1) Mobile Marketing : International Mobile Marketing Awards
2) Outlook for Mobile Advertising in 2007 : D2C Mobile Marketing Seminar
3) Mobile Research: 50% of users say they want to use their phones for mobile TV (one-seg) or music playback
4) Carrier Trend: Japan's 3 Carriers Brighten Up Spring 2007 with New Handsets
5) Japan Cellular Subscriber Data

First established in 2002, International Mobile Marketing Awards is the Japan's first competition dedicated to promoting advertising communication and marketing activities using mobile phones. The Awards honor excellence in expression and design in advertising or marketing distributed or published via mobile phones..

[Award Categories]

Creative Category
Awards for visual effects, expression and design

+ Picture Panel Banner Advertising Awards
Attention will be given to picture advertisements incorporating response formats such as click, phone, and mobile mail, as well as panel banner advertisements used in the TV programming service "G-Guide Mobile", as well as picture advertisements inserted in the i-menu, EZ Top Menu, etc.

+ Content Advertising Award
Attention will be given to content advertisements presented on sites utilizing images, Flash , Java applications, or motion video.

+ Push Advertising Award
Attention will be given to mobile campaigns using push advertising such as Message Free and mobile mail, with consideration for creative work using image attachments or emoticons in the text body

Marketing Category
Consideration will be given to works applying special marketing methods, brand appeal, virals, communication with users, or demonstrating innovative value creation or showing strong results.

+ Marketing Award
Consideration will be given to general examples of marketing using mobile

[How to Apply]

Applicants are required to complete an application form with examples of their submission that fulfill application criteria for each category and submit it along with examples of their work via email or postal mail to the Secretariat's Office.

Mobile Helps Drive Evolution of Advertising

On January 17th, D2 Communications (hereafter D2C) held the 2007 D2C Mobile Marketing Seminar at the Tokyo International Forum. The seminar focused on the latest trends in mobile advertising, advertising products, and survey data. The event was attended by some 600 people from the advertising industry and leaders from corporate advertising.

In the keynote speech, D2C President and CEO Akihisa Fujita emphasized the merits of implementing mobile in marketing. By accelerating advertising and providing faster choices for distribution, mobile helps advertisers secure their customers effectively with rapid transmission speed and exploit the power of word of mouth, while keeping hold of the customer at the instant that they have taken interest in the product.

Next, Group Head of Marketing Communications of Meiji Seika Mr. Hori spoke about his company's digicam campaign "XYLISH SHOW!" In this campaign, users following a top-slotted advertisement on the DoCoMo i-menu were led to a special campaign site where they could input a serial number printed on product packaging in order to download an original movie or music track. According to Hori, " The use of mobile enabled them to raise awareness among their core target group of male and female teens and the F1 group, as well as to link the campaign to actual purchasing activity. This campaign not only emphasized the uniqueness of the brand, but also combined it with communication media such as web and mobile."

Afterwards, Toshio Suzuki, Head of the Media Division at D2C presented on the results of a Message Free channel survey for Seven Eleven Japan and other D2C products. According to Suzuki, the survey results showed how the addition of images to a Message Free campaign could increase the response rate and word-of-mouth communication well beyond the results of a text-only campaign. In terms of advertising products, he also explained changes in pricing for Message Free channel promotions, the start of a "Deco-Mail" distribution service, and increased advertising support for off-portal mobile sites.

Growing Recognition for Mobile Search Advertising and Effectiveness of Word-of-Mouth

After the break, Shunsuke Konno, Executive Director of Irep Internet's Marketing Division gave a presentation on exciting current and future trends in paid search advertising on mobile. According to Konno, when comparing PC and mobile search queries, while there are a number of possible word combinations used in PC searches, mobile searches tend more often to employ only single word searches. Furthermore, he pointed out that although mobile search is still in a transitional phase and sometimes does not deliver the exact results users are looking for, the mobile search advertisement is still valid.

D2C Business Development Division Manager Noriyuki Tanaka also pointed to changing trends in mobile search advertising. These included the expansion of the market for search-related advertising, the increase in the number of companies offering permanent mobile sites, advertisements matched to content, search and active targeting, and tie-ins with search engine marketing. He also introduced the start of a new search advertising product.

In terms of mobile and its impact on word-of-mouth communication, D2C Corporation Communications Chief Isao Nozaki looked at the results of a men's hair product campaign.

In the campaign, word-of-mouth communication about the ad, including forwarding email or showing it, was relayed by each person receiving it to an average of 3.6 other people, with the majority of people relaying it to somebody else the same day their received the ad. Advertisements delivered via mobile are particularly suited to word-of-mouth communication, with the target tending to forward the mobile mail to a close acquaintance very shortly after they have received it.

At the end, D2C Solutions Division Head Masanori Iso gave a seminar on a D2C solution for free newspapers and data sampling.

The seminar concluded with predictions about large-scale changes that would sweep the industry in 2007.

