Tiger Beer and The Times confirmed as advertising partners for Nuance’s mobile search and discovery solution
LONDON, July 04, 2008 – Nuance Communications, Inc. today announced that companies will have a new advertising medium to target consumers more easily via mobile thanks to Nuance’s T9 Nav™ software, its innovative search and discovery solution now available as part of a Beta trial in the UK. Tiger Beer and Times Mobile, the mobile site of The Times and The Sunday Times newspapers in the UK, have joined the trial as keyword advertising sponsors. By sponsoring appropriate keywords within T9 Nav, companies will be able to influence content choices, drive traffic to specified Web sites and ultimately increase brand affinity.
T9 Nav expands the Nuance smart keypad portfolio, joining Nuance’s T9® Text Input and XT9® Smart Input software, de facto standards for mobile text input, which have already shipped on 3.5 billion handsets worldwide. Where T9 and XT9 speed the creation of SMS and email messages, T9 Nav uses predictive search technology to replace complex menus and tedious device navigation on mobile phones, allowing users to access features and content, on and off the device, by simply entering keywords such as news, business, trains and cinema.
“We believe that by giving consumers access to localised information about where they can buy our product such as bar names and restaurants, we are likely to see an increased rate of sale. Through sponsored keywords with T9 Nav such as ‘bar’ and ‘restaurant’ linking to our Night Out mobile website, we’re able to provide valuable information in real time to our customers who are out and about directing them to outlets stocking our product,” expressed Gemma Adams, Brand Manager for Tiger Beer UK.
T9 Nav is intuitive search and discovery software that simplifies a user’s search via mobile. With T9 Nav on their handsets, users are literally just a few key presses away from available features and content. Whether looking for a phone feature, news, a taxi or directions to a favourite restaurant, users can more easily discover the services that companies build and promote. Through innovative search functionality, keywords will appear to users whilst they are looking for other items on their handsets, allowing them to discover new content, features and information. This mechanism allows advertisers to direct content towards consumers through a simpler approach than that currently used with Bluetooth marketing, short codes and barcodes.
Advertisers are increasingly looking towards the mobile device experience as a vehicle through which they can reach and target their customers intuitively and effectively, whilst operators and handset vendors are looking for ways to participate in advertising-based revenue streams. Juniper Research forecasts that almost 30 per cent of the global mobile subscriber base, around 1.3 billion users, are expected to be using local mobile search services by 2013 and that advertising supported local search will be the key to driving this sector, though effectiveness of advertising in this sector will vary widely according to local conditions.
“T9 Nav will drive mobile advertising forward as the whole mobile industry continues to grow. Its effortless keyword search not only helps the mobile user, but also represents an exciting opportunity for brands and the advertising industry as a whole,” said William Clement, EMEA Mobile Marketing Head, Nuance Communications.
The keywords provide a rapid way for brands to amplify their mobile reach. Times Mobile for example will sponsor keywords like News, Sport, Taxi and Jobs. T9 Nav allows direct access to the numerous Times services and should increase awareness and usage.
The T9 Nav Beta is freely available to people with S60 phones that sign up and participate in the T9 Nav Beta program. People should visit t9nav.com to join and download to take advantage of the intuitive T9 Nav experience.
