LOJOCONNECT.COM
location-based technology + journalism

By Hilary Powell

The final report from Team LoJo — six master’s students exploring “locative storytelling” at the Medill School of Journalism — is now available for download (a 45-page report, plus appendices, in a single 3MB PDF file). Over the next few days, we’ll highlight our key findings and recommendations.

First, the most significant findings:

1) Geography is key

Geography is a key tool for making content relevant to media users. It is becoming a powerful interface for information search and organization. News organizations are increasingly geotagging, or embedding geographic data in stories, so they can be easily identified by their relevant locations. Rather than searching by keyword, people can now browse a digital map for relevant information for a particular location. The Google Earth-New York Times partnership is a powerful example of this. Also, Google’s news aggregation service now allows users to quickly see all the stories for a given geographical location. Geotagging is not only used by news organizations. It is also catching on with consumers, who are tagging photos within photo sharing sites such as Flickr. Driving this trend, many new cameras allow for automatic geotagging of photos.

2) Mobile technology is ideal for geographically relevant content

Key advantages of mobile devices include portability, location awareness that can be used to customize content, and the fact that people nowadays almost always have their cell phones with them. Increasingly, cell phones and other mobile devices will include GPS and other technologies that “know” the user’s location. This will make it increasingly possible to target content to users based on their location or geographic interests. Our experience with locative stories delivered to portable devices has taught us that this kind of storytelling, at its best, can be extremely compelling.

3) American media companies have been slow to develop mobile content and adapt to cultural changes

U.S. media companies are lagging foreign competitors. For example, in April 2008, French company Orange launched Read & Go, a portable electronic newspaper kiosk with access to several different newspapers. In 2006, Belgian newspaper de Tijd became the first paper in the world to publish on epaper - flexible electronic paper that can be dynamically updated. Meanwhile, foreign news media established mobile newspaper versions several years ahead of major American media companies. Cultural and technological changes have made consumers increasingly become “urban nomads” who are not tied to their offices and homes. But American media companies have been slow to develop content for mobile devices and to capitalize on this trend.

4) Cumbersome content delivery has limited the market for mobile and location-based stories

The process of getting content into a portable device can be time-consuming and often requires multiple steps. Podcasts must be downloaded from the Web, then transferred to an MP3 player. Cellular phones offer the potential of immediate content downloads, but most users are limited to content distributed through their wireless carrier. Mediascapes must also be downloaded, and can run only on a minority of portable devices. Google Earth offers a compelling user experience but requires a separate software download. The demand for location-based content will increase as the technological barriers fade away – eventually allowing people to obtain multimedia content on demand or automatically based on their location.

5) Young adults are avid users of mobile technology, and are likely to further embrace mobile content as social networking moves to portable devices

Mobile technology’s value to young adults will only increase as social networks go mobile. Young adults also tend to be more tech savvy, early adopters and less likely to worry about privacy issues and location tracking because they have grown up in a world with Facebook and other applications that make people’s private lives very public.

6) Newsrooms have resources that could already be used for locative storytelling

Mobile journalists are proliferating in newsrooms. For example, Reuters partnered with Nokia Research Center to outfit reporters with “mobile journalist toolkits” that allow reporters to file and publish stories from handheld devices. Mobile journalists are ideal producers of locative content because they are already outfitted with the necessary technology, tools and mindset. Not only are they in the field with portable laptops, voice recorders and video cameras, they are also on the hunt for hyper-local content.

7) Audio has been under-appreciated

Now that portable devices are becoming more popular for consuming content, people need to overcome the notion that audio is only for radio. Audio is powerful, immersive and often useful because people tend to use portable devices while multitasking. Several news organizations have started to offer audio tours that can be just as powerful as location-based stories. The New York Times, for example, offers several audio narratives of Manhattan neighborhoods, including tours of the places that defined P.T. Barnum’s New York and the Underground Railroad routes in Brooklyn.

