An article released today in Ad Age announced the possibility that Michael Vick will become the next spokesman for PETA. He is in negogiations to do public-service ads for the organization in the near future.

For the complete story, visit Ad Age. For an excerpted version, read on:

Yes, you read that correctly. The disgraced one-time NFL superstar serving prison time for funding an illegal dog-fighting ring is primed to do public-service ads for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals upon his release later this month. According to three people with knowledge of the matter, the proposed endorsement is part of a comprehensive PR scheme aimed at rehabilitating the quarterback’s image and gaining him readmission to the league that banned him from playing.

“I’m familiar with [the plan],” said Dan Shannon, director of youth outreach and campaigns for PETA. “We have been in discussions with Michael Vick, with his management team, about the possibility of him putting out a public-service announcement with PETA when he’s out of jail. We want him to discourage people from taking part in dog-fighting. I can do it until I’m blue in the face and it might not convince anybody. Michael Vick sure can. He can say, ‘Look, I did it, I was wrong, and it ruined my career.’”

Other image-changing moves
That’s not all Mr. Vick will do to try to rehabilitate his image. People with knowledge of his comeback plan said it will also include mea culpa TV interviews, PSAs and charitable donations to other animal-rights organizations (or perhaps the formation of his own foundation), along with the possibility of working with PETA.

But this might be the mother of all PR jobs. Mr. Vick’s obstacles are many: a hard-line NFL commissioner who wants to see “genuine remorse” before reinstating Mr. Vick to the league; individual franchises who might be wary of the backlash and potential damage to their brands from signing Mr. Vick; and an incredulous public that remains shocked by the story.

And what a grisly tale it is. Mr. Vick, who in 2004 signed a seven-year, $130 million contract with the Atlanta Falcons, funded the Bad Newz Kennels in Virginia, which participated in the fighting of pit bulls and also admitted to participating in the sometimes torturous deaths of dogs that underperformed, including death by drowning, hanging and electrocution. Mr. Vick is due to be released from federal prison on May 20 and will serve the remaining two months of his 23-month sentence under home confinement near Hampton, Va., where he will be working a 40-hour-a-week construction job.

Mr. Vick’s camp includes a multitude of PR and legal handlers. His Atlanta-based attorney, Daniel Meachum, did not return several requests for an interview. Mr. Vick’s Washington-based lawyer, William “Billy” Martin, declined to comment. It is not known if Mr. Vick’s team has hired a strategic-communications or crisis-management firm to handle the PR efforts. But PETA confirmed it has talked with his handlers.

Before doing a deal, however, PETA wants Mr. Vick to undergo a psychological evaluation for antisocial personality disorder. “We’re suspicious this may come from a place of simply wanting to repair his public image, rather than genuine remorse,” Mr. Shannon said. “He was dishonest all the way up the line until he finally had to admit to what he did, which is a hallmark of [antisocial personality disorder]. If he can’t tell the difference between right and wrong, we can’t get in bed with this guy. At this point, he hasn’t chosen to submit to an evaluation. We hope the NFL will require that evaluation as a precondition of reinstatement. The bottom line is: Everybody knows he’s going to apologize, go on Oprah and Larry King and say he did wrong, that he learned his lesson. But there’s no reason for anybody to take his word for that based on the pattern of dishonesty and the severity of cruelty he took part in.”

PETA’s PR issues
Though PETA certainly has its own PR issues because of its extremist positions — the group is known for shocking advertising and stunts; it has been known to throw animal blood on people who wear fur and once sent a letter to the small town of Fishkill, N.Y., asking the community to change its name — the organization nonetheless could give Mr. Vick’s efforts a sense of legitimacy, experts said.

“It’s a smart thing. He should be doing some work with PETA or other animal-rights organizations,” said Richard Levick, president of the Washington public-relations consultancy Levick Strategic Communications. “What the American public looks for is recognition of error, contrition and fixing the problem. There was plenty of opportunity for Michael Vick early on to have admitted his errors without admitting his legal liability, to reach out to his sponsors, animal-rights communities, the football communities, but he didn’t. So now he has to. Americans are willing to forgive egregious acts but not arrogance.”

