Mobile – market size and rate of growth
Over the past decade or so, mobile marketing has gone from being a fairly broad advertising term to referring to a rather specific type of marketing. Once used to describe any form of marketing that made use of a moving (mobile) medium (things such as moving billboards, roadshows and other transportable outdoor advertising), today it refers to a completely different form of advertising: reaching out to connect and interact with consumers through their mobile electronic device of choice.
Mobile marketing – a game-changing channel, or just another conduit?
Mobile marketing is still marketing on the internet. The net is still the net, regardless of the device you use to access it. Social media is still social media no matter what device you use to share your content; the World Wide Web is still the World Wide Web, whether you’re accessing a mobile-optimized version of a site or belt-and-braces desktop version, e-mail is still e-mail no matter how you choose to pick up your messages.
‘Show and sell’ is dead, welcome to the world of ‘utility and entertainment’
A great example of a brand embracing the ‘utility and entertainment’ aspect of mobile to maximum effect was the ‘Axe Wake-Up Service’, a campaign that ran in the mobile marketing capital of the world: Japan. Research showed that 70 per cent of Japan’s urban male youth (the brand’s target market) used their mobile phones as alarm clocks. All Axe did was to use this generic consumer behavior as a platform, and built a campaign around it
Mobile: evolution on steroids
Innovation, and the very human desire for something newer and better, is driving the rapid evolution of the mobile device. We’re never content with the status quo. Last month our all-singing-all-dancing smartphone was the bee’s knees… but today, well today we really need that shiny new tablet. You know, the one that is so achingly cool we don’t even need to turn it on to impress our friends. Next month a new version of our phone will hit the shelves – sleeker, brighter, faster…. It’s all happening so damned quickly.
Mobile gaming
Mobile gaming has been described as the wide-open battleground of the entertainment industry. While the likes of Facebook and Zynga dominate social games, and big publishers such as Xbox, Sony and Nintendo rule console games, the global smartphone games market is still patently up for grabs.
Mobile applications
Mobile applications are quite a simple concept. They are just pieces of software that are pre-installed on your mobile phone or are available to download from the internet. They are nothing new. There have been mobile applications available for multiple handsets for years now – ranging from games to currency conversion tools to more complicated applications allowing you to broadcast live video and audio from your phone.
Measuring mobile
The old adage, you can only manage what you measure, certainly rings true for most marketers in this ROI-driven world. A number of recent white papers have tried to shed light on the measurement of mobile marketing, customer loyalty and engagement. Surprise, surprise… the overriding message is that, when it comes to evaluating the success (or otherwise) of your mobile campaign, there is really no substitute for timely, accurate and independent tracking and measurement.
Mobile privacy
If the holy grail of mobile marketing is accurate and effective measurement, then its arch-nemesis must surely be privacy. Privacy concerns are rife across the web, but are more prevalent than ever when you’re talking about a device that most of us carry around with us all day, every day: a device that knows exactly where we are, when and for how long.
Lastly Comment
Mobile is a unique channel, with differing needs for different device-form factors and connections. It can no longer be thought of as an add-on to a marketing strategy but needs to be integrated fully into the overall marketing mix. People expect a positive experience no matter what device they’re using – nothing kills a mobile web experience like a pesky pop-up! The year of the mobile is finally here. Make sure you’re ready
