The core message of the report? Millennials love brands that deliver experiences, not things (67% of Millennials would rather spend their money on ‘experiences’ than ‘things’).

Additionally, according to the in-depth report from the streaming music industry’s most respected brand, music now tops the chart for most desired experiences.

What else does the report reveal?

• Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) is real! What motivates Gen Y to attend music events?  49% said it was because their friends are going.
• 82% say they noticed a brand sponsoring a music event. That is a 12% increase from when we asked the same question last year. And 1 in 3 have a more positive opinion of that brand after the event.
• More than 1 in 3 Millennials are more likely to actually purchase the brand’s product after seeing it at an event. Even though experiences trump things, experiences can help lead to purchasing things.

So how exactly does Pandora know all of this? As it turns out, Pandora has more than 80 million MAU. Those 80+ million active, logged-in listeners act like human beacons, generating over 1 billion data points every day.

Want to know more? Check out the fascinating report here.

The post First Look: Pandora White Paper Reveals the Power of Unforgettable Experiences appeared first on Mobile Marketing Watch.

The paper looks at the accelerated pace of change vis a vis digital marketing tactics and strategies, and the challenges subsequently faced by marketing professionals.

Eagle believes marketers can use digital to great effect — IF they dump these seven myths now:

Myth 1: Advanced digital marketing requires deep internal expertise and a large operational footprint.

Sometimes you can’t do it all in-house. Digital marketing is more complex to design and execute than traditional tactics. Effective execution in this channel more often requires highly specialized knowledge and expertise rarely found inside the company. Yes, it can be beneficial to work with a third-party. Find a partner that appreciates what you do and that that can deliver solutions across a broad range of platforms and devices.

Myth 2: It’s difficult to prove that digital marketing results in significant brick and mortar retail sales.

False. Sure, in the “dark ages” of digital (and at the pace of change, that was twelve months ago), there were few ways to measure the impact of digital on flesh and blood store sales, marketing professionals who know what they’re doing can now combine online and offline transactions, and other marketing data, to give you a great picture of what works and what doesn’t.

Myth 3: Vendor dating is better than vendor marriage.

You may want to play the field, but you know how tiring that can be. Many of the most effective marketers eschew scattering their investments across multiple companies and instead “get married.” “Partnering with one strategic solutions provider — thoroughly and over time — can help marketers be most effective,” says Eagle.

Myth 4: Digital is great at closing sales already in progress, but can’t create demand.

Thanks to advanced look-a-like modeling and individual-level analysis, digital can be an ideal vehicle for cost effectively creating demand.

Myth 5: Vendor pitches are all so similar – it’s too hard to separate the wheat from the chaff.

The constant use of digital buzzwords can — admittedly — make it difficult to differentiate between two different vendors. Cut to the chase and ask a precise set of critical questions. That not only makes finding the right partner easier, but it can help locate that special firm that’s a perfect fit.

Myth 6: Personalization sounds great, but one-to-one marketing is a pipe dream.

Nope. Personalization is no longer a dream — it’s reality. There are hundreds of retailers leveraging data to individually calibrate virtually every aspect of their ads to drive greater recipient relevance.

Myth 7: Digital measurement is always imprecise.

You can get more precise measurement, but you’ll have to shift your focus from allocating credit for conversions to scientifically determining (via the data) what actually caused a conversion. It also requires a measurement approach that reflects all sales channels, not just online. Smart marketers know customers are working all channels, and that to really gauge what’s going on, they need to analyze all of them.

“The digital landscape is constantly evolving, and it’s crucial that digital marketers periodically re-evaluate their thinking to stay cutting edge and effective,” said Eagle. “Eliminating myths from their thinking will push digital marketers to improve digital marketing effectiveness for their businesses.”

The paper is available for download without cost here.

The post Marketing Mythology: The Dumb and Dumber Ideas Digital Marketers Should Dump appeared first on Mobile Marketing Watch.

This week, Sprint Corp. was ordered to pay a $7.5 million fine in a settlement with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

The penalty comes in response to supposed violations of the Do-Not-Call rule.

The fine is the biggest settlement ever reached over this rule, and Sprint will also have to implement a two-year plan to ensure it complies with FCC requirements… Among other stipulations, Sprint will have to ensure its employees are properly trained on how to record consumers’ Do-Not-Call requests so that their names and numbers are removed from marketing lists.

According to MarketWatch, Sprint will also need to designate a senior corporate manager as Compliance Offer to ensure the company adheres to the FCC guidelines.

From wireless carriers to mobile marketers, fines – and hefty ones at that – are on the minds of many these days.

In October 2013, the FCC began enforcing a strict new set of rules governing marketing calls and text messages directed at consumers on their mobile phones.