Despite the sometimes skeptical public reaction to such PR tours, those who shape public image said it has to be done. “Even if it is ’staged,’ rehabilitation has to start somewhere, as long as it’s sincere and consistent,” said Drew Kerr, president and lead public-relations counsel for Four Corners Communications, a PR firm based in New York. “The public has a long history of forgiving people and creating comeback stories under the right circumstances.”

Both Messrs. Levick and Kerr cited examples such as Texas Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton, who overcame a four-year drug addiction to finally reach the major leagues and make the All-Star team last year, and Michael Milken, the one-time “junk bond king” who was charged with 98 counts of racketeering and securities fraud in 1989. He pleaded guilty to six securities charges and served less than two years in prison but today is a well-known and well-respected philanthropist whom Fortune magazine dubbed “The Man Who Changed Medicine” in 2004.

Up to the commissioner
Whether Mr. Vick can convince NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is another story. The league has taken no position on Mr. Vick’s status since he was suspended indefinitely in 2007. The Associated Press reported last month that at a panel discussion at Washington & Lee University, Mr. Goodell said he will meet with Mr. Vick after his legal issues have been addressed.

“At that point in time, I will want to meet with Michael, I will want to meet with his people, I will want to meet with other professionals to understand: Does he understand the mistakes he made and is he genuine and have remorse for those actions, and is he prepared to handle himself differently going forward? That will ultimately be my decision,” Mr. Goodell told the AP. “Our issue is trying to do the right thing and represent the NFL in the best possible way. Michael did an egregious thing. He has paid a very significant price for that.”

But he also indicated he would be open to the idea of letting Mr. Vick return. “If [Mr. Vick has] learned from that and is prepared to live a different life, I think the general public is forgiving on that when people are genuine and they show remorse and are prepared to live a different life. … That’s something he has to prove to myself and the general public.”

If Mr. Vick is suspended for the 2009 season, his options include the Canadian Football League and the upstart United Football League. But even if Mr. Goodell reinstates Mr. Vick for the 2009 NFL season — and at age 29 he does have several productive years left if he stayed in shape while in prison — it remains to be seen which team would take a chance on the quarterback. “There is a risk, yes, but professional sports has shown over and over that they are willing to take that chance even on the biggest risks, and they don’t seem to wait long, either,” Mr. Kerr said.

Here, very briefly, are some interesting statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics:

National Unemployment Rates:

• No high school diploma — 12.6%
• High school diploma — 8.3%
• College degree — 4.1%

Highest Unemployment by State:

• Michigan — 11.6%
• South Carolina –10.4%
• Rhode Island — 10.3%

Lowest Unemployment by State:

• Wyoming — 3.7%
• North Dakota — 4.2%
• Nebraska — 4.3%

A recent report published by Razorfish and CafeMom, has found an emerging marketing challenge: “digital moms.” The study indicates that this group of the population has begun to take hold of the offerings of Web 2.0. With more choices to manage, more information to balance, the moms of today are turning to digital communication.

The research shows moms are willing to research on line, and are connecting with friends, finding advice, and shopping more than ever using today’s new technologies. Initial awareness of products is coming more and more from digital channels, and not just TV. And the age of the mom and her kids corresponds to the mode and type of information moms access.

The researchers were able to draw some conclusions, both in how moms are using media, as well as for how marketers can use the data.

Finding 1:   Moms are using Web 2.0, beyond just search engines and email.
Channels used by more than 50% of the digital moms in the research include:
•    94% email
•    74% search engines
•    65% social networks
•    56% text messaging
•    55% instant messaging
•    52% gaming
•    51% news sites

How you can apply these findings: Marketers should embrace these channels as well as investigating online video, blogs, and DVR. RSS and podcasts are used passionately by those who use them, and mobile browsing is on the rise. Marketers should also start to understand how they work together.

