Emily Turrettini runs three high profile telecom blogs from Switzerland reporting easy to digest news on the developments in the evolving cell phone industry.
Tell me about what you do and the sites you run?
I’ve been a web editor for 10 years, first for netsurf.ch (a bilingual website covering Internet news) and for the last 2 and a half years, for 3 blogs in English devoted to cell phone usage (textually.org, picturephoning.com, ringtonia.com). Over the years, I’ve written free lance off and on for different French and Swiss Internet magazines and co-wrote the first book about blogs in French with Cyril Fiévet, “Blog Story” (published in October 2004).
I’m also a guest blogger on Smart Mobs.com, Pointblog.com (in French) and have just started at Agoravox.com.
Phew!! In terms of the cell phone blogs, what led you to choose such a niche subject, there aren’t that many other phone blogs are there?
I became interested in text messaging in 2001, at the time I was following Internet news, but articles were appearing now and then. So I started a daily Chronicle (in French) on my website netsurf.ch, reporting how people and businesses were using SMS. When America started voting on American Idol by SMS, I felt the time was right to open something in English. And a blog was the perfect tool, offering a quick, powerful and automated way to publish. My blogs are meant to be a resource center, a useful tool for anyone doing research on the social impact of cell phones. The categories are very detailed, allowing to search easily for information in very specific areas, such as politics, religion, litterature, business, music, marketing, gaming, porn. I follow the SMS campaigns around the world which have successfully raised money for charities, how businesses and the arts are using SMS. How cell phones are being used by terrorists or helping investigators incriminate criminals, used as evidence in court. How cellphones have turned out to be a godsend to the Deaf and Hearing impaired. The other blog online that covers this subject would be Howard Rheingold’s Smart Mobs. But his blog covers a wider subject than just cellphones, including other communication and computing technologies.
How do you choose the content you write about?
I’m really interested in the way people around the world are using their cell phones and how it’s transforming society. For instance, I follow the privacy issues surrounding camera phones and the emergence of the new citizen reporters, I try and keep track of the music industry’s foray into this new mobile business – or how ringtone were used for the first time to destabilize a governemnt (a cellphone sound clip spread allegations that the President of the Philippines tried to fix the result of last year’s election) and how cell phones are transforming people’s lives on daily basis. There are cell phones in countries that not only lack landline infrastructures, but have no water pumps or electricity. Where fisherman and farmers can check market prices to know of a fair trade rate for their produce. In these developping countries, cell phones are bridging the digital divide and boosting economies with simple business ventures based around mobile phones, such as renting out minutes. The impact of cell phones is huge. With cell phone antennas at their borders, smuggled phones into North Korea are allowing for a freer flow of information. Reports of oppresion filter out. Cell phones will be instrumental some day in the fall of this opppressive regime.
What themes and trends can you see emerging in the telecom market?
In terms of technology, phones with better definition for taking pictures, 2 megapixel cameraphones are becoming the norm and in South Korea, Samsung is already selling a 7 megapixel cameraphone. Longer lasting battery power, phones with hard disks, phones that play real music and will soon stock so many songs they will give iTunes a run for it’s money.
What brands in the telecom marketplace do you find interesting?
I’m not really qualified to answer that question, because I don’t keep up with brands and new cell phone models in an organized way, I pick up on articles that feature cell phones with breakthrough technology. Some of the more innovative features I’ve come across would be Samsung’s mobile handsets with motion recognition (built-in sensors that enable the device to recognize and translate the movement of the handset – by waving your cellphone in the air you can spell out a letter or play a game), Nokia’s cell phone with handwriting recognition, LG’s multitasking cellphone, allowing you to talk and send a picture at the same time, for the eco friendly, a cell phone plastic made of corn.
Some wonderful services? Being able to track the status of your visa application by text messaging (India), a WiFi SMS alert to find hot spots anywhere in the US, being able to pay your parking meter with a text message, and kwirky, South Korea’s anti-mosquito sound wave service (a classic!), or Shangai’s restroom locator.
What’s the big thing happening in mobile marketing?
Mobile marketing is just taking off in the US. Nike, Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, Heineken and Maybelline are some of the companies that have started to use mobile phones to target the American market, but interesting, according to a recent article in Adage, marketers are increasingly interested in mobile marketing, but the agencies aren’t (yet) there to help them and provide ideas and resources. One of the coolest campaigns I’ve read about, is Nike’s interactive billboard experience in Times Square last May. Passers by used their phones to interact with the 23-story billboard, customizing and even directly purchasing their own Nike shoe.
What tips would you give a marketer who is about to run a mobile marketing campaign?
Research successfull mobile campaigns, find a good agency. Check out textually’s Marketing Category and 160characters.org is a great source daily. Also they will be reporting on Australia’s Mobile Marketing and Advertising 2005 Awards (final entries were due end of July.) That should be interesting.
How can a brand / company get involved with your site/services?
Just send me an e-mail! emily@netsurf.ch
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