I moderated the two mobile search panels at SES New York a couple of weeks ago, and was fascinated by how quickly the mobile search space is moving from a potential to a real opportunity for savvy search marketers. Mobile search is still in its infancy, but it's clearly on the verge of exploding, and search marketers who get in the space early are going to have a significant edge on everyone else. On Thursday, I'll be presenting the webcast Revving Up for Mobile Search Marketing through our sister site, Search Marketing Now. I'd like to extend a personal invitation to all search marketers to [...]

Related Topics: Channel: SEM | Search Ads: Mobile Search

Yahoo has launched a new Yahoo Mobile Publisher Services site designed to offer one-stop shopping for publishers that want to get mobile content into Yahoo in various ways. In particular, the services offered will be: Yahoo Mobile Ad Network: Will put ads out through Yahoo's mobile network. Includes display ads, sponsored links and oddly, "video or in-game placements."   Yahoo Mobile Content Engine: A special search engine designed to carry mobile-specific material, which will power the Yahoo oneSearch service.   Yahoo Mobile Media Directory: A directory of mobile conte [...]

Related Topics: Channel: SEM | Search Ads: Mobile Search | Search Engines: Mobile Search Engines | Yahoo: Mobile & Go | Yahoo: Search Ads

Pay-per-call provider Ingenio has added white label mobile search vendor Medio Systems to its distribution network. In addition to a range of online destinations, Ingenio is working with a number of mobile search sites and providers: JumpTap, Live.com/MSFT, AOL, go2, UpSnap and 1-800-FREE411. Last week Medio put out this release, claiming the be the leader in North American mobile search. And Medio also just announced the launch of its own mobile ad network. [...]

Related Topics: Channel: SEM | Search Ads: Mobile Search | Search Ads: Pay Per Call | Search Engines: Mobile Search Engines

Jingle Networks' free directory assistance (DA) service 1-800-FREE411 is slated this week to launch a new "category search" option, where you call to get matches of businesses in an area that relate to a category of interest (such as movie theaters in Los Angeles, or a dentist in San Francisco). To date Jingle has offered a free, ad-supported alternative to consumer-paid 411 services, which has largely duplicated the "what city, what listing?" model of conventional DA -- albeit with ads. With the addition of category search, callers will now be able search with more flexibility by business ty [...]

Related Topics: Channel: SEM | Search Ads: Mobile Search | Search Ads: Pay Per Call | Search Engines: Maps & Local Search Engines | Search Engines: Mobile Search Engines

Notwithstanding Microsoft's own existing speech assets, the Tellme acquisition appears to be complementary and strategic for Microsoft across the board. There were the four principal areas, identified in the release, that would be pursued or enhanced by the acquisition: unified communications, speech platform, software plus services and mobile services and search. Indeed, Microsoft wants to put a speech front end on all its applications and on its OS. While this holds some interesting possibilities for search on the desktop and for the desktop itself the real promise from a consumer standpoin [...]

Related Topics: Channel: SEM | Microsoft: Bing Mobile | Search Ads: Mobile Search | Search Engines: Maps & Local Search Engines | Search Marketing: Local Search Marketing

Nokia announced they will be entering the mobile ad space with a program for advertisers, Nokia Ad Service, plus a "white label" Nokia Advertising Connector a program for others who want to run mobile ad programs. This move positions Nokia against other mobile ad providers, such as Google, Yahoo and others. ZDNet takes a look at the potential size of this industry, sharing that "50 percent of this advertising revenue" can go to these mobile operators while the other half will go to publishers. Nokia is testing pilots this month and will be fully operational by the end of 2007. Here is t [...]

Related Topics: Channel: SEM | Search Ads: Mobile Search | Search Engines: Mobile Search Engines

In case you hadn't noticed mobile marketing is generating lots of buzz these days. And with buzz usually comes revenue forecasts. Indeed, various research firms are throwing out numbers for mobile advertising, music and video that make online advertising look like a fly on the butt of an elephant by comparison. There's a certain logic there of course. With more than 200 million mobile users in the U.S. and in excess of 2 billion globally, it's clear that mobile phones will only grow in importance for consumers – and marketers. But there's also a relatively common assumption that mobile devi [...]

