MediaPost’s Online Media Daily featured a piece this morning highlighting the fact that regular mobile phones (those “which do not have operating systems of offer the same range of functionality as smartphones”) are working to keep up with the likes of  the iPhone and BlackBerry. The article notes that while “feature phones” are slowly losing ground to smartphones, they still hold a strong lead in market share – 72%.

So we’d like to use this opportunity as a reminder to those looking to add interactivity to their digital out of home campaign: no smartphones, no custom apps, no true OS? No problem. All you need to interact with the LocaModa platform is a text messaging plan (US only…for now).

I’ll admit that the majority of LocaModa employees have iPhones (with a BlackBerry or two in the mix). But that doesn’t mean we don’t build our platform with universal compatibility in mind. We even have a few feature phones sitting around the office for testing.

Sure, writing a custom app (like Jumbli for the iPhone) to integrate into your DOOH campaign will enhance some interactive experience, perhaps providing revenue opportunities and – of course – plenty of buzz. But when it comes down to it, the good ol’ text or photo message is all you need to extend your interactive media to audiences beyond the web.

Above, LocaModa’s test cell phones. Shown with original iMac puck mouse to illustrate age of technology.

A brief introduction: Hi there. I’m Gabi Schaffzin, Director, Creative Development at LocaModa. I’ll be posting alongside LocaJayne on The Web Outside. Feel free to bug me with questions or comments about anything; I’ll gladly talk digital, creative, dooh, sports, food, movies. Whatever you’d like.

Enough of about me, though:

Now that the highly touted Arbitron Out-of-Home Digital Video Display Study has been out for over a week, we here at LocaModa thought it was about time to chime in.

If you haven’t seen it yet, the aforementioned study can be found, free, online [pdf link]. It gives a great overview of the number of American adults who recall seeing a digital out of home display in the last month (spoiler alert: 67%, or more than 155 million). While these figures have lead to an overwhelmingly positive industry-wide reaction (and deservedly so), we think it’s time to start asking some harder questions. Bill Gerba begins to scratch the surface when he notes that this study will not “put to rest any lingering doubts over our medium’s viability as a communication channel.”

Over 155 million seeing your screen is great. But do they see your content? Do you even know who is seeing it and when? And if so, do they find it relevant? Neither a large study, nor a recorded stream of viewers looking at your screen could provide this level of granular insight. Instead, it is making sure your screens are dynamic and interactive that will get you there.

Digital out of home provides us with the greatest mix of television’s attention-grab and the web’s contextual relevance and measurability. We know that. But are we taking advantage of it? Arbitron’s study was a great first step to understanding who may be looking at DOOH screens. As Mr. Gerba puts it, “it’s solid research from a reputable firm.” But it’s up to the networks and content developers to bring the granular – and extremely necessary – analytics to their screens, be it through mobile, physical, or online interactivity.

While all of you were out sipping Veuve and slamming oysters on the half shell (hey, you know that’s how you roll…), here at LocaModa we were glued to our TVs watching the Dick Clark/Carson Daly/Ryan Seacrest pop culture fest.

Why? No, not because we’re lame… but because we were watching JUMBLI(!!!) continually popping up in the background!

(Forgive the quality… it’s snarked from a tivo via iphone cam.)

What’s more… because our CEO is always prepared for an impromptu moment of Jumbli magic, look what word was played exactly as the clock struck midnight:

The new mantra for ‘09: Glory Be to Jumbli!

The snow is all kinds of serious here in Cambridge, but what better time to cozy up with a latte and some Nielson numbers? Hey, It’s New Year’s Eve, let’s get crazy…

Upon reading The Television-Internet Connection yesterday (a Time article from ‘07 that is still particularly relevant), I was struck by the stat that 37% of the U.S. population over the age of 12 use their computers while watching television at home (Solutions Research Group). Because LocaModa focuses on building products that are cross-channel (i.e. work on out-of-home signage, web, mobile), it’s not surprising that such a significant chunk of the population is already habitually multitasking their “screen viewership,” yet it is a bit surprising that it’s happening so quickly.

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Thrrrrrilled you asked…

Without further beating around the bush:
What is LocaModa?

And, in case you don’t love current.tv (which I wouldn’t understand, since it’s fantastic), you can also find the video over on YouTube, Vimeo, Yahoo Video, and Veoh.

Pick your poison and share away!