New provisions in the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) introduced these tighter restrictions on mobile marketing and mobile messaging.

Almost overnight, the revamped rules wrought confusion upon marketers uncertain of how these changes and corresponding mandates would impact their mobile marketing efforts.

In response to the new laws of the land, Mobile Marketing Watch, along with our sister sites mHealthWatch and mGamingWatch, hosted an emergency webinar last fall for marketers and related professionals across numerous industries who must urgently educate themselves on a variety of emerging issues related to consumer privacy, location based services, and the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA).

The webinar, which featured expert insight from attorneys Ross Buntrock and Michael Hazzard of Arent Fox, Rip Gerber of Locaid, and Jared Reitzin and Darren Withers of mobileStorm, is now available to view online.

As a follow up to the well-received webinar, mobileStorm recently published a new whitepaper tackling the critically important issue of mobile marketing compliance.

So what exactly should you be doing in order to make sure that your policies and practices are in compliance with these confusing and controversial new rules? A good start would be to download the comprehensive guide to mobile marketing compliance at no charge from mobileStorm here.

The post Sprint Slapped with Massive FCC Fine for Do-Not-Call Violations appeared first on Mobile Marketing Watch.

New provisions in the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) introduced these tighter restrictions on mobile marketing and mobile messaging.

Almost overnight, the revamped rules wrought confusion upon marketers uncertain of how these changes and corresponding mandates would impact their mobile marketing efforts.

In response to the new laws of the land, Mobile Marketing Watch, along with our sister sites mHealthWatch and mGamingWatch, hosted an emergency webinar last fall for marketers and related professionals across numerous industries who must urgently educate themselves on a variety of emerging issues related to consumer privacy, location based services, and the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA).

The webinar, which featured expert insight from attorneys Ross Buntrock and Michael Hazzard of Arent Fox, Rip Gerber of Locaid, and Jared Reitzin and Darren Withers of mobileStorm, is now available to view online.

As a follow up to the well-received webinar, mobileStorm has just published a new whitepaper tackling the critically important issue of mobile marketing compliance.

So what exactly should you be doing in order to make sure that your policies and practices are in compliance with these confusing and controversial new rules? A good start would be to download the comprehensive guide to mobile marketing compliance at no charge from mobileStorm here.

The post mobileStorm Publishes New Whitepaper on Mobile Marketing Compliance appeared first on Mobile Marketing Watch.

The Benefits & Risks of Social Media for Financial Communication Professionals is a comprehensive guidance report that details the opportunities and risks of using social media in today’s investor relations programs.

Included are 12 ways investor relations professionals can leverage social media tools for a stronger, more effective engagement program, as well as 12 reasons why social media platforms are not compliant communication tools.

“Over the last 50 years Business Wire has watched a wide range of tools emerge, to enhance the relationship between public companies and their core constituents,” says Tom Becktold, senior vice president of marketing for Business Wire. “We weigh and measure the current and future impact of these tools on all relevant audiences – financial, media, internal and consumer to ensure we are providing the best guidance possible for our thousands of members worldwide.”

“Social media platforms are natural hosts for interaction and engagement, and when used correctly are key components of the 2014 communications mosaic,” Becktold adds. “A strong social communications program enhances brand reputation, increases message adoption, creates transparency and provides media and analysts with insights, tools and supporting materials they need to write articles or research reports.”

This helpful guide is available for download now and at no charge. To get it, click here.

The post Understanding Social Media Best Practices for Publicly Held Companies appeared first on Mobile Marketing Watch.

For newcomers to the SMS arena, A Guide to SMS Short Code Management for Enterprise Level Businesses provides a comprehensive overview of the integral considerations that must be made when deciding whether a shared short code or a dedicated code is preferable for a given mobile strategy.

From an in-depth exploration of the pros and cons of dedicated and shared short codes, to a step-by-step guide to applying for and obtaining a short code, mobileStorm’s latest whitepaper is an invaluable resource for effective and sustainable SMS marketing in 2014 and beyond.

“With text messaging well established as a mainstream communication tool for modern mobile consumers, SMS marketing has become a critically important marketing component for an endlessly wide array of industries,” says mobileStorm CEO and whitepaper author Jared Reitzin. “Indeed, savvy marketers realize that SMS marketing is not just vital to survive in the future; it’s a terrific way to promote and earn today.”

This report is available now for download at no cost. To check it out, click here.

The post mobileStorm Publishes a New Guide to SMS Short Code Management appeared first on Mobile Marketing Watch.

The report projects that retail revenue from smart wearable devices, including smartwatches and glasses, will reach $19 billion by 2018 compared with $1.4 billion this year.

