Microsoft, Nokia and carrier partners are planning a $100 million marketing push for the Nokia Ace (also known as the Lumia 900) when it launches in the United States. While the Ace isn’t yet official, it has been rumored that AT&T will unveil the device during the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas next week. We exclusively reported in November that the Ace will offer a 1.4GHz processor, a 4.3-inch ClearBlack display and an 8-megapixel camera. Other reports have suggested it will run Windows Phone 7.5 (Mango) and support AT&T’s 4G LTE network. According to BetaNews, the Ace will hit AT&T store shelves in March where it will receive “hero” status. It is unclear how Microsoft, AT&T and Nokia will split the $100 million in marketing, but the hero status suggests it will be the focus of AT&T commercials, print ads, digital ads and in-store marketing.

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A company called Cellrderm has taken Microsoft to court over its Windows Phone “Really” advertisements, according to Adweek. Cellrderm, a gag company that creates commercials for a fake Cellrderm “cell abuse aid” product, argues that it owns the copyrights to the creative content used in Microsoft’s ads and that Microsoft copied its work in its “Bedroom” and “Bathroom” commercials. You’ve probably seen the ads on TV: in one, a man is too busy on his phone to pay attention to his wife in the bedroom. In another, an executive drops his phone in the urinal and reaches to pick it up. “The Microsoft commercials copy both the sequence of events and the character interplay found in the Cellrderm commercials,” the company wrote in the lawsuit, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. “The Microsoft commercials also copy other copyrightable expression, including but not limited to clothing, gestures, character appearance, camera angles, and other visual elements from the Cellrderm Commercials.” Cellrderm is seeking damages and has asked the court to block Microsoft from airing the commercials.

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Nokia may be preparing to kick off a monstrous advertising blitz alongside the launch of its first round of Windows Phones, UK-based Marketing Magazine reports. The advertising campaign, which will apparently kick off in October when Nokia finally begins pushing out Microsoft-powered smartphones, is reportedly valued at just under $130 million. The new global campaign will seemingly be a rebranding mission of sorts, and will reportedly run for six months. Nokia has a steep climb ahead as it attempts to slow its bleeding market share while simultaneously attempting to get customers on board with a fledgling Windows Phone operating system that has not been well received thus far. Despite our love of the platform here at BGR, Microsoft’s share of the U.S. smartphone market has dropped by 35% since Windows Phone first launched in November, and International sales have been lackluster so far according to reports. Looking past its slow start, however, some analysts believe Windows Phone will quickly become one of the most popular mobile operating systems in the world. Pyramid Research, for example, believes Nokia will help propel Windows Phone sales faster than even Android saw during its rapid ascent to the No. 1 spot. Pyramid expects global Windows Phone sales to top Android in 2013.

[Via Engadget]

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Amazon announced on Wednesday that AT&T will sponsor a new Kindle 3G with Special Offers, a deal that has lowered the price of the device $50 to $139.99. In a statement, AT&T’s CEO Ralph de la Vega said that the Kindle 3G is “by far the fastest growing connected device” on AT&T’s network. Amazon’s “Special Offers” devices come at the cost of ad-sponsored content. Users will see advertisements at the bottom of the screen and can launch the “AdMash” Kindle application to choose which advertisements are displayed. The $114 Kindle Wi-Fi with Special Offers device, which launched in April, is currently the best selling version of the popular eReader. Read on for the full press release.

AT&T To Sponsor Kindle 3G

New Kindle 3G with Special Offers price is $139 – still no monthly fee or annual contract; Never pay for or hunt for a Wi-Fi hotspot; Kindle 3G customers read more

Seattle, Washington, July 13, 2011

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With Kindle 3G, there’s no wireless set up, and no paying for or hunting for Wi-Fi hotspots.  Kindle 3G’s always-on global wireless connectivity means that wherever you are – at the beach, on the train, or stuck on the tarmac – no problem, you can download books and periodicals in less than 60 seconds and start reading instantly.  Amazon pays for Kindle’s 3G wireless connectivity, which means the convenience of 3G comes with no monthly fees, data plans, or annual contracts.  Today, Amazon.com announced that AT&T has agreed to sponsor Kindle 3G with Special Offers and that it is now available at a new price of $139.  Kindle 3G with Special Offers is the same as the $189 Kindle 3G, plus money-saving special offers and sponsored screensavers.

