for content and accessing mobile websites. Mobile websites development is rapidly becoming a commodity product before becoming redundant in a couple of years due to the iPhone, and also the sophistication of browsers to deliver content dependent on the device and location. Also I’d like to see sophisticated use of location services – we haven’t yet seen the killer app.

How do you see other media evolving in the next 5 years?

It will be interesting to see how social networking will be monetised.

Where do you see mobile marketing going in the next 12 months?

The challenge for mobile marketing and advertising is to get in front of the planners and strategists at the right time. There’s also a lack of really innovative mobile marketing campaigns – a lot of the campaigns are effective and work, but it would be nice to see one with a big idea.

Mobile advertising will move from being an experimental medium to being an essential part of the media mix strategy.

Did you ever have a big digital idea you wish you pursued (or someone else’s idea you wish was yours)?
Everyone I know in this industry has at least one side project – maybe we’re just a creative entrepreneurial bunch! I have lots and lots of ideas, but I’m focusing on just one or two.

Where do you get your industry information from?

I read local magazines including Digital Media magazine, B&T, AdNews, BRW and Anthill. I also read a variety of international email newsletters and blogs. And Twitter of course for up-to-the minute thinking.

What industry groups or networks are you a part of?

AIMIA – I chair the Mobile Industry Group. I also regularly go to Mobile Monday Sydney and I belong to several mobile related online networks specifically for mobile.

Extract maximum value from your digital content

AIMIA and VentureOne invite you to attend The Business of Digital Content seminar next Tuesday.

Hear frank and robust discussion and analysis on how to commercialise content across all digital channels including web, mobile, IPTV and other interactive devices.

We are delighted Randall Straw, Executive Director, Multimedia Victoria will give the official welcome in addition to a great speaker panel, including:
• Eric Beecher, Chairman, businessspectator.com.au and crikey.com.au
• Paul Salter, Partner, Map Venture Partners
• Christo van Egmond, Business Development, Stripe
• Shaun Miller, Partner, Marshalls & Dent
• Alex Hartman, Executive Director, Lyrebird Trust
• Clifford Rosenberg, Executive Chairman, Clear Light Digital
• Sue Klose, Corporate Development Director, News Digital Media
• Pippa Leary, Managing Director, Media, Fairfax Digital
• Tony Surtees, CEO, iPrime
• David Gurney, Rocket Scientist, Blue Rocket
• Dan Brush, Partner, Herbert Geer
• Jennifer Wilson, Director, Lean Forward
• Simon Goodrich, Managing Director, Portable Content
• Simon Britton, Special Project Officer, Centre for Screen Business, AFTRS
• Rob Antulov, CEO, 3eep
• Steve Watson, MitchelLake
• Jim Shomos, Writer/Producer, Let’s Talk
• Debra Allanson, Managing Director, Ish Media
• Angelo Tilocca, Manager Content Licensing, ABC
• Michael Padden, General Manager BigPond Mobile Network, Telstra BigPond
• Claudia Sagripanti, Director, VentureOne and Chair, AIMIA Mobile Industry Group

Speakers have been briefed to be fearless in discussing:
• New business models – what works and what doesn’t. And a reality check on making money from content – what you really need to know
• How to overcome the cross media lag
• Content to market – licensing and distribution of digital content from experts who negotiate the deals every day
• Valuing the content business covering the investor, the VC and the business owner.

The detailed program is available here www.aimia.com.au/businessevents

The first seminar on The Business of Digital Content in Sydney attracted great reviews, with delegates commenting:

“Very well organised, useful insights and excellent speakers”, Ninemsn

“Very good, diverse covering very useful information”, Network Ten

“It was a very insightful seminar with some fantastic speakers. I really enjoyed it!” Ticketek

“We believe that video will be at the very heart of the next five years of web evolution.”
(Bear Stearns, June 2008)

AIMIA and VentureOne are delighted to invite you to attend the Commercialising Video seminar, to be held in Sydney on June 24, 2008.

“Consumers are avid downloaders and streamers”

Find out what consumers want. All delegates will have access to the latest consumer attitudes survey covering video usage across digital platforms, kindly supplied by pureprofile.

