DSW showcases mobile site in new advertising effort - Mobile Commerce Daily

By Staff reports

September 19, 2012

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DSW showcases mobile site in new advertising effort
DSW is relying on a mobile advertising campaign to encourage new and existing customers to browse and ultimately shop its mobile commerce-enabled site.
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E*Trade introduces mobile banking app for Windows Phone
Financial institution E*Trade is letting consumers access their accounts, as well as trade stocks on Windows Phone devices.
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Webinar on Sept. 20: Behind the Geofences: Research insights from Kiehl?s and other location-based mobile marketing campaigns
Register for this free webinar Sept. 20 at 2?3 p.m. ET on the future of location-based marketing. Hear experts from skincare retailer Kiehl's, Primary Impact and Placecast.
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ShopWiki?s mobile clicks jump 24pc following responsive design revamp
Shopping search engine ShopWiki saw a jump in mobile user click-through rates and weekend traffic from mobile devices following the redesign of its Web site using responsive design earlier this year.
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HotelTonight personalizes recommendations to drive bookings
Hotel booking application HotelTonight has made a series of updates, including recommendations and a new design that are aimed at a more intuitive and personalized booking experience.
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Balenciaga pushes mcommerce via mobile-optimized site ? Luxury Daily
Luxury Daily today - Balenciaga pushes mcommerce via mobile-optimized site; 3 C?s bolster video ad effectiveness: research.
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Become a Very Important App with iPhone 5?s new fifth row
By being selected as one of the VIAs, a consumer has identified your app as crossing over the velvet rope, making it consciously or subconsciously part of their daily lives.
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Analyzing Pandora’s multichannel mobile strategy

By Rimma Kats

August 2, 2012

Jewelry retailer Pandora has been steadily making mobile a bigger part of its marketing strategy to not only drive sales, but increase brand awareness.

The company has used mobile during key holiday seasons such as Mother?s Day and big events including the Superbowl to engage new and existing customers with its products. Additionally, Pandora has a mobile application and has dipped its toes in mobile advertising, as well as QR codes.

?We?re evaluating all sorts of different vehicles constantly,? said Angel Ilagan, vice president of marketing at Pandora North America.

?Mobile works, especially well when we talk about our major holiday campaigns,? he said. ?As we understand how the consumer utilizes a mobile device, we?re able to apply our advertising accordingly to make it fit to the environment.

?There?s also a lot more engagement happening on mobile.?

Mobile campaigns
Earlier this year, Pandora ran a mobile Valentine?s Day campaign that aimed to engage male gift givers.

The company partnered with Millennial Media and agency GKV on the mobile initiative, which targeted males during Super Bowl Sunday.

The campaign drove more than 17-times the number of clicks as the average for the previous 16 days.

Via the campaign, Pandora ran mobile ads on mobile sites and apps that would likely reach men while they were browsing between plays.

The campaign ran every Sunday in January leading up to the big game.

Instead of going the traditional route and spending a lot each month on a 30-second spot, Pandora decided that mobile was the next big step in reaching its target demographic.

Additionally, the jewelry retailer ran another campaign with Millennial and GKV for Mother?s Day.

The mobile campaign ran three weeks prior to the holiday and targeted both men and women.

The demographic for the Mother?s Day campaign was men ages 35-49 and women ages 25-49 with an annual household income of more than $50,000.

Through the mobile ads, consumers were encouraged to design their own bracelets.?

Inevitably, the intiative aimed to bolster Pandora?s sales during Mother?s Day.

According to Mr. Ilagan, the campaign delivered upon the company?s expectations and drove consumers to the Pandora Gift Advisor.

In addition to using mobile advertising, Pandora also has a mobile app where consumers can browse the entire Pandora catalog, stay up-to-day on the latest pieces in the collections, as well as share their favorite items with friends and family through Facebook and email.

Through the app, customers can also narrow down their search. For example, users can browse for items based on their budget, the type of jewelry they are looking for, the material it is made out of and the colors they prefer.

Pandora has also placed QR codes on its static print campaigns to drive brand awareness.

?QR codes help our consumers and our retailers,? Mr. Ilagan said.

Multichannel aspects
Having a multichannel approach is critical for both marketers and retailers.

Having a mobile application does not mean a marketers has a complete mobile strategy.

It is important for companies to incorporate different mobile mediums to reach as many consumers as possible.

?Pandora is a great example of a stellar jewelry brand that knows their buying season, audience and consumer behavior," said Marcus Startzel, general manager at?Millennial Media, Baltimore, MD.

