Marketing

A new study from Applifier shows that the number one way mobile game players find the games they like is through good old fashioned word of mouth. As you might expect, however, that doesn’t necessarily mean in-person discussion about mobile games. Social media chatter, for example, counts as a form of digital world of mouth… and it’s very, very effective. All told, 36% of users reported that hearing from a friend or family member was a major source of games. Additionally, 25% of users said actually seeing a friend or family member play a game was one way they found out about their favorites. Reading user reviews was the primary way in which gamers discovered new must-have games. Not surprisingly, video is having a huge impact on game discovery. 70% of users polled by Applifier say that they watched online video about mobile games in the last week and 45% of users said that watching the video inspired them to download a game shortly thereafter. To read the interesting new report in full, click here.

Mobile marketing will continue to engender new and expanded employment opportunities for professionals in the future. A recent study released by the Mobile Marketing Association found that mobile marketing accounted for $139 billion in output in 2012. Over the next five years, this figure is set to “skyrocket,” the MMA says, to $400 billion representing an annual growth rate of 52 per cent. Perhaps just as importantly, mobile-based advertising/marketing will add an estimated 1.4 million jobs in the United States by 2015. The data was reported in the MMA Mobile Marketing Economic Impact Study, commissioned by the MMA. “Mobile technology has had an incredible impact, not only on the way that we communicate with one another, but on how businesses market themselves to customers,” Harrison Barnes, CEO of Hound.com, said in response to the recent survey results. “As more and more people use their phones to do what they used to do on their desktop computers, it’s fundamentally changing the marketing industry and the type of experience and technical skills that advertising agencies look for in employers.” The MMA says its “MMA Mobile Marketing Economic Impact Study” is the first objective and comprehensive overview of U.S. economic performance across the mobile marketing industry. Research was conducted by Peter A. Johnson, Ph.D., and Joseph Plummer, Ph.D., of mLightenment.

Kick off Memorial Day weekend with these inspiring nuggets of wisdom from real entrepreneurs.Want to know what it takes to be successful and make a difference? Today, we're introducing a weekly roundup of quotes that addresses those issues and more. Only a real entrepreneur knows what it takes to succeed, so we've scoured the news, Twitter, and Facebook to bring you the best bits of wisdom. Tune in next week for a fresh batch of quotes, and be sure to share yours in the comments."Successful adults often worked when they were young. They mowed lawns, baby-sat, or had a lemonade stand. "Learning how to work hard, provide good customer service, overcome challenges, ask for the sale, and understand the value of a dollar are invaluable life lessons that kids simply can't get from a textbook.""Today, if we're all putting our best foot forward professionally, no one cares whether or not that foot is clad in shiny leather wingtips.""Don't plan forever and build the perfect machine. Listen to customers, all good comes from that.""The problem with the 'follow your passion' chorus is that we can't all love the products we work with. "Someone has to do the jobs and sell the things that don't seem sexy, but make the world go round.""Capitalism is about options, so shouldn't people have the option to start a social business or a profit maximizing business or both? "You have to use your creative power to make it happen. Nothing is beyond the capacity of human beings. "Every time I see a problem I think, 'How do I create a business to solve the problem?'"

Google is reportedly putting $1 billion on the table in a powerplay move to win over the owners of Waze before they can accept an acquisition offer by social networking giant Facebook. With Apple reportedly out of the bidding picture these days, it now looks like a major war between Google and Facebook is brewing for the social mapping service. According to sources from Bloomberg, Waze is managing “expressions of interest” from multiple parties, and is now targeting a selling price of at least $1 billion. Another option for Waze? Seeking venture capital financing in order to stay independent. “None of the bidders is close to clinching a deal and the talks may fall apart,” sources confirm. “Waze may also walk away from the discussions and use more venture backing to expand its mapping program, which has more than 40 million users.”

