1) Case Study 1:Using mobile functionality to drive TV viewing and TV shopping/TBS TV
2) Case Study 2:Situation Mix links Fast Food Tray Mats and Mobiles/InfoCom
3) Industry Report:Expanded Use of QR Codes on Mobile
4) Mobile Research:Using Mobile Phones to Wake Up and Check the Time
5) Carrier Trend:Continued Emergence of Services using i-mode FeliCa
6) Japan Cellular Subscriber Data

1)Case Study 1:Using mobile functionality to drive TV viewing and TV shopping/TBS TV

In the TV industry, securing an audience for the network's core programming is a crucial issue. To this end, TV networks are making increased use of Internet and mobile to drive greater viewing of their programming, as well as to reach viewers after a broadcast. One strong example of this is TBS's TV shopping program, which has incorporated mobile strategy from the basic planning phase through production.

 

The TBS program is distinctive, and does not deal in products available through other direct marketing channels, but reports on exclusive local products from Europe presented by special program hosts.One of the goals of the program is to build a synergy between Internet and mobile channels.This is done in part via a special Tokusuru menu site offered across all three Japanese mobile operators that offers free ring tone downloads and cost-free mobile email newsletters, both of which are used to increase interest in the program in the days leading up to the program broadcast.

 

Products may be purchased via a variety of channels, such as the telephone, PC Internet and mobile Internet. When purchasing via mobile, users have only to input a "Tokusuru number" service code which will takes their phone browser directly to a purchase site. This information is provided via telops on the bottom of the program screen, along with a telephone number and website. The mobile site features photos of the specific products that have been taken on the set of the program at the time that it is shot, a touch that helps to preserve a close linkage and continuity between the mobile shopping site and the TV program. Both the PC and mobile Internet sites also list additional products that could not be fit into the confines of the TV program, and all of which can be purchased via mobile. These components are also linked to cross media promotions for the mobile site via magazine advertisements. The effects have been extremely successful in helping to drive sales and hit targets.

 

This case study illustrates both the importance of creating relevant content for mobile and also for find ways to drive users to the mobile service site. This case uses the Tokusuru number system to provide users direct access to the mobile site. Special attention to detail is also noteworthy, such as ensuring that the product images are consistent with those shown on the TV program to ensure continuity. This sort of touch is made possible by the fact that the mobile service was planned early on, and would likely have been difficult to provide had it not been introduced after the planning stage. Such an approach shows the effectiveness of considering and incorporating mobile components in the early planning phases of a TV production.

2)Case Study 2:Situation Mix links Fast Food Tray Mats and Mobiles/InfoCom

Mobile can be effective not only in combination with broadcast or print in a mixed media context, but also when it is used in conjunction with a number of special situations or scenarios, such as when the target customer is walking, taking public transportation, before going to bed or when in bed, and so on.

 

Mobile can also be combined effectively with eating situations, especially in the case of the more casual environment found in a fast food restaurant. Ringing tone provider Infocom has developed an effective mobile advertising site called Tokusuru 6" specifically for this situation. It therefore built a service around a "mobile + fast food" scenario and made it accessible via the Tokusuru Menu.

 

Tokusuru 6 makes brings together McDonalds, mats placed on customer trays, and the i-mode Tokusuru menu. Tray mat advertisements are split into six parts, each which offers information about how to access the content of six different companies, along with the Tokusuru numbers of each of the offerings. The service makes use of mixed media combining mobile and print media via the tray mats. The name Tokusuru 6 is based on the collaboration between six different companies that supply the joint advertising. Some 3 million tray mat ads have been distributed via major McDonald's shops located in shopping centers in the Kanto region.

 

One of the prominent features of mobile advertising is a flow of events in which information is distributed to drive users to the mobile campaign site, which is then used for customer acquisition. For an Information Provider (IP), there is no more effective promotional medium than mobile advertisements. That being said, in order to get to the harder-to-reach lighter users of mobile, IPs also need to gain visibility through other media platforms.

 

According to an InfoComm representative,Tray mats have to be in front of people when they are eating.In this sense, they can reach users nearly 100% of the time. On top of that, most users have their mobiles handy. In this way, there is a very smooth linkage of information transmitted via the tray mat and user's mobiles. In addition, content like ringing tones tends to be used in these sorts of "in-between" scenarios, so using mobiles during an eating situation comes quite naturally to customers.

 

Using tray mat ads together mobiles is a good example of this "mixed scenario," that is, the linkage of two situations, such as fast food dining and mobile usage. InfoCom's implementation of this represents one way that an IP can put this combination to use.