Hear the key learnings and experiences of leading industry players on how to effectively commercialise video across digital platforms including online, mobile, IPTV, VOD and other entertainment channels, with these leading industry players:

• Jack Ford, Managing Director and Executive Vice President, Sony Pictures Television International
• Guy Gadney, General Manager, Digital Services, ACP Magazines & Channel 9
• Geof Heydon, Director of Innovation and Market Development, Alcatel – Lucent
• Francisco Cordero, General Manager Australia & New Zealand, Bebo
• Doug Maloney, General Manager, Products & Services, Hutchison
• Ben Kinealy, General Manager of TV and Video for broadband and mobile, Telstra BigPond
• David Green, General Manager – New Business, Vodafone
• Nick Love, Business Development Director, Fox Interactive Media
• Sandra Davey, General Manager, TiVo Service Provision, Unwired Australia
• Chris Gilbey, Executive Chairman, Perceptric Media
• Ian Gardiner, Managing Director, Viocorp
• Scott-Bradley Pearce, Strategic Business Development, CBS Interactive
• Claudia Sagripanti, Director, VentureOne
• Chris Flintoft, General Manager, Broadband, Online & Mobile, Foxtel
• Nathan Ruff, Sales Director, Heavy.com
• Leigh Terry, Managing Partner, OMD
• Dr Silvia Pfeiffer, Chief Executive Office and Co-Founder, Vquence
• Mick O’Brien, Operations Director, Asia & Pacific Rim, Eyeblaster
• Christopher Smyth, Video Product Manager, ninemsn
• Jamie Silver, Managing Director, Clear Light Digital
• Andrew Simms, Director, Tagmotion
• John Molden, General Manager Channels, Asia Pacific, Vividas
• Justin Baird, Senior Product Specialist, Google
• Richard Finlayson, Commercial Director, SBS
• Robert Hutchinson, General Manager, Digital Content Development, ABC
• Toby Hack, Multi Channel / Digital Broadcasting Sales Director, Nine Network Australia
• John Colette, Creative Director, Pixelmill Films (part of Macquarie Radio Network)
• Moira Hogan, Producer, Chief Entertainment
• Mark Long, Executive Director for Media Research, APAC, Nielsen Online
• Mark Cokes, Pacific Marketing Manager, Adobe
• Andrew Cronyn, Director, Media Strategy & Digital, WWE

For full program details please see below. Key issues covered include:
- Developing the right revenue models with video advertising
- What other business models are in play
- Cross platform metrics
- Featuring case studies on Bebo Australia, ninemsn, mySpace TV, mobile carrier panel (with Telstra BigPond, Vodafone and Hutchison) and premium sports content providers

How can you miss this exciting line-up with the who’s who in media and entertainment?

Commercialising Video
Tuesday, 24th June, Doltone House, Jones Bay Wharf, Sydney
Video rules! Business models for online + mobile video and advertising

8.15am Registration

8.50am Welcome from the Chair
Scott-Bradley Pearce, Strategic Business Development, CBS Interactive

09.00am Opening address: Successfully commercialising consumers’ appetite for video
• Distribution is the key to success – multiplatform distribution opportunities
Jack Ford, Managing Director and Executive Vice President, Sony Pictures Television International

Mobile Opportunities

9.40am PANEL: The power of mobile
• The mobile content journey – are consumers’ consuming?
• From walled garden to open internet – what’s the future for carriers and the customer?
• Stimulating usage – what’s the silver bullet? Is free the only way?
• Mobile advertising – a captive audience or an accident waiting to happen?
• Mobile TV – made for mobile? Is there a market for made for mobile and bespoke original content? Is familiar linear viewing experience what consumers want on mobile?
• Or big name/big brand content on exclusive deals? Current examples
Moderator:
Claudia Sagripanti, Director, VentureOne and Chairman, AIMIA Mobile Industry Group
Panellists:
Doug Maloney, General Manager, Products & Services, Hutchison
Ben Kinealy, General Manager of TV and Video for broadband and mobile, Telstra BigPond
David Green, General Manager – New Business, Vodafone

Business Models

10.20am CASE STUDY: Bebo and The Gap Year
• Objectives of the program and how it addresses the audience
• The value proposition and how it was packaged to sponsors and key partners
• Key metrics
• What’s next?
Francisco Cordero, General Manager, Australia and New Zealand, Bebo