“Kindle 3G is more convenient – customers never have to hunt for or pay for a Wi-Fi hotspot – they simply download and read books anytime, anywhere.  Kindle 3G customers read 20 percent more books, and take advantage of twice as many special offers,” said Jeff Bezos, Founder and CEO, Amazon.com.  “A big thank you to AT&T for helping to make the new $139 price possible.”

“Kindle 3G is by far the fastest-growing connected device on the AT&T network. We consistently hear from customers how much they enjoy the freedom of not being tied to a Wi-Fi hotspot and instead being able to download and read new books anytime, anywhere on AT&T’s fast, reliable network,” said Ralph de la Vega, President and CEO, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets.  “We are excited to sponsor Amazon’s best Kindle – Kindle 3G with Special Offers – at the new lower price of only $139.”

Kindle 3G includes all the same features that helped make the third-generation Kindle the #1 bestselling e-reader in the world:

• Free 3G wireless, no annual contracts, no monthly fees
• Global 3G coverage means books in under 60 seconds in over 100 countries and territories
• Paper-like Pearl electronic ink display, no glare even in bright sunlight
• Lightweight body for hours of comfortable reading with one hand
• Kindle Store with over 950,000 books – largest selection of the most popular books
• Seamless integration with free “Buy Once, Read Everywhere” Kindle apps for iPad, iPod touch, iPhone, Android, PC, Mac, BlackBerry and Windows Phone

Learn more at www.amazon.com/kindle.

Amazon on Monday revealed a new discounted version of its popular Kindle eBook reader. Amazon’s announcement came on the same day Barnes & Noble announced its all-new NOOK eReader. When asked during a Q&A session after Monday’s press conference if Barnes & Noble would ever consider releasing an ad-supported NOOK, CEO William Lynch laughed and said it was highly unlikely — but Amazon seems to be having some success with the ad-supported model. Joining the company’s $114 ad-supported Wi-Fi Kindle is the new $164 Kindle 3G, which gives consumers the option of saving $25 and dealing with advertisements. The device is otherwise identical to the standard Kindle 3G, which features a Pearl E Ink display, a full QWERTY keypad and free 3G connectivity. Hit the break for the full press release.

Introducing the Lowest Price 3G E-Reader – Kindle 3G with Special Offers for Only $164 Same features as latest-generation Kindle 3G – free 3G wireless, Pearl E Ink display, up to two months of battery life and more – plus sponsored screensavers and money-saving special offers

SEATTLE, May 24, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) –

(NASDAQ:AMZN)–Last month, Amazon.com introduced Kindle with Special Offers, a new member of the Kindle family that gives customers access to money-saving special offers. Just five weeks later, Kindle with Special Offers became the bestselling member of the Kindle family in the U.S. Today, Amazon announced that it is now making special offers available for Kindle 3G. Kindle 3G with Special Offers is available starting today for only $164 and ships immediately. At just $164, Kindle 3G with Special Offers is the lowest price of any 3G e-reader, and includes the latest Pearl electronic ink display. Learn more about the entire Kindle family, including the $114 Kindle with Special Offers and the new $164 Kindle 3G with Special Offers, at www.amazon.com/kindle3G.

“Kindle is the bestselling e-reader in the world. It’s been just six weeks since we introduced the new $114 Kindle with Special Offers, and already customers have made it the bestselling member of the Kindle family,” said Jay Marine, Director, Amazon Kindle. “In response to customer requests, we’re now making these money-saving special offers available for Kindle 3G. You will get all the features readers love about Kindle 3G – free 3G wireless, global wireless access, Pearl electronic ink display that’s easy to read even in bright sunlight, access to over 950,000 ‘Buy Once, Read Everywhere’ Kindle books – all for just $164 – the lowest price for any 3G e-reader.”