Finding 2:   Age of both the mother and the child affect the media the mom is using.
The type of technology platform used by the digital moms show an age factor. Moms under 35 are using social networks and mobile browsing, while the over 35 crowd is using informational tools like online news or consumer reviews. Moms with kids over 12 are more likely to use online gaming.

How you can apply these findings: “Marketers have an opportunity to respond to these trends by acknowledging that a “one-size-fits-all” strategy against moms may not work. It will be important to segment by age and continue to follow these trends year over year to ensure that marketing programs are speaking to each set of moms in their technology comfort zones.”

Finding 3:   Moms of kids over 12 also use media to monitor their children.
Moms are using blogs and other media to not only get information on products, but to get information on their children. About half (47%) of moms who use social networks and have children 12-18 are monitoring their children’s behavior through technology.

How you can apply these findings: “Marketers have an opportunity to empower moms with content, experiences, and a community to tap into their dual motivations – staying connected for their own needs, as well as the needs of their children.”

Finding 4:   Moms are communicating with a different set of people.
Digital moms are using online communications to connect with more than their family and friends. Sixty-five percent are communicating with known and unknown friends using social media, 56% are text-messaging, and 52% are gaming. Thirty-five percent are connecting with online friends, compared with 83% who connect with friends. But gamers are more likely to play with strangers or online friends (47%) than with family. Digital moms, then, are creating communities of known and unknown friends that are held together by common interests rather than demographics.

How you can apply these findings: It will be critical to understand how moms are socializing, and who they are socializing with, and around which common interests they are socializing to determine how products and services meet the needs of these moms.

Finding 5:   Moms are moms, but with interests beyond parenting.
Lifestyle content interests such as Fashion/Clothing and Food/Clothing remain constant, no matter the age of the children. Life-stage content like Baby/Parenting or Computers/Electronics changes, as one would expect, as the children grow.

How you can apply these findings: “Marketers should consider marketing to mom as both an interconnected woman and a mom, as her interests extend beyond parenting.” Remember that interest levels change based on the age of the children in the household.

Finding 6:   Initial hearing about products still comes from TV, but researching and decision making is done online.
Moms are still hearing about products through the traditional methods, but when it comes to doing research and learning about products, 50% of the moms turn to searches and websites. Online consumer reviews are having an influence on how and from whom digital moms get their information. They also turn to websites, referrals, and search engines when it’s time to make a decision.

How you can apply these findings: “Since many social environments contain more than one social activity, it is important to consider the combined effect of social influence channels – online consumer reviews, RSS, social networks, blogs – and have a comprehensive strategy to leverage them.”

The research gives a comprehensive overview of how the age-old art of mothering is meeting the new art of Web 2.0. It’s a must-read for anyone who markets to the moms.

Inc. Magazine is one of the best magazines to subscribe to if you’re a small- to mid-sized business owner. Strike that, it’s one of the best magazines to subscribe to no matter how large or small your company is.

A recent article from Inc. Magazine called “Pricing: How Low Can You Really Go?” outlines some case histories with companies that have tested various pricing models.

Here’s a snapshot of the article. For the complete article, click here.

Wooing Recessionistas

Jeremy Shepherd started to get concerned last summer. The founder of PearlParadise.com, an online retailer in Los Angeles, Shepherd noticed that sales of high-end pearl necklaces were slipping, and he worried that might foreshadow a dismal holiday season. The company relies on sales of $1,000 to $5,000 pearl necklaces during the crucial end-of-year months, which typically account for about 40 percent of annual sales. But though Web traffic was up, many customers were favoring jewelry priced well under $1,000.

Instead of promoting his higher-priced items, Shepherd decided to boost sales by appealing to his customers’ thriftiness. He created a “luxury for less” campaign and priced his strands of Tahitian pearls, which usually sell for $500 to $700, at $300 each. Then Shepherd spent $75,000 to promote the sale. He also revamped his website, placing lower-cost items on the home page.

