The Third Screen: What Email Marketers Need to Know About Mobile Rendering

BlueHornet Whitepaper
The Third Screen:
What Email Marketers Need to
Know About Mobile Rendering
Part One: Your Marketing Message on the Third Screen
Executive SummaryThe rapid rise in adoption of so-called "smartphones" means that more marketing emails are being viewed on mobile devices than ever before. This serialized whitepaper is divided into three parts to help email marketers educate themselves about the complexity of the smartphone landscape so that they can:
. Follow specific steps right now to improve email rendering across the largest number of mobile devices. . Make educated decisions about the need for a mobile email strategy based on their email subscribers' smartphone adoption rates and behaviors.. Take advantage of new tools and services that can simplify smartphone rendering optimization.
In Part One: . Smartphones: Overview, Definitions and Usage Data. Obstacles to Good Smartphone Email Rendering. Email Rendering Engines and Operating Systems. Six Steps to Improve Smartphone Rendering Now
BlueHornet is a leading email service provider that specializes in delivering highly targeted email campaigns that evolve through the customer lifecycle. Our lifecycle email messaging tools and strategies make it easier to understand, predict, & respond to customers' stated preferences and observed behaviors as they emerge and change over time.
BlueHornet Division Headquarters 1.866.586.3755www.BlueHornet.com P a Pgaeg 1e 1BlueHornet.com2355© 2N0o09rt BhluseidHeo rDnert. NSeutwitoer kBs2, I5n0c. A wholly owned subsidiary of Digital River, Inc. | BlueHornet.com©2007 BlueHornet Networks, Inc. A wholly owned Ssaunb sDiideigaor,y C oAf 9D2i1g0it8a l River, Inc. | (619) 295-1856 | www.BlueHornet.comSmartphones: Overview and Definitions
Do more people check email on their smartphones than on their PCs?Not yet, but that could be the case in the near future. According to a study by RBC Capital Markets analyst Mike Abramsky, smartphone sales will surpass PC sales by the end of 2011 with We expect the mobile-phone over 400 million shipments. email market will increase Why should you care? Being a marketer, you already know how important it is to be everywhere your customers are with a at an average annual rate of message that is on brand and on target. However, with such a rise in the number of media options currently available, you have less control over the medium your message is ultimately viewed on. 68% over the next four years,
Enter the third screen...the smartphone. Advances in smartphone totaling more than 1 billion technology now make it possible for more people to turn to the third screen to listen to music, check the news, watch TV, and mailboxes by the end of 2013.more than ever, check email. - Radicati GroupDue to differentiators between smartphone manufacturers, models, and operating systems, HTML email rendering across mobile devices has become an important consideration when it comes to marketers' ability to maximize the results from their email campaigns. And regardless of whether a large or small portion of your existing email database views your emails on their smartphone today, you'll want to do everything you can to make sure your message follows basic email rendering best practices for the third screen.
What is a Smartphone Anyway?Smartphone - Actually, there is no industry standard definition of a smartphone. For the purpose of this article we will define it as a mobile phone that offers advanced PC-like functionality, can run software, play media, connect to the Internet, and includes a QWERTY keyboard.
Operating System (OS) - An operating system is a computer program that manages the resources and processes of a computer and provides an interactive graphic interface between the computer and the user.
For smartphones, the OS controls the functions of calling, texting, web browsing, using applications and rendering emails. Each OS has a different graphic interface and handles its processes in a unique manner.
Major Smartphone Operating SystemsThe operating system of a smartphone depends on its make and model. Below is a list of the major smartphone operating systems and some of the phones that use them:
. iPhone OS - Apple iPhone. Android OS - Google Nexus One, HTC Dream, T-Mobile G1, Nook, 18+ others. Blackberry OS - RIM Blackberry. Symbian OS - Nokia, Sa... [download for more]