Back by Popular Demand: The Ode to MoLo

During last month’s MLM San Francisco conference, we tried do break the mold of conference formats in lots of ways. One thing we did differently was a song performed by longtime friend and Cox Digital Solutions exec Leif Welch.

A musician on the side, Welch wrote and played a song about the mobile local space. I’ve gotten lots of questions about it and will soon make the video available. In the meantime, here are the lyrics. Enjoy.

Mobile Budgets in the Bag
Music and Lyrics by Leif Welch
From the movie “Pinch, Swipe and Zoom”

So you wanna be a mobile seller, get a new notch on your belt
you’re no fool, the world’s is headed in a new direction
cause the kids are carrying their phones around, like security blankets thru the whole damn town
and the dude that’s driving in the lane next door is texting while pushing the pedal to the floor
by 2013, media consumption will have changed, with more people
gettin’ online with a mobile device than a PC, a Gen Now’s paradise

big brands should follow the lead, I’m gonna plant you a seed
you need change your marketing spend, get heavy on the mobile trend

listen up, wherever you are
make that change, it’ll take you far
and put some mobile budgets in the bag

now these devices are always on and they’re always there
and when the signals strong you get can a lat-long that makes ’em locally aware
they’re social too, shame on you, you got tagged when the picture came through
and user data, well it don’t come easy, it’s the PII that’s really making us queasy
mobile is local, that’s a catch phrase that you’re gonna hear ’til the end of days
and if you really understand this medium, you’re gonna be able command quite a premium

there’s plenty of evidence, you’ll click to call for events or
look at a map of the nearest store, or download a coupon to buy some more

listen up, wherever you are
make that change, it’ll take you far
and put some mobile budgets in the bag

now you’ve been selling online for a while, that’s cool; you leapfrogged right past traditional
and now you’re faced with a digital pipeline that seems just a little bit foreign at times
you’re gonna have to learn a new fact or two, you’re gonna have to show what this seller can do
you’re gonna have to fathom a brand new niche, you’re gonna have to learn a brand new pitch
(and for every mobile network, it goes something like this):

we help major brands connect with targeted peeps on a national scale, with a massive reach
we got a ton of UV’s and growing fast, we cover mobile web, we cover mobile apps
and we find those peeps on all kinds of sites, from the big boys you’d surely recognize
and we blend in data just for kicks, to extend our reach and to strengthen our mix
of amazing publisher relationships, that go back years before the digital shift
about 2,000 sites in all, take notice folks, this is a battle call
we bring / local precision / we’re the experts, at the geo-fenced thing
with a lat / long / coordinates / then we add in a certain mile radius

we have impressions to spare, we’ll get your ad anywhere
that you need, and we’ll do it with speed, we just wanna make you aware
listen up, wherever you are

learn this pitch, it’ll take you far
and put some mobile budgets in the bag
so what makes you different? says the buyer to the seller
and you reply / with a calm in your voice / and you look right in the eyes of the fellah
We’ve has been around, we’re a trusted name, we’ve always done well at the local game
We’ve got deeper, and stronger, and longer ties, than the other guys, say, did you wanna buy
online? Or you want to buy mobile? / you should do both, you say with a smile
and we’ll throw in a discount for a digital bundle just to make it worth your while
our ad products, I’m gonna name a few, there’s plain old banners and rich media too
click-to-expand and fill-out-a-form, watch a pre-roll ad on a tablet or a phone
dynamic ads that suck in a feed from the retailer, that creates a lead
you got a few new arrows in your quiver, think about something unique to deliver
think about how people consume / content / there’s the pinch and the zoom
and the swipe and the flip and the gyroscope / for the beer app i often use as a joke
in a meeting, yes, and you can too, it’ll loosen up the mood in the room, i promise you
but be forewarned, delivery’s tough with the standards still just a little bit rough
so many devices, the tablet and phone, with iOS and Androids own
operating system, too many versions, huge fragmentation, it puts a large burden
on the ops team, that still has a dream of the time / when / delivery’s clean
with IAB still putting standards down, I hear ORMA and MRAID are coming to town

vendors are getting’ on board, they’re trying to smooth out the discord
but in the meantime, it’s still messy so we ask you pretty please

have a little patience..yeah yeah
just little patience…yeah yeah

and listen up, whoever you are
learn this stuff, it’ll take you far
and put some mobile budgets in the bag