11.00am Morning coffee

11.20am PANEL: Making video pay
• Ad supported vs. download to own. What business models are operating successfully?
• Is there too much inventory?
• Commercialising user generated content/ partnering with social networking sites – who retains advertising revenue?
• Costs of hosting video, economics of live streaming.
• Impact of sharing video outside of commercial channels on sustainable business models
• The rise of the online aggregation and distribution model – what’s the prognosis for Hulu?
• The rise of smaller media players? Does the democratisation of distribution put control with producers?
Moderator:
Sandra Davey, General Manager, TiVo Service Provision, Unwired Australia
Panellists:
Chris Gilbey, Executive Chairman, Perceptric Media
Ian Gardiner, Managing Director, Viocorp
Chris Flintoft, General Manager, Broadband, Online & Mobile, Foxtel
Nathan Ruff, Sales Director, Heavy.com
Toby Hack, Multi Channel / Digital Broadcasting Sales Director, Nine Network Australia

12.10pm PANEL: Content creation for the I want it now generation – the revolution in sports
• Long form vs. short form? Quality vs utility? Purpose built?
• Premium video moving from the small screen to TV and other platforms?
• Live vs On Demand – or PPV vs Free
• Building fan base/community around niche content
Moderator:
Moira Hogan, Consultant, Gasoline Group Communications; formerly Executive Producer, Sport,Telstra BigPond
Panellists:
Richard Finlayson, Director of Commercial Affairs, SBS Corporation
John Molden, General Manager Channels, Asia Pacific, Vividas
Andrew Cronyn, Director, Media Strategy & Digital, World Wrestling Entertainment

12.50pm Lunch

1.35pm PANEL: Cross platform metrics for buying video
• Changing viewing habits. What types of video content are being consumed (advertising/branded content, editorial content, entertainment etc.) and where?
• Contribution of amateur/user generated content, and contextual considerations
• Establishing a common audience data collection system
• Employing effective audience measurement techniques to understand viewing patterns and re-schedule broadcast content accordingly
• How can media buyers target existing online video more effectively. How can content providers define and package their audiences to deliver on the targeting promise?
• Advertising alongside user-generated content – selectively targeting
• Is the TV advertising model a dinosaur?
• Video metrics across platform. How do planners use these numbers to decide where to place their budgets? How do in-page, pre-roll and transitional formats impact brand awareness, call-to-action, the consumer experience, etc? How does video measurement play a role in the ad buying process?
Moderator:
Scott-Bradley Pearce, Strategic Business Development, CBS Interactive
Panellists:
Leigh Terry, Managing Partner, OMD
Dr Silvia Pfeiffer, Chief Executive Office and Co-Founder, Vquence
Mick O’Brien, Operations Director, Asia & Pacific Rim, Eyeblaster
Mark Long, Executive Director for Media Research, APAC, Nielsen Online

2.20pm Piggy in the middle – another view on the video value chain
• How publishers are using video
• How viewers are consuming video
• It’s not just about dollars per view – intangible benefits are also monetisable
• What are the major trends for the next few years
• Real life examples and metrics
Ian Gardiner, Managing Director, Viocorp

Creation and Technology

2.35pm CASE STUDY: Delivering video at scale
• Using the right creative in the right format at the right time
• Dealing with multiple content owners and rights holders
• Pricing and distribution
• Effective advertising formats
• Marketing content to consumers – generating traffic and engagement
Christopher Smyth, Video Product Manager, ninemsn
Jamie Silver, Managing Director, Clear Light Digital

3.20pm Afternoon tea

3.40pm CASE STUDY: mySpaceTV and the entertainment revolution
• Encouraging repeat viewing and revenue
• Replicating the business model for each service
• Examples of what’s working around the globe
Nick Love, Business Development Director, Fox Interactive Media

4.10pm PANEL: Innovations cross platform
• The importance of recommendations and search to drive content
• The video advertising longtail – including other forms of content such as longer form content well, where contextually-relevant videos and segments can appear as search results, e.g. training seminar videos, Videoconferences, video blogs, webisodes of advertiser-sponsored programs (think: BMW Top Gear segment)
• ABC playback trial
Moderator:
John Collete, Creative Director, Pixelmill Films
Panellists:
Andrew Simms, Director, Tagmotion
Justin Baird, Senior Product Specialist, Google
Robert Hutchinson, General Manager, Digital Content Development, ABC Commercial
Mark Cokes, Pacific Marketing Director, Adobe

5.00pm Close of seminar

AIMIA and VentureOne are delighted to announce the final program for The Business of Digital Content seminar and roundtable, on February 28, The Grace Hotel, Sydney.

