The Mobile Marketing Blog - TellMyCell

Telus Promises Record-Breaking Refund in Premium Text Message Probe

Have you ever felt like your wireless carrier was ripping you off? That’s exactly what happened to thousands of former customers of three leading Canadian-based telecommunication companies. The Competition Bureau, a telecom watchdog, brought the investigation to focus in late 2015, when it challenged Telus to refund customer for charges made for premium text messaging services like ringtones and trivia games. The Bureau were originally seeking $10 million in customer rebates, but settled after Telus, a Vancouver-based telecom giant, offered $7.34 million, the largest-ever settlement reached by the organization. 

According to one report, while Telus did not personally gain from these premium services, they did support advertising (pop-up ads, apps and on social media) that misled their customers into signing up for subscriptions costing up to $40. After a five-month investigation, the bureau said third party providers collected these fees. Current and previous customers of Telus will be contacted soon to collect their rebates.

 

Score one for the consumers!

Meanwhile, there’s other shady behavior to report from our telecom neighbors to the north. In addition to the Telus investigation, the bureau is also investigating Rogers and Bell, for similar illegal charges collected by a third party. In March of 2015, Rogers agreed to pay $5.42 million in damages. The Bell investigation is ongoing. 

 

Lessons for Consumers

There are a few major takeaways from this telecom debacle that everyone should pay attention to. First, let this be a lesson to everyone enrolled in a carrier’s auto pay system. Never looking at a bill or service charges could mean you’re getting charged for services you don’t know about. If you don’t look for these fraudulent charges, you’re only going to notice them when they’ve impacted your checking account. Make an effort to observe and understand your usage fees and extra charges each month to avoid accidentally paying a third party for ringtones and apps you don’t want. 

Also, this event serves as a huge wake-up call to people in Canada (as well as the U.S.) that these large telecommunications conglomerates are trouble if not supervised or regulated. The carriers are conduits used to exploit their customers. While they get slapped on the hand with a hefty fine, third party offenders are none the worse for wear. It’s important that illegal charges like the ones in Canada be taken seriously by the general public.

In a time when cell phones have become less a personal preference and more a living necessity, it’s imperative that the public is protected against the potential wrongdoing of the telecommunication companies at home and abroad. We rely on them every day to make our lives run smoothly, each carrier is extremely profitable, and yet they would allow this kind of behavior to occur again and again. 

Until we can ensure regulatory action to prevent these types of fees and charges, all individuals should be looking at their cell phone bills to ensure they don’t become victims.

Last Call for Motorola

The Motorola brand will soon be no more. Smartphone manufacturer Lenovo is giving the U.S. mobile phone trailblazer’s name the ol’ heave-ho due to an acquisition over two years old. 

Motorola invented the cell phone, with famous creations including the flip phone, the Razr, and the iconic Brick. David Beckham is one of many well-known faces who enjoyed the Razr. 

Lenovo is a smartphone and laptop manufacturer based in China that purchased Motorola from Google in January of 2014. It launched the Moto G at the start of 2014 with success, and took Motorola from a near-0 percent market share to a 6 percent share of sales in the UK. Motorola moved over 10 million smartphones in 2014’s third quarter, thanks to the popularity of the Moto G. 

 

The Future of Moto

Despite this success, Lenovo has decided to get rid of the Motorola name, though it will keep ‘Moto.’ All subsequent Motorola phones will fall under the Lenovo brand name. Moto will join Lenovo’s Vibe line, however what will become of the Moto E and G is still unknown. The manufacturer’s Motorola Mobility division will subsequently oversee their entire range of smartphones. 

A spokesperson for Lenovo commented that Motorola Mobility continues to exist as part of the company and serves as the engineering and design foundation for all of their mobile products. 

Reception to this news has been mixed. Many believe the end of Motorola is the end of an era regarding smartphone innovation, but that doesn’t mean the brand wasn’t flailing considerably over the past several years. Kantar WorldPanel analyst Carolina Milanesi noted that, while Lenovo is a decent brand, Motorola is an icon of the mobile phone world, and getting away from that might not be the best idea.

