A recent New York Times article claims that mobile coupons ”are becoming the blue-light specials for the digital age, promoting last-minute clothing sales, two-for-one entrees and cheap tickets to the theater.”  These coupons are often a simple text message with a discount code.  Almost 10 million digital coupons were redeemed in the first 6 months of ‘09, up 25% from 2008, according to Inmar, a coupon-processing company.  Why are digital coupons so popular?  They are easy–no clipping from the paper.  And people generally have their cell phones with them, so they aren’t sitting on the counter at home when you need them. And with various opt-in choices, people can select offers that are relevant to them, whether by advertiser, location, or selection.

A recent study by eMarketer emphasizes one of the reasons that mobile is such an effective marketing tool: “the “additive effect” of mobile on their other advertising and marketing efforts.”  This additive effect comes when mobile is used in other existing marketing programs, where it can provide a channel for customers to respond to and communicate with the marketer.  One example is putting a mobile call-to-action in a newspaper ad (such as “Text FAN to 244326 to get 20% off your next purchase”).  All of a sudden, the advertising company has a way to track response to the ad.  This works in print, tv advertising, in-store signage, and more, and the best part is that customers love it, when it gives them access to valuable offers.

eMarketer predicts that spending on mobile advertising will increase in the next five years, reaching $1.56 billion by 2013.

It is hard to remember a time when URLs weren’t included in most advertisements.  But has their time come to be replaced as the call-to-action of choice?   According to a Mobile Marketer article, short codes may be poised for a takeover.  Certainly, short codes have some advantages vs. URLs, including that mobile interactions are measurable, personal, and sustainable.  And “we are still hardwired to view every single text message that comes through to us”–a significant advantage for mobile marketing.

It’s official. Metro magazine has declared Psycho Donuts certifiably amazing and the best donut shop in Silicon Valley.

Our hats are off to Jordan and all the lunatics at Psycho.

Link over to their blog post to read a little about our upcoming Halloween Monsters and Mayhem Mobile Fan Club contest. Starting on 10/3 Psycho will be running a 4 week mobile promotional blitz complete with giveaways, prizes, monsters trivia, and even a spooktacular scavenger hunt!

Join Psycho’s Mobile Fan Club by texting “Psycho” to 244326. But if you do, make sure to go down to Campbell to pick up a dozen donuts.

The Fanminder crew has been busy these last few weeks signing new merchants. Our tradition of writing a nice little story of each merchant has unfortunately slipped as of late because, well, there’s a backlog of new merchants to share with you.

We’re actually quite overloaded but squeezing in a story or two about our wonderful new merchants is a labor of love, as they say, so I let me share a little about Wags & Whiskers, a local pet supplies boutique located in Walnut Creek, Ca.

We recently visited Wags to set-up the store on Fanminder. While there, we watched in wonderment as Erika effortlessly re-stocked pet food, set-up Fanminder, and chatted breezily with several different customers. In fact, Erika’s demeanor, skill, and enthusiasm interacting with her customers was simply a marvel to behold.

No wonder then, that Erika sees Fanminder as another tool in her arsenal of staying close with her customers. Erika is utilizing the Fanminder Best Practices to promote her new mobile list at the checkout counter with signs, on her website with the our online widget, and by sending out an email announcing the service. Woof!

Welcome aboard Wags & Whiskers! We’re sure you’ll have a lot to bark about in the near future