Special offers that will be available in the coming weeks include:

• $10 for a $20 Amazon.com Gift Card – customers loved this offer, so we’re making it available again in time for Father’s Day
• Save up to $500 off Amazon’s already low prices on HDTVs with a unique 20% discount on 200 HDTVs from brands including Sony, Panasonic, LG, and VIZIO
• $1 for a Kindle book, choose from thousands of books including Water for Elephants and the Hunger Games trilogy
• Spend $10 on Kindle books and get a free $10 Amazon.com Gift Card

Kindle 3G with Special Offers includes all the same features that helped make the third-generation Kindle the #1 bestselling product in the history of Amazon.com:

• Free 3G wireless , no annual contracts, no monthly fees
• Global 3G coverage means books in under 60 seconds in over 100 countries and territories
• Paper-like Pearl electronic ink display, no glare even in bright sunlight
• Lightweight 8.7 ounce body for hours of comfortable reading with one hand
• Up to two months of battery life with wireless off eliminates battery anxiety
• Kindle Store with over 950,000 books – largest selection of the most popular books
• Seamless integration with free “Buy Once, Read Everywhere” Kindle apps for Android, iPad, iPod touch, iPhone, PC, Mac, BlackBerry and Windows Phone

Kindle 3G with Special Offers is available for immediate shipment to customers in the U.S. at www.amazon.com/kindle3G.

Learn more about the new Kindle 3G with Special Offers at www.amazon.com/aboutkindlespecialoffers. Advertisers and agencies interested in learning more about Kindle sponsorship opportunities can contact kindle-sponsorships@amazon.com.

As we prepare to finally get our first taste of Sony Ericsson’s Xperia PLAY here in the U.S., we can’t help but think back and remember Sony Ericsson’s hilarious Web-only spots starring Kristen Schaal. We laughed, we cried, and we even readdressed them in a feature covering gaming as a differentiating factor for Sony Ericsson moving forward. It has been a couple of months since the spots first ran but they’re still racking up hits on YouTube, and we’re happy to report that BGR has managed to obtain a blooper reel containing outtakes from the filming of these promo spots. As funny as Schaal was in the videos, we’re sure there are hours of hilarious outtakes hidden away in a studio somewhere. While we do our best to hunt down all the footage, hit the break for a quick compilation of outtakes from the Schaal promos.

Apple has reportedly confirmed to a developer that it is no longer serving advertisements tied to its iAd platform in iOS apps geared toward children. When Mike Zornek — developer of Dex, a free Pokemon app for the iPhone and iPod touch — noticed iAd ads were no longer being served in his app, he contacted iAd support. The purported reply he received from Apple reads as follows:

Hello Michael,

We periodically review the apps in the iAd Network to ensure that all apps receiving ads are aligned with the needs of our advertisers. Currently, our advertisers prefer that their advertising not appear in applications that are targeted for users that are young children, since their products are not targeted at that audience.

We appreciate your understanding.

Best Regards,

 iAd Network Support Apple, Inc. 1 Infinite Loop Cupertino, CA 95014

Apple’s iAd product hasn’t been the sweeping success many thought it would be when the company announced the product last year. Apple has since cut its minimum spend in half to $500,000, and it also tried to draw attention to the platform with a gallery of iAd ads packed into a dedicated iOS app. It now looks as though Apple is trying to add further appeal to its iAd product by delivering a network that is more targeted than several competitive networks might be. Of course developers like Zornek stand to suffer from the changes, and in typical Apple fashion, no notice was given to developers. “And that’s how an iAd supported version of Dex died,” Zornek wrote on his blog. “No warning, no notice and inevitably no respect to the developers who have cenetered [sic] their app’s revenue model around the iAd platform.”

[Via MacStories]

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Toyota recently launched a publicized campaign that placed a special Scion-branded theme pack in the Cydia store for jailbroken iPhone users to enjoy. The move was seen as progressive considering Toyota’s decision to embrace the jailbreak community, but a new report reveals that the theme pack has since been pulled from Cydia. According to the report, Toyota’s advertising agency claims Toyota was contacted by Apple and asked to have the theme removed from Cydia. Toyota complied, of course, and had its agency contact the theme’s publisher to have it taken down immediately. Apple has been openly opposed to the jailbreak community in the past, and this latest move hardly comes as a surprise.

