Skipping the mobile pyrotechnics

A quick tip to all media companies looking to extend their brands to wireless: Yes, even mass-market phones now have many of the bells and whistles of a home PC, but that doesn’t mean you have to use them.
Today’s wireless devices offer a host of avenues for companies to buy face time with consumers, from simple voice calls and text messages to Bluetooth transmissions and-if some advertisers have their way-sponsored ringback tones. Add the wireless Web to the mix, and it’s easy to see why some over-caffeinated evangelists call the mobile phone the best marketing device in the world.
All those high-tech features can be just an expensive annoyance, though, unless they’re used carefully. And sparingly.
I recently signed up to receive free mobile alerts from CBSSportsline.com, and was pleasantly surprised to receive a welcome video message in my phone’s inbox. The clip showcased all the great things mobile video can do: It was short, at just 21 seconds, and-unlike some other made-for-mobile video-didn’t look like it was created in a makeshift dorm-room studio. Impressively, it also automatically muted itself when my phone was in vibrate mode, preventing the potential embarrassment of playing the clip loudly in a meeting or at dinner.
But the video also served as a kind of harbinger: Instead of tapping me on the shoulder a couple of times a week with news updates or behind-the-scenes scoops, CBSSportsline tried to be my new best friend. The welcome message was followed about 90 minutes later by another message, this one a 90-second video update that delivered little news but tried to drive me to the company’s Web site. A picture message arrived two hours later, and I received two more multimedia messages in the next 36 hours.
Some of the messages were appreciated-I learned almost immediately that NBA phenom Greg Oden is out for the season-but most were designed with the sole purpose of getting me to visit CBSSportsline’s site on a computer. Worse, some of the photo-messages were ill-formatted: While the images were intact, the text was broken in odd places and wasn’t always easy to read.
After considering filing a restraining order, I finally responded with “stop,” and my new shadow disappeared.
The effort contrasts with a stunningly simple campaign from the Public Broadcasting Service touting the latest effort from noted historian Ken Burns. PBS placed a banner ad on the deck of Verizon Wireless that led to an offer to receive a text alert on the day that “The War” debuted on the network. I signed up, was asked to opt in twice, and received a short text on the day of the show reminding me to tune in. Bank of America sponsored the effort, but I received no come-on from the financial institution, and the campaign ended with the reminder text. Nicely done.
Like PBS’ campaign, CBSSportsline’s service requires users to opt in to receive the messages. And CBS’ online sports arm deserves credit for pushing the envelope with video clips and photo-messages. But the industry is still struggling with ways to address the wide variety of software platforms and handset models on the market, and it’s still far from clear what services will resonate with users. Until solutions present themselves, marketers may be wise to forgo the mobile pyrotechnics and present their brands alongside simple, practical services.