Smart phones are getting smarter. It’s only a matter of time before we all have little beeping, blinking geniuses in our pockets. Understandably, mobile marketers are rushing to exploit the I.Q. surge. Easy access and compelling content translate to soaring sales, right? Well, not quite yet. The formula for mobile success still is a riddle awaiting the correct answer. True, good headway already has been made with the usual tried and true ingredients — marketing savvy, cutting-edge technology, and audience receptiveness. But, as they say, we’ve still got a long way to go. And so, marketing experts continue to test, experiment, dig, and delve in a quest for mobile magic.
Marketers are banking on the one big advantage mobiles hold over the bulkier PC’s – smart phones and their like are always as close as your pocket, purse, or hand. And by association, so are their high potency messages. Instant. Easy. Effective. The breakout potential of mobile marketing has triggered a proliferation of intriguing partnerships hoping to cash in on a future of bonanzas. Among them:
Verizon & The NFL: The wireless provider offers an app featuring live football game video, a fantasy football tracker, and news alerts.
Macy’s & Various Designers: Customers who scan a QR code with a mobile device can access a special video featuring celebrity designers. 45,000 video views were logged within the first couple of weeks of the launch.
IBM & The Sciences: The computer powerhouse has been developing an iPad app that showcases a popular mathematics museum exhibit.
Mobile Marketing: A Bright Future
Will mobile ever lure enough eyeballs to reel in the mass of big brands and big bucks that fuel television and radio? The writing on the wall spells out a big ‘yes’. Major League Baseball is a case in point. MLB’s Advanced Media, the sport’s digital division, reports that more than 50% of its online traffic arrives via mobile apps and websites.
Already, more and more people are using the mobile portal to the Internet, shifting their attention away from the less portable PC. A third of American adults own a smart phone, according to Pew Internet & American Life Project’s report, “Smartphone Adoption and Usage,” (July 2011). Of this group, a staggering 87% reported using their mobile device to connect with the web or email.
Yes, mobile marketing is definitely off to a solid start. But there’s still plenty of uncharted territory to cross.
If you have any comments or questions about this new arena, or any other marketing topics, feel free to send them our way. You can connect with The Young Company team at 949-376-8404 #205 or byoung@youngcompany.com. And be sure to follow us for the latest industry news and tips.