Orders began to pick up. December sales volume increased 16 percent compared with the year before, with the less-expensive pearls accounting for about 40 percent of revenue. “We’re working twice as many hours for less revenue,” says Shepherd. Fortunately, the lifting of some import and export taxes helped him avoid a big margin cut. Revenue for the year was about $22 million, down 17 percent compared with 2007, but Shepherd is convinced that it could have been much worse. He projects that low-cost items will continue to make up a significant portion of 2009 sales, even if it means less revenue.

Bottom line: Consumers are bargain hunting and shunning luxury goods. Cutting prices on lower-end items is a smart way to keep them spending.

Discounts: Use Sparingly

Last year, Jason Robbins noticed that many businesses were slashing their prices. But Robbins, the CEO of ePromos Promotional Products, a New York City-based seller of logo-imprinted corporate gifts, was hesitant to join them. “We always wanted to be the service leader,” he says. “Our fear was that once you get people hooked on cheap prices, they wouldn’t pay full price again.” After reaching $25 million in 2007, revenue had been declining in 2008, and fall sales were particularly gruesome. “Everything just froze,” says Robbins. November sales were down 25 percent compared with 2007. That month, Robbins and his team spent a tense week debating a price cut. Robbins worried about damaging the brand, but if sales didn’t pick up, he thought, he might have to cut staff.

Robbins and his team eventually decided to make price cuts, but in small doses. To attract new customers, which typically account for half of the company’s revenue, Robbins decided to offer a $50 discount temporarilyto first-time buyers. He also decided to mark down 3,000 of the 13,000 or so promotional items ePromos sells. The moves would cut the company’s margin 25 percent, but ePromos offered discounts only on products that earned the company rebates from manufacturers for meeting certain sales goals. To sweeten the deal, Robbins also offered free shipping.

After all that, sales in December were still down about 15 percent compared with 2007, but it was a big improvement over November’s numbers. “We believe we maintained our position as a high-service competitor and didn’t damage our reputation,” says Robbins. Revenue fell about 8 percent in 2008, and Robbins decided to continue his price cut experiment this year.

Bottom line: Competing on service instead of price is challenging in a down economy, but entering a price war with competitors is risky. Limited discounts can boost sales without branding the company as a discount seller.

But, Wait, There’s More

As the economy slowed last year, Siamak Taghaddos and David Hauser, the founders of GotVMail, began toying with the idea of price cuts. GotVMail, a Needham, Massachusetts-based company that offers virtual phone systems, had a few competitors, and the founders feared it couldn’t gain market share without a price change. But given that their plans started at $9.95 per month, the founders felt their prices were already low.

The founders surveyed customers and found that what users wanted were more predictable prices, a simpler set of plans, and more features for their money. It turned out that the average GotVMail user was frequently exceeding the monthly allotment of minutes in his or her plan. That meant more revenue for GotVMail but annoying fees for customers. Customers also balked at paying for extra features such as employee extensions. The founders began reexamining GotVMail’s offerings. “We asked ourselves, ‘How generous can we be without losing money?’” says Taghaddos.

In October, the company increased the number of minutes offered. Features that customers used to pay extra for are now included in most plans. Taghaddos and Hauser say the new pricing structure cuts GotVMail’s margins about 10 percent but allows the company to offer an average savings of about 40 percent to its customers. In November, GotVMail noticed a surge in sign-ups, up 40 percent compared with the previous year — many of them from newly out-of-work professionals starting their own businesses. Despite shrinking margins, GotVMail is still profitable, say the founders. “I didn’t think we were recession proof,” says Taghaddos. “But my intuition always told me that during a down economy, we could do really well.”

Bottom line: Bundling more services for the same price can be an effective way to be more competitive without cutting deeply into profits.

Direct Magazine is a terrific publication with a lot of great advice for marketers of all stripes. In a recent article, they outlined some of the benefits of loyalty programs.

