Starfish Mobile

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Starfish Mobile Products & Services

Mobile Marketing Services

Since 2003, Starfish Mobile has deployed over 4 000 individual mobile marketing campaigns for brands, telco’s, NGO’s and media owners.

Starfish Mobile executed its first mobile marketing campaign in 2003 and has since deployed over 4 000 interactive campaigns for brands, Telco’s, NGO’s and various media owners.

The campaigns range across the category spectrum from financial services to FMCG and our clients benefit from Starfish Mobile’s decade of experience, insights and learning’s.

Starfish Mobile offer clients a variety of means to engage their target markets and specific campaign needs, including: Premium Rated SMS, USSD, IVR (Voice), MMS and Mobi sites (*).   More importantly, Starfish Mobile has ability to select and apply the option which will best serve your mobile marketing campaign requirements.

*The availability of these technologies may vary by market.

Mobile Marketing Campaign Formats:

Each client has different campaign requirements and they can be grouped in nine main formats; Sales Drivers, Research, Polls & Surveys, Permissive & Profiled Databases, Customer Relationship Management, SMS Broadcasts, High Frequency of Campaigns, Digital Advertising, Sponsored Content and Bespoke Campaigns.

Value Added Campaign Services:

Through Starfish Mobile’s campaign management tools, clients can view all campaign statistics and entries online via secure URL access as well as reward winners. The winners can be awarded randomly or based on number of entries and the rewards can be done automatically through the system or manually.

Sales Driver Campaigns

With campaign entries based on unique codes acquired by users purchasing your products, Starfish Mobile can increase your sales.

Geared primarily at the FMCG industry, sales driver campaigns entail printing  unique codes onto the relevant product packaging which consumers then need to SMS in to secure their entry.

Starfish Mobile will generate the unique codes and set-up the Premium Rated SMS mechanic. USSD can also be used for Sales Driver campaigns.

One of Starfish Mobile’s beverage clients achieved 23% increase in sales during the campaign through printing 65 Million unique codes on product packaging.

Research, Polls & Surveys

Through Starfish Mobile’s connectivity in Africa, getting instant feedback on issues and conducting research across vast geographical areas has never been easier.

For brands who wish to get feedback on their latest pr

oduct variant or NGO’s who want to receive opinions feedback on topical issues, Starfish Mobile offers interactive research, polling and survey applications.

Dependant on the level of detail required by respondents, Starfish Mobile helps you select the best channel. It could be Premium Rated SMS, USSD, IVR or a Mobi-site. The menu based structures of USSD & IVR are particularly well suited to collect multiple data fields. In all instances, with a correctly structured application, all data can be collected and collated automatically by Starfish Mobile.

Permissive & Profiled Databases

Creating easy and relevant communication with your clients, using mobile phones and Starfish Mobile’s technology.

The interactive nature of mobile devices, allows for easy and relevant dialogue between brands and consumers.  To enable this activity as well as comply with legislation, consumers need to Opt-In to the brands database and have the option to Opt-Out. Database profiling further enhances the efficacy thereof by creating deeper consumer insights. This allows for targeted CRM activities and lower database churns as consumers find marketing messages more relevant.

Starfish Mobile has the requisite expertise and connectivity across multiple markets to deliver this objective.  

Customer Relationship Management

Combining Permission Given Databases with active CRM leads to closer ties between consumers and brands.

With a Permissive & Profiled Database secured, a robust CRM program becomes feasible. As the database is segmented, specific offers can be made to targeted subsets of the database.

Ideally, the profiling exercise would have included device type which would, in turn, determine what type of mobile CRM messaging is feabsible (e.g. SMS vs. Mobi-site). Timeous promotional notifications and/or brand alerts can be sent out as and when required.

SMS Broadcast Tool

Using Starfish Mobile’s Broadcast Tool for your CRM activities linked to a campaign, ensures a seamless campaign experience.

Starfish Mobile’s SMS Broadcast Tool works on clients’ campaign generated databases as well as their imported standalone databases. Naturally they need to be permission given to adhere to legislation. The online broadcast tool allows brands to schedule their promotional message to be sent at predefined times to specific subsets of the databases.

App in a Box – Campaign Generator

For clients who have a high frequency of campaigns, Starfish Mobile can offer the “App in a Box” campaign generator. The App in a Box allow clients an easy and fast way of setting up a mobile campaign.

