Internet Marketing in the Philippines » Mobile Marketing

Irresponsible Political Mobile Marketing in the Philippines

Carlo Ople — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 05:59:10 +0000

Over the past few weeks I’ve been getting an unsolicited SMS which says that a certain MERCADO is leading the mayoralty race in Makati. The message says that the data comes from a commissioned SWS survey. This is a very bad example of how to do mobile marketing in the Philippines. First, this is actually a violation of the rules made by the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC). For mobile, there should always be an opt-in and opt-out choice. Second, this is doing them more damage than good. Makati residents who get this probably get more annoyed. For the record, let me just say that this is one of the most unethical and stupid political mobile marketing campaign that you can do. It’s invasive, interruptive, and just plain rude. Whoever is behind this should be ashamed of themselves.

Here’s the text message. I just edited it a bit so that I don’t end up spreading the wrong information.

SWS Survey as of March 7 to 10, 2010 with 2520 Makati Residents Respondents:

District 1: Mercado xx%, Binay xx%, Genuino xx%, Aquino x%.
District 2: Mercado xx%, Binay xx%, Genuino xx%, Aquino x%

The phone number that sent the message is: +639309463313. I already texted this number saying to not text me again ever or I will sue them, lol.

What’s the fuss with BlackBerry Smart Phones?

Carlo Ople — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 02:59:27 +0000

I’ve noticed that more Filipino professionals and businessmen are now using BlackBerry smart phones. I use a BlackBerry Bold 9000 myself and other than the small tech issues, I’m very happy and satisfied with the unit. I literally am able to run my business and all my other sidelines using the phone. Ultimately the main attraction of the BlackBerry is their mobile push e-mail system. There are times that the e-mail comes in my mobile inbox faster than my Outlook (which is weird), haha. The ability to answer emails on the go effortlessly is such a huge advantage and benefit for people like me who always move around. The other apps like the calendar, facebook, etc. are also great features as well.

I made reviews of the major BlackBerry units that are out in the market in my technology blog. You might want to hop on over to that site to get more details on the following phones:

BlackBerry Bold 9000
BlackBerry Bold 9700
BlackBerry Storm 9550

Note that one more kick ass feature of the BlackBerry is the BlackBerry Messenger. It’s free messaging for BlackBerry unit owners. I’m not sure if it’s totally 100% free here in the Philippines though but the problem here is that only a few people still own BlackBerry’s so I rarely get to use this particular feature. x.x

Here’s to hoping that the Philippines BlackBerry tribe will multiply in the coming months!

Coffee with Mike Wehrs, Mobile Marketing Association President

Carlo Ople — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 07:54:42 +0000

I got an invitation from Singapore to have a coffee session with Mobile Marketing Association President Mike Wehrs during his brief stay here in the Philippines. He was the keynote speaker and guest of honor in the recent Internet and Mobile Marketing Summit which was hosted by the IMMAP. I was very interested in this meeting because I’ve always believed that we’ve yet to fully tap the potential of mobile marketing. I wanted to get insights from this guy on how we can improve the industry here in the Philippines. Some notes and insights on our discussion after the break.

IMMAP Partnership
Basically the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) is the world’s leading trade organization for mobile marketing. They’re aim is to help the mobile marketing industry in different countries by sharing with them best practices, learnings, and other important resources that they’ve gathered from all of their members. One of their thrusts is to develop local chapters. Since the Philippines has a huge mobile base, they went here shortly after establishing their first local chapter in India.

Instead of developing their own chapter here, they partnered with the Internet and Mobile Marketing Association of the Philippines (IMMAP). This partnership basically makes the IMMAP their marketing and distribution arm in the country. MMA will share with them their resources and programs and IMMAP can push it to the key players here in the Philippines.

Another key function for the MMA is that they can help the industry discuss regulations with the government. There are a lot of campaigns we can’t do here because we’re not allowed to execute.

What do I get out of joining MMA/IMMAP?
According to my conversation with Mike, joining the MMA opens up a treasure chest of learnings that you can apply to your business or brand. You get access to various mobile marketing campaigns done all over the world which you can take on and implement locally. You also become part of a community that can definitely open up opportunities and networks for you.

How to join?
I’ll edit this article again when I find the link but basically you apply for membership through the IMMAP. You’ll pay an annual fee to keep your membership and this gives you access to newsletters and various other online resources. You’ll also get lower rates for seminars and training sessions that will be conducted here.

Will write about other stuff about our conversation in succeeding posts.