Orange & Bebo tie-up

The Times reported that Orange and Bebo are close to closing a deal to enable Orange customers to interact with Bebo while out and about...

"The tie-up — Bebo’s first with a mobile operator — will allow Orange customers to edit their Bebo profiles, update their blogs and find friends on the online “hang-out” without sitting at a personal computer.

The service, the latest in a series of alliances between cult internet brands and mobile operators, will start in Britain this summer, with extension to other markets expected later.

Bebo, which has amassed 31 million users in the two years since its launch, hopes that the link will enable it to extend its reach in its target audience of people aged 18 to 24.

For mobile operators such as Orange, the ability to market well-known PC applications can be a critical tool in attracting and retaining customers in fiercely crowded markets".

Flurry Update and Director of Marketing Role

There's some great news from the Kings of Mobile Email - Flurry. Not only have they raised a whopping $3.75m Series from DFJ, Draper Richards and follow-on investors Borealis, they are now looking to recruit a Director of Marketing to compliment their existing team.

If you haven't upgraded to a whoppingly expensive mobile device and subscribed to an even more whoppingly expensive mobile email service, simply go to flurry.com and get it sorted. It works, it works really very well and it uses a tiny amount of your monthly data allowance (it will even show you how much on the web site).

If you're a senior marketing dude, you understand brand, entry strategy,
proposition, positioning, pr and comms, and you're looking for a hot role with great start-up based in San Fran - read on:

Job Title: Director of Marketing
Description: Flurry is a leader in the growing field of next-generation mobile services. Our flagship product is an easy-to-use mobile email and RSS solution that works on hundreds of different cell phone models and thousands of email providers and carriers worldwide. It is the first service to be introduced by flurry based on our Mobile Services Platform, a platform designed to provide high-performance, consumer friendly applications.

We're seeking a smart, creative, enthusiastic, and experienced marketing executive to help us build the brand, drive consumer adoption of our products, lead overall marketing and communications strategy and manage related marketing programs.

Responsibilities:
• Establish overall marketing and communications strategy and strategic positioning
• Lead all aspects of engagement marketing for flurry and all its products. Candidate will design, implement, and manage strategies to increase user acquisition, retention, usage and monetization. Special emphasis in viral marketing and community growth around the service
• Create corporate and product communications plan
• Lead and manage all public relations activities
• Work closely with product, development, and management teams to achieve business objectives through effective marketing programs
• Manage production of marketing collateral and marketing budgets
• Establish and manage affiliate relationships
• Build and keep to schedules and budget; meet or exceed department goals
• Define key metrics to measure the effectiveness of marketing programs

Requirements:
• BA required; MBA strongly preferred
• 5+ years of consumer marketing experience, with emphasis on online consumer marketing
• 3+ years of management/leadership experience
• Proven track record of success in acquiring users for consumer products
• Experience managing outside agencies (e.g., PR)
• Strong business acumen, keen analytic skills and direct marketing experience
• Excellent verbal and written communication, presentation skills, and relationship management
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced startup environment

This position reports to the CEO and would be based in San Francisco.

to apply for this, visit www.flurry.com for contact information

CEBIT-Vodafone shows Internet (Skype) calling on mobile - Starfish

"HANOVER, Germany, March 15 (Reuters) - Vodafone (VOD.L: Quote, Profile , Research), the world's most international mobile phone carrier with over 200 million subscribers, showed Internet-calling for mobile phones with Skype, which it said it may launch in the future.

Code-named Starfish, Vodafone showed the application in the future zone of its booth at the world's biggest technology trade show, CeBIT. It has yet to decide whether it will start offering consumers the service, which could eat into its traditional mobile voice telephone business".

via Reuters (full article here)

Technology Yoda Required!

We (Naked) are currently looking for a high calibre individual to review and assess the technology implications, opportunities and challenges for a mobile start-up. If you are the man (or woman) for the job, or you know someone who might be, ping me at james@getnaked.com - thanks. (we expect project duration to be in the region of 20-30 days at a competitive day rate).

REQUIREMENTS SUMMARY

The candidate will have 10yrs + experience in a leading mobile operator and/or Internet player with at least 5 yrs in a senior architectural, engineering or CTO role. With a comprehensive understanding of core messaging and voice architectures and standards (IM, IMPS, VoIP, SMS, MMS, Email, Web services and standards), the candidate will be adept at mapping commercial requirements to the realities of today’s and tomorrows technology capabilities. Familiar with communication related product offerings from leading vendors and emerging start-ups, the candidate will have a strong industry network and an in-depth understanding of the technology value chain.

ROLE OVERVIEW

• Provide technology strategy insights to the commercial start-up team.
• Review and assess the company’s overall strategy, entry strategy and goals in light of current technologies, capabilities and trends.
• Provide analysis and recommendation on software, hardware and handset architecture and infrastructure.
• Identify and provide access to possible technology partners
• Conduct technical due-diligence on capabilities, IPR and fit of potential technology partners.
• Review and assess the technical team’s organizational model
• Navigate key technical challenges and risks to provide a service realisation recommendation supported by key assumptions, evidence and insight.