8 ) The success of locative stories depends upon their treatment

Locative stories are more likely to catch on if they’re organic experiences. Consumers will be more likely to embrace this storytelling form if it fits the flow of their daily lives and does not force them into a location and an experience. Breaking news alerts trigged by a user’s current location could be really valuable. For example, users could be alerted of a big demonstration taking place up ahead and decide whether to avoid it or to attend. That said, there is still an audience for immersive, GPS-driven stories like Mediascapes, but the content and delivery mechanisms could differ from that of breaking news locative stories.

9) Readers may be suffering from overloaded maps that look similar

Newspapers widely and frequently use interactive online maps now, leading to what we call “Google Maps fatigue.” More information is being attached to geographic coordinates and readers may be turned off by the basic look of Google Maps, which start to look the same and are ubiquitous.

10) Location-based advertising is the “holy grail” of mobile marketing

Many advertisers want to explore mobile marketing, especially location-based advertisements, but there have been some roadblocks, including privacy and tracking concerns. Also, these ads are sometimes carried by select mobile subscribers, or are only available to owners who opt in and have GPS-enabled phones. CBS and Loopt recently announced plans for localized banner ads on certain CBS mobile sites. More partnerships of this kind are expected, although privacy concerns persist. The company that figures out how to provide location-based ads without infringing on consumers’ privacy or irritating them, while also reaching the specific consumers that they want to target, will be successful.

11) Younger audiences want to be more deeply involved in creating and sharing content, a form of social capital among young adults

We live in an era of user-generated content and participation. Young adults, in particular, are used to sites that allow comments, rating or reviews, and sharing. Sites such as Yelp and YouTube have been distinguished and made popular by these qualities. Social networking sites such as Facebook have applications that allow for easier sharing of news stories and other content.

12) Locative journalism holds great promise

We are accustomed to using linear interfaces, such as alphabetized directories and timelines, to organize and access information. But our experiences in the real, physical and non-digitized world are usually not linear. They’re spatial, dynamic and intuitive. Locative technology has the power to capitalize on that instinct. Also, now is an ideal time to incorporate location-based storytelling into journalism, considering the explosion of location-based services in general society and the technological advancements that are making location-based content viable and increasingly popular.

By Hope Needles

Now that consumers are more receptive to receiving advertisements and sales alerts via their mobile devices, marketers are starting to warm up to the idea of adopting specific mobile marketing strategies.

This issue was recently debated at a New York Media and Information Exchange Group panel. The event spotlighted several up-and-coming leaders in advertising and mobile content development, who discussed the value of carving out a “mobile” category for advertising.

According to Natali Del Conte, of CNET, a mobile marketing strategy is going to be imperative for most companies to adopt because we are living in an era where “the laptop and the cell phone are becoming indistinguishable,” she said. “In five years, we’re not going to really be talking about mobile, it’s just going to be part of connectivity.”

Del Conte went on to say that every major company needs to be thinking about the fact that, on a mobile platform, content has the potential to be distributed virtually anywhere, and people will be able to carry this content with them wherever they go.

However, not everyone on the panel was as enthusiastic about adopting a mobile marketing strategy. These individuals argued that a category devoted exclusively to mobile marketing was unnecessary because it would eventually be absorbed by the vast, digital consumer environment.

Allison Mooney, of Fleishman-Hillard’s mobile marketing group, was one of the panelists who expressed the view that mobile advertising strategies might not be right for all marketers:

“I think [marketers] should be asking whether mobile is right for their company because it’s not right for all companies,” she said. “Look at your user base, at the people that you’re targeting. Are they active mobile users? Is it going to provide utility? Is it just going to sit there and no one’s going to use it?”

Mooney offered an example of how a mobile marketing campaign might work in successfully reaching its intended audience. She suggested creating a synergy between the mobile social network MizPee (which helps users track down public restrooms) and a brand like Pampers. MizPee, Mooney said, would be a “perfect way for a brand to get involved with mobile.” In this case, marketing Pampers products on MizPee would serve as a utility for moms on-the-go, who are active mobile phone users.