Related Topics: Channel: SEM | Search Ads: Mobile Search | Stats: General

The 3GSM World Congress is happening this week, so expect a variety of mobile announcements. Here's a rundown on some that have caught my eye: Microsoft Debuts 3 Windows Live Mobile Services from eWeek covers how Microsoft is taking its Windows Live Search For Mobile service out of beta today. (Note: now officially announced here). Let's hope they make it easier to find the app, as I covered in my Ironically, You Need A Map To Find Google & Microsoft's Windows Mobile Map Apps article.   Yahoo ads going mobile from CNN Money covers how Yahoo has signed major advertisers to run mo [...]

Related Topics: Channel: SEM | Google: Maps & Local | Google: Partnerships | Microsoft: Bing Mobile | Search Ads: Mobile Search | Yahoo: Maps & Local | Yahoo: Mobile & Go | Yahoo: Search Ads

To say there's a lot going on with mobile right now is to state something more than obvious. The carriers, the handset makers and the mobile content providers are in what amounts to a frenzy of competition and business development as they try and position themselves for what they see as the next really big opportunity: the mobile Internet. Two articles that simultaneously appeared in the Wall Street Journal (subscription required) yesterday capture this mood and activity. The first article, "Companies Vie For Ad Dollars On Mobile Web," was a broad survey of the state of the mobile marketplac [...]

Related Topics: Channel: SEM | Google: Mobile | Microsoft: Bing Mobile | Search Ads: Mobile Search | Search Ads: Pay Per Call | Search Engines: Mobile Search Engines | Stats: comScore | Yahoo: Mobile & Go | Yahoo: User Interface

Just released from comScore is a new wireless report that captures a range of metrics and attitudes from U.S. mobile users. Here's the press release. Among the key findings were the following: 14% of users have given up their landlines 33% strongly agree they "feel lost" without their cell phone 17% subscribe to wireless Internet service Beyond voice: Here are subscriber rates for services beyond basic voice (% of users): Text Messaging: 50% E-mail: 30% Instant Messaging: 22% Multimedia Messaging: 15% Internet to go: As mentioned, only 17% of U.S. mobile users subscribe to their carriers' [...]

Related Topics: Channel: SEM | Search Ads: Mobile Search | Search Engines: Mobile Search Engines | Stats: Popularity | Stats: Search Behavior

AT&T is launching an ad-supported directory assistance (DA) service through the phone number 1-800- YellowPages (1-800-935-5697). Right now it's available in three markets: Bakersfield, CA.; Oklahoma City, OK; and Columbus, Ohio. Described as a "controlled trial," it's not clear yet if the service will roll out nationally. However, I would assume so eventually. It reportedly will support both business-name queries, which currently constitute about 80% of DA call volumes and category search, which is critical for ad-supported models. There are four ad options: The Jingle (1-800-Free411) ins [...]

Related Topics: Channel: SEM | Google: Mobile | Microsoft: Bing Mobile | Search Ads: Mobile Search | Search Ads: Pay Per Call | Search Engines: Maps & Local Search Engines | Search Engines: Mobile Search Engines

Ingenio today is announcing a relationship with "white label" mobile search vendor JumpTap: Ingenio Pay Per Call advertisements appear in response to consumer queries on devices that leverage JumpTap’s carrier-branded offering. Leading carriers, including Alltel, use JumpTap’s mobile search solution to drive revenue while providing a comprehensive mobile search experience for consumers. The Pay Per Call advertiser only pays when a consumer initiates a call to the business from their mobile phone, thus providing measurable advertising-driven results. JumpTap's value proposition to mobil [...]

Related Topics: Channel: SEM | Search Ads: Mobile Search | Search Ads: Pay Per Call