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Result of Survey : December 26, 2006 to January 9, 2007
Respondents 8,251 i-mode users
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The following is a survey conducted on mobile phone usage in Japan. It was conducted by the Internet-based DTR (Desktop Research) service INFO PLANT Co., LTD (Head office: Nakano-ku, Tokyo, Japan; Masaki OTANI, President, http://www.info-plant.com). Data was collected via a nationwide survey of i-mode users from the network of NTT DoCoMo on the i-menu, and based on valid responses from 8,251 users during a two-week period between December 26, 2006 to January 9, 2007. InfoPlant is dedicated to the expansion of research using mobile phones.

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Survey Questions

1) Please select the functions and services for your mobile phone that you use regularly. (Multiple choices possible)

2) What sorts of functions would you like to use on your mobile in the future? Please select anything that fits. (Multiple choices possible)

***********************************************
Survey Method: Open Survey on the i-mode Tokusuru menu
Target Audience: i-mode Users Nationwide
Survey Period
Valid Reponses: 8,251 (Male: 38.7% Female: 61.3%)
***********************************************

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<Survey Results Overview>
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The most frequently used additional functions on mobiles phones are the alarm clock for males (82%) and the (still) camera for females (89%).

When asked which additional functions and services on their mobiles that they used most frequently, the most popular response was the alarm clock (86%), followed by the (still) camera (83%), calculator (81.2%), ringtone melody (72.1%), java games (70%), and barcode reader (for QR codes)(69.3%). 21% mentioned music playback, followed by 16.5% for ringback tones, and 12.8% for mobile wallets.

Looking at differences according to gender and age, Deco-mail was used by far more women (64.7%) than men (35%). In addition, teens both male and female were the most likely to use their phones for infra-red communication, ring tunes, video ringtones, and music playback.

Over 70% of males over 40 used their mobile phones for ringtones, while more than 70% of females in their 20s and 30s used them for reading barcodes (QR codes). Females 19 and under were the most likely to use their phones for the (still) camera function, while women in their 20s and under were most likely to use Deco-Mail.

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In the future, 50% of users would like to use their mobile phones to watch TV (one-seg) or to listen to music.

Regarding the functions users would like to use in the future, the most popular response was the (video and still) camera (61.4%), followed by mobile TV (one-seg) (males; 60.6%, females: 47.2%), java applets (males

Other responses included GPS functions (males: 46.8%, females; 31.7%), the mobile wallet (males: 35.6%, females: 29.1%), and full Internet browsing (males 41.6%, females: 37.7%).

Looked at by gender and age, men over 30 were most likely to want mobile TV (one-seg), men over 40 to want GPS functionality, males and females alike under 19 wanted music playback, and women 19 and under were most interested in full Internet browsing. [Table 2]

+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+

Most desirable functions and services for mobiles are TV, Radio, GPS, and a variety of News.

Users asked to freely name the services or functions most desirable in the future cited some already incorporated into mobiles, includingTV, radio, and GPS functions. Many also mentioned mobile wallet functions such as credit cards, transportation passes, house keys, and other functions such as car navigation systems, mirrors, dictionary, solar-powered batteries, anti-theft alarms or other anti-theft functions.

Other more unique functions mentioned included an alcohol breathalyzer (male in 20s), anti-loss functionality to tell you when you phone has been separated from you (male in 30s), speech-to-text functionality to allow dictation of mobile emails (female in 20s), music search from a hummed melody (woman in 40s). Meanwhile, some also expressed that there were already enough functions in phones.

This spring, Japan's mobile carriers will kick off spring with the release of wide range of new handset models. The lineups will feature a bold array of new concepts, designs and functions.

At NTT DoCoMo, the 703 series will feature a line-up of 10 handsets. Perhaps the most attention-getting will be The N703iD (produced by NEC), which will carry on the success of last year's hit N702i model created by the well-known designer Toshiwa Sato. The new N703iD will, in Sato's own words, be a "pure update" that is even smarter than the previous model, including a music player and mobile wallet functions. Following a press conference, NTT DoCoMo put on display the concept sheet and mockups for the new devices in Daikanyama between January 17 and January 28th.

KDDI will also launch a line-up of 10 new handsets. All the devices will offer an unprecedented sensibility and texture, and will embody the theme "Individuality makes you shine", from design through to their unique packaging. These will also be the 6th volley in the "au Design Project." Tokuji Hirano's "Media Skin" was the first phone in the world to utilize 260,000-color QVGA organic EL as the main display. This time, KDDI will for the first time provide 7 devices featuring high-quality one-seg functionality. The new models will be put on display at KDDI's design studio in Harajuku until February 16th.

Softbank Mobile will release 14 different next-generation handsets. Particularly worthy of mention Softbank's collaboration with the Pantone company. The Softbank Pantone model will be the first ever to be offered in 20 different colors. Furthermore, it is also offering a specially branded handset featuring the logo of the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks, another decorated on the front with Swarovski chrystal, and many other special models to highlight Softbank's very unique spring lineup.

Here is the latest Japan cellular subscriber data for your reference.
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