You can read the entire article called “A Marketer’s Best Friend.” Here are some excerpts if you’re in a hurry:

• A recent poll by Boston Consulting Group shows that only 30% of consumers worldwide have been contacted by their financial institutions during the current recession.
• In the U.S., just 53% of customers who haven’t heard from their primary bank lately report being please with its service overall. Conversely, 83% of those who have been contacted are satisfied.
• Only 5% of all consumers say they’ve gotten too much communication from their financial institutions.

The article continues by saying, “One of the most powerful messages you can send to your most valuable customers is simply a reminder of the benefits and rewards they already enjoy in the loyalty program. Thank-you messages and emphasis on members-only benefits let you stay in touch without bombarding customers with “buy now” sales messages when they may not be in a position to purchase.”

This is great advice for all marketers.

Technorati Profile

Readers of the 60 Second Marketer blog and this blog (Marketing That Works) will recall the fascinating story last week of James Andrews who, on his way to FedEx where he was going to discuss the power of Social Media, made a negative Tweet about the city of Memphis.

David Henderson, who blogged about the situation, had one posting that received more than 100,000 hits from around the globe.

It was an amazing example of the power of social media. In a follow-up post on his blog, Mr. Henderson pointed out that his posting received more hits than many major newspaper’s blogs around the country, thus highlighting the power of social media.

Here, for those who are interested, is the text from Mr. Henderson’s follow-up:

Clearly, my posts on this blog over the last couple of days have drawn a lot of attention and comment. Let me today express my perspective and opinion.

We have just entered a new era in the United States where a leader, our new President, has called for principled behavior, and an end to the partisanship and nastiness that has so permeated our society. And so, all of us … or, at least, many of us … are trying to figure out how to mirror that behavior in various aspects of our lives. We have to get away from the nastiness and partisanship.

What James Andrews of Ketchum Public Relations posted on Twitter about Memphis was nasty. In a world that fundamentally is all about relationships, Andrews dissed the town, and, in doing so, he mocked the decision by his employer’s major client, FedEx, to have that city as its home. The mere fact that Andrews is still employed by Ketchum Public Relations, a company owned by Omnicom Group, reveals that his employer neither comprehends nor understands the changing discourse of conversation, the new spirit of change hoped for in America or the online world of New Media.

We are living at a time when there are millons of people who are looking for a unific way to communicate, to change our language, and to rise above the mean-spirited sniping and partisan jibs which have become a form of our communication.

In the mix of all that has been said, the heart of the matter has to do with trying to change an atmosphere that promotes nastiness, a snide laugh by belittling somebody else. That’s really the absolute core.

This is what the call is of our new White House leadership, and it applies just as much to the government as to our corporate relationships. We find it amusing to arrogantly put somebody down, and that sort of behavior must stop in order for our country to move forward.

I believe that Andrews’ insensitive posting on Twitter has triggered the first example of crisis communications in this evolving new world of Web 2.0 online social media. Think about it … two nights ago, more people read my first posting about this issue here on my blog than read the online sites of most major newspapers, and nearly all of the awareness was triggered by Twitter, a social media forum that Andrews’ employer had not discovered.

Regardless of the communications method – whether Twitter, a blog, television news, radio, newspapers – the underlying principles of working with journalists as well as our clients, customers, colleagues and friends remain the same. Openness. Transparency. Accuracy. Honesty. Relationships. Respect.

The same fundamental rules and principles apply to a new form of media in today’s Internet era as with mainstream or traditional media. Ketchum and Andrews apparently are exceptions, and do not embrace those principles. Otherwise, Andrews would no longer work there.

The reality of today’s Internet era is that a crisis can spin out of control globally in a nanosecond because people all over the world have access in new ways that did not exist before the advent of the Internet and the interactive communications tools of Web 2.0.

But the principles of journalism, public relations, and relationships still apply. Openness. Transparency. Accuracy. Honesty. Respect.