For clients with a high frequency of simple interactive SMS campaigns (e.g. SMS Keyword + Answer to a short code), Starfish Mobile’s “App in the Box” is the perfect solution. No programming skill is required, the tool is online and live 24/7 and comes with the online live campaign reporting built in. Certain regulatory rules must be adhered to (like end user price, contact details, etc.) but these can be built into the application set-up for each client. The offering is particularly popular amongst our media clients who run campaigns on a weekly basis.

Digital Advertising

Advertise your campaign in various African countries’ digital mediums through Starfish Mobile’s Sub-Saharan footprint

In many African markets the mobile device is often the most pervasive medium. Based on its local presence in several territories, Starfish Mobile has an intimate knowledge of the mobile media landscape in the key sub-Saharan Africa markets. Read more about Starfish Mobile’s African Footprint here.

This knowledge, combined with a keen understanding of the client’s campaign and strategic objectives enables Starfish Mobile to present an impactful and effective digital advertising plan.

Associate your brand with our popular and informative mobile content services.

Along with its mobile marketing offering, Starfish Mobile also has the largets pan-African content catalogue in a variety of the predominant languages such as French, Swahili, Portuguese and English. In addition to music, sports & news content, Starfish Mobile can also avail bespoke content such as m-Health, m-Education & m-Agri for brands to sponsor.

Bespoke Mobile Marketing Campaigns

Not all campaigns are equal, not all clients’ needs are standard! With Starfish Mobile’s range of connectivity, footprint and services, we can tailor make mobile applications to suit your individual needs.

Starfish Mobile, with its African footprint (read more here), its various connectivity and bearers, its marketing campaign services and intimate knowledge from running over 4 000 interactive marketing campaigns can tailor make a solution that fits your brand’s and product’s requirements.

Aggregation

Starfish Mobile is able to provide Mobile Aggregation services across a number of Mobile Operators and bearers in Sub-Saharan Africa to ALL businesses wishing to interact with their consumers via mobile.

Through it’s connectivity to over 50 Mobile Operators across 20 countries in Sub Saharan Africa, Starfish Mobile can enable Commercial Businesses, Government Agencies & Departments, Content Owners and NGO’s to interact with their client base via Starfish Mobile’s aggregation services.  

Starfish Mobile can offer Messaging Aggregation and/or Billing Aggregation, depending on client requirements and their technical abilities. We do also offer a Full Service Aggregation for clients who do not have their own systems as well as Content Licensing & Aggregation for content owners and creators.

Starfish Mobile’s infrastructure runs across various bearer services, such as; Premium Rated SMS, Reversed Billed / Zero Rated Short Codes, Bulk SMS, Operator/MT Billing (for subscription services and click-to-purchase apps), USSD, MMS and Mobile Money depending on territory and Mobile Operators’ capabilities. The aggregation services are enabled through easy HTTP and SMPP APIs.

Messaging Aggregation

For Commercial Businesses and other clients who have a system handling their content and communication needs but who do not have access to operators in Africa, Starfish Mobile can avail its Messaging Aggregation service.

Many organisations have systems handling their content and communication / CRM needs but lack access to mobile networks channels. Starfish Mobile’s Messaging Aggregation service allows these clients to connect to these mobile operators and reach their clients via our Griffin Platform, across several different bearers.

Depending on requirements and operator functionality, the various bearers typically available are:

Premium Rated SMS

Mobile billing via PRSMS is when the end user is billed when sending the SMS and is typically used for:

  • Once Off, Daily, Weekly or Monthly billing requests,
  • Interactive campaign billing,
  • Voting or Polling,

Reversed Billed or Zero Rated Short Codes

This type of service is slowly making inroads in Africa as the end users do not pay for the services they use. This way a client can provide free of charge services and settle the bill on behalf of its users.

This connectivity is typically used for Research, Voting and Polling run by NGOs and/or Government Departments & Organisations.

Bulk SMS

Our Broadcast Tool offers our customers a powerful online Bulk SMS communication platform that allows them personalised communication with their clients. Due to various legislations, Starfish Mobile require the clients to prove that the databases used are permission given.

USSD

Due to its two-way exchange of data, the possibility to build menus and ease of data entry by users, USSD is great for menu driven information services such as surveys & research, ordering systems, data mining, consumer profiling and similar services.

Billing Aggregation

With Africa’s mobile subscriber increase and the growing acceptance of mobile services, making use of Starfish Mobile’s Billing Aggregation is a great way to unlock revenue for services as well as for VAS companies entering the continent.

