Several months ago, the 60 Second Marketer team took a dive into the Mobile Marketing Glossary created by the Mobile Marketing Association. It’s packed with all the terms and definitions every mobile marketing expert should know.

But if you’re like most people reading this blog, you probably just want the top-line stuff. (We are, after all, called the 60 Second Marketer.) With that in mind, here are the top 19 mobile marketing terms every marketer should know:

1. Alerts: Notifications, typically in the form of a text or multimedia message, containing time-sensitive information (event details, weather, news, services updates) that are pushed to a mobile subscriber who has opted-in to receive this information. Note: If the mobile subscriber has not opted in to receive said information, the notification would be considered SPAM.
2. Carrier a.k.a. Mobile Carrier, Mobile Network Operator, Mobile Carrier, Network Operator, Operator Company, Wireless Carrier: A company that provides wireless telecommunications services.
3. Click to Call: A service that enables a mobile subscriber to initiate a voice call to a specified phone number by clicking on a link on a mobile web site. Typically used to enhance and provide a direct response mechanism in an advertisement.
4. Dedicated Short Code: The process of running only one service on a common short code at any given time.
5. Double Opt-in: The process of confirming a mobile subscriber’s wish to participate in a mobile program by requesting the subscriber to opt-in twice, prior to engaging the subscriber. A requirement for premium and many other types of mobile services.
6. Global Positioning System: A system of satellites, computers and receivers that can determine the latitude and longitude of a given receiver (within its system) located on Earth. It pinpoints the receiver’s location by calculating the time it takes for signals from different satellites (positioned at various locations) to reach the receiver.
7. Location Based Services a.k.a. LBS: A range of services that are provided to mobile subscribers based on the geographical location of their handsets within their cellular network. Handsets have to be equipped with a position-location technology such as GPS to enable the geographical-trigger of service(s) being provided. LBS include driving directions, information about certain resources or destinations within current vicinity, such as restaurants, ATMs, shopping, movie theaters, etc. LBS may also be used to track the movements and locations of people, as is being done via parent/child monitoring services and mobile devices that target the family market.
8. MMS Message: A message sent via a Multimedia Messaging Service that contains multimedia objects.
9. Mobile Advertising: A form of advertising that is communicated to the consumer/target via a handset. This type of advertising is most commonly seen as a Mobile Web Banner (top of page), Mobile Web Poster (bottom of page banner), and full screen interstitial, which appears while a requested mobile web page is “loading.” Other forms of this type of advertising are SMS and MMS ads, mobile gaming ads, and mobile video ads (pre-, mid- and post-roll).
10. Mobile Search: Executing a search via mobile Internet.
11. Pre-roll: The streaming of a mobile advertising clip prior to a mobile TV/video clip. The mobile ad is usually 10-15 seconds in length.
12. Pull Messaging a.k.a. Wireless Pull Advertising, Content Pull Messaging: Any content sent to the wireless subscriber upon request, shortly thereafter, on a one-time basis. For example, when a customer requests the local weather from a WAP-capable browser, the content of the response, including any related advertising, is Pull Messaging.
13. Push Messaging a.k.a. Wireless Push Advertising, Content Push Messaging: Any content sent by or on behalf of advertisers and marketers to a wireless mobile device at a time other than when the subscriber requests it. Push Messaging includes audio, short message service (SMS) messages, e-mail, multimedia messaging, cell broadcast, picture messages, surveys, or any other pushed advertising or content.
14. Third Generation a.k.a. 3G: The third generation wireless service promises to provide high data speeds, always-on data access and greater voice capacity. The high data speeds enable full motion video, high-speed internet access and video-conferencing, and are measured in Mbps. 3G technology standards include UMTS, based on WCDMA technology (quite often the two terms are used interchangeably) and CDMA2000, which is the evolution of the earlier CDMA 2G technology. UMTS standard is generally preferred by countries that use GSM network. The data transmission rates range from 144 kbps to more than 2 mbps.
15. Vanity Short Code: CSCs that are specifically requested. It usually spells out a content provider’s name, brand, an associated word or is an easy to recall number sequence, e.g., DISNEY = 347639 or 88888.
16. WAP 2.0: An increasingly popular format of choice for mobile web. Relies on a new set of standards that are more in line with Internet standards. Using xHTML, mobile carriers, content providers and media companies can present content and functionality in more robust formats via faster wireless technologies.
17. WAP Landing Page: A secondary WAP page a consumer is taken to once they click on an MMS link in order to give or receive additional information.
18. WAP Site: A website that is specifically designed and formatted for display on a mobile device.
19. Wireless Application Protocol a.k.a. WAP: An open international standard for applications that use wireless communication. Its principal application is to enable access to the Internet from a mobile phone or PDA. Can be used to deliver content to mobile devices.

These definitions were compiled by the members of The Mobile Marketing Association (MMA). The MMA is the premier global non-profit association that strives to stimulate the growth of mobile marketing and its associated technologies. The complete glossary of these terms can be found by visiting Mobile Marketing Glossary.

Monday, May 11th, 2009, 4:58 pm   |   Mobile Marketing  |  RSS feed |  Respond  |  Trackback