Hear the latest thinking on the creation, distribution, licensing and syndication of digital content, and come away with new strategies for your business.
Join the leaders in digital content and media:

• Fairfax Digital
• FremantleMedia
• Yahoo!7
• Rife Media
• Blue Rocket
• iPrime
• CNET Networks
• 3eep
• Telstra BigPond
• PBL Media
• Sky News Australia
• FoneStarz
• Universal Music Australia
• BBC Worldwide
• Technology Venture Partners
• destraCorporation
• Macquarie Capital Securities (Australia) Limited
• OMD Fuse

The seminar has been designed so that you will network and share insights in a more exclusive and interactive setting, with attendees drawn from publishing, media (including radio and TV), financial services, carriers, mobile content providers, production and advertising agencies, government, technology providers, and entertainment and tourism services. Details of the program follow.

who is attending?
Providing the latest insights on commercial knowledge and opportunities in the digital content industry to:
- Heads of Content/Digital Media
- Chief Operating Officer
- Commercial Managers
- Licensing Managers
- Executive Producers
Across media and entertainment providers, mobile carriers and independent and major content producers/owners.

Event Times:

08.00 Registration and refreshments on arrival

09.00 Welcome and introduction: The business of digital content
Claudia Sagripanti, Director, VentureOne, and Chair, AIMIA Mobile Industry Group

09.05 Getting the content basics right
• The content creation lifecycle – the issue of quality and snackable content
• Managing your content inventory
• Identifying markets/market opportunities for original digital content
• Content management solutions, meta data and data structure
• Other technical and operational issues
Pippa Leary, General Manager, Media, Fairfax Digital

09.45 Evolving legal landscape for Online Content-New Opportunities/New Challenges
• Content is King (again)
• Methods to establish and to maintain ownership rights
• Enforcement issues
• New Content Distribution Opportunities
• Evolving Revenue opportunities and models
• Continuing challenges for content rights management
• Direct vs. collective rights management
• Limited rights license and creative commons license
• Strategies to balance access to market and rights of content owner
• Developing rights management models for the future
• Issues over the rights, use and responsibility for User Generated Content
• Update on the regulation and classification of content
Dan Brush, Special Counsel, Technology, Media and Commercial
DLA Phillips Fox

10.15 PANEL: The alternative branded content model
• Building a brand across digital platforms
• Content giveaways, add-ons and promotions to extend the brand
• Consumer appetite for content across web, mobile and other interactive platforms
• Full episodes vs short clips – what’s the tipping point for commercialisation?
• Distribution of user-generated content
Moderator:
Mark Neely, Co-Founder, Rife Media
Panellists:
Ben Liebmann, Vice President, Licensing, Australia/New Zealand, FremantleMedia
Kath Hamilton, Director of Media, Yahoo!7
Alistair Henderson, Director, OMD Fuse

10.55 Welcome to Hell
Turning Content into Cash in a Changing Media Environment
Welcome to Hell explores opportunities for small to medium producers in a
rapidly changing media environment. Comparing traditional and emerging
business models. The session examines the collapse of heritage media and the
seemingly endless market fragmentation in the world of so-called
convergence. Project financing and cross platform distribution are covered
including an examination of the mobile entertainment business. This session
is fast paced, fact filled and interspersed with anecdotes of turning
content into cash. The truth is stranger than fiction.
David Gurney, Rocket Scientist, Blue Rocket

11.30 Refreshments

11.45 The business of content – business model overview – regional vs. global
• The biggest shift in content – text to video
• Advertising nirvana for content owners?
• Subscription vs. ad-driven models
• Syndication – selling it to third parties, when and why
• Yield management
Tony Surtees, CEO, iPrime

12.25 PANEL: Structuring the commercials
The rules for engagement are more complex with thousands of digital channels
to choose from – online, mobile and other channels including IPTV and other
interactive devices.
The panelists will discuss:
- The real numbers vs. business models for convergent businesses
- What works, what doesn’t
- What to negotiate
Moderator:
Scott-Bradley Pearce, CNET Networks Australia
Panellists:
Rob Antulov, CEO, 3eep
Bill Burton, Director of Media, Telstra BigPond
Tim Trumper, Commercial Director, PBL Media

