The Mobile Marketing Blog - TellMyCell

The World’s First SMS Tutor is Here – And It’s Getting Results

An innovative new service aimed at helping second-level students bump up their grades was launched to great fanfare this week. Developed by Irish music director Frank McNamara, SMS Tutor reaches out to pupils in a way they can all understand, via their beloved smartphones, and claims to improve exam results by up to 40%.

The service sends regular, bite-sized morsels of curriculum content during the run up to Junior or Leaving Certificate papers. Students can learn a few knew things each day without getting overwhelmed by reams of content. Pertinent bits of information relating to their studies are issued via SMS as a way of complementing formal education.

McNamara’s brainchild has had dramatic results under test conditions. SMS Tutor hired educational psychologist Deirdre Griffin to establish the effectiveness of the service on two counts: learning and recall.

The results showed that participants who received the text messages achieved significantly higher results on 14 facts. Comparing results for text recipients versus non-recipients, the difference in scores equates to a C3 to B1 grade improvement at Leaving Certificate level. SMS recipients averaged a score of 40% higher than non-recipients, and on the more detailed bonus questions, the results were up to four times better.

McNamara says the idea came to him when he noticed mobile phone usage was beginning to encroach on his kids’ study time. Rather than kick against it, he decided to try combining the need for exam revision with his kids’ habitual use of mobile devices. Says McNamara:

“I said to a friend one day if only we could get students heads out of their phones and into their study books, we’d be onto a winner. And that’s when the light bulb went off and I had a ‘eureka’ moment, why not bring the study to the mobile phone. Our motto is you learn something new every day.” 



Students – and no doubt their parents – interested in trying the service can sign up for one text per day for the entire school year for €40 per subject for the academic year. The service provides every subject from the school year at a cost of €5 per month per subject.

As of the launch date, SMS Tutor caters to students on Ireland’s school curriculum. Whether the service is rolled out internationally, or further across Europe, will depend on its success at home. Watch this space – TellMyCell will keep you posted on how well this innovative idea is doing in the Irish market, and it’s chances for going global.

‘We Didn’t Violate the TCPA’ says Yahoo

 

A Philadelphia man has applied to the Court of Appeals to revive his lawsuit against Yahoo, in which he claimed the company sent thousands of unwanted messages when he purchased a used phone from T-Mobile.

The original lawsuit claimed Yahoo had violated the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) by using automated dialers to send SMS messages without the recipients’ consent. But Yahoo denied the charge, asserting that they did not rely on auto dialers – a claim upheld last year by U.S. District Court Judge Michael Baylson. In a brief filed last week with the 3^rd Circuit Court of Appeals, Yahoo stated:

“Messages sent through the email SMS Service were not sent randomly, in bulk or to sequential numbers – only to specific phone numbers manually inputted by individual Yahoo users.”

The company has requested that the appeals court dismiss the lawsuit, in which the plaintiff says he received dozens of messages every day after he bought the phone. His complaint indicates that the previous owner had agreed to receive SMS alerts from Yahoo whenever a new email was delivered to his inbox.

The complainant (who does not have a Yahoo account) says he received close to 5,000 SMS alerts from Yahoo in the five months prior to filing the lawsuit. He allegedly lodged a complaint with the company, but was told that only the previous owner of the phone could arrange to stop future texts.

In the most recent appellate papers, Yahoo suggests that the plaintiff should have gone to T-Mobile to get a new number.

It might look like game, set and match to the web giant, but there’s a twist in this tale: another lawsuit resulted in a different judge ruling that Yahoo’s SMS delivery system did constitute an automated dialer. A Californian resident alleged that Yahoo informed him via SMS that he had received an instant message from someone else – but the plaintiff had never given the company his cell phone number or opted in to receive text messaged from them. The judge specifically rejected Yahoo’s argument that it didn’t use an automated dialer to send the complainant a message. The complainant denied Yahoo’s request to reconsider the ruling. 

‘Smell-O-Vision’ a Reality with Scented Apps

 

Like 3-D before it, Smell-O-Vision began life as a fifties novelty, dreamt up by movie execs who didn’t quite have the technology at their disposal to make it work as intended. Hissing noises distracted audiences, and scents didn’t reach all parts of the theater until well after the corresponding on-screen action. Voted one of the ‘Top 100 Worst Ideas of All Time’ by Time magazine readers in 2000, Smell-O-Vision definitely stunk up the place – just not in the way its creators hoped.

