QderoPateo, a unique startup that generated some buzz with its focus on “Articulated Naturality,” has launched a bluetooth proximity marketing solution and the beginning of its “Bluetooth Advertising Network.”  The announcement, sent in a press release yesterday, comes after I mention a complete lack of interest in proximity marketing in the recent past.

The proximity marketing solution, dubbed “Blu-Pons,” is focused on malls and shopping centers and uses distinct calls-to-action to encourage roaming consumers to turn their Bluetooth on and make themselves discoverable.  Once they do so, the Blu-Pon system implicitly asks for permission to push a coupon to the user, and if they accept, the coupon is transmitted.

Upon acceptance, the coupon is downloaded and stored on the user’s phone to be presented and redeemed at the participating retailer during purchase.  Later this year, the company plans to add the ability to redeem “Blu-Bucks” at retailers, providing a unique retention tool to keep customers coming back for more.

In addition, the company will soon launch an online advertising portal at blu-pons.com to enable advertisers to purchase and manage Blu-Pon campaigns online- with complete reporting that can even be emailed directly to the campaign manager for easy ROI measurement.

While the solution is not unlike several others on the market around the world, QderoPateo has taken things a bit farther in terms of campaign management and access, reporting and the concept of creating a “network” between hotspots.  Still, the prohibiting factors of the bluetooth marketing concept is still present.  Since this implementation is US-based, it will be interesting to see how consumers respond, and how retailers embrace the new concept.

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Millennial Media is the first to admit its feelings towards 2009 being the so-called “year of mobile,” as opposed to this year or any other that supposedly held the moniker.  To back up its position, Millennial has released a unique S.M.A.R.T report (Scorecard for Mobile Advertising Reach and Targeting) to detail some quick and interesting facts about 2009 in a simple year-in-review.

As seen through Millennial’s network, the top 5 smartphone devices in 2009, in terms of impression share, was the iPhone in first place, followed in order by the Blackberry Curve, Blackberry Pearl, T-Mobile/HTC G1 and the Blackberry Storm.  Apple OS impressions increased 357% from January to December 2009, backing up its number one position, while RIM OS impressions grew 90% in the same period, proving how far RIM devices have come in terms of mobile Web usage.

In terms of engagement, the average user-session time in 2009 was 5:02, while the average monthly ad requests per page view was 1.06.  Audience campaigns experienced a 153% CTR lift in 2009, while 17% of advertisers used rich media on a monthly basis.  In total, Millennial finished out the year with 3,759 devices in its network, a 353% increase in deal size year-over-year, a whopping 756% increase in brand-business and a 54% increase in advertisers overall.

With these kind of numbers, it’s easy to agree that 2009 could have held the title of “year of mobile,” though it will be interesting to see these same figures next year for comparison.  Any way you cut it, mobile advertising is growing at a break-neck pace, and a quick overview of stats to quantify things is always welcomed.

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So far, there’s been a lot of emphasis placed on wireless carriers during this year’s MWC, with numerous solutions tailored specifically for wireless operators and their need for everything from network optimization to mobile content distribution.  Openwave is continuing that trend, with its debut of “Openwave Analytics, Data Mediation Edition (DME),” which aims to help operators effectively monitor, manage and monetize mobile data traffic.

Openwave Analytics DME enables operators to gain “detailed network and usage related insights across a wide array of operator data sources,” or in other words, allows carriers to know exactly how users are interacting with their network to better leverage various opportunities.  The solution also allows operators to seamlessly insert this intelligence into their control points in the network and mobile ecosystem, allowing them to stay focused on providing the ability to build rich profiles and segments and leverage insights into new revenue streams.

The solution is fueled by real-time analytics that provides early identification of mobile data trends that enable operators to make timely decisions to avoid bandwidth problems while targeting business driving opportunities.  To make it happen, the platform mediates among all different ecosystem elements, enabling the enhancement of every mode of IP traffic, including mobile internet, messaging, video and social networking.

Startups and solution-providers have recognized the deficiencies present with wireless operators, and have began to offer solutions targeted directly to solving those shortcomings.  As the mobile ecosystem has evolved, the real innovation has lied in third-party providers, not the carriers, and those providers are now trying to bolster the networks that fuel their products and services by offering specifically targeted solutions such as Openwave Analytics DME.  Whether operators will make use of such solutions is yet to be seen.

