As part of the deal, ESPN will be allowed to deliver in-progress, post game and customized highlights to mobile users who sign up for the service. These new products and services will join ESPN’s growing mobile platform that includes mobile web sites for ESPN.co.uk, ESPNSoccernet, ESPNCricinfo, ESPNScrum and ESPNF1, as well as apps. The rights are the latest addition to ESPN’s multimedia portfolio, and will complement the company’s television and online properties in the UK.

This is just a latest effort by ESPN to showcase soccer with one of the most popular professional sports leagues in the world. Is ESPN moving towards showing full game matches on mobile devices? Will ESPN also bid for the mobile rights to the other top soccer leagues including La Liga? With the success of the iPhone and Google Droid it looks like the focus for ESPN is getting information and highlights to mobile users on the go.

How will advertisers change their message and product offerings given a consumers mood? Will geo-targeting a certain demographic based on certain moods eventually change the advertising landscape as companies and products start to develop a repertoire between the consumer and brand that will eventually lead to a long-lasting relationship?

I think this is an amazing in the way that technology has allowed me to contribute to a crisis and immediately. It is interesting to note that in 2009 via mobile phones, there was a total of $4 million contributed. Leading the way is the American Red Cross where mobile users can text HAITI to 90999. In addition here are other text message codes to donate:

- Text the word “YELE” to 501501 to donate $5 to the Yele Haiti foundation.
- Text the word “HAITI” to 20222 to donate $10 to the Clinton Foundation Haiti Relief Fund.
- Text “HAITI” to 25383 to donate $5 to the International Rescue Committee.
- Text “HAITI” to 85944 to donate $10 to the International Medical Corps.

What kind of effect do you think mobile phone texting donations would have had on the Hurricane Katrina relief efforts?

With the new campaign, Pepsi is stepping into cause-related marketing. Pepsi has set aside $20 million of its ad dollars for grant money to be awarded for community projects proposed by consumers for the Pepsi Refresh Project.

Given that the cost of a :30 second Superbowl Spot cost $3 million in 2009 and the expected increase in 30 second spots for 2010, it is interesting to note that both Pepsi and FedEx(also did not have a 30 second spot in 2009) have decided to focus its advertising and marketing dollars in other efforts with online being a big push as Pepsi expects to spend 60% more in online advertising in 2010.

What other big brands are going to follow Pepsi and Fedex? Will online advertising dollars for brands continue to increase as traditional advertising is seen as less prominent?

It is interesting to note that from the article and as expected a majority of those sending text messages in the US are teens even though 61% of adults are now expected to be using text messaging. As noted in the article much of these text messages are private conversations, so it will be interesting to see how will mobile marketing companies continue to target this current and future market and what role will advertisers ultimately play? How will private text conversations among teens translate into monetization and increase revenues for companies involve in the text message/mobile business landscape. Furthermore, Google’s purchase of AdMob will only continue to harvest the interest in this industry.

How many text messages will be sent by Americans in Dec 2009? 250 Billion?

This campaign was very unique and innovative in that Infiniti worked with Movoxx who used SMS alerts to promote the launch of Infiniti G convertible in addition to creating WAP Landing pages. Consumers that clicked on the Infinity link within the SMS could enter the “Own the Sky” contest, by typing in their mobile number and email address for the chance to win a Bose SoundDock system. In addition to brand engagement and generating awareness of the G Convertible product launch, Infiniti wanted to help consumers find their local Infiniti dealership in a convenient, unique way, with the ultimate goal of encouraging consumers to take a test drive and, hopefully, buy a car.

MoVoxx intelligently serves ads into mobile content that reaches over 25 million unique mobile users every month. Proprietary mobile analytics and optimization systems allow MoVoxx to deliver superior post-click conversion rates – true ROI drivers.

Founded in 2006, MoVoxx is backed by Greycroft Partners, Khosla Ventures, First Round Capital and BV Capital.

Gatorade reported has spent over $40 million in advertising fees to market the brand, however it has finished as one of the worst performing gatorade brands on today’s shelves.

What other major brands and endorsements will start to follow the same lead as Gatorade as we start to find out more information about Tiger Woods’ personal life?

With the expanded presence and video capabilities of the iPhone, Google Android and Blackberry, it will be interesting to see how many brands/advertisers decide to invest more money in online advertising.

While a 30 second Superbowl spot still costs $3.5 million, how many advertisers will now want to do away with the 30 second ad and start thinking outside of the box with exciting video content that is actively engaging consumers and eventually will help lead to increase sales of a product?

Well, Zygna and social gaming is back now in the spotlight as they are featured in the November 30th issue of Time magazine with the article “Troubling Rise of Facebook’s Top Game Company“. This article offers some very interesting insights about both the company and the social gaming environment. The is also an interesting tibit on how social gaming can have some security issues and flaws from an insider’s prespective.

It is interesting to note from the article that experiences and failure of founder of Mark Pincus, 43, and the work that is required to start a social gaming company. Also for Zynga, in terms of social gaming- Ads and virtual goods- bring in most of the revenue. But because people who play free games on the Internet like the free part, Zynga needed a third income stream–product come-ons. These offers are like ads, except that when you click on them, you’re agreeing to try and then buy a company’s service in exchange for game points.

However as you can see there can be negative consequences from these product come-on’s where individuals are now being charged premium services fees in exchange for game points without being aware that they are signing up for these monthly services. Zynga has taken the next step now and removed all offers from their games as the validity of each of these offers is now being taken into question.

Are people really making a shift away from the standard console to these online social games? How will advertisers continue to play a role in the future of this shift?

My favorite one is #4:

“‘Business opportunities are like buses, there’s always another one coming”

Please feel free to share your favorite quotes from his top 20 list

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpIOClX1jPE

Please share with me your thoughts!

Within the past 24 hours, two of the leading social gaming companies and Facebook application developers, Zynga and RockYou have received additional rounds of financing and this comes off the big news last week when Electronic Arts (ERTS) acquired social gaming company, Playfish for $300 million. The $375 million that was used to acquire and further finance these social gaming companies shows a shift between traditional console gaming towards social and digital gaming.

Zynga, the San Francisco based social gaming company with over 200 million users just recently received $15.18 million in an extension of its series B Funding. Zynga popular for the #1 facebook game, Farmville, with 65 million active monthly users, currently has 5 of the top 8 facebook games by user and has a reported annual revenue of $150 million. Zynga will use the money raised as cash to build out their portfolio of top 10 games on the facebook and social network platforms.

RockYou, the Redwood City, CA- based publisher and developer of applications and social network services received $50 million in series D funding from Softbank. RockYou, the most successful widget maker for the Facebook platform operates the largest independent ad network in social media with a reach of 213 million monthly unique visitors and 15 billion monthly impressions. RockYou is expanding their efforts in the social gaming space and increasing advertising efforts in the space with the additional money raised.

Playfish was acquired by EA for $275 million in cash, $25 million in equity and could receive an additional $100 million if it performs well. The company has more than 150 games on several platforms including Facebook, MySpace and mobile devices. The top 2 Playfish games on Facebook, PetSociety and Restaurant City, account for over 40 million active monthly users. The acquisition is more evidence that online games that make money by selling virtual goods are turning into a surprisingly big business.

By Building simple, free games that leverage existing online communities, social-gaming companies can create addicting experiences that appeal to a much larger audience than traditional gamers. Social-gaming companies have begun to take in respectable money through a combination of in-game ads, the sale of virtual goods and marketing offers exchanged for in-game currency.

The question I propose for all readers: In what way will social networks, Twitter and MySpace play in the future and monetization of social gaming?