Dealing with Mobile Consumer Trust on April 24th

Posted on March 31, 2012 by Gary Schwartz

We are all excited about the potential for mobile wallets in the store and the cloud. The consumer can click permission for mobile services to track their location and scrape their social graph. These services allow for shopping and social convenience. They allow for seamless, frictionless, realtime interaction with brands and retailers.

There however is an unwritten balance between convenience and trust. When does an location-based application like Highlight move from helping to spooking the would-be social consumer?

On April 24th in DC, join me to discuss how to build a consumer friendly ecosystem that is not dictated by legislation but rather by best practices, transparency and user-friendly signs for the consumer of the services.

There are high stakes. If the industry is not proactive in addressing this crucial issue, the fallout will be costly. Juniper Research recently stated that over $74 billion worth of contactless transactions will occur in three years and the privacy and security issues could cost billions.

Top high-level executives from leading online/mobile companies, content players, ad agencies and governmental agencies will gather to discuss the pressing privacy and security issues facing M-commerce and M-content.

MEF’s Mobile Commerce and Content Privacy Summit

When: April 24, 2012 from 2pm to 6pm, with a reception following
Where: SNR Denton’s DC Offices – Penthouse Suite 1301 K St NW Washington, D.C

For more information or to RSVP, please contact: Marjorie DeHey, GM MEF – North America

2012 Primary: Changing the Game in Retail “Politics”

Posted on March 25, 2012 by Gary Schwartz

Just as brands increasingly strive to establish long-term relationships with consumers, U.S. presidential candidates need to change their tactics to more permanently engage a media-driven and mobile citizenry.

It is always at this juncture in the primaries, when candidates are clawing for last-minute positioning, that it becomes transparent to the public that the election process is eerily similar to selling a product in a hugely competitive retail market.

All the techniques that Proctor & Gamble or Coca Cola use to market their products and drive sales are (if unnaturally) the same as those embraced by the candidates in the 2012 presidential election.

It is an interesting comparison. Let’s break down the retail ecosystem from manufacturing to final sale. Products are bought based on their function (or the service that they deliver), brand recall, brand loyalty, convenience, and, of course, price.

READ FULL ARTICLE HERE

SXSW roundup interview on BNN (Adult Spring Break)

Posted on March 15, 2012 by Gary Schwartz

It was “adult springbreak”. Lady Gaga, Bruce Springsteen, ACL, Venture Classmates, these are the names Gary Schwartz, President & CEO of Impact Mobile has been discussing in meetings at The South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference in Austin.

Watch interview here

Impulse Economy: Connect effectively to the M-Shopper (PodCast)

Posted on March 5, 2012 by Gary Schwartz

Welcome to episode #295 of Six Pixels Of Separation – The Twist Image Podcast.

While many companies were still lamenting a basic website back in the nineties, Gary Schwartz was already imagining how content, voice and mobility would change how we connect to one another… and the brands that serve us.

For over a decade, Gary has been a leader in the mobile industry. He is CEO of Impact Mobile (offices in New York, Los Angeles, Toronto, etc…), is Chair of the Mobile Entertainment Forum and Chair Emeritus of the Mobile Committee for the Internet Advertising Bureau. Recently, he published his first book, The Impulse Economy – Understanding mobile shoppers and what makes them buy. He brings a plethora of experience and insights from the mobile landscape to our marketing world, and it’s a true privilege to have him as a guest on the show this week. Enjoy the conversation…

Here it is: Six Pixels Of Separation – The Twist Image Podcast – Episode #295 – Host: Mitch Joel.