Cut to 2014, and a handful of canny app developers may finally have solved the challenges of transmitting odors to remote audiences. The latest is called oSnap, and it’s about to launch at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, with a scented message sent across the Atlantic from Paris to NYC. Clearly, this is no flash in the pan.

Created by a team of Harvard University students and their professor, the iPhone app takes photos and sends accompanying scents to the recipient. Users snap shots and tag the photo with a choice of scent notes. Got a picture of your nightly hot chocolate? Send some cocoa bean aromas with it. Showing off your posh new case of wine? Add some subtle notes of fermented grape to your message to give your recipients a fuller experience.

Of course, smell-o-vision is not an inbuilt piece of hardware in any smartphone just yet. To use oSnap, recipients must purchase a scent-transmitter called an oPhone before they can smell a thing. That might sound like quite a catch right now, but the developers are raising funds to mass-produce the oPhone for home use. The planned price tag is $199 – not a small amount of money, but depending on how realistic the smells are, it could take off.

The oPhone and oSnap are not the first modern technologies to harness the power of scent. The Scentee app uses scent cartridges that plug into smartphones and emit luxurious smells like ribs and buttered potatoes. Based on the understanding that aroma has a huge influence on the eating experience, the app aims to improve a bland dish with twelve fancy olfactory options including strawberry, cinnamon roll and even curry.

What the Heck is Cramming?

Network carrier T-Mobile was last week charged with making hundreds of millions of dollars after ignoring a text scam known as ‘cramming’. The FTC accused the company of complicity in the scheme, which works by attaching unusual additional charges to mobile games and text message services. Such charges are added to monthly phone bills without user permission, and network carriers like T-Mobile frequently take a cut.

Crammers rely on the often-confusing nature of phone bills to sneak in extra charges, and wireless carriers play their part by allowing third-party charges to form part of a monthly bill. Cramming companies are known to have targeted T-Mobile subscribers, but the carrier continued to allow charges to be added even after indications of fraud emerged.

Typically, credit card companies investigate potential fraud if more than 1% of customers alert them to unauthorized charges and request a refund. The FTC claims up to 40% of customers who received charges asked for a refund.

Although a number of states have passed anti-cramming laws, the FTC remains the primary watchdog for consumer fraud. They recently reached a $10 million settlement with a group of companies responsible for a major cramming scheme, and last year saw Verizon settle a class action lawsuit by agreeing to refund every single cramming charge to customers who requested their money back.

The sting in the tail for T-Mobile is that their inaction is entirely at odds with their carefully constructed image as the consumer-friendly ‘un-carrier’. Positioning themselves as a more ethical alternative to their rivals, this sort of publicity is going to cause serious harm to T-Mobile’s brand.

The good news for consumers is that the cat’s out of the bag, and the four major American carriers – Big Red, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile – have all agreed to drop most forms of third-party text message billing charges. Cramming is no longer such an attractive proposition for scammers, who will have to look elsewhere to defraud consumers.

If you think you have been crammed, you should lodge a complaint with your carrier and  with the FTC. The sooner you get the ball rolling on, the sooner you should get a refund. Similarly, if you have other queries about your phone bill, the FTC remains the best place to look for advice. 

Group Text Opt Out Coming to iOS 8

 

This month’s Worldwide Development Conference keynote saw Apple unveil several new features coming to iOS 8. The trick that’s prompted the most enthusiastic response from the Twittersphere (and beyond) isn’t the improved photo storage. It isn’t even the ability to turn your phone into a remote control for your entire home. No, the thing that’s got the internet all aflutter is Apple’s announcement that users will now be able to leave group text messages.

There was celebration from anyone sick of hearing the constant vibrations from their partner’s handset as the family group text about the current episode of Game of Thrones rumbles on. Short of hiding the phone in a closet, nothing could be done to quell the nightmarish spectre of endless back and forth texting. The update allows users to mute the notifications if they want to catch up on the conversation later, or just leave the group chat altogether.

The fuss surrounding the opt out option has more to do with the fact it’s taken this long to add such a simple feature than because of any great technical innovation. For that, iPhone users are looking to some of the other new features coming to their devices as the fall release date approaches. Features like app icons popping up on the lock screen according to location, allowing users to easily access, say, the Starbucks app while in store. It’s not just major retailers - one Twitter reporter saw a lock screen-displayed app for a train station while standing on the platform.