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According to data released by The Nielson Company in March, Sony Ericsson’s share of the U.S. smartphone market is barely a blip on the radar. Apple and RIM combine to own more than half the market, HTC is coming up behind them with 19%, Motorola holds 11%, Samsung has a 7% share and Sony Ericsson sits somewhere in the “Other” category, grouped among an undefined number of nameless manufacturers that combine to share roughly 3% of the smartphone market in the U.S. But Sony Ericsson smartphones are preparing to invade American soil, and the company’s assault just started with a boob-stab.

Read on for our full feature including an exclusive interview with the creative team behind Sony Ericsson’s Xperia PLAY ads.

Nearly every major research firm that covers the wireless industry has predicted that Android will continue to grow until it becomes a smartphone platform even more dominant than Symbian was in its heyday. And Google’s mobile OS is well on its way; major players like Samsung, HTC and Motorola have flooded the market with so many Android devices, it is becoming the go-to platform for consumers by default. Millions of users around the world seek out Android for its flexibility and its feature set, of course, but millions more buy Android phones simply because they’re there. Android is what carriers are selling, so Android is what subscribers are buying.

And so a new challenge is born: how does one manufacturer differentiate its devices from the hoards of other Android phones that tout nearly identical specifications, similar features and a similar user experience?

The first generation of devices use a UI layer to differentiate themselves from other manufacturers’ offerings. HTC has its Sense UI, Samsung has TouchWiz, Motorola has the ever-changing MOTOBLUR UI, and so on. But it’s not enough. These UI layers often add a great look and some additional functionality to Android phones, but beyond all the smoke and mirrors they’re still Android phones and they’re still quite similar.

So what’s next?

Rumors of a “PlayStation Phone” go back years, but Sony Ericsson was thinking bigger. One PlayStation Phone would only take the company so far, while an Android-based, PlayStation Certified mobile gaming platform could span numerous devices with various form factors that might appeal to different demographics.

And gamers… what a market to address. Sony has sold nearly 50 million PlayStation 3 consoles and about 103 million original PlayStations to date, and its PlayStation 2 console is the most popular video game system of all time with nearly 150 million units sold. The gaming industry is massive, and the Sony half of Sony Ericsson’s joint venture certainly knows gaming.

So for Sony Ericsson, that differentiating factor was actually born more than 16 years ago in December 1994, when Sony released the PlayStation gaming console. Gaming is in the company’s blood, and it will no longer hide from its heritage. What’s more, gamers are hungry for a smartphone option that affords a more complex and attractive gaming experience. Flicking birds at pigs is great for killing a few minutes while taking a break, but most mobile games don’t even come close to providing the immersive experience afforded by a dedicated console. Developers are beginning to create more immersive games for popular platforms like iOS, but the iPhone’s form factor and other limitations often result in a low ceiling for iOS games.

The mission is clear, and Sony Ericsson’s upcoming Xperia PLAY is the first device to feature the company’s new PlayStation gaming platform for smartphones.

But the smartphone market is anything but a field of dreams, where simply building a great device will bring millions of eager customers to a manufacturer’s doorstep. Building a product is only part of the battle. Sony Ericsson has to aggressively attack carriers around the world so its gaming phones are accessible to customers, and it must also climb to the top of every mountain and shout about its new phones as loud as it can. Or it could opt for a triple-kill.

Sony Ericsson has identified the U.S. as a key market for its new breed of smartphones, but the U.S. can be a tough nut to crack; just ask Nokia. Carriers are the only option for a successful route to market, but in many cases the real fight begins after a company works out a carrier deal. Without a solid marketing and advertising effort, even the most capable phones are doomed to collect dust on store shelves.

Enter Sony Ericsson’s creative team and McCann Worldgroup.

When it comes to advertising, you can’t game gamers. Young or old, video game fans are a discerning, finicky breed and influencing their buying decisions is a challenge creative professionals have struggled with for decades. There are several approaches that have proven successful over the years, however, and the most successful video game franchises in history have often left a trail of brilliant advertising campaigns in their wake.

