O2 Image Recognition Campaign

Issue 6 of SoHotRightNow! is about the UK mobile carrier, O2 and the launch of a new mobile campaign.

What's this all about and how does it work?

The campaign aimed at offering its customers the chance to win tickets to the New Year's Eve event at The O2 stadium in London, featuring Elton John, 2ManyDJs and Hed Kandi. It uses image recognition technology and draws inspiration from the current O2 ‘Priority' ad campaign that encourages customers to use their camera-phones.

By taking a picture of one of the ads, which are running across posters, press, TV, and in-store ads showing the word ‘Priority' with the letter 'i' as a door, and sending it to a number, a reply will be sent indicating if the customer is a winner.

What's the opportunity for Telcos?

The main take-out from this is that O2 are being innovative with their mobile campaigns, something that is lacking in Australian Telcos. There are a few points that make this campaign special:

• It promotes O2's current sponsorships with 'The O2' arena.
• It encourages customers to become interactive and become familiar with using content and other features on their mobile.
• Its another revenue stimulation idea.

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• New Year's Eve gig for Sir Elton

Beyoncé Fashion Diva Mobile Game

Issue 5 of SoHotRightNow! is about the launch of Beyoncé Fashion Diva Mobile Game and the use of celebrity endorsements with mobile technology.

What’s this all about?

Starwave Mobile (a unit of the Walt Disney Internet Group) has launched a new mobile game for the popular singer/songwriter, Beyoncé Knowles, called Beyoncé Fashion Diva. Beyoncé Fashion Diva is a mobile game with an online social networking component, which allows players to show self-expression, confidence and style. The launch comes with the effort of promoting Beyoncé’s new fashion label, Dereon. The game and fashion label also coincides with the ‘B’ Phone, Samsung’s Beyoncé-branded mobile phone containing exclusive content.

How does the game work?

• Customers SMS “BDIVA” to 55655 to download the game.

• Create and style a personal Diva through many different clothes, shoes, accessories, hairstyles and facial features.

• Enter photo shoots and engage in other community activities to compete against online players and earn virtual currency.

• Make friends worldwide to increase their Diva’s popularity and strut on the Kitty KatWalk.

• Earn a chance to be featured in the game’s Déjà Vu magazine.

• Spend virtual currency to purchase new virtual clothes from the Deréon line and increase their Diva’s style factor.

• Enjoy clips of popular Beyoncé songs from her hit album ‘B’Day’; including “Beautiful Liar” and “Green Light.”

What’s the opportunity for Telcos?

• Another revenue stimulation opportunity for Telcos (similar to Issue 4: Ez My Styling).

• Incorporate Beyoncé Fashion Diva into existing customer portals and become an exclusive mobile carrier for the game.

• Increase mobile music sales and other content.

• Attractive idea for new customers to participate in using content on their mobile.

• 3^rd Party tie-ups: Leverage other fashion labels and tips through associations with Westfield, Myer and other major department stores.

• Consider application for AFL / Soccer Sponsorship (eg. Harry Kewell).

• Consider application for mainstream artists such as Pink, Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears etc.

• Consider application for existing ticketing or entertainment channels, such as Optus' ‘yes’ Tickets or Telstra's Bigpond Tickets, while including artists as part of the engagement.

• Leverage celebrity endorsements of handset manufacturers (eg. Beckham and Motorola) and bring exclusivity to the Telco.

Information in this blog post was adapted from Business Wire, 15 January 2008.

Ez My Styling

Issue 4 of SoHotRightNow! is about a new styling guide mobile application.

What’s this all about?
Named Ez My Styling, this Japanese mobile application developed by KDDI Au (Japan’s second largest mobile carrier) allows users to receive styling advise to help people keep up with the times of fast paced fashion trends.

How does it work?
• This is more of a guess as the website is in Japanese, but…
• Upload/take a portrait photo and or full body shot of yourself on your mobile.
• Select criteria from a menu (ie. Male or female).
• Select your style from different categories (ie. Hair style, hair colour, eyebrows, moustache, clothes etc).
• Adjust selection to fit your photo and to suit your particular style.

What’s the opportunity for Telcos?

• Incorporate this into existing customer portals as a mobile application (revenue stimulation).

• This could then act as a data pack, so customers would need to download monthly fashion updates (new clothes from designers and department stores) to their phone.

• Use this style function to also recommend you a handset from the Telco.

• Use this style function to also recommend you content from the Telco (i.e. "you look pretty social so you need facebook on your mobile", or "you look like a dancer so you need so you think you can dance on your mobs" etc).

• Use this style function to also recommend you more products from the Telco (your intrepid style means you need a prepaid dongle etc).

• Tie up with Westfield/Myer to support the fashion side of things. They would pay for the content (as advertising) and the Telco could provide this to their customers.