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Grupo.Mobi (formerly known as Pontomobi): in brief

Type of agency: full service mobile agency.
Founded: October 2007.
Acquisitions: Fingertips (apps, games and mobisites development - merged with MobMidia), MonsterJuice (games developer) Minucom (sponsored telco credits), Finggers (social network for developers and app lovers) and DP7 (interactive SMS, MMS, PIN-Code platforms), Microways games development) and Bluespot (Bluetooth marketing).
Main offices: São Paulo, Recife, Porto Alegre, Curitiba and Rio de Janeiro (Brazil).
Employees (in mobile): 160.
Ownership: In 2010 Grupo RBS took a 60% stake in Pontomobi. RBS is the third largest media group in Brazil.
Contact details: contato@pontomobi.com.br
Web: grupo.mobi/.
Recent news:
• December 2011 – Grupo.mobi acquires Brazilian mobile ad network Hands Mobile and plans to merge with its own start-up mobile ad network Redemobi to become the dominant player in Brazilian mobile ads. • Read this profile of Hands Mobile.
• November 2011 – Petrobras and FingerTips (Grupo.Mobi) and Nike; and Grupo.mobi and F/Nazca Saatchi & Saatchi win Latin America regional winners at the MMA Global Mobile Marketing Awards 2011
• September 2011 – Grupo.Mobi and AlmapBBDO win Best-integrated mobile/cross-media campaign Mobi Awards 2011 for GOL Airlines campaign.
Profile submitted by: Leo Xavier, founder and CEO.
Profile last update: December 2011.

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Video case study: GOL Airlines campaign.
Gol Airlines needed to communicate a new service. Now passengers can make earlier check-in via iPhone or cellphone. Grupo.Mobi created an ad that gives you a flying experience on the web. You had to type in your cellphone number on the banner. Then you received a call and a voice gave you the flight instructions. To control Gol’s airplane, you use the numbers on your cellphone as a remote control. You could fly over the company destinations making maneuvers like dives and loops while you checked tickets and special rates. The ad remained on air for 5 days and had an average of 2,500 calls per day.

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Grupo.Mobi (formerly known as Pontomobi) : in depth

1) Global annual revenue from mobile: Band E US $10m-$20m.
2) Is the mobile business profitable? Yes.
3) How is the company funded? Privately held. RBS holds a majority stake.
4) Proportion of business related to mobile: 100%.
5) Business split: strategy 10%; creative 40%; technical 50%.
6) Key mobile activities: mobile messaging 15%; mobile advertising 20%; media buying 20%; mobile apps 25%; mobile Web 10%; Bluetooth marketing 5%; mobile games 5%.
7) Specialties/expertise: Grupo.mobi offers a full range of mobile marketing and advertising services. Our six companies provide a one-stop shop for planning, creative and development, making life much easier for our clients and traditional agencies.
8) Main competitors: digital agencies, such as Mobext and Fbiz; and integrators such as Movile and Spring.
9) Type of clients/industries: traditional and digital agencies.
10) Client base: Grupo.Mobi works with the major agencies in Brazil, such as Ogilvy, JWT, Y&R, AlmapBBDO and Wunderman, on mobile campaigns for clients such as Coca-Cola, Unilever, Ford, Dell, Danone, Johnson & Johnson and HSBC.
11) Geographical coverage (with % of revenues): 100% Brazil.
12) Works most closely with (apart from clients): major traditional agencies. Also has a strong relationship with all the carriers to ensure SMS interactivity and mobile advertising campaigns for clients.

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Video: Grupo.Mobi’s show reel (2011)

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13) Best work to date: in less than four years Grupo.Mobi has delivered 500 mobile campaigns working with a large number of clients and agencies. The favorites tend to combine multiple mobile channels and/or a new creative approach to mobile. (See the video above for a collage of Grupo.Mobi campaigns).
• Coca-Cola World Cup Ringtone (2010): JWT engaged Pontomobi to help promote the official Coca-Cola music for the World Cup. Print, radio, mobile and outdoor advertising invited consumers to text ‘GOL’ for free to receive the ringtone. In three weeks the campaign achieved more than 162,000 downloads.
• Skol Beats (2008) The most complete mobile campaign ever seen in Brazil was used to promote Brazil’s biggest electronic music festival. The interactive campaign used mobile Web, SMS broadcast, mobile advertising, interactive Web banners, Web video call and Bluetooth marketing. In three months the campaign reached 190,000 people within the youth target (see video below).
• Carefree mobile sampling machine (2009): the campaign distributed free samples of Carefree women’s hygiene products using three SMS-operated vending machines in restrooms in trendy bars in São Paulo. Using SMS to activate the machines ensured that each person could only obtain one sample per day. Participants also received a thank-you text containing a link to the mobile site. In one month each machine received more than 10,000 interactions.

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Video case study: Carefree mobile sampling machine.

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14) Award-winning campaigns and other accolades:
a) Pontomobi
• Tela Viva Movel 2010: Mobile Marketing Agency of the year.
b) GOL Airlines
• Mobi Awards 2011 Winner (best-integrated mobile/cross-media campaign) in partnership with AlmapBBDO.
c) Pao de Acucar Delivery
• Mobi Awards 2011 Runner-up (best mobile app for e-commerce/retail
• Meffy Awards 2011 Runner-up (best m-commerce service)
d) Positivo: Interactive Carnival
• Mobile Merit Awards 2010: Winner (best mobile campaign).
• Wave Festival 2010 Silver (Cyber).
• The Meffy Awards (Meffys) 2010: shortlist.
e) Clic Esportes: mobile site
• Tela Viva Movel 2010: winner (best mobile site) in partnership with RBS.
f) Ford: Ford Ranger app and mobile site
Cannes Cyber Lions 2010: shortlist, in partnership with JWT.
g) Carefree: Mobile sampling machine
• MMA Global Awards 2009: Best messaging campaign, LATAM.
• Meffys 2009: shortlist.

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Video case study: Pao de Acucar Delivery.

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15) How do you sell mobile to your clients? Instead of competing with traditional media, we encourage clients to aggregate mobile into their media plans. We consider mobile to be advertising’s last mile, able to deliver real interaction between brands and consumers.
16) What return on investment (ROI) should your clients expect from mobile? The same ROI that they expect from Web campaigns.
17) Membership of industry bodies/associations: Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) - Leo Xavier is member of the MMA LATAM board of directors.
18) What needs to happen to accelerate mobile marketing/Web/services over the next five years? In Brazil, this requires three things: 1) we need more bigger, structured players (the majority of mobile players are small companies, with limited offerings and structure); 2) culture and education regarding the potential and benefits of the mobile space; and 3) patience.
19) In 2015, mobile will be… one more line in the media plans, as important as other media.
Video case study: Skol Beats.

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Video case study: Positivo’s Interactive Carnival.

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