Steve uses his memory of high-school angst to ask an important question mobile marketers should ask themselves: What are they doing there?

In a column a couple of weeks ago, I mentioned in passing that a banner ad and landing page for the upcoming movie "The Signal" had caught both my eye and my ear. The ad had a click-to-call feature that called in to a recording of the same noise that turns the film's characters into killers. Real old-timers in the mobile marketing world (or those whose memory goes back three years) may recall that Stephen King's novel of cell phone treachery, "Cell," had a similar hook, and that mobile marketing campaign involved getting a voice message from King.

I must get a dozen "have you seen this?" emails a week from readers and contacts trying to turn me on to new mobile apps, sites, widgets and games. I am a total sucker for this kind of prodding. A bank of review phones from the major carriers sits at my side ready to answer the call of the cool. That's until my head starts to hurt and the mobile bookmarks on my feature phones fill up. Then I know it is time for a brain dump. So, in no particular order of importance, here are just a few of …

Last week's research drop from Nielsen Mobile found that 23% of mobile users say they have seen ads on their phone in the last 30 days. About half of them responded to one or more of these commercial messages. I guess this is good news, if the experience of engaging ads on mobile is in any way rewarding to consumers. Otherwise, we risk turning users off to the mobile marketing model altogether. My own experience continues to be mixed....

The mobile wings of Sports Illustrated, ESPN, CBS and Go2 are taking March Madness very seriously, and for good reason. I recall a couple of years ago hearing from attendees at some of these games that many people in the crowd had their cell phones open to check the current scores at the other games. Apparently, the audience was getting a little mobile competition going over whose mobile scores service was quickest in getting the latest updates.

One company that seems to be making a strong model out of viral distribution is a voice and text service, RHBrands, which runs the Rejection Hotline, It Could Always Suck More, and scores of other comic call-in programs. This has been going on since 2001 -- and according to CEO Bryan Kujawski, the company gets between 2.5 million and 3.5 million calls a month and up to 8 or more million when a new program really goes viral. The Rejection Hotline is a phone number in any major area code singles can give to lousy prospects they meet in the …

What is it that I really need to be "mobilized" -- me or my content? Perhaps this is a distinction without a difference, but I suspect not. So much of mobile marketing and media is grounded in "extending" brand and translating brands into discrete mobile experiences. I am a bit surprised that in my increased use of mobile as a news, communications and information tool, I am veering towards experiences that are familiar and consistent across the platforms. Do I want my content "distributed" -- or me distributed? Does such a distinction even matter?

Runners who downloaded the popular PodRunner podcast series of workout techno mixes this week also get a laser-targeted ad from Timex. Developed by PHD and deployed on the VoloMedia podcast ad network, this small spot is not especially creative or ear-catching so much as it is achingly on target and on message. The iControl Timex watch lets you control your iPod wirelessly from the watch face.