An interesting concept of mobile marketing is supposed to be introduced soon in Germany. In Japan and South Korea, the concept is widely known, and accepted among users. The technology was developed by the Japanese company Denso Wave already in the year 1994. It is a bar code, called QR Code (quick response). The development of the technology was initiated by Toyota in order to mark components and devices. Lately, the bar code has been discovered for mobile marketing and has been implemented successfully. Since nearly all new cell phones have an integrated camera, you just need a special software to convert your normal cell phone into a bar code scanner.

In Japan, QR Codes are used to encode, for example, URLs  in magazines, flyers or on billboards. The user then just has to scan the code in order to retrieve the desired information from a certain website. The code can be applied to provide travel information and facilitate e-ticketing, but also to download all kinds of entertainment features. Telephone numbers and addresses as well can be encoded and the user does not have to enter the data manually. Simple scanning is enough and you can save numbers and addresses easily in your cell phone.

In Germany, in November 2007 the newspaper Welt Kompakt introduced the QR Code for the first time. They encoded URLs of websites with additional information on the articles.

The only obstacle to introducing these codes comprehensively is that there is no international standard, and therefore not every software is able to read all codes. They are however working on this, and therefore it is just a question of time till we can retrieve additional information easily with the cell phone and store business card information not manually, but just by scanning. I am of the opinion that this sounds very promising, and will bring fresh air especially to the, by cell phone users, sceptically seen sector of mobile marketing. This kind of mobile marketing promises to be effective and informative because of its pull character without being associated with spamming at all.

When the two years after the last contract renewal draw to a close, there is always the question which cell phone model will be the next to get? Who does not feel like reading lots of cell phone journals with specific information on models and prices, just consults the experts in a store. In a recent study however, they have found out that Germany is a service desert in this regard: On the one hand, technophile vendors confuse customers with technicalese so that after consulting the expert the customer knows less than before, on the other hand, there are incompetent and insufficiently trained vendors that are not capable of hiding their ignorance. Thus, customers wonder shortly after entering the store who the cell phone expert really is. Out of 104 stores, 14 were deficient. Satisfying or sufficient were 53 stores. Thus, less than half of the stores were good or very good. A sign of inadequacy. In addition, the stores would profit from good customer service, since more customers might be convinced to spend money, and thus the sales volume would increase.

If you look from Germany to the US, it becomes obvious that they are much more committed to service. The third biggest American provider of mobile phone services Sprint Nextel offers their customers a comprehensive introduction to their new cell phone. The new generation of cell phones is getting more and more complex, and because of ignorance many customers just use a fraction of the functions the new cell phones offer. Sprint Nextel wanted to avoid this effect, and therefore, closed all stores for one day in order to train their employees. The cell phone shall be completely customized and ready for use directly after purchase. The customer can use is it without bothering about adjusting any settings. Apple and Microsoft as well are on the right track: Apple has so-called Genius Bars and Microsoft announced to offer this year a comparable service.

People who are as lazy as I am in terms of reading instructions, always miss functions they do not even know to exist. I think the idea of an introduction to the spectrum of functions is really good.

The project Voices of Africa was launched in May 2007 by the Africa Interactive Media Foundation, and is supposed to stimulate journalism in Africa since the number of African journalists is still relatively small. At the moment, six countries are involved: Kenya, South Africa, Ghana, Mozambique, Cameroon, and Tanzania. Talented young men and women are being equipped with hightech cell phones and foldable keyboards, and after a coaching period of six months, they start working as citizen journalists. The implementation of the program is made possible through GPRS. With GPRS, you can upload photos, texts, audio, and video, and thus, make interesting information accessible to people all over the world. Participating Africans are called “Camjos”, a combination of “camera” and “journalist”. They document life in Africa, and write about interesting events and incidents. The project provides insight into Africa and promotes young talented people. It is incredible what projects can be realized with the help of the cell phone and GPRS!
The Spanish newspaper El Pais as well discovered citizen journalists. In this case, however, the whole thing seems a little strange to me: Amateur journalists can upload their own photos, texts and videos to “Yoperiodista” - the editorial staff chooses what is being published. Thus, citizens “work” free of charge, and pay to some extent text/multimedia message fees, and sometimes the photos or articles are not even published. Some people have a very high need of recognition… However, citizen journalists can also raise awareness for grievances that are not important to professional journalists: On the site of El Pais you can see e.g. a bus stop with a bank which has become completely overgrown. Perhaps after the publication of the photo, someone has pity with the poor bank and takes care of the removal of the green stuff.
Unfortunately, paparazzi as well are encouraged by the new technical features of cell phones. Many newspapers offer money for good amateur photos. If you are involved in an accident it is always better to take a photo first and then help. After all, you might make some money with it. Many of the photos and videos however are just uploaded to YouTube. Sometimes it is scary at what occasions people take their cell phones out and film.
Thus: Down with tabloid journalism and three cheers for the Voices of Africa project!