01.10 Lunch

02.10 PANEL: Licensing and distribution- Channels to market
• Negotiating international rights – defining territory and managing
• Overlaps across digital/wireless rights, regions, online only, mobile only
• Buying content – when and why
• Content consumption – how many times is content used
• The role of aggregators/intermediaries
• Safeguarding content integrity
Moderator:
Sandra Davey, Director, kcollective
Panellists:
Angelo Frangopoulos, CEO, Sky News Australia
Richard Leifer, VP, Business Development, APAC, FoneStarz
Meagan Henderson, General Manager- Digital, Universal Music Australia
Louisa Bayles, Digital Sales Manager, Australia & New Zealand, BBC Worldwide

03.00 PANEL: Valuing the content business – finance perspective
• Exit strategies for content businesses
• Current valuations
• Lessons learnt
Panellists:
Allan Aaron, Director and General Partner, Technology Venture Partners
Alex Hartman, Director of Corporate Development, destraCorporation
Alex Pollak, Executive Director, Macquarie Capital Securities (Australia) Limited

03.45 Afternoon tea

04.00 Emerging trends in content consumption
• Social networks and the rise of community
• Findability: search/lists/filters
• The power of YouTube, Revver etc
• Joost and Veoh – new outlets for video
• Consumer journalism
• The unstoppable rise of the mobile device
Jennifer Wilson, Director, Lean Forward

04.40 ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION

05.20 Report back and Close

05.30 Networking drinks

Programs launched to tackle digital content skills shortage

First seminar to be held in February, 2008

The Australian Interactive Media Industry Association (AIMI) has introduced a number of training programs in a bid to overcome the current skills shortage within the digital content industry, particularly for Web and mobile developers.

AIMI is working with business consultancy VentureOne to establish the training and education programs for 2008. The Business of Digital series will be launched in 2008, with the first seminar on the Business of Digital Content to held on February 28, 2008.

The education program provides practical business training in the digital media and content sectors, covering online, mobile and other digital channels including IPTV, widgets and applications and other interactive services. AIMIA president, Guy Gadney, said with the rapid rate of growth in the digital media sector there is strong demand for training and education for newcomers to the industry and also upgrading skills.

Gadney said by partnering with VentureOne, they can create a business focused program to meet the demand for fast-tracking, up-skilling and providing the right balance of commercial knowledge in the digital content industry. He said the initiative was driven by consultation with industry leaders across Web, mobile and content developers.

VentureOne director, Claudia Sagripanti, said there is a real thirst for knowledge on the future commercial opportunities surrounding cross-platform content.

She said the seminar format has been designed to answer those questions and to cover current issues and needs in the industry both at entry and advanced levels. More details on the Business of Digital can be found at http://www.aimia.com.au/i-cms?page=3787. AIMIA has several industry specific internship programs in place, and earlier this year launched the intern program for the mobile industry with digital agency Hyro piloting the program.

The program will be rolled out early in 2008 with over 10 companies involved. More details at http://www.aimia.com.au/i-cms?page=3313.

The sexes are divided over mobile phone accessories – men like to play games and women, well … you can ring my bell.

The first national study of mobile phone users has found 34 per cent of Australian women bought ringtones in the past year compared to 27 per cent of men.

And the Australian Mobile Phone Lifestyle Index said of 2400 consumers surveyed, 30 per cent had purchased a ringtone in the last year, with most purchasing an average of three.

As for games, 15 per cent of men had bought them in the last 12 months, compared to only 10 per cent of females.

The highest concentration of game purchases was among 22 to 25 year olds.

And parents may not be surprised to learn that 13 to 16 year olds purchased significantly higher numbers of ringtones, logos, wallpaper, screensavers and accessories than any other age group.

The Mobile Content Industry Development Group conducted the study in a bid to address what it says is an information deficit on mobile phone use in Australia.
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MCIDG chair Claudia Sagripanti said the study showed that age and demographic influenced the type of content people had on their phones.

Married participants tended to use the movie reviews more than most, but used the comedy and astrology services less than others.

Males tended to use news and adult content, comedy and sport more than females, while females used more astrology content than males.

Ninety-seven per cent of respondents used SMS and over 50 per cent used pictures, music and sounds on their mobile phone.

The Australian Interactive Media Industry Association, a sponsor of the study, said it would help develop products to meet the increasing demand of mobile phone users.

Mobilising Forces, CRM and the mobile phone

Does mobile technology truly allow brands to make the connection with customers? Claudia Sagripanti reports on Australia ’s growing trend towards mobile relationship marketing

Are you a big fan of Grinspoon or jet? If you attended their concerts in Australia recently, you would have noticed a revolution in the delivery of your ticket to attend the event. You could have chosen the option to receive a triple redemption ticket directly to your mobile phone.