Andrews presented his side on his blog. Yes, he has made a statement on his blog but the aspect of New Media is conversation. He does not owe me an interview but the lack of an interview is his response, and that sends a message, too.

Andrews breached the boundaries of business ethics. He used his personal Web 2.0 forum to voice his personal opinion about a town within the context of doing his job. It was the same as a snide aside remark that gets caught on a radio or TV program when the mike is not turned off. He chose to put it out there.

My efforts have been to highlight the benefits and pitfalls, and how a single comment made by a single employee can escalate and cause a corporate problem and crisis. FedEx took exception to this man sent by the PR firm they had hired. Who could blame them? I don’t. That is a warning about what can happen.

Web 2.0 is more like TV and radio because it is immediate, and when you misspeak, you cannot go back and fix it. When you engage in the world of Web 2.0 and social media, you cannot go back and say, no I have nothing to say.

So, we are left with fundamental principles of openness, transparency, honesty, and, let me underscore, respect as we strive to learn this new and ever-changing new world of communication and news online … and, most importantly, the change asked of each of us by our new President.

NBC is charging a record amount for a 30-second TV Spot in this year’s Super Bowl. The asking price is $3 million and almost all of the spots have been sold.

The $3 million figure is slightly misleading, though. Long-time Super Bowl sponsors like Anheuser-Busch and PepsiCo paid less than $2.4 million for each 30-second spot.

Here’s what ADWEEK magazine had to say about this year’s Super Bowl extraveganza:

“While buyers say NBC has held its ground on pricing, the much-cited rate isn’t exactly an absolute. Top-drawer clients like Anheuser-Busch and PepsiCo paid less than $2.4 million for each 30-second spot, as both bought in bulk and are longstanding NFL partners. ‘There’s this misperception that it was $3 million, take it or leave it,’ says Seth Winter, senior vp of sales and marketing, NBC Sports & Olympics. ‘If you just wanted the Super Bowl, the cost was $3 million. But we’re looking for a larger investment across NBC Sports, so the approach was, give us a reason to modify the price.’

With 4.5 minutes worth of ad time, A-B remains the most loyal sponsor of the NFL’s marquee matchup, although there is some concern the brewer will scale back future Super Bowl commitments, now that the $52 billion InBev takeover is complete. ‘We haven’t seen any impact yet because they have multiyear deals, but once those expire the big question is, what happens when inBev gets involved in day-to-day operations?’ Novenstern says. ‘They could tell Budweiser to pull out of the Super Bowl altogether, or cut back from 10 spots to two. If that happens, MillerCoors will buy in.’”

Here’s an interesting post from AdAge that discusses the possibility that online publishers may have to charge for their content. The editorial video states that the free content model may or may not be able to survive the slow economy.

You can see the video by clicking here: Marketing Insights.

Enjoy!

Not long ago, the 60 Second Marketer team posted an article with the 19 most important terms in the Mobile Marketing vocabulary. These terms were part of a larger list that can be found on the Mobile Marketing Association’s website (which can be found by clicking Mobile Marketing Glossary.)

If you’re a marketer and you’re interested in staying on top of all the important tools in marketing, then these 19 terms should be part of your vocabulary.

Enjoy!