The nation’s second largest wireless carrier is touting a new relationship with Modo Labs. As a result of the partnership, AT&T has enhanced its Mobile Application Development (MAD) portfolio to help organizations quickly launch and easily manage mobile applications using open source technology. AT&T confirmed the partnership and its aims earlier this week in a public statement about the underlying efforts. AT&T has amplified its comprehensive suite of products and services that help businesses and organizations to design, build, deploy, and manage dynamic mobile applications. Modo Labs offers the flexible technology necessary to rapidly develop mobile-first portals and intranets, as well as the mobile communication tools that can keep employees connected. “We’ve been providing mobile application strategies for several years and, as of the end of 2012, had more than 54,000 business customers using mobile applications,” explains Mike Troiano, Vice President of Advanced Mobility Solutions at AT&T Business Solutions. “Our relationship with Modo Labs will help us to provide a unified mobile experience and makes it possible for audiences in the business and education markets to engage and interact through a personalized and intuitive mobile application.” To learn more about AT&T’s Mobile Application Development (MAD),  click here.

Employees will always resist change unless they believe the company's survival is literally at stake. Here's how to make it clear to them that it is.There is no list quite as sobering to an entrepreneur as a list of the most promising young companies of two decades ago--most of which, you can be quite sure, don’t exist any more.The fact is, as entrepreneurs, you stand on the edge of a burning platform: You have to keep moving to survive. Your ability to define the potentially fatal issues you face and separate them from the routine challenges of the day is your first step in galvanizing your employees to believe in your vision and strategy.This is a reality of human nature: Most people will change only when anxiety over their very survival outweighs their resistance to learning something new. While employees like the excitement of a challenge, they also like to be comfortable in their work. In a faceoff, comfort usually wins. This is where survival anxiety comes into play; it drives home the painful realization that in order to succeed, you and your employees often have to make themselves uncomfortable.The key to doing that is not to instill fear, but rather to frame serious threats in honest and real terms that employees can relate to. Before his company’s remarkable recent turnaround, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz’s sent a jarring 800-word e-mail to all Starbucks employees in which he claimed his company was losing the “romance and theatre” so core to its defining DNA. In short, he said, the company’s drive for growth was diluting its brand, and it was time to get back to the artistry of making coffee--for only such care and skill would allow them to deserve the premium they charged on their goods.At the core of this idea is helping your people understand “why” your company does what it does. If you want to stress safety, for instance, don’t just concentrate on the tasks; instead remind your team that if they tie off their ladders and wear their hard hats it will help them go home to their families every night. Engage their pride and sense of responsibility by reminding them that junior workers are looking to them as examples.Great leaders translate the ethereal concept of a business mission into day-to-day priorities for their people. They motivate the team by reminding them that they are building a better future and by providing the clear goals, values, and expectations associated with their role. When it works, your employees respond by focusing their energies on the tasks with the most impact.No matter the size of your team or the challenges you face, it is your job as a leader to help your team understand why it’s not acceptable to remain where you are. You have to move them toward a better future, and reassure them that it’s safe to do so--in fact, it’s much safer to move than not to.Chester Elton will be a speaker at this year's Inc. Leadership Forum. This article was co-authored by Adrian Gostick

Pandora has reported first-quarter revenues that clearly point to the streaming music giant’s emerging strengths as a business. GAAP total revenue increase 97 percent year-over-year to $83.9 million, effectively outpacing mobile listener hour growth at 47 percent year over year. Total revenue came in at $125.5 million, translating to 55 percent year-over-year growth. Playing a major role in the spike is the expansion of the company’s mobile advertising efforts. Non-GAAP total revenue was $128.5 million, a 58% year-over-year increase, including $3.0 million in revenue relating to our subscription return reserve. Advertising revenue was $105.1 million, a 49% year-over-year increase. Non-GAAP subscription and other revenue was $23.4 million, a 114% year-over-year increase, including $3.0 million in revenue relating to our subscription return reserve. “Pandora continues to expand its mobile leadership,” says Joe Kennedy, Chairman & CEO of Pandora. “Mobile listening hours and mobile ad revenue reached record highs, with growth in mobile ad revenue exceeding growth in mobile listening hours. During the quarter, we successfully implemented a mobile listening limit, enabling us to manage our content acquisition costs with minimal impact on listenership or revenue growth. Pandora’s subscriber base surpassed 2.5 million, adding more net new subscribers in the quarter than in all of fiscal 2013, giving Pandora the largest US streaming subscriber base of any music service.” To read the full earnings report, click here.