"Back in January, when they advertised during the Super Bowl on mobile, they knew they would get to their targeted male audience while these avid sports fans were buried in their mobile device, versus the TV," he said.??

?GKV was a great agency partner in all of our Pandora mobile ad campaigns."

Final Take
Rimma Kats is associate editor on Mobile Marketer, New York

Associate Editor Rimma Kats covers media, television, research and social networks. Reach her at rimma@mobilemarketer.com. Follow her on Twitter: @RimmaKats.

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Vera Bradley taps mobile to empower volunteers for breast cancer fundraiser

By Chantal Tode

July 24, 2013

Vera Bradley leverages mobile for events

Handbag and accessory brand Vera Bradley tapped mobile to help empower volunteers at an annual fundraising event for the company?s breast cancer foundation.

The Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer developed a custom mobile event application to improve communications and eliminate paper waste for the organizaton?s 20th Annual Vera Bradley Golf and Tennis Tournament fundraiser. The app saw a 50 percent adoption rate among event organizers and volunteers, with the app being used 3,000 times over the course of the three-day event.

?It makes sense for Vera Bradley to leverage mobile applications for their fundraising events via the Sojourner Mobile Volunteer App because they have over 300 volunteers and sometimes more that help with their events,? said Jeanette Mojares, director of marketing at Sita Corp., Somerset, NJ.

?Their volunteers are spread out during the event,? she said. ?Everyone has a smartphone device.

?It was an easy way to collaborate the tasks, communicate information and provide last-minute changes to the schedule. It saved them on paper costs, time and enabled communication in real-time.?

The Vera Bradley Foundation raises money to fight breast cancer and manages the largest women?s amateur golf and tennis charity in the nation.

Easier communication
Vera Bradley worked with Sojourner Mobile Communications, a division of Sita Corp., to develop the mobile event app during a three-day development and deployment period.

This year?s event included a Go Green initiative, with the mobile app helping the organization reach it goals of replacing a dozen event organization binders. The app also saved 3,000 pages of paper over the course of the event.

The app?helped volunteers keep the event running smoothly?

The app made it easier for event organizers and volunteers to communicate and coordinate activities, freeing them up to focus on raising funds and awareness in the fight against breast cancer.

The customized app was used 1,400 times on the first day of the event.

Mobile events
Like many fashion and accessory brands, Vera Bradley has been building its mobile repertoire over the past couple of years.

For example, the company offers the Vera Bradley iCatalog for iPad app, providing a feature-rich way to shop its catalogs.

Last year, it also brought out a Welcome Back app for fall 2012 that featured the latest back-to-school fashions.

All types of brands are also leveraging mobile to enhance events they are organizing or sponsoring.

Online insurance firm Esurance recently made it easy for attendees at the Bite of Seattle festival to share their favorite foods for a chance to win a prize via Twitter (see story).

Additionally, surfing apparel manufacturer and retailer Rip Curl drove a 23 percent increase in app opens for its surfing events app by incorporating rich media push notifications (see story).

"More and more brands are embracing mobile for their events,? Ms. Mojares said. ?All major brands have at least one mobile app to promoting their brand.?

Final Take
Chantal Tode is associate editor on Mobile Marketer, New York

Associate Editor Chantal Tode covers advertising, messaging, legal/privacy and database/CRM. Reach her at chantal@mobilemarketer.com.

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Vibram mobile ad succeeds in driving viewers to online store

By Chantal Tode

August 20, 2012

Tapping the screen makes the shoes run

Vibram FiveFingers ran a HTML5-based rich media mobile ad that not only drove brand awareness, but also resulted in a 1.3 percent click-through rate on iPad devices.

The ad unit leveraged touch screen technology to reflect the brand?s unique product line by enabling users to tap a virtual pair of Vibram shoes appearing on the screen to make them run. The unit showcased the versatility of the shoes by enabling users to make the shoes run across a variety of surfaces, including grass, a dirt trail, a road and coals.

?Gamification and utility are two features known to increase mobile consumer engagement,? said Paran Johar, chief marketing officer at Jumptap, Cambridge, MA.

?Using your fingers to ?run? in the shoes across various terrains added a game-like quality to the ad, and the addition of a store locator and links to mobile purchasing offered the utility feature necessary to make target consumers? lives easier,? he said.

?The key s to creating a successful rich media campaign on mobile are visually appealing creative, engaging content and audience targeting to increase the relevancy of the rich media ad.?

