I remember when I was given my first mobile phone. It was from T-Mobile and it was a "pay as you go" phone that my friend in England gave me since all the college kids used texting and mobile phones to contact one another. Then, this past summer I finally purchased my first cell phone from Verizon. It is a Motorola RAZR with a limited amount of text messages alotted per month. It's amazing how much phones have changed within over a century, but what very few people think about is how much marketing has changed in comparison of the times.
When we think of new media, we usually think of web pages, streaming videos, banners, etc. However, mobile marketing is starting to take hold with the popularity of mobile phones and texting on the rise. One reason for the recent rise in mobile marketing is the number of mobile registrants. There are over 3.3 billion mobile phone subscriptions and more than half of world-wide subscriptions have text messaging capabilities (West Virginia University, P.I. Reed School of Journalism, 2008). For those interested in marketing to the profitable Generation Y, over fifty percent of teens own a mobile phone and a quarter of all 18-24 year olds own a phone with internet access (Krotz, 2008). Among the teens between 13-17 years old, 77 percent of teens claim to text on a daily basis (Navigating the teen media experience, 2008).
One vital point that was mentioned about mobile marketing was the timing of the mobile message. During one discussion about mobile marketing and Victoria's Secret, the integrated marketing communications practitioner explained that she chose Black Friday because consumers would be interested in coupons and savings on this day. For those who have never heard of Black Friday, it occurs the day after Thanksgiving when stores lower prices in order to kick off the holiday season (The black friday 2008: Frequently asked questions, 2008). When it came to mobile marketing during Black Friday, they mentioned sending codes to the consumer's cell phone, and by sending these codes to the consumers, they would be able to collect discounts. Along with the discounts, the "Angel Cards" (Victoria Secret credit cards) spending can be measured and additional discounts or points can be given to individuals via mobile phone depending on how much money they spend. This could promote more spending and the building blocks of brand loyalty through rewards.
Another point that was mentioned during the discussion was the idea of mobile marketing benefitting companies that most consumers would never think could benefit from such a program. One example of this was in relation to a movie theater and utilizing mobile marketing to encourage movie-goers to visit a local movie theater. Examples for the mobile message included using another loyalty credit card and gain extra points (or credit) on the consumer's ticket purchase. The reason why this intrigued me was when another member made the comment of how he/she found it ironic that mobile devices could be used to benefit a theater since he/she found mobile devices to be the cause of why he/she disliked attending the theater. There is a bit of irony in using a device that the theaters tell you to turn off before the movie begins as a way to convince people to attend the shows. Especially when cell phones--ringing and answered--are listed #3 and #2 respectedly among theater annoyances (Top 10 theater annoyances, 2005).
So, when it comes to mobile marketing, it seems as though anything is possible. Whether it is through the creation of brand loyalty through cards or by utilizing marketing codes in order to redeem discounts. However, one thing that was not mentioned as often was the idea of using more interactive features such as mobile gaming or text applets. Thes tools came in handy when Adidas wanted to build their soccer fanbase in England with the "Road to Lisbon" campaign. During this campaign, Adidas took a chance on mobile marketing and utilized a text applet that would update soccer fans in real time about their favorite teams; allow for wallpaper and video downloads; and there was even a Euro 2004 video game developed specifically for the mobile phone. While the campaign did not fully infiltrate the 12-24 year old market, it did open the market for more fans of soccer to relate the game with Adidas footwear (Wesley, 2005).
With the upcoming capabilities of 4G wireless, and the constant improvements on cell phones, it is hard to tell what could be next in the future of mobile marketing. Possibly advertising within mobile games? Infrared technology where phones can wirelessly link to one another and allow a technician to connect to a phone via another phone or computer? Maybe ET will be texting his ride to come pick him up instead of calling home.
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Krotz, J.L. Tough customers: How to reach Gen Y. Microsoft Small Business Center. Retrieved November 23, 2008, from http://www.microsoft.com/smallbusiness/resources/marketing/market-research/tough-customers-how-to-reach-gen-y.aspx#ToughcustomershowtoreachGenY
Navigating the teen media experience. Longitudinal Media Experience. Retrieved November 23, 2008, from http://s3.amazonaws.com/scribecast/presentations/p2d/OTX_LMX_Presentation_Teen_Overview_Final.pdf
The black friday 2008: Frequently asked questions. The Black Friday. Retrieved November 21, 2008, from http://www.theblackfriday.com/what_is_black_friday.shtml
Top 10 theater annoyances. Movies For Guys. Retrieved November 23, 2008, from http://www.moviesforguys.com/blog/2005/03/top-10-theater-annoyances.html
Wesley, D. (2005). The brand in the hand: Mobile marketing at Adidas. Northeastern University, College of Business Administration.