Ironically, Lenovo CEO Yang Yuanqing remarked that Motorola was the manufacturer’s “treasure” following the acquisition, and that they planned to protect the Motorola brand and make it stronger than ever.

Regardless, the Moto option is popular among Android fans, and the decision to kill the Motorola brand is likely a way to emphasize Moto. It’s also a chance for consumers to familiarize themselves with the Lenovo brand, which despite being the largest PC manufacturer in the world is still virtually unknown in terms of cell phones and other mobile devices. 

Lenovo will introduce the Moto as a high-end product, and simultaneously push its Vibe phone brand in the Moto market. Relationships and sales channels within Motorola territories will be used to market Vibe phones costing less than $100. Motorola Chief Operating Officer Rick Osterloh said he intends to bring Vibe options to the U.S. market, though it probably won’t happen in 2016. Osterloh compared Lenovo’s strategy to the coexistence of Banana Republic and Old Navy, which are both owned by Gap. 

He remarked that failing to cover the market from top to bottom didn’t make a whole lot of sense.

If you owned a Motorola Razr, StarTac, or even Rokr, the Motorola iTunes phone, you’re probably feeling a bit nostalgic at the moment. 

 

 

 

Apple Dodge More Legal Wrangles

A federal judge threw out a case against Apple, claiming the tech giant used its iMessage system to intercept text messages to Android phones. The case also claimed Apple prevented these messages from being sent, but the courts ruled earlier this year that it wasn’t of the class action variety. The plaintiffs—a husband, wife, and family friend—had attempted to prove the company was violating federal wiretap laws. 

These plaintiffs were Apple users who switched to Android between 2012 and 2014. The case started when an iCloud issue prevented iMessage texts from reaching their destinations. The plaintiffs said the glitch resulted in illegal surveillance. They noted that Apple keeping the “contents” of iMessages sent from iPhones to Android phones and sometimes failing to deliver the messages was a violation of the Stored Communications Act and Federal Wiretap Act.

 

Apple’s Response 

The company argued that because the plaintiffs sued after they switched to Android, they really didn’t have a case. Apple said in its court motion that this made it impossible to know whether texts sent to their “iMessage-associated numbers went to their Apple or Android devices.” 

Apple eventually fixed the problem, but won’t have to fork over monetary compensation. The company created a website that de-registers phone numbers from their iMessage service, though users can also disable iMessage on their iPhones before placing their SIM cards in Android devices. 

“Apple takes customer satisfaction extremely seriously, but the law does not provide a remedy when, as here, technology simply does not function as [the] plaintiff subjectively believes it should,” a spokesperson for the company said in a statement. 

Several carriers are now offering features similar to iMessage, including the ability to see what the other person is typing. T-Mobile, for example, announced last summer that the Samsung Galaxy S5 and S6 phones would feature advanced messaging services through a software update. Features include “rich” one-on-one group messaging, such as near-real-time chat and the ability to share high-res photos and videos up to 10 MB. This is in addition to seeing what the person you’re chatting with is typing. 

T-Mobile says their advanced messaging service “is built to work across all devices, makers and operating systems--and wireless operators."

Ironically, some note that the Apple case is reminiscent of something Steve Jobs said in 2010. Jobs announced that Apple was going to make FaceTime an open standard, but it never happened. And while the concept of having FaceTime video chat functionality available in more devices and applications is an attractive one, it’s still unlikely to occur anytime soon. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as some industry experts argue Facetime is simply a way for Apple to keep its customers. 

Will more cases like Apple’s crop up in reaction to advanced text messaging services, or did the company nip the problem in the bud? The plaintiffs weren’t able to prove Apple broke any laws, but the issue sure did annoy a lot of users who made the switch to Android. Hopefully, other companies will ensure such problems won’t occur before they roll out advanced messaging services. 