Advertising is easy to dismiss, but there’s a reason more than $500 billion was spent globally on advertising in 2010. And the value of solid advertising can extend far beyond the immediate return garnered by sales of a specific product. Successful advertising campaigns can stick in the consumer’s head for weeks or even months, resulting in a mind share victory that might even impact sales for years.

“Throughout the years, everybody was speculating and waiting for what everyone was calling, up until now, ‘the PlayStation Phone,’” Sony Ericsson’s Head of Marketing Activations for the Americas, Adaliz Vicens, told BGR in an interview. With so much riding on the device, which will be the first to bring PlayStation gaming — Sony Ericsson’s new point of differentiation — to the Android platform, Sony Ericsson had to swing for the fences when introducing its coming smartphone to the masses.

The company started strong with a commercial that premiered during Super Bowl XLV, but a series of Web-only promotional spots really set the Internet abuzz last month. While the audience for these spots might not have been Super Bowl-sized, the hilarious premise and the soft spoken starlet who was able to transform herself into a swirling ball of rage at the drop of a hat — or, at the drop of the Xperia PLAY’s dedicated game controller — will remain on the minds of millions of viewers for quite some time.

The promos were the brainchild of acclaimed creative firm McCann Worldgroup, and were actualized by Creative Director Sean Bryan and his team. They star actress and comedian Kristen Schaal, who manages to pull off a unique brand of schizophrenic comedy perfectly.

“We knew we wanted to get somebody who had two sides to them because the phone has two sides to it,” Bryan said during an interview with BGR. “So we started off talking about somebody who has a very clean-cut, presentable, official side, and then when they open [the Xperia PLAY], can go to a more intense or out-there side. Some weeks later we arrived at Kristen, who was sort of the perfect find for that; and boy, did she ever bring a lot to the spots in production.”

Schaal — perhaps best known for her work on HBO’s Flight of the Conchords, her quirky segments on Comedy Central’s The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and her voice work for Disney’s Toy Story 3 — is undoubtedly the star of the show. And yet she still manages to leave the viewer with a strong desire to pick up an Xperia PLAY and shoot someone in the face… once his or her bellowing laughter subsides, of course.

But it’s not just hardcore gamers Sony Ericsson is after, and the recurring phrase from Sony Ericsson’s campaign points to a broader range of consumers who might find the device appealing. “The smartphone with everything you need… and the one thing you want,” the ads state. This is an important message for Sony Ericsson to convey as it tries to avoid having its new smartphones painted into a corner.

“We really wanted to say two things with these communications and really, with everything we’ve done about the phone,” Bryan said. “On its own, without the gaming functionality, it’s a really top-notch smartphone. And then when you slide it open, it kind of turns into a whole different experience.”

Sony Ericsson sees a huge untapped market in young professionals who need a modern, capable smartphone but also have a suppressed urge to return to the gaming roots of their childhoods. “Lapsed gamers,” as Bryan calls them.

“[The Xperia PLAY] is meant to reacquaint you with that gamer side,” said Bryan. ”There’s a lot of people out there whose gaming has been reduced to Doodle Jump, or less immersive gaming experiences.” And Sony Ericsson’s new smartphone is designed to give them the more immersive gaming experiences they crave — knowingly or unknowingly — while also providing high-end specs and all of the functionality one might need in an Android smartphone.

While conducting research during the development process that ultimately yielded the Xperia PLAY, Sony Ericsson found that approximately 65% of smartphone users play games on their phones, Vicens revealed. With over 300 million smartphones sold last year and an estimated 450 million smartphones expected to be sold in 2011, that’s a pretty huge target market. Add to that the hoards of “lapsed gamers” who might might not currently spend much time with cell phone games due to the lack of a truly immersive experience, and Sony Ericsson is seemingly on a path with limitless potential.