Video game retailer GameStop has just reported first-quarter mobile sales of $46.8 million, which translates to a staggering 290% jump year-over-year. Sales in new software decreased 3.8%, however, which still isn’t disappointing when compared to a U.S. industry decline of 14.2% during the same period. GameStop’s U.S. market share of new PS3 and Xbox 360 software is 47.7%. Diluted earnings per share were $0.46, exceeding the high end of the company’s guidance by $0.03. The better-than-expected results were primarily due to a 100 basis point increase in gross margins. EPS declined 14.8% compared to diluted earnings per share of $0.54 in the prior year quarter. “GameStop’s continuing margin expansion, growing new businesses and market share gains are the results of executing our strategic plan,” says Paul Raines, chief executive officer. “We look forward to capitalizing on the upcoming new console cycle.”

According to the findings of a new study commissioned by PayPal and chronicled by MobilePaymentsToday, the traditional wallet is fast falling out of favor with consumers. The global study shows that an overwhelming majority of respondents (83 percent) don’t want the hassle of carrying around an old-fashioned wallet. A digital alternative for payments is preferable, they said. Germans were the most anxious to ditch their wallets, with 90 percent saying they want another option. The U.S. was next with 86 percent of Americans willing to get rid of their wallets. “The consumer sentiment this new survey shows is more proof that we’re truly on the cusp of a transformational moment with regards to how consumers will make everyday financial transactions,” says PayPal President David Marcus. “People are ready for the day when the notion of carrying around a bulky wallet to pay for things will seem as antiquated as Gordon Gekko’s enormous mobile phone in the movie Wall Street seems to us today.” To learn more about the study and its findings, click here.

As creative director for LA-based agency 72andSunny and a recent New York transplant, Peter Novosel has a lot on his plate right now ahead of #IMW13. Even still, Pete took the time to answer some questions around integration, social media and search. Thanks Pete and see you in June!What are you speaking on at Integrated Marketing Week? Getting integrated campaigns across the line with client partners and how big a part educating them plays in that process. When it comes to "big data" in marketing, where do you draw a line in the sand as far as a definition, or size of campaign? In the beginning of the creative process, shoot the moon and get everyone involved from the producers and developers to the planners and the creatives. Every idea should be talked about at least once as a team. Some might cross over, some might somehow create content that can be used for another idea or part of the campaign. It doesn't take long to see where the heat is at, what is smart, and what needs to be killed. My brain hurts thinking about trying to define the "size" of a campaign though. For me, the line in the sand is make fewer things and make them great. As tough as it is to kill stuff, when you're working with the right people it's rare (if ever) when the right work doesn't get made. When it comes to our multichannel and multi-device world, is the old model of search broken? I wouldn't say that anything is broken, just evolving. And at the end of the day, the job is to give people something that's worth searching for. Then, search itself connects people to our message just like any other channel. The multichannel, multi-device world that we live in just means that we can be a lot smarter about how we connect. What other areas beyond Facebook "Likes" will we begin to see tapped by marketers as far as an online "interest graph?" Depends on what your goals are. Facebook still has a place, but it is interesting to watch our goals change as human behavior does. Some brands just want the YouTube view count, a perfectly acceptable measure of performance in some cases which happens to be built into the YouTube platform. But what about the quality of interest vs quantity? Did a million people watch your video and have no idea what to do, or worse, who you are? What does five million views mean then? Grow your Facebook community, get a bunch of views on your website, get a trending topic on Twitter. Just make sure you cultivate it all and make it mean something. Analytics are often the most understated asset in terms of learning about how your campaign performed and audience behavior. Example, my background is in web design and more often than not a website has to wear a lot of hats. But when it comes down to it, in most cases there's only two or three things that you really want people to do when they go to your site. And so you design around that. You design to influence behavior. Analytics then helps you measure real success. Because web views don't mean shit until people are doing what you wanted them to. In terms of social, who knows what the next big thing will be. I'd like to think that it's being created as we speak though, and that pretty soon we'll have to start rethinking everything all over again. How can retailers of the future offer in-store digital experiences that integrates with their web /mobile presence You really have a person's attention when they've made the commitment to walk into a physical retail space, and it's fairly safe to assume that they have some sort of mobile device on them. Retailers have a unique opportunity to use mobile to make shopping a more personal and rich experience for customers, help customers save time and take some labor off the staff. Editors note: Pete will be speaking at Integrated Marketing Week (June 10-13) and you can read more on his talk here. Register for tickets before May 31st, and save 10%.