 

The Lab App Bringing Experimentation to Budding Scientists' Phones

Today’s kids get much of their information about the world from digital media, which is why companies like interactive media publisher FatRedCouch turn to phone and tablet apps when they want to appeal to children. FatRedCouch has partnered with Genius Brands International, a brand management company that focuses on marketing to kids from toddler to tween age, to create the Thomas Edison’s Secret Lab app. This app is the first mobile app built for Genius Brand International's animated children’s series, Thomas Edison’s Secret Lab. It’s an app that kids can use to explore science in their own way, on their own time.

To fully appreciate the new Thomas Edison’s Secret Lab app, and the potential it has to inspire and enlighten children, let’s take a look the activities that the app offers and how it supports the learning that happens on the Thomas Edison’s Secret Lab cartoon series.

 

The Lab App

The Thomas Edison’s Secret Lab app will be a self-contained play environment for kids that allows them to perform experiments at home. Children will be able to play games that revolve around scientific theory and they’ll have the chance to read about famous inventors. The Lab App will feature a screening room that presents clips from the Thomas Edison’s Secret Lab animated series, and it will feature activities based on these clips. The Lab App will be an easy-to-use application for iPhone and Android that engages kids and “involves them in the series as members of the Secret Lab Kids’ Club,” according to GBI’s Present of Global Consumer Products, Stone Newman.

 

The Thomas Edison’s Secret Lab Show

Kids can certainly play The Lab App without having watched the Thomas Edison’s Secret Lab show, but the app is specifically designed to be a learning tool that expands on the knowledge kids already receive by enjoying the cartoon series. The Thomas Edison’s Secret Lab show is a comedy series from GBI that stars one of the greatest inventors in history and his madcap band of supporting characters, all who teach children how much fun learning about science can be. The series takes place in Thomas Edison’s secret lab, which he built to include a virtual version of himself and his partly completed robot, Von Bolt. Hidden for years, his secret lab was finally discovered by Angie, a 12-year-old science prodigy, who cracked a code to get inside.

As children watch the adventures of Annie and her friends on the animated series, they laugh, have fun, and learn things about the world through science. Now, with the creation of The Lab App, kids can become involved in the scientific experiments, investigations, and journeys of Thomas Edison’s Secret Lab in a way that has promises to teach them even more that can be learned through a cartoon. Through participation in The Lap App projects and activities, scientific facts, questions, and revelations become more understandable. With The Lab App, kids can begin to realize that they too have what it takes to be a real scientist and to make a difference in their world through their inquisitive natures. The Lab App is another example of how access to digital media is opening more doors for young and old to help change the future for the better.

Mobile Shopping & the Mom Majority

Marketers know that, in many households, moms control the purse strings, making daily judgements on what to buy for their families. It’s safe to assume that a significant portion of those purchases are made using mobile devices. But a recent study suggests an increase in mobile shopping far beyond what anyone could have predicted.

The research, conducted by BabyCenter.com, highlights a rapidly growing trend among mothers to use smartphones as a smarter, more convenient shopping portal. It shows a 33% increase in completed purchases over the last year - bigger than the average figures across all demographics. Interestingly, much of this mobile activity begins as so-called ‘showrooming’ - 70% of respondents report using a mobile device for shopping and price-checking while inside a brick and mortar location. 

This is not all that surprising. Moms who make regular purchases of a wide variety of goods and services are in touch with up-to-the-minute market values, and know how to save money by comparing prices across competing brands. According to the survey, 56% of moms do this in-store, using their mobile devices. Mobile commerce for moms, then, is principally a money-saving endeavor, and any mobile marketing tactics used to target them should bear this in mind.

Of course, saving money with mobile goes beyond comparing costs. One of the most effective mobile marketing tactics - for all demographics - is the mobile coupon. Of the 1100 moms surveyed, 61% said they used mobile coupons. More than half reported using retailer apps, directly engaging with a specific brand from their devices.