West Virginia University, P.I. Reed School of Journalism (2008, August 18). Lesson 5: Can you hear me now? M2M, advergaming, in-game branding & RSS feed. Retrieved November 23, 2008, from https://ecampus.wvu.edu/webct/urw/lc5116001.tp0/cobaltMainFrame.dowebct
When we think of new media, we usually think of web pages, streaming videos, banners, etc. However, mobile marketing is starting to take hold with the popularity of mobile phones and texting on the rise. One reason for the recent rise in mobile marketing is the number of mobile registrants. There are over 3.3 billion mobile phone subscriptions and more than half of world-wide subscriptions have text messaging capabilities (West Virginia University, P.I. Reed School of Journalism, 2008). For those interested in marketing to the profitable Generation Y, over fifty percent of teens own a mobile phone and a quarter of all 18-24 year olds own a phone with internet access (Krotz, 2008). Among the teens between 13-17 years old, 77 percent of teens claim to text on a daily basis (Navigating the teen media experience, 2008).
One vital point that was mentioned about mobile marketing was the timing of the mobile message. During one discussion about mobile marketing and Victoria's Secret, the integrated marketing communications practitioner explained that she chose Black Friday because consumers would be interested in coupons and savings on this day. For those who have never heard of Black Friday, it occurs the day after Thanksgiving when stores lower prices in order to kick off the holiday season (The black friday 2008: Frequently asked questions, 2008). When it came to mobile marketing during Black Friday, they mentioned sending codes to the consumer's cell phone, and by sending these codes to the consumers, they would be able to collect discounts. Along with the discounts, the "Angel Cards" (Victoria Secret credit cards) spending can be measured and additional discounts or points can be given to individuals via mobile phone depending on how much money they spend. This could promote more spending and the building blocks of brand loyalty through rewards.
Another point that was mentioned during the discussion was the idea of mobile marketing benefitting companies that most consumers would never think could benefit from such a program. One example of this was in relation to a movie theater and utilizing mobile marketing to encourage movie-goers to visit a local movie theater. Examples for the mobile message included using another loyalty credit card and gain extra points (or credit) on the consumer's ticket purchase. The reason why this intrigued me was when another member made the comment of how he/she found it ironic that mobile devices could be used to benefit a theater since he/she found mobile devices to be the cause of why he/she disliked attending the theater. There is a bit of irony in using a device that the theaters tell you to turn off before the movie begins as a way to convince people to attend the shows. Especially when cell phones--ringing and answered--are listed #3 and #2 respectedly among theater annoyances (Top 10 theater annoyances, 2005).
So, when it comes to mobile marketing, it seems as though anything is possible. Whether it is through the creation of brand loyalty through cards or by utilizing marketing codes in order to redeem discounts. However, one thing that was not mentioned as often was the idea of using more interactive features such as mobile gaming or text applets. Thes tools came in handy when Adidas wanted to build their soccer fanbase in England with the "Road to Lisbon" campaign. During this campaign, Adidas took a chance on mobile marketing and utilized a text applet that would update soccer fans in real time about their favorite teams; allow for wallpaper and video downloads; and there was even a Euro 2004 video game developed specifically for the mobile phone. While the campaign did not fully infiltrate the 12-24 year old market, it did open the market for more fans of soccer to relate the game with Adidas footwear (Wesley, 2005).
With the upcoming capabilities of 4G wireless, and the constant improvements on cell phones, it is hard to tell what could be next in the future of mobile marketing. Possibly advertising within mobile games? Infrared technology where phones can wirelessly link to one another and allow a technician to connect to a phone via another phone or computer? Maybe ET will be texting his ride to come pick him up instead of calling home.
-----------------
Krotz, J.L. Tough customers: How to reach Gen Y. Microsoft Small Business Center. Retrieved November 23, 2008, from http://www.microsoft.com/smallbusiness/resources/marketing/market-research/tough-customers-how-to-reach-gen-y.aspx#ToughcustomershowtoreachGenY
Navigating the teen media experience. Longitudinal Media Experience. Retrieved November 23, 2008, from http://s3.amazonaws.com/scribecast/presentations/p2d/OTX_LMX_Presentation_Teen_Overview_Final.pdf
The black friday 2008: Frequently asked questions. The Black Friday. Retrieved November 21, 2008, from http://www.theblackfriday.com/what_is_black_friday.shtml
Top 10 theater annoyances. Movies For Guys. Retrieved November 23, 2008, from http://www.moviesforguys.com/blog/2005/03/top-10-theater-annoyances.html
Wesley, D. (2005). The brand in the hand: Mobile marketing at Adidas. Northeastern University, College of Business Administration.
West Virginia University, P.I. Reed School of Journalism (2008, August 18). Lesson 5: Can you hear me now? M2M, advergaming, in-game branding & RSS feed. Retrieved November 23, 2008, from https://ecampus.wvu.edu/webct/urw/lc5116001.tp0/cobaltMainFrame.dowebct
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