Providing great services is one thing, unlocking revenue from these services is a completely different matter. With Africa’s main population being unbanked as well as geographically dispersed, Credit Cards and Bank Transfers are not common payment methods. With Starfish Mobile’s Billing Aggregation services connected to Mobile operators, clients can reach the unbanked and unlock value for their services through end users mobile airtime accounts or Mobile Banking Accounts. 

The Billing Aggregation solution is ideal for content owners, App Stores and any other organisation who sell services through mobile phones, Apps and Mobi sites.

There are three main types of Billing Aggregation available in Africa; Premium Rated SMS, Operator/MT Billing and Mobile Banking.


Premium Rated SMS

Mobile billing via PRSMS is when the end user is billed when sending the SMS and is typically used for:

  • Once Off, Daily, Weekly or Monthly billing requests,
  • Interactive campaign billing,
  • Voting or Polling,

Operator Billing/MT Billing

Mobile terminating or operator billing is when billing transactions are initiated by a system, either based on a consumers Service Subscription or a once off transaction from within a Mobile App.

MT Billing is typically used for subscription services, where there is a recurring fixed fee deducted from the mobile user on regular intervals, such as Daily, Weekly or Monthly.

In App Purchasing and Once-Off Requests from Mobi sites are also common users of MT Billing Services.

The integrity of user identification is of utmost importance when using this type of Billing Aggregation.


Mobile Money

With the increase in popularity of mobile money solutions and usage throughout Africa, Starfish Mobile is now able to provide Billing Aggregation through various Mobile Money systems in certain of our markets.

Full Service Aggregation

In Africa, many content owners and organisations with communications need, do not have access to (or the financial means to invest in) a messaging platform. Starfish Mobile’s Griffin platform and the Full Service Aggregation enable these clients’ needs.

The Full Service Aggregation allows anyone, be it an individual or an organisation, to have a mobile service set-up. Depending on requirements, Starfish Mobile will build the necessary mobile applications, connect our SMS Broadcast Tool, our Content Management System (CMS), or any other component of our wide range of services to fulfil the client’s needs.

This mean, for example, that a content owner can get an SMS keyword set-up, access to the CMS and Stripes and then load up content and start marketing his or hers services. Similarly, an NGO can access its database through our SMS Broadcast Tool and communicate important information and updates. The only technical requirement is access to internet.

In selected markets, Starfish Mobile can also offer these services for IVR (voice) and CRBT (Ring Back Tones) content.

Content Licensing & Aggregation

With Starfish Mobile’s wide range of mobile operator connections, we can help African Content Owners and Creators to monetize their creativity through various content licensing & aggregation solutions.

With its wide network of mobile operator agreements and its own Mobi sites, Starfish Mobile is always looking for new content opportunities. We can help Content Owners and Creators to monetize their creativity, either via a licensing deal for various mobile operator content portals, the creation of specific content applications or billing aggregation for “click to purchase” solutions within Apps and Mobi sites.

To get more information on how Starfish Mobile can help you, please contact our content team here.

Mobile Content

Starfish Mobile’s team of content specialists generate a variety of content streams across key genres. In addition, Starfish Mobile has content partnerships with a selection of the world’s leading content brands such as BBC, AFP, Voice of America & Orchard to mention but a few.

Starfish Mobile creates, aggregates, supports and delivers all types of Mobile Content. We work with different content producers including game developers, music labels, entertainment producers, etc. on an international scale and we have our own in-house produced range of text and audio content that can be white-labelled for clients.

We utilize our own content management and content delivery platform supporting the full range of functionality required to process any kind of content orders.

With its African focus, Starfish Mobile is always looking for unique, fresh, relevant and local African content. If you are a Content Owner or Creator and wish to monetise your creative work, please get in contact with our content team via e-mail.

Text Content

Starfish Mobile’s text content services are localized and relevant. Our sources are local Content Providers as well as international brands such as BBC and AFP.

Starfish Mobile’s wide range of text content, which is localized for each territory to cater for local languages and dialects as well as ensuring relevance for mobile subscribers. Some of the languages we support are French, English, Portuguese, Zulu, Swahili, Afrikaans, etc. The content is sourced from local Content Providers, International brands such as BBC and AFP as well as customized by Starfish Mobile’s local subsidiaries.

Audio Content

Starfish Mobile is supporting the increased demand for audio content by providing a wide range of content services.

The demand for Audio Content is on the rise in Africa and Starfish Mobile provides a wide variety of services in English, French, Portuguese, Swahili, etc. The services are delivered thorough MNO’s and partners with IVR platforms.

Starfish Mobile’s specialist content team also creates bespoke audio content based on client requirements.