Scanning, too, has experienced a surge in popularity among moms. Apps such as RedLaser and similar proprietary offerings from name brands allow users to scan for coupons, price comparison, or product information. Moms surveyed were 55% more likely than others to make a purchase after scanning an item.

The lessons for retailers? Offer a streamlined mobile experience that considers the needs of moms working to tight budgets and tighter schedules; provide scanning capabilities and in-store apps; give mobile coupons to loyal customers and to potential new customers as an enticements.

Moms (and, let’s not forget, stay-at-home dads responsible for running the household) are using mobile devices as part of their daily shopping habits, but that doesn’t mean they’re sitting ducks. They are some of the savviest shoppers out there, and will use the power of mobile to wring every last saving they can on behalf of their families. Connect with them in the right way and you’ll foster a sense of brand loyalty that will last after the youngest kid has been packed off to college.

New York Taxis Have Gone Mobile

If you’ve ever felt that the fare payment technologies in New York taxis were a little behind the times, you’re not alone. Clunky, confusing and with a digital display that looks like it hasn’t been updated since 1985, few will mourn the demise of the old fare meters (even though they are kinda cool looking). The entire system is loaded in favor of potentially unscrupulous cab drivers, with very little recourse for passengers who suspect they’re being scammed.

Happily, that demise is now under way. The New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission is rolling out a pilot program that will bring the iconic cabs into the Uber Age by installing GPS-based fare meters in 1,000 vehicles.  

For residents and tourists alike, the introduction of the pilot is a welcome move. Currently, the 13,500 taxi cabs roaming the streets of the Big Apple rely on an unwieldy combination of devices that track the number of times a wheel turns, and how long the cars stay in idle. Ultimately, it is hoped that all NYC cabs will be fitted with GPS and mobile payment systems contained on a single smartphone or tablet, replacing the assortment of outmoded technologies currently installed.

The move is long overdue, as New York cabs - and indeed, city taxis around the world - come to terms with the exploding popularity of Lyft, Uber, and other app-based ride-hailing services, which typically allow users to dictate their own routes (thereby eliminating the nefarious practice of longhauling) and, crucially, rate drivers based on the quality of the experience. These services have given the taxi industry a shake up - and it’s finally beginning to wake up. 

Bidding farewell to the taximeters and credit card readers will be easy for most New Yorkers, but even more pleasing to some is the removal of the much-loathed Taxi TV. The 12-hour ad loops first appeared in 2007; in 2011, it was second only to extortionate fares when passengers were asked to rate the worst elements of using a cab. 

 

Fighting Teen Smoking Rates with SMS

 

Almost all of us have had trouble kicking a bad habit. There are all kinds of remedies available to support the necessary changes in behavior, and one of the newest is text messaging. 

Mobile-based text messaging, or SMS, is currently taking on one of the most dangerous habits on the planet: cigarette smoking. QuitText, paid for by the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas, is focusing its effort on young smokers, particularly teens and individuals in their early twenties. 

What’s unique about this demographic is its sensitivity to mobile technology. According to Amelie Ramirez of the Texas Health Science Center, “…people in their early twenties spend a lot of time text messaging anyway, so this is a good way to reach them where they are.”

The program has a fairly simple design and function. Users just text IQUIT to a five-digit number and are then prompted to receive a set number of text messages per day encouraging them to stop smoking. The free service has users regularly update their smoking status and report relapses. Additionally, it offers emergency help for those that qualify. 

"This way if you are a teen who is smoking, your personal coach is there with you all the time," Ramirez said. 

So far, the default setting (four to eight daily messages) has been the most accepted with median use reaching 27 days of activity. While about half of the users did fail to report at least one update, relapse reports were considerably lower. 

In a recent study published by the Journal of Applied Biobehavioral Research, the most important feature of the program was its variability—the fact that young smokers were able to stick (more or less) to the program. 

According to the report, “Some users complied fully with the requirement to report status changes, while even among those who did not, many found QuitTxt to be very helpful, suggesting that perfect congruence between message content and quit status is not essential.”