3)Industry Report:Expanded Use of QR Codes on Mobile

Since the beginning of this year, we have seen the appearance of a wide range of campaigns and promotions that make active use of QR codes.

 

There are essentially two ways of utilizing QR codes. The first is to print a QR code in a publication such as a newspaper, magazine or on a poster, which can be read by a user's camera phone and which then directs the user's phone browser to a particular mobile Internet site. The other method is to display QR codes embedded with ticketing or similar information on their mobile screen, which can then be parsed by a reader to validate entry to events or as a coupon for making payments at a point of sale such as a cash register. .

 

In some magazine ads, one can find printed QR codes the point the user toward a mobile campaign site. Also, in some product catalogues and free newspapers, each product appears along with a corresponding QR code, enabling users to quickly view product information on their mobiles. Such applications are expected to multiply as time goes on, and are also increasingly being used by PC Internet sites as well. In the past, PC websites generally tended to ask users to input their mobile phone email addresses, to which would be sent a mobile email with a link in it to direct the user to the specified mobile site. Using QR codes thus offers the added sense of security for users who do not need to reveal their mobile email addresses in order to get easy access to the campaign sites.

 

There are also increasing cases of QR codes being used in outdoor advertising, such as posters. In these instances, the codes are meant to readable by mobile phones, but they also include various creative elements.

 

The next application of QR codes is for transactional uses.In Japan, Coca Cola Japan has introduced its "Cmode" service, which enables mobile phones to be used to purchase soft drinks from vending machines. These also utilize QR codes as one means of processing purchases. Users can download QR code coupons to their phones from mobile sites that can later be exchanged for soft drinks by simply putting their mobile screen in front a reader on the vending machine. Also appearing are transactional services among mail order companies that are compatible with QR codes. In the case of NTT DoCoMo's "Do Commerce" service, users can take a QR code that contains a product's purchase information and pass it before a reader at a convenience store for identification purposes, then make payment at the convenience store as well. NTT DoCoMo also provides a similar service whereby customers can pay their mobile phone bills paperlessly at convenience stores by showing a QR code at the cash register and making payment at the point of sale.

 

QR codes are likely to see increased usage in the future as way of bridging the mobile Internet and actual physical purchase environments such as stores.

4) Mobile Research:

In Japan today, a wide variety marketing surveys are conducted directly from participant's mobile phones. These surveys can prove extremely valuable in collecting otherwise inaccessible information about new consumer markets. The survey featured below focuses on the frequency with which i-mode users visit mobile Internet websites.

***********************************************************
Result of 110th Survey December 15-22, 2003
Respondents: 29,883 i-mode users
***********************************************************

The following is a survey conducted to study the use of phones as alarm clocks and to check the time, along with other associated user behavior. It was conducted by the Internet-based research service INFO PLANT Co., LTD (Head office: Tokyo, Japan; Masaki OTANI, President). Survey data was collected via the "Tokusuru Menu (*)" on i-mode based on valid responses from 29,883 i-mode users during a one-week period between December 15-22, 2003.

 

<Survey Results Summary>
85.8% of i-mode users surveyed used their phones to check the time, 33% used wristwatches.
=====================================================
<Survey Results Overview>
=====================================================
73.1% use a mobile phone alarm to wake up in the morning, 43.8% use an alarm clock

 

The majority of users surveyed (73.1%) said they use their mobiles to wake up in the morning, compared with 43.8% who said they use an ordinary alarm clock. Looked at by gender, there was a difference between men (62.7%) who used their mobile phone alarms and women (77.6%). As many as 10% more men used an alarm clock (See Table 1).

 

Looked at by age and gender, more men over age 40 were likely to use an alarm clock, while the larger proportion of men in younger age groups tended to use their mobiles. In addition, among both males and females, a dramatically higher number of users under the age of 19 reported that their family wakes them up in the morning. A high number of both males and females in younger age groups reported using their mobile phone alarm to wake up, with the numbers getting smaller as age increased. By contrast, the number of both males and females who reported waking up naturally without an alarm increased as age increased. (See Table 1-2)
71.3% prefer their favorite music as an alarm sound on their mobiles, vs. 32.7% who like a like an alarm clock-like sound.

 

The majority of users (71.3%) said they preferred the alarm sound on their mobile to be their favorite music, compared with 32.7% who preferred a typical alarm-clock sound.