Video & Mobile TV

Through its license agreements with international Video & Mobile TV content suppliers, Starfish Mobile can provide a wide variety of services

Through Starfish Mobile’s collaboration agreements with world leading brands of video and Mobile TV content, it provides MNO’s and clients with what is popularly labelled 3G content.

Graphic Content

As with Text Content, Starfish Mobile creates and sources a wide range of Wall Papers, both static and animated, themed and generic. The graphic content is popular as screen savers and greeting cards.

Starfish Mobile provides a wide range of graphics, both static images and animated clips. The content is available in a variety of languages and themes, from generic images to themed concepts around events and holidays. The content can be delivered via WAP or MMS depending on the mobile operators capabilities.

Music Content

Starfish Mobile’s African subsidiaries have helped build up a music catalogue of local, regional and international music content. All our original tracks and quality cover tones are licensed directly with the artists and/or the relevant royalty collection body.

Starfish Mobile’s music catalogue is built up by local African, regional and international artists and is a mix of original tracks licensed directly with the artists or quality cover versions. Starfish Mobile’s ability to supply music depends on each territory’s regulatory environment and functioning royalty collection agency.

Games & Apps

Through its licensing agreements with international mobile Games Providers, Starfish Mobile provides apps and games for both feature and smart phones.

Starfish Mobile has through its international license agreements both the ability and opportunity to provide a Games & Apps to various channels, such as Mobile operators and other media owners. The applications and games are suitable for both feature phones and smart phones and provided in the relevant language for each territory, were so feasible.

Content Licensing & Aggregation

With Starfish Mobile’s wide range of mobile operator connections, we can help African Content Owners and Creators to monetize their creativity through various content licensing & aggregation solutions.

With its wide network of mobile operator agreements and its own Mobi sites, Starfish Mobile is always looking for new content opportunities. We can help Content Owners and Creators to monetize their creativity, either via a licensing deal for various mobile operator content portals, the creation of specific content applications or billing aggregation for “click to purchase” solutions within Apps and Mobi sites.

To get more information on how Starfish Mobile can help you, please contact our content team here.

App in a Box – Campaign Generator

Campaign Generator

For clients who have a high frequency of campaigns, Starfish Mobile can offer the “App in a Box” campaign generator. The App in a Box allow clients an easy and fast way of setting up a mobile campaign.

For clients with a high frequency of simple interactive SMS campaigns (e.g. SMS Keyword + Answer to a short code), Starfish Mobile’s “App in a Box” is the perfect solution. No programming skill is required, the tool is online and live 24/7 and comes with the online live campaign reporting built in. Certain regulatory rules must be adhered to (like end user price, contact details, etc.) but these can be built into the application set-up for each client. The offering is particularly popular amongst our media clients who run campaigns on a weekly basis.

Read more about Starfish Mobile’s Mobile Marketing Services here.

Mega Promos

Mega Promo

Mega Promos are mobile entertainment games where users participate in contests for prizes, either cash or branded goods. The most common form of a Mega Promo is Trivia via SMS and end users participate by replying to questions or sending texts to a premium rated short code. All types of Trivia and Mega Promos rely on co-operation with Mobile Operators or large corporate clients for advertising in media and bulk messaging.

Trivia and Mega Promos do either have a general theme or are themed around a specific event or subject.

Mega Promos help mobile operators monetize their subscriber base and enables revenue growth for both clients and operators. All promotional costs, including advertising and prizes, are underwritten by Starfish Mobile.

Trivias

Starfish Mobile mainly provide two types of trivia:

  • Trivia Draw: Mobile user answers entertaining customized questions to gain entry into a random draw.
  • Trivia Skill: These Trivia tests mobile users’ knowledge. Users have to answer as many questions correct and as quick as they can. The winner is either the one with most points or the one who have answered all questions correctly fastest.

Mobisites

Mobi sites are a strategic & necessary communications tool for brands to reach their clients in Africa!

For most Africans, internet usage and discovery is through mobile phones and other wireless devices. As the price point for feature phones and entry-level smart phones continue to decline, this trend continue to strengthen. In this landscape, Mobi sites are a strategic imperative for brands and Telco's wishing to provide consumers with a suitable experience whilst browsing through their offerings. 

Starfish Mobile has the skills to design, develop and deploy Mobi sites for clients that take into account the regional device ownership patterns where the likes of Nokia and Blackberry still dominate the feature phone market device market.

With local offices in several key markets (see footprint map), Starfish Mobile can localise the Mobi sites, both contextually and language wise, where so required.

Shaping the future of wireless applications across the borders of Africa