“With the huge ramp in mobile data traffic driven by social networking, mobile Internet browsing, and video services, many operators around the world are experiencing major network congestion issues–challenges that aren’t expected to disappear with HSPA+ and LTE network upgrades,” said Susan Welsh de Grimaldo, director of Strategy Analytics Mobile Broadband Opportunities (MBO) service. “One of the most immediate solutions operators need to deploy is in-network mobile analytics to gain real-time visibility into traffic usage patterns. Solutions such as Openwave Analytics, DME, position operators not only to optimize their networks for the continuing surge in mobile broadband use but also to leverage usage insight to create new revenue streams and a more compelling and customized user experience.”

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Mobixell utilized the first day of MWC to unveil its new RSS gateway solution, whereby RSS feeds can be delivered to subscribers via SMS/MMS, eliminating the need for users to download a client to keep up on the latest news their interested in.

The solution was designed to offer an alternative to existing client-based mobile RSS feed readers and enables operators to generate additional revenue and retain a prominent position in the so-called “value-chain.”  The solution allows RSS feeds to be delivered to all multimedia-enabled handsets without users having to install and configure anything.  The RSS Gateway tracks the feeds of selected websites — be it news, sports, weather, stock quotes or podcasts — and sends registered subscribers the newly available content  as an alert service via SMS or MMS.

The URL to the target website is embedded in the notification message, prompting the subscriber to launch a browsing session to get the whole story.  The idea is to give operators a way to add a range of Web 2.0 services to their offerings, while driving additional revenue and promote customer loyalty along the way.

Being aimed squarely at carriers, the RSS Gateway solution is yet another attempt to help carriers get in on the explosion of mobile services that are prime to be taken advantage of.  While it’s a unique solution, I don’t foresee the advantage for consumers in the end.  It adds benefit for carriers in adding a solution for furthered engagement of subscribers, but consumers are already bombarded with ways to access mobile content on their devices.  Also, receiving news alerts from an RSS feed via SMS could get annoying overtime.  I guess we’ll have to wait and see how this one plays out.

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As MWC heads into full swing the announcements are coming in hot and heavy, starting with Orange debuting it’s mobile advertising plans for 2010.

You may remember Orange announcing a pilot program about a month ago related to it’s integration with Blyk, dubbed “Orange shots,” which serves SMS/MMS ads based on user preference and other user data obtained through the carrier.  With the pilot proving very successful, Orange is furthering it’s plans to cover its entire European footprint by the end of 2010.

Orange is taking things a step further by bringing interactive SMS and MMS advertising into new markets and tailoring offers locally to give advertisers new and targeted ways to engage with customers, no matter where they might be located across Europe.  Depending on which market, each offer is tailored to incentivize customers with localized, relevant rewards such as exclusive content, film and games reviews, celebrity gossip, free texts, prizes and other benefits like up-to-date sports information.

The key to Orange’s strategy is its emphasis on tailored localized services for each geographic region in its footprint.  For example, Orange will debut a new interactive ad-supported service called “Mio” in Spain this month, which provides all mobile customers in Spain the chance to opt-in, reaching beyond youth audiences, and serving highly relevant and location-based ads tailored to Spanish mobile customers.

Other mobile advertising trials are also taking place in Egypt and Jordan in the first half of this year, allowing for expansion into emerging markets, as well as mature markets overtime.  This localized approach is exactly what carriers should have been doing for a long time- utilizing the data it retains to provide unparalleled targeting and relevancy possibilities for mobile advertisers.

Paul Francois Fournier, Executive vice president in charge of audience and advertising says: “Orange is at the forefront of giving advertisers exactly what they need – direct, targeted dialogue with customers. Supported by our global ad-sales network and combined with our unique multi-screen reach, our new mobile ad-models go beyond display advertising to create more value for advertisers, create a richer experience for customers and maximize the use of our networks with clever innovation.”

To help localize interactive offers in different markets Orange has formed strategic partnerships with various providers, including Blyk in the UK and Velti in Spain.  Last year in the UK, Orange launched a new prepaid tariff called Monkey for young pay-as-you-go customers, allowing advertisers to send customers targeted messages based on their feedback in return for great offers from their favorite brands.  Orange UK now has over 100,000 Monkey subscribers, and intends on furthering its success by its new 2010 initiatives.

The Blyk-provided pilot, or “Monkey” services released a short time ago, proved that carriers have the power to provide some of the best mobile advertising capabilities available.  As Orange furthers its strategy, it’s likely it will help other carriers wake up and smell the opportunity, though it may only be wishful thinking.

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