New application fields for cell phones are found all the time, and the spectrum of cell phone functions is growing constantly. Thus, the MEDIGREIF Island Clinic Heringsdorf (Usedom, Germany) and the Fraunhofer Institute for Computer Graphics Research in Rostock, Germany found a way to help teenagers lose weight with the aid of cell phones, a measure that teenagers probably appreciate since they cannot live without their communications device anymore.
The concept works as follows: The devices dispose of integrated movement sensors that measure the physical activity of the child. If the child moves too little it is informed about it via cell phone, and thus has the opportunity to do something against the lack of exercise. Increased physical activity is followed by a digital treat. That way the awareness for a healthy way of life is raised among these children and teenagers. The cell phone is also a supportive tool with respect to healthy nutrition: Each meal is documented with the cell phone camera. The picture is sent to a nutrition expert who talks to the teenagers about their diet.
Right now the whole project is still just a study of the clinic and the Fraunhofer Institute which was started in May. 80 to 120 overweight children and teenagers are currently there in order to lose weight with the aid of their cell phone. After leaving the clinic, the cell phone is supposed to keep controlling their nutrition and activity on a long term basis.
A really good idea with a great potential! Regarding the increase in obese and overweight children this is obviously a step in the right direction. The fact that cell phones are included in the therapy carries from my point of view an extraordinary potential since it is status symbol and entertainment device number 1 at once for teenagers, thus it motivates additionally.

Who has not been angry yet about the fact that it is still not possible to settle all matters comfortably at home via e-mail? At several occasions such as orders or cancelations, stuff has to be printed out and then to be send via mail to the authority or company in question. Most people have a printer at home and if it even works the first obstacle has been overcome - provided the text to be sent is already written, but this challenge has to be met even when just sending out an e-mail. E-mails as well have to be written. So far so good. You found the paper, the printer worked and you even have an envelope! But something remains to be done… yes, exactly: the stamp. It would have been so easy to just drop the letter into the mail box on your way to work. But of course, because of the small, adhesive square you have to search for a parking spot, to get into a line and to wait until it is your turn. In Germany, these problems will soon be a thing of the past: Since last Friday, the 15th of August, it has been possible to stamp letters and postcards by cell phone. Just send a text message with the keyword “Brief” (letter) or “Karte” (postcard) to number 22122. You will immediately receive a code in return that has to be noted down on the letter or the postcard. The service is being tested at the moment and is offered in collaboration with T-Mobile and Vodafone. There is one hitch however: In comparison to a traditional stamp the code is relatively expensive. 85 cents for a postcard, and 95 cents for a normal letter plus SMS or calling fees is too expensive in my opinion. Thus, I prefer the torture mentioned above. However if prices are cut I would join the cell phone stamp club! Even if that means our good old stamp has to retire.

Trifles such as a broken TV set or Olympia-unfriendly working hours, cannot upset a real Olympia fan like you. After all, you are the proud owner of a cell phone! Different offers make it possible to always be up-to-date. On the web’n walk portal of T-Mobile, an Olympia special can be found. Of course, there is also the possibility to watch the games live with mobile TV. However, if the problem is not the TV set, but your employer you should wonder if it is not a good choice to be content with a text message or multimedia message service. After all, watching TV at work is not among the general accepted activities. Vodafone as well offers news, mobile TV and text/multimedia message services. In addition, there are several mobile internet sites that offer information, e.g. Yahoo, BBC and ARD have interesting content.