The shot heard ’round the world is said to have instigated the Battle of Concord, marking the beginning of the American Revolutionary War. It may very well be that the boob-stab heard ’round the world, delivered during what might now be referred to as Schaal’s Battle of Conchords, will help Sony Ericsson prepare for war as it takes on the giants of the smartphone industry in the U.S. and around the world.

Dear ad firm that put together Sony Ericsson’s latest round of Xperia PLAY promos: thank you. In its latest effort to garner some attention for its upcoming gaming Goliath, Sony Ericsson brought actress and comedian Kristen Schaal on board to go over some of the Xperia PLAY’s finer points. In the spots, Schaal uses the Xperia PLAY to shoot herself in the face, watch furry kittens, score a triple-kill, check herself out on YouTube and even… edit some spreadsheets. If you haven’t seen them all yet — and even if you have — hit the break to watch five different promo videos. Trust us, you’ll be glad you did.

Google still reigns supreme in the U.S. online video market, according to new data released Thursday by comScore. There were more than 5.0 billion U.S. internet video viewing sessions during the month of February, and 1.8 billion of them were on Google sites — which includes YouTube. Google was followed by Microsoft’s sites (48.8 million unique viewers and a total of 297 million viewing sessions), Yahoo! Sites (46.7 unique viewers and a total of 200 million total viewing sessions), Facebook.com (46.6 millon unique, 170 million total), and the music video site VEVO (45.9 million unique, 222 million total). Across the entire internet, viewers watched an average of 816 minutes of video each, 261 minutes of which were on Google’s sites. comScore also said that video ads reached 42% of Americans with U.S. citizens watching a total of 3.8 billion video ads in February. Hulu served the most impressions reaching 7.8% of the total U.S. population with 1.1 billion ads viewed.

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]]> http://www.bgr.com/2011/03/17/google-still-top-dog-in-u-s-online-video-market/feed/ 4 http://www-bgr-com.vimg.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/500x_hulu_vs_netflix110317211733-80x80.jpg http://www.bgr.com/2011/03/07/skype-adds-ads-to-desktop-software/ http://www.bgr.com/2011/03/07/skype-adds-ads-to-desktop-software/#comments Mon, 07 Mar 2011 23:31:42 +0000 Zach Epstein http://www.bgr.com/?p=79208

Skype announced on Monday that it will soon add advertisements to its desktop software. The move is thought to be an effort to introduce a new revenue stream ahead of the company’s IPO, which will occur this year. The new display ads will be rolled out in the U.S., U.K. and Germany this week, and they will appear on the Home tab of Skype’s desktop software. Initial ad buys that will begin running as soon as Skype’s new ads go live come from companies including Groupon, Universal Pictures and Visa. While Skype’s long-term plans remain unclear, the company said that it will initially only display ads from a single brand each day. For the time being, Skype’s ads will appear only in its Windows client, not its Mac application.

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AT&T on Monday announced ShopAlerts, a new mobile advertising service that will introduce location-based ads to the AT&T wireless network. The service, developed by AT&T Advanced Ad Solutions and Placecast, will serve advertisements and special offers to subscribers’ cell phones when they are in the vicinity of a participating retailer. Initially, the service is only being offered in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and San Francisco. “We are proud to take mobile marketing into the future with this unique offering that is being embraced by consumers and brands alike,” said Greg McCastle, senior vice president of AT&T Advanced Ad Solutions, in a statement. “ShopAlerts by AT&T enables brands/advertisers to help link consumer engagement with activation and ultimately to the point of sale.” The ShopAlerts service will be opt-in, meaning AT&T subscribers must elect to receive ShopAlerts ads before any related advertisements or deals will be delivered to their devices. AT&T’s full press release can be found after the break.

AT&T Advanced Ad Solutions Launches ShopAlerts by AT&T, a Groundbreaking Location-Based Marketing Service Featuring Special Offers from Leading National Brands

Innovative opt-in service enables marketers to engage consumers on their mobile phones and drive them to the point of sale with relevant location-specific offers

FEBRUARY 28, 2011 — AT&T Advanced Ad Solutions and Placecast today announced an agreement to provide ShopAlerts by AT&T, which are special offers delivered to consumers via their mobile phones when they are near a participating store or brand. The unique location-based mobile messaging service will be available for AT&T* customers in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and San Francisco who have opted-in to receive such messages. AT&T is the first U.S. mobile carrier to offer a large-scale, location-based mobile marketing program to consumers and advertisers.

