Xen Mendelsohn on Xellular Identity

 

Apropos of yesterday’s post on people self-identifying so much with their cell phones that they want to be buried with them, I have stumbled on a new voice, Xen Mendelsohl, a woman based in Israel who comments frequently on mobile culture in her Xellular Identity blog. She recently reported on cellular identity at the other end of the age spectrum:

[from Hey Doll, Bratz is Calling

The other day I was reading Darla Mack’s post on the new Bratz mobile phone. The makers of Bratz have joined forces with Ztar Mobile to launch a new MVNO targeting young girls. It’s a full-featured Sony-Ericsson T290 handset which has an exclusive Bratz content.

Bratz is a great example of how consumer brands have found a new way to distribute their branded merchandise through the most personal channel – the consumer’s mobile phone. This enables the consumer brands to have a close relationship with their customers. Not less significant, the brands gain customer’s loyalty as well - girls don’t change their mobile handset at the same tendency they change branded dresses, t-shirts or accessories. There is an added value for the operator as well; the operator gains diverse and unique content for its customers. This way, the operator positions itself as having high value for its end-users.

From consumer’s perspective, there is no difference between branded mobile and its unique content to other branded merchandise (clothes, gadgets, cars… you name it). Yet, whatever brands we own in real life we’ll probably want to have on the mobile as well. What some don’t realize is that the only reason to buy Diesel instead of an anonymous pair of jeans is to express our taste, lifestyle and personality. The hell with the price, bring me my Gucci to the mobile!! :) And, we don’t use only one accessory for that purpose; we build the message of “who we are” from the total look, which includes all the accessories available. For girls, it is only natural to want to have the Bratz mobile, the Bratz T-shirt and the Bratz school bag as well. All together would make her girlfriends “wow” and want to be around her cause she has the coolest stuff ever.

I wonder what my Sony Ericsson S710a says about me?