Although there were various opinions about how to utilize mobile advertising, overall, most panelists seemed to agree that the mobile device is becoming one of the most powerful ways to deliver content. Statistics alone can indeed back this up — worldwide, mobile advertising is projected to surpass $2.7 billion in 2008, up from $1.7 billion in 2007, according to Gartner.

Based on these numbers, I would agree with Natali Del Conte. Mobile devices are now among the powerful tools that can be used to strengthen the link between consumers and brand campaigns.

By Satta Sarmah

On Wednesday, I was making the long trek from Chicago’s South Side to Evanston when an advertisement on the red line train grabbed my attention.

The ad was for Rubloff, the nearly 80-year-old Chicago real estate company, which is attempting to modernize its business by offering potential buyers valuable information and services on its Web site.

The content of the ad made me take notice. It mentioned something about an interactive map that also showed school statistics and demographics for neighborhoods with available properties.

Intrigued by the ad, I checked out the map online and learned that it also shows demographic information according to zip code. When I typed in my zip code, 60201, Rubloff’s map gave me stats on the different ethnic groups in the area, the average home price, annual household income and number of businesses in the community.

Rubloff’s map was somewhat impressive, but what struck me most about it was that it wasn’t powered by Google Earth or Google Maps. It used a program I never even knew existed–Microsoft Virtual Earth.

Google Earth and Google Maps seem to be the preeminent mapping technologies for news organizations and businesses. But the newest release of Virtual Earth may present some competition for these platforms.

Apparently, Virtual Earth was launched in November of 2006 as a replacement for Microsoft’s original mapping platform, Live Local. When it was launched, Virtual Earth included features such as 3D viewing, zooming and mash-ups.

The latest release of Virtual Earth is geared towards businesses. Microsoft’s Web site says the program will help businesses innovate online by “creat[ing] engaging applications for your customers and develop[ing] powerful ways to visualize business information by combining online maps with your integrated data.”

Virtual Earth also includes several tools and add-ins. One of them is the MapCruncher, which allows users to import and layer maps they’ve created into Virtual Earth. Though data created in Google Earth can be viewed in Google Maps, it seems that neither platform currently gives users the capability to import their own specialized maps.

Like the Google applications, Virtual Earth may be a good tool for conveying news and information. Though it has mostly been used for business solutions, Virtual Earth has also been used for civic purposes.

In March, people in France were able to visualize results of the country’s municipal elections using Virtual Earth. The mapping platform helped French residents see which political party won municipal elections held in nearly 37,000 cities and towns throughout the country.

By Hope Needles

Online shopping may be one of the easiest and most efficient methods for tracking down rare-to-find items and bargain merchandise. But now, with retail sales fluctuating, it is becoming even easier to find attractive discount offers in stores. As more and more retailers slash prices and offer in-store money offers to boost sales, a window of opportunity continues to open up for GPS-targeted mobile advertising.

GPS-targeted mobile advertising allows customers to receive discount offers or text messages that are triggered by their online personal data and, in some cases, their mobile GPS locations. Privacy issues aside, these customized ads seem like an ideal way for reaching people on long commutes, at work, or out running errands.

An increasing number of members-only Web sites, for example, have started offering mobile discount alerts to consumers. Luxury flash-sale sites Gilt.com, Hautelook.com and Ideeli.com send out multiple text message alerts to customers throughout the day, all linking to sale merchandise. CBS is also taking a large step in this direction, utilizing loopt, a GPS social-tagging service, to deliver ads relevant to your current location. These will appear on CBS Mobile News and CBS Mobile Sports.

Although the full potential of mobile advertising may still be a little way off, mainly because of the restricted audience size, I believe it is becoming one of the most powerful ways of reaching consumers. Worldwide, mobile advertising is projected to surpass $2.7 billion in 2008, up from $1.7 billion in 2007, according to Gartner.