Mobile TV has the advantage that you can see Hambüchen’s bad luck and Phelps’ incredible performance live. You do not have to wait for the news. Who does not want to accompany the favorite on the way to the victory or crying about the failure? Important is that there is no time difference!

It is obvious: A real Olympia fan finds a way to be up to date. The best would be if they finally found a way to just beam yourself via cell phone right to Beijing, China in order to watch the game there, live. But I assume we still have to wait a little, and in the meantime we are happy with a web portal, mobile TV or textmessage service.

The censorship of media in China, especially of the internet is something we have been reading of a lot lately. Even in the Olympic press center, the access to certain websites is censored, even though the restriction has partially been lifted, and some traditionally censored websites have been made accessible.
China has discovered the Short Message Service, in a positive as well as in a negative sense: Since it is impossible to control all 850 million cell phones, China tries to produce the impression that there is ubiquitous control. True to the maxim: Big brother is watching you! Thus, in Lhasa many inhabitants received e-mails reminding them to observe the law. The US magazine Newsweek called the new strategy of psychological intimidation ‘Repression 2.0‘. Version 1.0 was more subtle. The fact however that text messages cannot be controlled holds a great potential: In the Chinese city of Xianmen, about one million Chinese protested against the construction of a chemical plant to produce paraxylene, a process that includes the production of highly toxic wastes. The construction has been stopped. A big succes to Xianmen thanks to the short message service.
In the future, we will hear a lot about mobile technology and its potential. It is amazing what is possible with SMS: Barack Obama uses text messages to remind potential voters of the elections, while the Chinese use it for protesting and suppression at the same time. Politics in general seem to use more and more modern forms of information distribution, such as mobile marketing strategies. Thus, it is a just a matter of time until Angie, our German chancellor, will inform us via text message about current issues. After all, we can already download her as a podcast!

Imagine you could use internet wherever you are, whenever you want… But wait, that’s possible! With your cell phone you can use different internet services (nearly) everywhere. You are waiting for an important email, but are not having access to a computer? Just retrieve them via cell phone. You are arguing about something with a friend, and are completely sure you’re right? Prove that you’re right using the internet via cell phone. You are searching for a shop with incredible clothes, but don’t remember the address? Check it on the internet via cell phone. You’re bored waiting for the bus which seems to take forever? Just download a mobile game via cell phone. There are so many possibilities where internet can make your life easier that I wonder why so few people in Germany actually use it.

A study of Nielsen Mobile showed that approximately 16% of the Americans use mobile internet, but just about 7% of the Germans. That means out of 16 countries, Germany ranks eighth. The US ranks first, and UK second with about 13%. There were 40 million active users in the US in May 2008. From 2006 to 2008 the number of active users nearly doubled. For me, it was surprising that the group of 35 to 54-year-olds made up 37% of all users in May 2008. I would have thought that the majority of users is younger, but the age group from 13 to 24 just made up approximately 25%. The 25 to 34-year-olds are the second largest group with about 27%. Not surprisingly, people over 55 make up the smallest group with about 11%. Thus, Americans at the age of 25 to 54 use mobile internet most often.

Not only the number of mobile internet users differs from the US to Germany, but also the devices used: In the US, there is a top 5 list consisting of the Motorola RAZR/RAZR2 ranking first with 10%, followed by the Apple iPhone with 4%, the RIM Blackberry 8100 series (2%), the RIM Blackberry 8800 series (2%), and the Motorola Q Series (2%). In Europe (including among others Germany), the Nokia N95 ranks first with 5%, the Nokia N70 ranks second with 4%, followed by the Motorola RAZR/RAZR2, Sony Ericsson K800i, and Nokia N73 with each 3%.

Interestingly, the top three mobile web categories in the US are portals - such as Yahoo and Google -, e-mail, and the weather. For me, it is surprising that people use their cell phones in order to get information on something as trivial as the weather, but obviously this is what interests them. In addition, the weather just ranks third, portals and e-mail rank first and second, and that makes more sense to me.
I assume that even though we Germans seem a little bit more sceptical in terms of new technologies than other nationalities, in the future, there will be mobile internet flatrates used by a majority of the German population that is not able to imagine a life without permanent internet access.

