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This session featured Jack Philbin (President, Vibes Media), Bob Wesley (CEO MobileLime), Dean Macri (Founder/CEO Cielo Group) and Brook Pitts (Senior VP, Marketing Innovation - Bank of America).

What started out as a very dry session turned out to be a very insightful lesson on ways to create conversation and user engagement using the power of mobile. 2 of the most interesting uses of mobile campaigns were mentioned by Bob Weasley and Dean Macri.

Mr. Weasley described how his company partnered with Grocery stores such as Albertson's to enhance shoppers' experience. Initially there was a framework setup so that shoppers could be tracked (through their mobiles) as they walked through the various sections. Shoppers were also given the ability to scan and bag items instantly. Based on the person's shopping behaviour and where they were located in the store they were served related promotions/advertisements. Dynamic advertising can also be served based on the weather as well as the season.

Mr. Macri spoke about a campaign his organization ran with their client BMW. Print ads with short codes (short number sequences which replace long URLs) were placed throughout various airports trying to entice users to find out more information on BMW's vehicles. Once users entered the short code they were given a program which streamed videos regarding a specific type of BMW series. Users with older technology were offered pictures instead. Finally, users were given the location of the nearest BMW dealership at which they could make an appointment to visit a show room. The campaign was measured by the number of users "clicking in" using the short code, the types of videos/pictures viewed most, dealer popularity and appointments booked.

The session concluded with some brief lessons learned, here's what the speakers said:

• The mass market is not completely up to speed on mobile advertising yet


• Mobile advertising is a very uncluttered environment


• In 2007 it is important for agencies to test and learn (otherwise you will lose ground)


• Consumers want to go beyond text messaging


• Mobile advertising should be kept simple


• You should always try to create strategies that add value for the end users

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