Overall, mobile sales alerts have the potential to more directly influence a consumer’s purchasing decisions than an ad that is read in a newspaper, or received via a PC. The fact that the consumer may already be out of the house when they receive the alert, and likely within closer distance of the store or company where the sale is being offered, may lead to a more positive and immediate response from consumers.

Another powerful feature built into SMS mobile sales alerts is word-of-mouth promotion. People are likely to be in social situations throughout the day, when mobile advertisers send out discount offers. In workplace environments, or while out to lunch with friends, it is natural to want to share the news of a good sale. Let’s say, for example, a group of four women meet up for a coffee one morning. Over a conversation about sports, one of the women receives an SMS alert for discounted Nike running shoes, sold at a store nearby. This women shares the text message with the rest of the group, thereby generating free publicity for the offer. After coffee, all of the women then decide to check out the sale, and a few of them make purchases. In this example, a single mobile text alert was be able to reach several people in a target demographic for that product, at the cost of supplying just one ad.

Mobile video ads, another powerful tool for delivering content, may also continue to catch on with consumers, thanks to current efforts by the wireless industry to bring the mobile Internet experience up to par with the PC experience.

Several handset makers signed an agreement last week with Adobe Systems Inc. to better integrate Flash players on mobile devices. Currently, Flash is used on approximately 30 percent of cellphones, but this is projected to increase as partnerships grow with Sony Ericsson, Nokia Corp., LG Electronics Inc., and Motorola Inc. The extended use of Flash on mobile phones will make it easier for online video advertisements to penetrate not only SMS alerts, but also mobile Internet searches.

As consumers grow increasingly receptive to mobile sales alerts, it will be very interesting to see if mobile Internet shopping will be able to take off, and fully compete with the PC experience in the next year or so.

By Hope Needles

Since trading in my regular mobile phone for a Blackberry eight months ago, I have become increasingly aware of changes in my Internet search patterns, email exchanges and overall media consumption. Before switching to a Blackberry, my cell phone was extremely limiting in helping me to connect with others. I mainly used it to call my family and friends, and to make last-minute arrangements. My cell phone also served as my go-to device for emergency situations — if I ever needed a phone number for a cab, a nearby hospital or pharmacy, I had these numbers programmed into my phone. As a cell phone user, I never became accustomed to text messaging because I found the keypad too small to navigate. My reluctance to use SMS, therefore, always made it hard to send directions or short messages to people, particularly in situations like movie theaters, classrooms, and libraries, where it would have been inappropriate to make a personal phone call.

Now that I have a Blackberry, I find that my communication habits have improved considerably. Because my Blackberry is synched with my email inbox via IMAP, I am constantly notified of incoming messages without having to check for them myself. I am now able to directly reply to these emails anywhere using my phone and can better integrate all of the contact information (work/cell phone numbers and email addresses) for personal contacts. There used to be many occasions when I would not leave my computer for an extended period of time, in cases when I was expecting email. Now I realize that I spend much more time away from home and no longer feel burdened by my computer’s email inbox.

I am certainly not alone in embracing the benefits of using a Blackberry or smartphone for email exchanges and Internet searches. According to a report from the Pew Research Center, almost two-thirds of Americans have now had some experience with using the Internet on their mobile devices. About 60% of adults ages 18 to 29 use text messaging on a daily basis, compared with only 14% of their parents. Furthermore, about one-third of young adults are now using mobile Internet.

These shifting media habits have led online advertising agencies and major internet portals like Google to experiment with how best to deliver content via mobile Internet connections. Google is now taking significant steps to revamp its mobile advertising so that it has as much of an impact, if not greater, than that of ads delivered on computer screens.

A major redesign of Google’s new operating system, Android, is also underway to allow for more openness and functionality for mobile Internet users. Many tech experts predict that this new interface will integrate nicely with mobile ads and appeal directly to consumers on the go. The world’s largest chip maker Intel is also interested in creating microprocessors with Internet capabilities for mobile devices and other gadgets.