Researchers for Juniper note that revenues will likely be driven by high price points for these devices allied to their anticipated strong market demand.

In its latest report, Juniper Research has revised upwards the adoption of devices in the two key segments of consumer electronics ‘Multimedia & Entertainment’, and ‘Multi-functional’ devices. Revisions such as these are common in the early years of a new technology category, and reflect the latest announcements from vendors across the sector.

“It is worth observing that this change in adoption levels can also be attributable to heightened consumer awareness of wearable technology and a better visibility of product adoption, especially in the smart watch segment,” explains report author Nitin Bhas.

Juniper’s complimentary whitepaper titled “Smart wearables…beyond mobile” is now available to download from the Juniper website together with further details of the full report.

The post Juniper Makes Bold Prediction for Mobile Smart Wearable Devices appeared first on Mobile Marketing Watch.

That’s the resounding message presented Tuesday in a new White Paper from M&C Saatchi Mobile.

According to the report in question, mobile is emerging as a key advertising channel in Africa, driven by economic growth and affordable smartphones.

The first in a series of whitepapers looking at mobile in global regions and its relevance to advertisers shows that brands and advertisers who want to reach consumers in Africa should consider mobile as the principal channel for advertising and marketing.

The White Paper illustrates how, as part of its development, Africa has “leapfrogged” traditional fixed line telecommunications to adopt mobile cellular services instead.

M&C Saatchi Mobile says mobile is now the primary means by which many Africans access the Internet, with some 84 million internet-enabled mobile devices already in circulation.

“Contrary to popular thinking, Africa is not an under-developed region – it’s the second largest and fastest-growing mobile phone market in the world after China,” said James Hilton, Global CEO of M&C Saatchi Mobile. “The large numbers of African mobile consumers with web-connected smartphones using their device to surf the internet or download apps shows that the assumption that mobile services in Africa are only about SMS and low-end handsets is seriously out of date.”

To learn more or to download the new white paper, click here.

The post White Paper Points to Mobile Advertising’s Promising Future in Africa appeared first on Mobile Marketing Watch.

The new Juniper report – Mobile & Tablet Games: Discovery, In-App Purchases & Advertising – was designed to explore why this growth in the number of games downloaded would be so “staggering.”

Juniper says this high rate of growth is being driven by the increasing number of “free-to-play releases, more sophisticated devices, and the global uptake of smartphones.”

It found that an increase in the number of sophisticated games, which allow for truly multi-platform gameplay through the use of cloud technology, meant that mobile would become the primary screen for gamers. Greater memory on devices would also mean consumers were able to download more games onto their phones and tablets.

“Tablet games are growing so much because they are such an accessible way for all consumer segments to access games,” observes report author Siân Rowlands. “In particular mid-core gamers, who previously spent a lot of money and time playing games but now have jobs, families or other commitments, are driving this trend. These people are really embracing the tablet form factor, and innovative gameplay devices such as the mobile based OUYA console, really appeal to them.”

The new Juniper whitepaper is available to download now from the Juniper website.

The post Juniper: Smartphone and Tablet Game Downloads to Triple appeared first on Mobile Marketing Watch.

In the latest head-to-head comparisons of PC vs. mobile engagement, mobile now captures close to 40 percent of all time spent online. What’s more, mobile is already well ahead of PCs when it comes to engagement with maps, music, weather and, not surprisingly, social networks.

What’s truly significant about this reality, however, is that these developments may represent only the tip of the iceberg for mobile’s future.
Nowhere is this practical industry optimism more apparent than in comScore’s recently published “2013 Mobile Future in Focus.” If you haven’t yet downloaded the whitepaper, it comes highly recommended by those who have.

comScore’s projections for mobile’s growth in 2013 and beyond follow a watershed year for mobile in 2012. Last year, the U.S. smartphone market finally eclipsed 50 percent market penetration and now enters the “late majority” stage of the technology adoption curve, comScore says.

“The number of smartphone subscribers has increased 29 percent from a year ago and 99 percent from two years ago,” the report reads.

Smartphones have surpassed 125 million U.S. consumers and tablets are now owned by more than 50 million. We have now crossed into the Brave New Digital World – a new paradigm of digital media fragmentation in which consumers are always connected.

At the start of 2013, MMW was teeming with headlines based on the huge predictions some in our industry were touting for mobile this year. Barely eight weeks into 2013 and plenty of these projections have already been revised to the upside.

To check out the new comScore whitepaper and weigh their prognostications against your own, click here.

The post Mobile Reaches ‘Critical Mass’ Around the World… What’s Next? appeared first on Mobile Marketing Watch.