Business & Economics Classes Can Go Mobile with Projects

Increasingly the business world has been including mobile marketing campaigns. For example, Little Caesars Pizza just ran a mobile marketing campaign where they asked people to text "Crazy" to 269411. H&M clothing stores are running a mobile marketing campaign that include slide shows of the latest clothing styles (link to the .mobi Swedish campaign site). This mobile campaign has a global reach, H&M's campaign spans 27 different countries! Another example is the fast food chain Jack in the Box. Jack in the Box has launched a mobile coupon option for it's customers. Jack in the Box smartly sends their coupons out at specific times a day to hit the lunch and dinner crowds.

How are companies delivering their coupons? One option is by using web resources such as Mobile Posse. Mobile Posse allows any mobile user to sign up for free coupons (while asking advertising to pay a small fee to allow Mobile Posse to distribute coupons at specific times on specific dates to their consumers who have signed up for free). When consumers receive their coupons on their cell phones they are given a special promotion code which they can use when they purchase the product.

How can Educators Simulate these Mobile Marketing Campaigns with their Students?
Economics, Social Studies, and Business Courses
Often students in economics or business classes are asked to simulate business campaigns; marketing, selling, and purchasing. Since mobile campaigns are part of the 21st century business world, it would be beneficial for students to develop their own mobile marketing campaigns. Below are a couple ways that secondary students could develop a mobile campaign...

1) Students can team up with local businesses and create mobile campaigns for them. Since most businesses do not currently have mobile marketing, this is a niche that the local middle or high schools could fill (for free!).

2) Students could create mobile campaigns for the school's activities. Such as marketing the pancake supper fundraiser for the volleyball team or marketing the Spring musical.

3) Students could develop their own product to sell and create a mobile campaign around their product.

4) Students could develop an activism campaign for a local non-profit organization.


What Tools Could They Use to Send Out the Mobile Marketing?
While most schools probably cannot afford to sign up with Mobile Posse to send out advertisements and marketing coupons, they could use other free web tools that couple with cell phones. Here are a couple ideas...
1) TxtBlaster
People can subscribe to the student's campaign with a simple SMS text message (and a Keyword). They will receive coupons and marketing information automatically when studnets send it from their TxtBlaster account. No pictures, but simple text messaging campaign.
2) TextMarks
People can subscribe to the student's campaign with a simple SMS text message (and a Keyword). They will receive coupons and marketing information automatically when studnets send it from their TextMarks account. No pictures, but simple text messaging campaign.
3) EveryWhereIGo
Students can create an entire mobile webiste devoted to the product. Automated text message coupons to customers.
4) Mofuse
Students can create an entire mobile webiste devoted to the product. In addition, MoFuse allows for tracking of hits to the site as well as easy additions (such as coupons of the week!). Also has QRcodes for each mobile website so customers can take a picture of the QRcode to get to the site (and use QRcodes as coupons).
5) Snappr
Students can use Snappr to create QRcodes as coupons or advertisements for the product/business.
6) Podlinez
Students can set up a unique phone number where people can call in and learn about a product, participate in a marketing sweepstakes, or even get a code for a coupon.