Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Now to the question of how?
Whereas mobile technology may not have a high impact of areas like
design and production, it can greatly influence customer experience, there-
fore implementing mobile marketing initiatives using methods that will
enhance client experience should be applied. Instead of the standard SMS,
MMS, Bluetooth transfers and so on, luxury brands should opt for the more
interactive use of Short Codes, GPS, 2G- and 3G-based mobile applications,
as described below.
Shortcodes:
Also known as CSC (common short codes) are short tele-
phone numbers usually consisting of five digits that are used to send SMS
and MMS messages from mobile phones. They are currently used for wire-
less services like television voting, polling, ordering ringtones, making
donations, queries and search engines. Shortcodes are easier to remember,
although they are billed at a higher rate than SMS or MMS messages.
Bluetooth:
Bluetooth is a wireless technology that enables equipped
phone devices to receive data and voice at a short range of an average of ten
metres. The connections can be from a single point to another point or from
a single point to multiple points.
GPS:
The GPS (Global Positioning System) is a system of satellites that
orbit the earth. The system enables people with ground receivers to pinpoint
their geographic location.
2G and 3G:
The technology of the former enables digital voice encod-
ing. This mobile technology has steadily evolved over the last few years with
increased bandwidth, packet routing, and the introduction of multimedia.
3G, on the other hand, provides enhanced multimedia including voice, data,
video, and remote control as well as broadband and high speed of upwards
of 2 Mbps.
Mobile applications:
Mobile applications are programs that are
designed to perform a specific function directly for the user. They are
designed to feature the content that the brands desire to provide and can be
downloaded by users. They could include videos, images, music, text and
other features. Mobile applications are becoming more widely adopted due
to the greater processing abilities and storage capacities of the latest gen-
erations of phones from brands like Motorola, Apple, Samsung, BlackBerry
and HTC.
Mobile recognition software:
This type of software is able to recog-
nize images by comparing its resemblance to a previously populated image
database on a server. Images can be sent from the mobile device to the server
via MMS or email. The software can be used to send information back to
a user when there is a match between a photo taken and an image in the
