e.politics: online advocacy tools & tactics

Catching Up with Mobile Advocacy

April 27th, 2007

Ailea Sneller over at Frogloop has written up a nice summary of the presentation on cell phones and advocacy that Katrin Verclass gave at Alan Rosenblatt’s most recent Internet Advocacy Roundtable. A sample:

Unlike telemarketing, mobile campaigns offer something a bit more fresh, fun and cutting-edge than old-fashioned cold calling. A surprising percentage (35%) of adults are already willing to receive incentive-based advertisements on their cell phones, especially in text message format. Katrin expects that number to grow as successful mobile campaigns become more common. With 212 million cell phone users in the US — about 75% of the population — the potential for using mobile phones (”mo-phos,” as the kids call them) as a tool to grow your organization’s visibility and spread your message is enormous. This is especially true when, unlike a PC or a mailbox, people carry them around “like their keys and their wallet,” Katrin said — you can literally put your message into someone’s pocket.

She also touched on some of the downsides of mobile advocacy, though not in detail, finishing on a more positive note: “at its best, mobile activism and advocacy offers the potential for great interaction, much more personal communication with supporters, and gobs of viral potential.” Check out the article, and also see this past e.politics guest piece to read more on mobile advocacy’s pluses and minuses. For some details about mobile’s use in the 2006 elections, take a look at this review of a Mobile Monday event from a few months ago.

– cpd

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Entry Filed under: Text Messaging, Viral Marketing, Field Organizing, Cell Phones