Optism™

Welcome to Optism’s first blog acting as curator for the Carnival of the Mobilists. In our dynamic industry, we’ve found that keeping abreast of what ecosystem members are saying is critical to staying on top. That’s why we published our Permission Marketing in the News blogs for almost two years! Now, we’re happy and honored to be a Carnival of the Mobilists host — and we’ve got a great collection of articles to suggest to you this week.

Our favorite comes from mobileweb company’s Martin Wilson. Martin shared his thoughts on responsive web design and why he believes it is falling far short of what people need. According to Martin, responsive web design is “a lazy way to approach mobile.” It focuses on delivering content that suits the size, platform and orientation of the device in use, rather than the needs of the mobile user. Because the content is PC oriented, it includes information that is not relevant in a mobile context and bulky graphics that bog down the mobile experience. Worse still, the information the user is most likely to be interested in, such as store locations, is often buried under pages of this unwanted stuff. Mobile, says Martin, can’t be an afterthought. It’s time for businesses to think about “mobile leading their online strategy.”

Other interesting posts from this week: Read the rest of this entry »

This year at MWC, we will be showcasing a complete Mobile Commerce offering that includes our permission-based Mobile Marketing solution, Optism, as well as the Alcatel-Lucent Mobile Wallet Service and Digital Media Store. Our Mobile Commerce solution addresses the entire lifecycle of user purchases from preferences, promotion and discovery, to storefronts and settlement. Thomas Labarthe, Vice President of Mobile Commerce Solutions, will be at MWC ready to talk to you about how our Mobile Commerce offerings can help you foster new business opportunities.

Optism is one example of the innovative thinking at Alcatel-Lucent, a company that combines technological expertise, hands-on global experience and creativity to help operators maximize profitability. Alcatel-Lucent’s strength in both IP and wireless has put the company at the forefront of the mobile broadband revolution. At MWC, Alcatel-Lucent will be offering guided tours of the booth, with seven tour options to fit different business needs and interests. To learn more, check out the Alcatel-Lucent Mobile World Congress website.

Join us at MWC — February 27 to March 1, 2012, Barcelona, Spain — to find out what Optism and Alcatel-Lucent can do for you. We’ll be in Hall 6, Booth 6C23. Even if you can’t make the show, you can participate in the excitement by following us on Twitter @Optism. We’ll be sharing our insights into the show throughout the event.

Optism is all about helping mobile operators, marketing agencies and advertisers work together to create a dynamic and successful environment for permission-based mobile marketing campaigns. One of our core objectives is to bridge the gap between operators and advertisers. With the addition of Jeremy Makin to the Optism team at Alcatel-Lucent, we’ve enhanced our ability to do just that.

Jeremy joins the team as Head of Media Sales and Strategy. In his new role, Jeremy will forge alliances between service providers, Alcatel-Lucent, international media agencies and advertising communities, creating an efficient and valuable ecosystem.

Jeremy has worked in the marketing and media industry for 20 years. He worked in media sales management in the newspaper and magazine industries, before discovering the wonders of digital in 1999 and joining The Economist to launch its online business. After eight and a half years with The Economist, Jeremy left in 2007 for Vodafone, to work on the commercial launch and subsequent ramp-up of Vodafone’s Mobile Marketing Division as Head of International Sales and Business Development. Prior to joining Alcatel-Lucent’s Optism™ team, Jeremy also ran a mobile marketing consultancy, Catch 33. Read the rest of this entry »