ORLANDO, Fla. – As mobile phones fast become fixtures in our daily lives, the common standards of marketing are adapting and changing. Marketers are realizing that barraging a customer with click ads and emails is no longer the most effective way to convert. Rather, a better way to sway customers into conversion and ultimately loyalty is based on engagement and interaction in a way that is conduscive to the customer’s wants and needs. On their mobile phones, of course.
At CTIA in Orlando, Fla., the heavy hitters of mobile marketing, Mike Wehrs of 2D/3D barcode company Scanbuy, Michael Becker of the Mobile Marketing Association, James Citron of mobile video marketing firm Mogreet, and Assaf Baciu of mobile marketing firm Upstream, gathered on a panel to chat about the future of mobile advertising and its true viability.
“What’s exciting about mobile is it provides global reach but also local relevance,” Michael Becker of the MMA began. “Hyperlocal players are allowing the local pizza shop to connect and interact.”
People are realizing mass messaging is nowhere near as effective as individualized messages based on a customers wants, needs, and location. For example, customers are more likely to stop by a particular coffee shop with a special deal when they happen to be walking by. In contrast, the chances of seeing and absorbing a TV ad then making it a point to travel off the beaten path to visit the place is much less likely. It’s about urgency and immediacy.
Reaching the customer on a local level at a relevant time is essential – and mobile phones provide this channel. Mike Wehrs of Scanbuy explained, “Mobile is the most personal item we carry with us. Thus by default it becomes much more relevant and contextual to where I am right now.”
These hyperlocal mobile messaging campaignes come in multiple formats. For example, some brands may develop a mobile application that allows for shopping as well as interaction within the store. The app can utilize 3D barcodes or augmented reality, which require a consumer to hold the product in their hand and scan something to reveal a particular message tailored just for them. Or it could be about sending consumers video text messages prompting them to get out there and buy. Mobile messaging plus the ability to buy directly from a mobile phone with NFC or personalized check-out applications are most certainly the future of marketing.
Baciu of Upstream explained, “the real power of mobile is beyond transaction. People don’t like to see banner ads on their phones. Mobiles are very personal items. I can leave my wedding ring in the locker at the gym, but not my mobile phone.”
James Citron of Mogreet went on to say, “nine out of ten people who enter a store want to buy something, but only one out of ten actually get to transaction. Mobile needs to close that delta, it’s worth a lot of money. A mobile phone can prompt people with personalized messages like “You look like you like high heels, you may want to buy skinny jeans to go with them.””
Beyond the mobile marketing message, the level of brand/customer engagement lends itself perfectly to the world of social networking. Brands are realizing the power of “word of mouth,” or sharing with freinds and family on social networking sites, which is why many are integrating social capabilities within rich mobile applications.
When asked why a person would want to share a picture of a product on a Facebook or Twitter page, Citron responded, “Status and influence are important when people share things via Facebook and Twitter. Who is the hub? Operators should look to them and offer them special deals and discounts.”
Early adopters aren’t the only people using rich mobile applications that allow for check-ins, social sharing, and location-based deals. Wehrs explained that his company Scanbuy has seen a 1600% increase in the numbers of scans over the past year with around 20,000 downloads per day. That’s around 8 million a year, exluding the phones that have Scanbuy preloaded. “The growth rate is really vertical right now,” he added.
Beyond QR and mobile applications, Citron added that the channel isn’t limited to smartphones, “two billion people can access video through MMS, which means you can reach feature phones too.”
The statistics are a clear indication that the number of brands and people using mobile to engage and interact with their favorite brands and stores are growing exponentially. With the movement towards mobile, brands seem to have nothing to lose in trying as Mike Wehrs points out, “in the history of human history we’ve never found a cheaper way than ink…until mobile that is.”
Ending the conversation, Citron looked towards the future of adopting stating, “we need to lead the way, teach the industry.”