Other improvements include Healthkit, a developer API that gathers and consolidates users’ health information from multiple fitness apps like Fitbit. The tool will help users accurately monitor health metrics by pooling date from third party apps. Healthkit has been tested with the assistance of the Mayo Clinic, giving it a doctor-approved credibility whilst helping to bridge the gap between patients, physicians and health-tracking wearables and software.

Siri is receiving the usual slew of updates. She is now available on voice command (with the phrase “Hey, Siri”) and has also added the popular Shazam song recognition software, 22 new dictation languages and streaming voice recognition. App security has been radically improved, too. Developers will now be able to access Touch ID for the first time.

Despite these major leaps forward, the subject on everyone’s lips is the ability to leave group messages. It just goes to show, you can come up with the most sophisticated voice recognition tool in history, but if you really want to impress your customers, give them the simple thing they’ve been asking for all these years. If it means they can switch off their family text marathon, they’ll be eternally grateful.

 

 

 

Volkswagen Challenge Distracted Driving to Devastating Effect

In Hong Kong, car manufacturer Volkswagen teamed up with a local movie theater to produce a public service announcement warning against the dangers of texting and driving.

The spot played to a packed theater, and used location-based broadcasting to hit the audience with a one-two punch: a text message sent to every member of the crowd followed by a sudden shock emerging from the silver screen. Watch the video to get the full impact:

There’s no doubting the smarts behind the campaign – although a cynic may doubt the veracity of the footage. For one thing, the geo-fencing technology used to issue a mass text usually requires recipients to opt-in. Were they asked to opt in to a contact list when they booked tickets? If so, were they not primed for some sort of interactive multimedia experience before sitting down? And what about cinema-goers who did not subscribe, or those who followed standard movie protocol and switched their phones off? It looks like everyone in the audience not only receives the text, but immediately reads it?

In fairness, this nitpicking misses the point. Real or staged, the clip brutally demonstrates the risks associated with texting and driving, and you have to applaud VW for sponsoring the campaign – after all, not many manufacturers are willing to show the fatal potential of their product, even in support of a good cause.

The video has rightly gone viral, and should be viewed by anyone who still doesn’t take distracted driving seriously - just as long as they don’t attempt to watch it from behind the wheel.

‘Text-to-Tow’ Alerts Introduced in Moscow

The applications of mass text alerts are many and varied. Some of the most remote, deprived communities on earth are getting better access to healthcare. Hostage negotiators are dealing with desperate people in a new way. Even emergency services are starting to respond to 911 calls sent via text.

Add to this impressive array of uses the recent initiative implemented by local authorities in Moscow. Drivers will soon be able to receive advance notice that their vehicle is about to be towed.

As of June, drivers who register for the service will receive a text alert 15 to 20 minutes before their car is moved, allowing them to move it themselves and thus avoid the astronomical towing and storage fees. A parking fine of 3000 rubles ($88) will still apply, according the report in Kommersant.

The initiative was set up by Moscow’s IT department in response to the introduction last year of multiple paid parking zones in the city. Anyone in violation of the restrictions faces a towing charge of between 3000 and 7000 rubles, in addition to the parking fine.

According to the city, more than 300 tow trucks are moving between 500 and 600 vehicles every day. Under the text scheme, traffic police simply check license plates against a database, before sending an SMS to any illegally parked driver who is signed up. The city hopes to save up to $2.6 million per month with the text alert system.

Moscow is leading the way when it comes to supporting its traffic police with technology. In 2012, the city began sending a network of cars with satellite positioning systems and dashboard cameras out to search the streets for parking violation which are then photographed. The fines are then mailed to drivers.

It’s not surprising that citizens would prefer to do things differently. And so far, 3.8 million of them have signed up for the unified alert system (which, in addition to traffic violations, also warns subscribers about community concerns like hot water availability).

As with so many of these ventures, it’s hard to tell whether it’s a flash in the pan, a regional solution to a specific problem – or something more. Could Moscow be the world’s guinea pig for reducing congestions, bad parking habits, and unwelcome fines? Is there a driver in the world that wouldn’t like access to a service that politely texts them so they have a chance to move their car before someone moves it for them? We think this one’s got legs, but only time will tell…

SMS Tackling Trade Barriers in Uganda

Non-tariff barriers to trade (NTBs) are restrictions placed on imports that don’t take the form of a tariff. In most cases they are frowned upon by the international community as a means of evading the free trade rules laid down by the World Trade Organization (WTO). An NTB may take the form of an import quota, special license application process, customs delays, technical barriers to trade, export subsidies – anything that could hamper the free exchange of good and services between countries.

