Challenges of Marketing Services for Mobile Devices
Where and how WuduPlz fits in

The marketing of mobile information services locally is coming to every newspaper, but much of what is being discussed in the industry is not ready for prime time.
When considering linking to your users via mobile, take a hard look at the context in which your mobile service would be used and the context of how the information would be put into play. It’s a reality check that will get you past the “gee whiz” of some of the technology coming on the market.
Cellphones started the mobile explosion. Your readers still like their mobile devices first and foremost because the technology is excellent at connecting to other individuals. Now the technology is used to link to information networks. Every day more users are doing it. How can you get local users to link to your network and not Google or Yahoo?
MicroContent does not have “the answer” for newspapers. But, the firm does have an answer. As the Internet Vice President for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution has said, niche target opportunities together can form “the new definition of mass.”
WuduPlz is a niche product. It is a niche product targeting families with teenagers and adolescent children.
WuduPlz builds upon mobile technology’s traditional use of individuals communicating with each other. It serves its niche market by not only improving the user experience, but also defining and controlling the context where the mobile service is used.
MicroContent’s goal: Have users’ mobile devices linked into useful information network they find useful every day that connected to you, their local newspaper.
Let’s back up. Communications involving mobile devices tend to demand a sense of immediacy. Users have a very specific need and desire to accomplish their goal in the easiest and fastest way possible. WuduPlz exploits that.
WuduPlz simplifies an every day interaction to allow a valuable set of users (in this case, families) to easily send and receive needed personal information.
WuduPlz is designed to guide parents toward communicating easily, clearly and regularly with their children regarding typical household tasks.
A common problem finds an easy, simply solution that has no cost. It should be easy for newspapers to find a local firm willing to sponsor it.
And, once parents access to this system where their personal messages can be communicated, the newspapers’ online network can present additional options.
The WuduPlz interface groups the entire family on one page and adds controls such as date and time the message goes out, suggests messages and packages it all into a basic unit that make communication easier.
Asking for help with typical chores such taking out the trash or walk the dog are easy to schedule. Teens are not “embarrassed” by getting a call from Mom or Dad in front of their friends, but family obligations and values (spoken and unspoken) are reinforced.
Options include selecting from a menu of possible messages or simply typing out the message. The menu of messages includes tasks (“WuduPlz take out the trash”), treats (“WuduPlz enjoy a snack in the frig”), updates (“WuduPlz not worry if I’m a bit late”) and simple positive affirmations (WuduPlz remember I love you”).
By simplifying how they can send a text message, WuduPlz makes the task of connecting with their kids easier for the parent.
WuduPlz is easier for most users because it is typically accessed via a desktop computer. When they use a laptop or desktop computer, chances are that users are in a controlled environment; lighting is good, they sit in a comfortable chair and are using both a keyboard with mouse to control what is on the screen.
In contrast, texting with a mobile device may used in unpredictable situations; outdoors in very bright light, in the course of another activity (like driving), or while in constant motion—which makes coordinated movements difficult to perform. The mobile device itself is not as easy to use as the computer.
By making the primary access to WuduPlz the newspaper’s website, users who were not apt to use text messaging can find it appealing. Parents are likely to trust their local newspaper and WuduPlz provides newspapers another context to market itself to an important customer base–families.
The vast majority of mobile devices are not friendly to busy, middle-aged adults, but they are not friendly to the designers of web services, either.
To design a mobile web experience that can coexist with others tools, one needs to keep up with what kind of media can be processed by all of the mobile. Mice, joysticks, scroll-wheels, keypads, fingers, and styli—different mobile devices require different tools to interact with their interfaces. Then there are the concerns about device speed and network latency.
Someday, WiFi and WiMAX technologies will be built into every mobile device, but in the meantime, WuduPlz avoids these issues by deploying the service via a simple SMS text messaging that will work on every cellphone. The service, hosted on independent servers, can be up and running on your website within hours, not days.
WuduPlz looks simple and easy to use, and it is. That’s its appeal. Simplifying interactions and streamlining access is now the most effective way to get your users to link to your network via mobile.
Start marketing mobile services in context to users’ everyday lives. It will bring more users to your websites and more customers to your advertising clients. And, it simple success should send a signal that your website will be a player in mobile marketing.
Let others worry over slow data speeds and small screens and an unpredictable mode of use. Start a mobile marketing program by offering simple and appropriate services by deploying WuduPlz.

Copyright 2007 MicroContent LLC