In other words, whether or not users followed the program perfectly, they still felt good about the service—and sometimes that’s all you need to kick a bad habit.  

Nicotine remains one of the most addictive drugs and the most challenging for people to quit, despite overwhelming evidence of its risks to personal health and the health of others. 

If texting can somehow manage to break through to a few smokers and get them to quit, perhaps it’s a safe model that could be implemented to help aid others in ceasing addictive habits.

 

SMS Messaging for a Healthy Heart?

 

Is texting the proverbial wave of the future regarding heart health? A new study says yes.  

This study’s findings were recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Some 700 Australian heart patients participated in the study, which involved sending them information resulting in significant changes in blood pressure, as well as physical activity and cholesterol levels. It is proving to be an inexpensive, effective method of dealing with heart disease, the leading cause of death worldwide.

Research was led by Dr. Clara Chow of the University of Sydney’s George Institute for Global Health, and built on smaller studies that connected health-related texts to physical improvement. Dr. Chow and her team of researchers randomly assigned participants to receive their usual healthcare only, or usual care along with automated “healthy” text messages. The study, entitled TEXT ME, lasted six months. Message examples included: 

• Walking is cheap. It can be done almost anywhere. All you need are comfortable shoes & clothing.
• Try avoiding adding salt to your foods by using other spices or herbs.
• Studies show that stress, worry & loneliness can increase the risk of heart disease. Please talk to a health professional if you need help.
• Try identifying the triggers that make you want a cigarette & plan to avoid them.

Nearly one-third of the text message group reached “target levels” regarding four or more heart disease risk factors compared to just ten percent of the non-text group. Factors included exercising five times per week or more for at least 30 minutes, not smoking, and having blood pressure below 140 over 90. 

The study wasn’t long enough to determine if heart disease risk factor improvement resulted in fewer heart attacks. Additional problems included counting on patients to report physical activity levels, and not experimenting with more text messages to see if larger improvements would result.

However, the benefits have the power to potentially “reduce risk of recurrent heart attacks by at least a quarter if they were maintained long-term,” said Chow. “We think it is really important to see if they can be repeated elsewhere in Australia and internationally, and maintained long-term.”

Dr. Chow noted her involvement with a more sizable study that involves 20 centers in Australian rural, urban, and indigenous settings. The study will find out if “healthy” text messages sent to patients provide long-lasting benefits.  

"Well-conducted randomized clinical trials like TEXT ME demonstrate that mobile health interventions, even simple ones, can influence patient behaviors and improve risk profiles in the short term," remarked study co-author Dr. Zupin Eapen, an assistant professor of medicine at Duke University in North Carolina. “Other text-messaging trials promoting things like weight loss and smoking cessation have shown equally as promising results.”  

Dr. Eapen also said that, while there are many, many apps available to help patients monitor their heart health, few controlled studies concerning the apps’ effectiveness have been conducted.  

Will text messages or apps be proven to benefit heart health in the long term? Time will certainly tell. 

Washington Police Add More Text 911 Services

Now, there’s another way to get 911 help. In addition to dialing 911 in an emergency, you can text for assistance. 

Text messaging 911 is a tool that Washington police hope will help those who cannot call for aid. It’s a useful solution to crises in certain circumstances, but Washington police want to point out that calling 911 is almost always a better option.

The new texting services offer remedies for those who cannot call 911 in an emergency because it’s not safe to speak, phone service is out, they can’t speak, or they can’t reach traditional services for any other reason. It provides almost immediate assistance by giving people the ability to transmit their locations and the nature of the emergency via text message.

 

Fairfax County and Others Offer 911 Text Messaging Service

For anyone needing help in Fairfax County, including the towns of Herdon, Vienna, Clifton, and the city of Fairfax, text messaging 911 emergency services is an option.  

These areas join Frederick County, Maryland, in providing text-to-911 emergency services for anyone living in the counties or towns. Frederick County was one of the first jurisdictions in the United States to use the text-to-911 program. It was the first in the metro D.C. region as well.