 

Looked at by gender, there was a 10% gap between males and females, with more women preferring their favorite music, vs. those males who preferred to wake up to the voice of a celebrity or idol. (Table 2-1)

 

Looked at by age and gender, with increased age, users showed a greater preference for alarms consisting of natural sounds such as birds singing. In addition, about 60% of men over 30 preferred their favorite music, compared with 70% in other age groups. In particular, more than 80% of both males and females under 19 prefer to wake up to their favorite music. (See Table 2-2)
=====================================================
85.8% use mobiles to check the time, compared to 33% who use a wristwatch

 

The majority of respondents (85.8%) use their mobile phones to check the time, followed by 52% also using hanging clocks and 33% using a wristwatch. Looked at by gender, 80.5% of men reported using their mobiles, followed by wristwatches (44.1%) and hanging clocks (43.7%). As for women, 88% used their mobiles, followed by hanging clocks (55.6%) and TV (34%). (Table 3-1)

 

Looked at by gender and age, higher numbers in the younger age groups used their mobile phones to check the time, with proportions of over 90% by males under 19 and females under 20. Use of a wristwatch increased among males along with higher age, with more than half of males over 40 years old using a wristwatch to check the time. (Table 3-2)

 

<Survey Description>
Questions:
1）How do you wake up in the morning (select up to 2 options)
2）If you wake up to the sound of your mobile phone alarm, which sound do you prefer (select up to 2 options)
3) How do you usually check the time (select up to 3 options)

Survey method: open survey, using Tokusuru Menu on i-mode site.
Survey period: December 15-22, 2003 (1 week)
No.of valid responses: 29,883
Rate of valid response by gender: male 34.0%, female 66.0%
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Q1)How do you wake up in the morning (select up to 2 options)

 

<Table1-1>(By Gender)

 

<Table1-2>(By Gender/Age Group)

 

 Q2)If you wake up to the sound of your mobile phone alarm, which sound do you prefer (select up to 2 options)

<Table 2-1>(By Gender)

 

<Table 2-2>(By Gender/Age Group)

 

Q3)How do you usually check the time (select up to 3 options)
<Table 3-1>(By Gender)

 

<Table 3-2>(By Gender/Age Groups)

 

** Questions and Interviews for this survey**********
INFO PLANT CO., LTD.
Email:info@info-plant.com
TEL :+81-3-3367-1967, FAX :+81-3-3367-1961
**********************************************************

5)Carrier Trend:Continued Emergence of Services using i-mode FeliCa

A diverse range of companies are beginning to offer services that use NTT DoCoMo's
i-mode FeliCa, which uses contactless smart cards embedded in mobile phones. The NTT DoCoMo phones supporting i-mode FeliCa are bundled with a standardized application that is compatible with the Edy transaction service offered by BitWallet. These phones can be used nationwide at convenience store chains such as am/pm that already are set up to use the Edy payment system.Users can not only make payments at actual shops, but can also make payments for hard products or digital content available on the Internet.

 

There are also new loyalty services using FeliCa that allow users to accumulate points.
For example, the large electrical appliance retail chain Bic Camera has made its long-established Point card service compatible with FeliCa. Customers can simply pass their mobile phones over a reader and collect their points without having to carry around or pull out their point card.

 

Apart from brick-and-mortar shops and the Internet, other services as well are making use of FeliCa, such as vending machines. This includes the latest "Cmo-2" version of the Cmode soft drink vending machines being provided by Coca Cola Japan, which users can use to purchase soft drinks with their i-mode FeliCa phones. The latest Cmode vending machines support both previous infrared communication and QR codes as well as FeliCa, and are being introduced in Japan as of September. Using these machines, users who previously had to rely on manual activation of infrared or QR codes can now simply pass their i-mode FeliCa phones over a reader on the vending machine in order to make soft drink purchases.
In addition, Japan Railways East has announced it will enable its ticketing service Suica, which already comprises the highest number of IC cards in Japan, to be compatible with mobile phones. The commercial launch of the "Mobile Suica" service is scheduled for 2005.

 

As for embedding Suica in mobile phones, KDDI has already announced its plans to so, and there is little doubt that the Suica IC chip-embedded phone will make for a killer application.
JR East is already conducting field tests. Suica has also been used to initiate e-cash-based commerce. For example, the Family Mart convenience store chain has announced it will support e-money purchases using Suica cards at its railway station outlets and is beginning operational trials this autumn. In addition, JR East has contributed capital to the mobile-embedded IC chip licensing venture known as FeliCa Networks along with Sony, the developer of FeliCa, and mobile phone operators such as NTT DoCoMo.
IC chip-embedded mobile phones are the biggest topic this fall, with players expected to join in from a wide variety of businesses and sectors.

6) Japan Cellular Subscriber Data

Here is the latest Japan cellular subscriber data for your reference.
Please go to: Latest News

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