The innovative ShopAlerts by AT&T service will provide consumers with valuable offers, rewards, and coupons based on their specific geographic location. AT&T creates a “geo-fence” – a virtual-perimeter around a retail location, event, or any geographic area – in order to deliver appropriate location-specific messages.  Participating consumers receive relevant marketing messages when they are inside a geo-fence, benefiting both consumers and marketers.

The messages are enhanced with information such as weather, traffic, and local shopping area details to more effectively engage consumers.  Numerous companies have recognized the value of the ShopAlerts by AT&T service, and the initial presenting sponsors will be HP, Kmart, JetBlue, SC Johnson, Kibbles ‘n Bits, Nature’s Recipe and the National Milk Mustache “got milk?” Campaign.

“We are proud to take mobile marketing into the future with this unique offering that is being embraced by consumers and brands alike,” said Greg McCastle, senior vice president of AT&T Advanced Ad Solutions. “ShopAlerts by AT&T enables brands/advertisers to help link consumer engagement with activation and ultimately to the point of sale.”

“Kmart has embraced technology to enhance our customer’s experience and maintain our value proposition,” said Mark Snyder, chief marketing officer of Kmart. “ShopAlerts allows us to deliver this value directly to our customers through innovative technology.”

Katie Thompson, associate director of digital media of JetBlue, notes that ShopAlerts is a clear fit for many advertisers, including beyond just those with brick and mortar locations. “We were excited about the opportunity because it takes the onus off of the advertiser to build a large database of opt-in users that the true power of the technology can be harnessed,” said Thompson.

Pioneering Location-based Technology and Media

The program combines the location-based technology platform and expertise of San Francisco-based Placecast with AT&T’s large subscriber base, outstanding Web and mobile media properties, and strong relationships with national advertisers and media buyers. The initiative marks the first time a major operator in the U.S. is introducing such a program at scale.

“At HP, we are continuously implementing innovative new marketing platforms that will resonate with our customers’ mobile lifestyles,” said Tariq Hassan, vice president, Worldwide Marketing and Communications, Imaging and Printing Group, HP.  “ShopAlerts by AT&T service enables us to deliver relevant, location-based content to our customers.”

“Placecast is excited to work with AT&T to deliver a new generation of opt-in marketing services focused on delivering relevant messages to consumers when they are in a mindset to make a purchase. Retailers and subscribers alike benefit from messages with tailored offers available nearby, based on their trusted relationship with AT&T,” says Alistair Goodman, CEO of Placecast.

Customers in participating markets can visit the customer portal and opt-in at www.att.com/shopalerts.

*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.

At this point, it’s looking like few people actually care about T-Mobile’s “4G” network, real or fake. The carrier continues to push its HSPA+ network online and in television commercials as the main selling point versus the competition. Despite its 4G ad campaign, however, T-Mobile shed 318,000 contract customers last quarter while iPhone sales were through the roof. But “the iPhone 4 is a 3G phone,” T-Mobile proclaims in its State of the Smartphone report. “True story. Despite the ’4′, both the Verizon and AT&T iPhones run on 3G networks,” the carrier adds. We’re not sure when this massive 4G push might start to pay off, but we sure hope it happens soon because the nation’s No.4 carrier is starting to look a bit silly.

Thanks to everyone who sent this in

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Think Android isn’t creating a serious amount of cash for Google? Think again. According to Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster, the search giant’s free mobile operating system could generate as much as $1.3 billion in revenue for Google in 2012. With an estimated 133 million users, that’s an annual ARPU (average revenue per user) of roughly $9.85. Translation: every Android handset sold nets Google roughly $10 per year in ad revenues alone. Those are pretty impressive numbers. With over 300,000 new activations each time the calendar turns, Google continues to add nearly $3 million in mobile, ad-driven revenue to its bottom line… daily. If you’re going to give something away for free, that’s how to do it.

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