The so-called ‘mobi-ticket’ is promoted by Aura Digital and Sydney concert venue Metro Theatre. According to Aura Digital’s sales and marketing director, Adam Dunne, more than half the concert-goers received tickets directly to their mobile phone. As part of the Grinspoon special offers, those who pre-ordered the latest CD at HMV enjoyed discounted beer and received a trucker cap. HMV marketing manager, Damien Devine, says, “We see fantastic potential in partnering with the promoters and record labels to offer concert-goers music related offers through out stores. And we see mobile marketing playing a major role within our marketing strategy.”

The mobile ticket is one of a range of new mobile technologies revolutionizing loyalty marketing and customer relationship marketing (CRM). “Mobile coupons will become more relevant as mobile marketing evolves from one-off to multi-offer campaigns,” predicts Dunne. Although it is still early days, Dunne sees enormous opportunities, particularly in the travel and entertainment industries, which have been the first to embrace this new technology. “Marketers understand the benefits of replacing plastic membership and loyalty cards with mobile coupons. The key is the significant cost savings,” he says.

Savvy brands are less concerned about the technology than getting the best response via the most appropriate channel. Hoyts Cinema is one early adopter of mobile marketing. It gathers information about its customers including mobile number, age group, sex, preferred cinema location and movie genre via its website from competition entries and subscriptions to Hoyts Movie Club. Internet and new media manager, Jacki Morgan says the objective is to extend the Hoyts experience beyond watching the film.

“We were very successful with our ‘text trivia’ competition. We’d expected that people would play 10 to 15 minutes before the film. But what we found was that the game was played after the film and intermittently over the next few days. Most people played it three times,” she says. “We haven’t used the preferences to the full extent as yet. We’re heading down that path. There’s a big opportunity to do more targeted marketing and advertising. Mobile is going to be the key medium of our core demographic of 14- to 24- [years-olds]“, she says.

Mobile marketing specialist Trent Telford, MD of SMS Intelligence, part of the STW Group, sys a variety of channels can be incorporated into a mobile messaging campaign. For example, he is about to launch a competition-based campaign for a national women’s fashion retailer, which mixes traditional DM with the new channel of mobile.

“The customer is committed to sending out its traditional DM pieces. Rather than fighting the paper-based guys, it’s better to work with them and so we used the brochure. Each brochure has a unique code. The customer send the code via SMS and receives a unique barcode. The barcode can then be swiped at the till. The more purchases made the more entries into the competition,” says Telford .

His advice on managing the different channels seamlessly? “Whether you have a plan for some customer contact or a full CRM strategy [it's important] to collect extra information and hold it so it doesn’t then become lost. Later on you can extract the value out it when you need to. At the very minimum you need to ask for permission for future contact via mobile. We’ve seen many databases that have disparate permissions for various media channels, ” he says.

Digital technology makes tracking of customers’ interactions and preferences across any digital interface – web or mobile – possible. Integrated digital communications company MassMedia Studios has worked with several companies in the telecommunications, entertainment and transport sectors to deliver targeted information according to customers’ profiles. MD Steve Fanale says: “The objective is to learn about your customer on every interaction, whether by the web or mobile. Over a period of time we can collate this data, learn more about them through their interactions and then market to them more effectively,”

However he does issue a caveat. It is important to ask specific permission for SMS even though you may already have a database of opt-ins via a competition. “Even though there is opt-in permission this does not mean that there is a real desire to receive more information let alone take action on it. It’s all about establishing a dialogue across multiple media to collate more information on the needs and wants of your customer so that you can target the communication more effectively [to get] a greater response. SMS can be very effective when you’re delivering specific requested information such as news or sport, which also gives you insight into the customers’ profile,” he says.

If Dunne has anything to do with it, the mobile in the entertainment sector will be used to drive foot traffic to one central kiosk and take the pressure of point-of-sale operators and untrained cashiers. It will be the end of paper vouchers and plastic cards as we know them. And hopefully the end to queues.

Claudia Sagripanti is co-founder and project director of the Mobile Marketing and Advertising Awards in Australia . She sits on the IIA Mobile Content Regulation taskforce and is the convenor of AIMIA’s mobile content industry development group.