Sprint, Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T customers can text their locations and emergencies to 911, and an operator will respond with assistance. In 2014, the Federal Communications Commission adopted rules that required all wireless carriers to enable 911 emergency texts for call centers that requested use of services. The FCC has spearheaded an effort to offer text-to-911 services across the country. 

Currently, about 6,100 emergency call centers in the U.S. provide text-to-911 services. But, Steve Souder, Director of Fairfax County Department of Public Safety Communications, states that only about 360 centers offer 911 text messaging. This places Fairfax County in an enviable position. The county call center is one of the 5 percent of 911 call centers that give this valuable option to its residents, and to those who work in the area.

 

Why Text 911?

It’s important to note that in most cases, calling 911 is the best option. Text messages usually take longer to go through then voice calls, so call if you can. But, in certain circumstances, texting 911 makes sense. A few of the situations in which text messaging 911 is a good idea include:

 

• When a person is deaf or hard-of-hearing
• When someone has a speech disability
• When a person is not in a safe place to speak to 911
• When a medical emergency makes someone incapable of speaking
• When one is in a place where voice calls will not go through
• When storms or disasters have shut down voice service

 

The future of 911 text messaging will allow people to text videos and photos of their emergencies. The next generation of 911 services will look nothing like they do today, which is why Washington police hope people will embrace the new 911 emergency service offerings.

Can Wileyfox Compete in the Android Marketplace?

 

Later this year, Wileyfox will debut two new smartphones in the Android market. The prospect of greater diversity in the smartphone arena is appealing, but is there space for new devices in a seemingly saturated marketplace?  

You have to give the British business some credit: after all, it’s not every day that a company attempts the impossible. Wileyfox has two models lined up for release: the Swift and the Storm. The only thing more generic than the product titles is the styling of the phone, which looks pretty standard: big, slick screen and beveled edges—no sense in reinventing the wheel, right?  

What the phone lacks in aesthetics, however, it makes up for in personalization and price. We’re all so acclimated to high smartphone prices that the thought of buying a $200 handset sounds more like a gimmick than a feasible alternative to a luxury-priced iPhone. This is where Wileyfox begins to separate itself from big competitors. At about $200 for the Swift and $300 for the Storm, these budget cellphones aim to provide users with an affordable device with some interesting features. 

 

New and Exciting Features

The three most relevant and distinguishing features consumers are likely to notice focus on specific user preferences. Wileyfox has chosen to use Cyanogen OS rather than regular Android, which allows the user to customize settings that we normally don’t think about while using a smartphone—things like font, interface graphics, and colors to name a few. This OS also allows a bit more security with regards to app management. Additionally, the phone comes with Truecaller, which is yet another layer of protection against spam and telemarketers. 

Lastly, these phones come unlocked and ready to travel. Some say this is the smartest thing about this smartphone. Currently, most smartphones come locked, or ascribed to a certain service provider, which uses a designated network (GSM, 4G, LTE, CDMA) to offer service. While traveling outside of your local service area—especially internationally—staying connected to the network becomes increasingly problematic if not altogether impossible. Both Wileyfox phones have a dual-SIM feature, which allows the phones to travel easier without needing to connect with different carrier technologies. 

A lot of people are noting the similarities between Wileyfox and China’s budget version, called OnePlus. Wileyfox chose to install the same operating system, and plans to use similar viral marketing strategies to win consumers. But, so what?  Wileyfox is probably going to make the biggest impact on its home soil, solving a problem that most people in the EU deal with on a regular basis—outrageous roaming charges. 

Will Wileyfox be able to compete in the Android market? The jury’s still out. However, it’s no coincidence that the phone has been designed to move more freely while roaming, or that the security is beefed up for people on the go. This phone directly answers a need the people in Europe have. Will we see much of Wileyfox here in the US? That’s still up for debate. The Swift launches later this year in Europe and Asia, which will presumably be a test run for any chance it may have of surviving in the US Android market.