Anyone with a cursory understanding of geo-politics will not be surprised to learn that Uganda is a repeat offender when it comes to flouting international etiquette and adopting an isolationist stance towards diplomatic relations. The country has recorded the highest number of NTBs in East Africa, according to an East African Community (EAC) report on the attempt to eliminate such practices. 

Last year, Uganda imposed a requirement on cigarette imports from Kenya, demanding they include at least 70% locally-grown tobacco content. This requirement runs counter to freedoms guaranteed under the Common Market Protocol. Since 1997, the country has similarly restricted beef products from Kenya. NTBs have been blamed for a stagnant market in East Africa, where intra-EAC trade has remained below 13% for three years.

To tackle the problem, the troubled country has turned to text message technology more commonly used by businesses in the USA as a mobile marketing tool. The information exchange system – set up at a cost of $100,000 – aims to provide a comprehensive record of NTBs to help Uganda move towards eliminating them.

Prior to the SMS messaging solution being implemented, Uganda ran an antiquated hard copy, pen and paper system that frequently hobbled or disappeared cases through bureaucracy and corruption. According to the country’s lead adviser on the issue, NTBs that were dealt with took between one and three months to get anywhere.

With SMS, messages about NTBs will reach the national response team immediately. Anyone experiencing a suspected barrier sends an SMS to code 201. The message – which costs around 6 cents – will go to the ministries of Trade and East African Community Affairs, who in turn will pressure the government department responsible for introducing the NTB to remove it.

The move arrives not a moment too soon for Uganda’s economy, which should – according to the EAC – be benefitting from regional trade to the tune of 25% of total trade volumes. Even that figure puts East Africa significantly below other trading blocs like the European Union, whose internal trade accounts for 55% of the total.

It’s another fascinating, unexpected application of SMS messaging, one designed to help some of the world’s poorest people level the economic playing field.

 

Apple CarPlay: Is it Safe?

Earlier this month, Apple unveiled CarPlay, which allows drivers to operate their in-dash display using their iPhone. A number of manufacturers - including Volvo, Mercedez and Ferarri - have already integrated the technology into their latest models.

Mobile marketing strategists are understandably excited about the possibilities for communicating data to consumers. Some uses are immediately obvious: linking auto diagnostic information to the web could guide drivers to the nearest repair shop in the event of a technical failure, for instance.

In the midst of all the buzz, safety groups have expressed concern that the bells and whistles of the technology may be a distraction to drivers. In an interview with CNN, David Teater, senior director at the nonprofit National Safety Council, said he was ‘very, very concerned’ by the technology. He described the rise of infotainment dashboards created by car manufacturers and tools developed by the electronics industry as ‘an arms race to see how we can enable drivers to do stuff other than driving.’

Phone use has been identified as the main factor in the majority of distracted driving incidents. Naturally, Apple claims to be making us safer by allowing almost every function to be performed with Siri voice commands. But a number of studies dispute the notion that hands-free phone usage is safer. Research conducted at Texas A & M Transportation Institute found driver reaction times doubled if they were texting – irrespective of whether it was hands-free or manual. A University of Utah study came to similar conclusions.

A few states have tried to tackle the problem by introducing phone bans, but such legislation is notoriously hard to enforce. Carmakers and tech companies suggest more technology is needed to improve safety, not less. Systems have already been developed to automatically brake cars or pull them back into the right lane. ‘Vehicle-to-vehicle’ technology promises to cut accident rates by allowing drivers to communicate with each other.

Another argument coming from pro-tech corners is that advances like CarPlay actually wallow passengers to help drivers concentrate on the road. Where second parties are in the vehicle, all navigation and other duties can fall to them. This, perhaps, could be where the potential lies for mobile marketing strategies.

Whichever side you’re on, and whatever the law in your state is, be safe on the roads: don’t text while driving.

In Case You Missed It: Last Week's Most Important Mobile Marketing News (September 20th Edition)

We know how hard it can be to keep up with all the stories that come across our screen, so every Monday we're recapping the previous week's most important stories.

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