Vibram collaborated with Amp Agency, Nail Agency and Jumptap on the effort.

Barefinger running
Vibram FiveFingers running shoes are glove-styled shoes designed to allow the foot to move naturally so the body operates as if it is barefoot while the shoe protects the foot with a rubber sole.

The ad unit begins as a banner on which appears the copy ?Barefinger Running?? and ?Tap Here to Try It? along with the Vibram logo. Users who click on the ad to expand it are instructed to ?Tap Two to Fingers to Run? and see pair of Vibram shoes that, when tapped, begin to move across the various terrains.

 

The ad unit created?for the mobile campaign included a link to a store locator landing page where users could enter their ZIP code to find the nearest store.

Additionally, users could view separate men?s and women?s shopping pages where they could see product images and place an order.

Jumptap and Nail Agency created the interactive experience with a HTML rich media ad unit.

The app appeared widely in relevant mobile sites with a goal of reaching active, health conscious and tech-savvy consumers.

Rich media, rich results
In reflection of how a rich media, interactive can drive awareness and engagement for brands, viewers of the Vibram mobile?ad?expanded the ad at a rate nearly double the network average and delivered?seven million targeted ad impressions.

The ads drove roughly three out of every five viewers who engaged with the ad to the Vibram online store.

The campaign is the latest example of how shoe brands are embracing mobile.

Nike recently introduced an iPhone application that helps golfers improve their game and uses photos, social media and location (see story?).

Last year, adidas ran a video-centric ad campaign across online, mobile and tablet devices to drive awareness and engagement (see story).

?The 1.41 percent ad expansion and nearly 60 percent engagement rates speak for themselves ??this was a homerun both for Vibram and consumers,? said Brittany Schermerhorn, associate media director at Amp Agency, Boston.

Final Take
Chantal Tode is associate editor on Mobile Marketer, New York

Associate Editor Chantal Tode covers advertising, messaging, legal/privacy and database/CRM. Reach her at chantal@mobilemarketer.com.

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H&M drives in-store traffic, brand awareness via app launch sponsorship - Mobile Commerce Daily

By Staff reports

October 29, 2012

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H&M drives in-store traffic, brand awareness via app launch sponsorship
Retailer H&M has teamed up with DailyCandy to be the launch sponsor of its new DailyCandy Scout mobile application, which promotes street style and brand awareness, as well as entice consumers with a $500 shopping trip.
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32pc of smartphone owners plan to download a shopping app for the holidays: study
With mobile commerce expected to pick up traction this holiday, consumers are gravitating towards applications to shop, according to a new study from Pricegrabber.
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Mobile accounts for 10pc of presidential campaign donations: Pew
Text messaging and mobile apps are quickly gaining steam as a way for political candidates to generate campaign contributions, with 10 percent of 2012 presidential campaign donors having used one of these methods, according to a new report from Pew Research Center.
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CoverGirl revamps SMS program to drive coupon redemption
Procter & Gamble?s CoverGirl is stepping up its SMS initiatives with a new program that combines mobile and social media to help users find deals and offers on products.
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Anya Hindmarch teases new boutique via Instagram

By Erin Shea

August 26, 2013

Anya Hindmarch Instagram image of New York store

British accessories brand Anya Hindmarch is taking fans behind the scenes of its recently opened New York boutique by posting images on Instagram that lead up to the grand opening Aug. 22.

The store is the brand?s first boutique to host its new global store design and is the first store to have both the bespoke and mainline collections. By offering behind-the-scenes images, brands can leave consumers wanting to see more and therefore driving them to the store.

?I think Instagram photographs are very engaging,? said Anya Hindmarch, designer and founder of Anya Hindmarch, London.

?People always love the behind-the-scenes view, and in fact that was part of the idea behind the shop interior concept,? she said.

?Instead of being perfect, it is very much an atelier.?

New spaces
The new boutique is located at 795 Madison Ave. in New York. This is the brand?s first store in New York and second store in the United States.

Before the store opened Aug. 22, the brand posted a number of images on Instagram that are tagged with the #NewYork hashtag.

Although the hashtag is rather broad, the images will show up when Instagram users search for New York-related images, which may further the brand?s reach.

 Instagram image of new store

The image subjects ranged from small details, wall decorations and tools to create the bespoke collection.

 Bespoke tools

When the store was finally opened, the brand posted another image to celebrate.

 Store promotion

Sneak peek
Other brands have used behind-the-scenes images or videos to give their fans an exclusive look at new products and new stores.