The highly personalized features of a cell phone are becoming extremely valuable for Internet advertisers, who can draw upon a wealth of data to study content consumption patterns. Behavioral targeting data collection, for example, is one of these methods being used by companies to develop a profile of the mobile Internet consumer, which can then be analyzed to determine what content delivers the biggest punch via a small, portable screen.

By Amy Lee

Pick up Rolling Stone’s current issue, and you may come across an advertising venture that aims to position “old media” print magazine ads as a portal into a cell phone camera-based mobile advertising platform.

The gist is readers can snap a photo of an ad in the magazine with their cell phone camera, send it to a specific number and in turn receive more information or special offers about a particular product or service. SnapTell, a Palo Alto-based image recognition company, has created software that scans the submission, recognizes key icons and texts back information based on that particular submission.

Rolling Stone is running five of these interactive print-based ads including a motorcycle ring tone for Allstate’s motorcycle-insurance program, according to the New York Times. Men’s Health is also testing SnapTell’s technology and has announced that all of the full-page ads in its July-August issue will have the interactive feature. Both magazines are offering it free once advertisers have signed on for a print ad.

While I’m definitely curious to try it out, it seems at first blush to be a rather primitive foray into interactive camera phone-based ads. I mean, it’s hard to image people taking pictures of ads while they’re trying to read a magazine, you know? Nonetheless, it’s an interesting step on the emerging path of mobile advertising. I’ll be curious about the results of these trial runs, and whether they determine just how interactive readers want their magazine ads to be.

By Hilary Powell

You’re surfing your on-the-go gadget for information on tickets to the next Miley Cyrus concert. Suddenly, an image-based Google ad pops up with the release date of the Disney diva’s next album.

It’s possible starting today.

Google officially launched mobile image ads Wednesday. While these are not the first ads to hit cell phones, Google’s mobile image ads are unique in several ways. The company said the ads resemble standard graphical display ads for desktop computer Web pages, but are smaller to fit on mobile phone screens. The mobile image ads will pop up in pint-sized displays fit for a mobile screen when certain keywords a viewer searches for are recognized.

Google’s official mobile blog site reports that mobile image ads have strong click-through rates and are vital for branding. Google also says that because ads are targeted by keywords, users will only receive ads for things relevant to them.

By Joyce Chang

Spending on mobile TV advertising is expected to grow from $335 million this year to more than $2.5 billion in 2013, according to Tuesday’s report by Juniper Research. The report also says that while the majority of current mobile advertising is based on basic text message SMS campaigns, the “most lucrative” channels for mobile ads by 2010 will be through streaming and broadcast television services, such as within television shows on cell phones. Read the rest of this entry…

By Amy Lee

An overwhelming number of marketers believe mobile advertising is the wave of the future, but unfamiliarity and mistrust with mobile marketing on the user end is barring an explosion of ads from beaming out of mobile devices, according to a new (and pricey!) study conducted by Forrester Research.

The study, released April 10 and available for download for a mere $279 here, found 83 percent of marketers believe mobile will become an effective advertising platform within three years. It also found, however, that only 7 percent of mobile users trust ads on their cell phones, and a paltry 1 percent said they’d clicked on a banner ad while browsing their cell phones. Most people are using their phones as simply phones, while another 42 percent also are text messaging, nearly 25 percent are swapping photos and about 15 percent are using mobile email.

This study basically suggested marketers strike out and try methods that have worked on other digital media, such as including an ad (no longer than 15 seconds worth) that runs when a user clicks a chosen link from their mobile device. The findings, though not entirely surprising, show advertisers and marketers are eager to find ways to sell products through mobile devices. This is just more evidence that the future of digital media is moving mobile, and digitally savvy marketers are eager to find ways to make that profitable in the coming years.