Mobile marketing is still a controversial issue in Germany because many people are afraid of being flooded with unrequested text messages. In the US, this is different. There, mobile marketing is used more often than anywhere else. The prime example is Barack Obama, the presidential candidate of the Democrats. He maintains a website where you can sign up for updates on Obama’s activities, speeches, and election dates. In addition, you can sign up for specific issue updates such as health, education, Iraq, jobs and reform. Especially, young voters like the progressive campaign. I am of the opinion that mobile marketing used this way is something very positive: You are informed in a nutshell, and if you want more information you can get them on the internet.

According to a study conducted by the University of Michigan and Princton University, SMS reminders increased the likelihood of individual voting by around 4%. I could imagine that this effect is because voters feel personally involved. In addition, especially young voters who do not have a landline are difficult to reach with traditional campaigns, and the news in television appeal more to an older target group. The mobile marketing strategy was not only rated by 59% of the voters as being very helpful, in addition it is very cost effective.

Obama’s professional mobile marketing campaign has been awarded by the Politics Online Conference 2008 with the Golden Dot Award 2008 for Best Mobile/Text Message Campaign. Since McCain relies on a traditional campaign, Obama should actually be set!

In Germany, mobile marketing especially in politics is not very popular. I personally would appreciate receiving information on events and news via SMS. In stressy every day life, this would be a real help to be always up to date and not to forget the election day. It is important to overcome the bad reputation of mobile marketing in Germany, and to familiarize people with this way of spreading information! In the information age, information media should be used!

Many people store their old cell phones at home in the drawer. It’s the same with me: I did not even waste a thought where to put it. Just into the drawer, and that was it! I wasn’t aware of the fact that environmentally suitable ways of disposing of old cell phones do exist. In addition, it is even possible to gain some money, or to make a small contribution to a good cause. I have just never cared about it. I am obviously not alone with that attitude: According to a study conducted by Nokia just 3% of all old cell phones are being recycled, and the market leader of the recycling sector Umicore estimates that it is just 1%. I wonder where all the cell phones go. After all, in 2007 1.2 billion ones were produced. According to a report of the US government, it is assumed that already in 2005 half a billion cell phones led a shadowy existence in the drawers of US citizens, and the rising trend continues. Why is that actually the case? What makes people keep tons of discarded cell phones? Is it the emotional relationship to that telecommunications device that has bestowed upon them so many romantic dates? Or is it just because cell phones do not bother anyone being stored in the drawer? Another possible reason is that many people just do not know where to dispose of it.

However, there are some good reasons to concern yourself with the topic cell phone recycling: Cell phones contain heavy metals, such as cadmium or lead which pollute the environment when not disposed of professionally. Therefore, it is not allowed to put electronic devices in domestic waste. In addition, cell phones contain precious raw materials, such as gold, platinum or copper. They contain just a small amount of these materials, but the recycling of half a billion cell phones would be worthwhile. Most importantly, the reuse of raw materials helps us to preserve our natural resources.

Once you have decided to take the cell phone out of the drawer in order to recycle it, there is the question where to go with your old mobile friend.

A good possibility is offered by T-Mobile in collaboration with the Deutsche Umwelthilfe e.V. (German Environmental Protection Organization). Envelopes can be ordered for free on the T-Mobile website, and postage as well is borne by them. In addition, they transfer 5 Euros per cell phone to the Deutsche Umwelthilfe in order to support environmental and nature conservancy projects.

Another possibility is offered by Vodafone. Envelopes can be ordered for free, too. 3.50 Euros are transferred to the Deutsche Kinderkrebsstiftung (German Child Cancer Foundation).

For the business-minded ones among us, Talkgreener.de has an interesting offer: Depending on cell phone model and functional ability, one receives a certain amount of money for old cell phones - even for broken ones. In addition, Talkgreener plants a tree for every cell phone sent in. Thus, environment as well as benefits from it.

Taking all the advantages into account, one wonders why our old cell phones are still in the drawer, and not on their way to T-Mobile, Vodafone or Talkgreener. Regarding the charitable potential of old cell phones, you shouldn’t vacillate too long and order the envelopes. I am already waiting for mine to arrive in order to have my share in environmental protection!