For instance, French conglomerate LVMH Mo?t Hennessy Louis Vuitton generated excitement for the ?Les Journ?es Particuli?res? weekend in Europe June 15-16 with a dedicated handle on mobile-social platform Instagram.

LVMH targeted consumers and tourists in European countries by revealing the work spaces of its brands in Britain, France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland and Poland during the Les Journ?es Particuli?res weekend. The dedicated Instagram feed shows images of the physical sites that were open to the public to boost anticipation before the event (see story).

Furthermore, Italian label Valentino took its Facebook fans behind the scenes of its haute couture fall/winter collection through a video that shows close-up shots of the products? details.

The ?Welcome to the Secret World of Couture? video is available on the brand?s Web site and shows the models preparing for the fashion show and the details in the apparel. Promoting a behind-the-scenes video can allow brand enthusiasts to feel even more connected with a brand (see story).

Taking consumers behind the scenes of a brand or campaign can allow them to see the brand in normalized way. Showing the backstage elements that are not normally seen in advertisements can help brands better relate to consumers.

For Anya Hindmarch, the backstage theme will be incorporated into the New York store?s atmosphere.

?I always find people are incredibly interested in my design studios over a polished studio,? Ms. Hindmarch said.

?That is what we set out to create, a behind-the-scenes kind of store,? she said.

Final take
Erin Shea, editorial assistant on Luxury Daily, New York?

Erin Shea is an editorial assistant on Luxury Daily. Her beats are automotive, consumer electronics, consumer packaged goods, financial services, media/publishing, software and technology, telecommunications, travel and hospitality, real estate, retail and sports. Reach her at erin@napean.com.

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JackThreads ramps up mobile retargeting strategy to capture holiday sales

By Chantal Tode

October 2, 2013

The JackThreads iPhone app

Daily deals site JackThreads is retargeting users of its mobile commerce application with relevant banner ads when they are inside other apps as a way to drive sales.

At more than 50 percent of revenue, mobile is already a very important channel for the members-only online retailer of men?s clothing. With the key holiday shopping period gearing up, JackThreads is using retargeting as a way to ensure it does not miss any opportunities for sales.

?We are retargeting consumers of JackThreads based on their behavior in the app,? said Evan Schwartz, CEO of ActionX, New York.

?All they want to do is drive positive return on ad spend and deliver a great consumer experience,? he said.

?We started the test about six weeks or so ago,?and we saw great results and we are ramping it for the holidays right now.?

Real-time segmentation
JackThreads integrated ActionX?s new mobile retargeting program into its mcommerce apps in mid-September.

As a result, when users search, browse and add items to their cart from within the app but leave without making a purchase, the retailer can reach these users in other apps with banner ads related to the items they have already shown an interest in. The ads often include a promotion to encourage users to click.

Users are segmented in real-time, and ActionX finds them in other apps such as Pandora and The Weather Channel.

A JackThreads retargeted ad in The Weather Channel app.

?We target them with banner ads based on their behavior in the JackThreads app in the hopes of getting them to click on the ads, click back into the app and make a purchase,? Mr. Schwartz said.

Targeted ads
ActionX reports that across clients, click-through rates are two to three times higher than for a typical mobile ad while the return on ad spend is typically between four and eight times higher.

The reason why retargeting is seeing strong results is because users are used to seeing untargeted ads in mobile, per Mr. Schwartz.

?When they actually see something they are interested in, whether it be a promotion, a product or an offer, they are much more likely to click through," he said.

In a new partnership with Branding Brand, ActionX will look to bring its mobile retargeting platform to the mobile site and app developer?s clients, which include American Eagle Outfitters, Costco and Ralph Lauren.

During the important holiday shopping season, retailers are typically more intent on delivering strong experiences as the bulk of sales happen during the last three months of the year.

?There is so much traffic going to mobile Web sites and mobile apps during the holidays, it really is a huge shift that is happening,? Mr. Schwartz said. ?Some of our clients were seeing only 10 percent of their users on the mobile site and apps last year, and now it is closer to 40 percent.

?This is where consumers are going, and marketers and brands want to use all of the tools at their disposal to make sure that they are capturing those dollars during the holiday season,? he said.

Final Take
Chantal Tode is associate editor on Mobile Marketer, New York

Associate Editor Chantal Tode covers advertising, messaging, legal/privacy and database/CRM. Reach her at chantal@mobilemarketer.com.

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