Remember the old trading cards? the AFL cards? the NBA cards? I’m sure plenty of children, tweens and teens still collect various forms of them. The concept however has been taken a step further by US broadcaster CBS and technology partner (patent holder) Hook Mobile. Combining multimedia messaging, promotional marketing and social gaming the old “Nathan Buckley rookie” card has been redefined for the “content” generation.

The Survivor Promotion
The campaign offers viewers the opportunity to receive, trade and collect mobile trading cards in an effort to win cash prizes and merchandise.

How it works:
Sign up online or via text message.
Receive 3 random picture cards per week sent direct to your MMS enabled mobile.
Store these e-cards on the Mobile Asset eXchange (hosted by Hook).
Trade these cards with friends by sending the card via MMS to their phones.
Continue to update and register new cards with MAX until you have the complete set.
Instant Win cards for prizes and cash are also dispersed randomly to collectors.

Hook Mobile believes “that digital assets will become the social currency of our generation, so compelling multimedia content like this will fuel the coming explosion of MMS in the U.S. Now content providers and marketers have a dynamic new way to build loyalty and grow revenues through the mobile channel.”

This seems like a very interesting concept, especially with the rising popularity of the so-called social networking sites, I’d be interested to see how much “hook” its got. Its another good example of the convergence of media while the mediums used to deliver it continue to diverge.

I know its a bit late, but here’s some link love back to the enlightened one. This is by no means new, but having gone through it again, we thought it’d be a good idea to share it with our readers. If you are reading this blog, you would probably appreciate the way the blogosphere is changing what we see as marketing - This would only go to cement your knowledge. If you don’t know what the hell we’re talking about, then reading carpark is a good start and this book will give you even more of an understanding.

It was about this time last year, Seth Godin release his free ebook on blogs and marketing titled “who’s There”. The book provides a good introduction into the world of using blogging as an effective marketing tool. This was a follow up to his previous work on how to make websites do what they should - “Knock Knock”.

At about 45 pages long, this is a good and easy read.

Download whos_there.pdf

There is much talk these days about pushing marketing messages through the line. In an age where the 20 second spot on TV just doesn’t cut it anymore and marketing material is used as coasters, we continously look for new avenues to engage people in real life.

Urban Games or Pervasive Gaming is a relatively new trend to rise from some of the most urban places on our globe. Pervasive gaming takes digital gaming onto the streets and redefines the playground as we know it. It provides an interactive and connecting experience for the players and possibly for the brands who dare incorporate this into their marketing mix. The obvious aside, could this be a prelude to social interaction in our digital age? Read more »