1. Alerts: Notifications, typically in the form of a text or multimedia message, containing time-sensitive information (event details, weather, news, services updates) that are pushed to a mobile subscriber who has opted-in to receive this information. Note: If the mobile subscriber has not opted in to receive said information, the notification would be considered SPAM.
2. Carrier a.k.a. Mobile Carrier, Mobile Network Operator, Mobile Carrier, Network Operator, Operator Company, Wireless Carrier: A company that provides wireless telecommunications services.
3. Click to Call: A service that enables a mobile subscriber to initiate a voice call to a specified phone number by clicking on a link on a mobile web site. Typically used to enhance and provide a direct response mechanism in an advertisement.
4. Dedicated Short Code: The process of running only one service on a common short code at any given time.
5. Double Opt-in: The process of confirming a mobile subscriber’s wish to participate in a mobile program by requesting the subscriber to opt-in twice, prior to engaging the subscriber. A requirement for premium and many other types of mobile services.
6. Global Positioning System: A system of satellites, computers and receivers that can determine the latitude and longitude of a given receiver (within its system) located on Earth. It pinpoints the receiver’s location by calculating the time it takes for signals from different satellites (positioned at various locations) to reach the receiver.
7. Location Based Services a.k.a. LBS: A range of services that are provided to mobile subscribers based on the geographical location of their handsets within their cellular network. Handsets have to be equipped with a position-location technology such as GPS to enable the geographical-trigger of service(s) being provided. LBS include driving directions, information about certain resources or destinations within current vicinity, such as restaurants, ATMs, shopping, movie theaters, etc. LBS may also be used to track the movements and locations of people, as is being done via parent/child monitoring services and mobile devices that target the family market.
8. MMS Message: A message sent via a Multimedia Messaging Service that contains multimedia objects.
9. Mobile Advertising: A form of advertising that is communicated to the consumer/target via a handset. This type of advertising is most commonly seen as a Mobile Web Banner (top of page), Mobile Web Poster (bottom of page banner), and full screen interstitial, which appears while a requested mobile web page is “loading.” Other forms of this type of advertising are SMS and MMS ads, mobile gaming ads, and mobile video ads (pre-, mid- and post-roll).
10. Mobile Search: Executing a search via mobile Internet.
11. Pre-roll: The streaming of a mobile advertising clip prior to a mobile TV/video clip. The mobile ad is usually 10-15 seconds in length.
12. Pull Messaging a.k.a. Wireless Pull Advertising, Content Pull Messaging: Any content sent to the wireless subscriber upon request, shortly thereafter, on a one-time basis. For example, when a customer requests the local weather from a WAP-capable browser, the content of the response, including any related advertising, is Pull Messaging.
13. Push Messaging a.k.a. Wireless Push Advertising, Content Push Messaging: Any content sent by or on behalf of advertisers and marketers to a wireless mobile device at a time other than when the subscriber requests it. Push Messaging includes audio, short message service (SMS) messages, e-mail, multimedia messaging, cell broadcast, picture messages, surveys, or any other pushed advertising or content.
14. Third Generation a.k.a. 3G: The third generation wireless service promises to provide high data speeds, always-on data access and greater voice capacity. The high data speeds enable full motion video, high-speed internet access and video-conferencing, and are measured in Mbps. 3G technology standards include UMTS, based on WCDMA technology (quite often the two terms are used interchangeably) and CDMA2000, which is the evolution of the earlier CDMA 2G technology. UMTS standard is generally preferred by countries that use GSM network. The data transmission rates range from 144 kbps to more than 2 mbps.
15. Vanity Short Code: CSCs that are specifically requested. It usually spells out a content provider’s name, brand, an associated word or is an easy to recall number sequence, e.g., DISNEY = 347639 or 88888.
16. WAP 2.0: An increasingly popular format of choice for mobile web. Relies on a new set of standards that are more in line with Internet standards. Using xHTML, mobile carriers, content providers and media companies can present content and functionality in more robust formats via faster wireless technologies.
17. WAP Landing Page: A secondary WAP page a consumer is taken to once they click on an MMS link in order to give or receive additional information.
18. WAP Site: A website that is specifically designed and formatted for display on a mobile device.
19. Wireless Application Protocol a.k.a. WAP: An open international standard for applications that use wireless communication. Its principal application is to enable access to the Internet from a mobile phone or PDA. Can be used to deliver content to mobile devices.

These definitions were compiled by the members of The Mobile Marketing Association (MMA). The MMA is the premier global non-profit association that strives to stimulate the growth of mobile marketing and its associated technologies. The complete glossary of these terms can be found by visiting Mobile Marketing Glossary.