‘i’ for Intelligent

The iPhone definitely earns an ‘i’!  Nothing beats this wonder gadget when it comes to error-free use!  No other phone can match with today’s new media!

I admit, I was iPhone illiterate. And yes, it was my two years old son who bestowed his knowledge upon me. And yes, I now know the i-lingo language.

So here is what I learnt to date…

Apps on the iphone do all kinds of stuff:  record all your expenses and get feedback on your spending patterns, turn your phone into a handy tool like a level bar or even a ruler, enjoy some downtown with games, access to portals like CNN or the BBC AND chekc-out your social arena on Facebook and Twitter!

And everytime, you access any of them a small add-on the side of the screen appears, making the cost of the app minimal or even free. No wonder marketers are tuning into this magical device.  It’s all in the simplicity and accessbility.

 But the iPhone has proven to be of particular benefits to financial and news media corporations. With apps especially tailored to allow users individually customized access to their portal, checking anything else online is no longer worth it.

 

No longer is it a catchy phrase or a flashing light that is to catch my attention (as a consumer that is). It is banking on reciprocity! For example, if CNN allows me to find relevant news without the hassle of having to access my laptop and move through the clutter of pop-ups, -downs, and -sideways; in turn, I can can iReport to CNN or simply just interact. Can you imagine… the first step of a relationship being THAT easy! In a nutshell, the iPhone has made it possible for brands to build a relationship with the user creating a bond much stronger than any ad can ever do!

Hello Mobile Marketing ;)

While companies seek the use of the virtual world of Advergames, there are others that are taking advantage of millions of mobile phone subscribers.  Mobile marketing provides marketers with high speed in message delivery, interactivity, great customer reach and response rates five times higher than direct mail, making it a tool that fosters and maintains strong relationships.The advanced technical performance combined with different mobile content and services has created a new context for brands as well as end users.  A recent study showed that in the US alone, 99% of 270 million US mobile phone subscribers have SMS service.  But even with such statistics, marketers still hesitate in using mobile marketing in their branding strategies without proven use.  

As smartphones proliferate and marketers move beyond experimentation, eMarketer predicts that spending on mobile advertising will gain momentum over the next five years, reaching $1.56 billion by 2013. The very personal nature of a mobile device makes interactivity, informativeness, and personalization measures that would influence the use of mobile marketing as a social media tool.

For the tool to be effective and lucrative to brands, marketers should address customer relevant, requested and interactive content. As such, perception of platforms in terms of better usability and accessibility will allow marketers to generate dynamic ongoing content and applications that are more relevant and efficient to consumers. Also, it would provide insight to the combination of social media needed to further expand revenue channels. Using demographic and psychographic variables of gender, country, city, region, birthday/age, language, consumer group and type, subscription type and status, subscription type and status, phone brand and type and MMS-activated handsets, deployed personalized display and text ads across multiple mobile channels provides consumers with dynamic content and applications, and for marketers: better, more focused accessibility to their real consumers.

Wait; there is more- Better understanding of the role that permission-based marketing plays in encouraging consumers to participate in long-term, interactive campaigns. Marketers can be more effective and lucrative for the industry participants as they focus more on customer relevant, requested and interactive content. The beauty of permission-based mobile marketing is that messages are not perceived as spam or unwanted advertisements, but rather an invitation from the brand.  So here are some questions that may be considered:

1-     Did the message target the right audience?

2-     Was it passed along to others because of its contents?

3-     How effective was the information passed to gain permission by the consumer vs. the information shared afterwards, in terms of the level of trust, loyalty (number of actions taken per information shared), social presence (the number of new subscribers generated from an original/unique customer)?

As interactive media has the potential for customization, more emphasis should be placed on person factors that influence how consumers want to receive information and how they process such customized messages. The fact that mobile phones are almost without exception used and possessed by a single person makes it possible to use the phone as a unique identifier, making it an attractive channel for targeted promotional messages. Measuring the effect on purchasing decisions and buzz generated more focus on thrilling existing customers to building longer-term relationships can further create greater brand authenticity. Based on click behavior, the marketer can observe what actions were taken by the consumer and whether they completed a purchase. Furthermore, the effects of personalized information are much easier to track.

So, should we, as marketers still hesitate?

And do we, as consumers, embrace?

Out of the Way- It’s Personal!

The internet has become a power medium when it comes to branding. It has enabled marketers to generate stronger brand engagement through cost-effective brand message delivery and a better understanding of the target consumer with audience tracking capabilities.  At a more fundamental level, the Internet has provided the gateway to Web 2.0 technology, which has become a central platform for integrated marketing communications programs, given its direct impact. If used effectively, it can be a boost for marketers wanting to extend their brand, and drive customer engagement.

In 2009, Internet marketing trends have taken the lead with the economic recession.  Companies are focused on effective, creative and innovative ways to ensure that customers spend more time with their brand(s) on an ongoing basis. Personalization and focus on thrilling existing customers to building longer-term relationships are imperative to creating greater brand authenticity.  Of the fast-growing and potentially highly effective trends that reach consumers in unique and compelling ways are advergaming and mobile marketing.

These emerging media platforms provide an opportunity for a higher level of marketer participation and responsiveness not possible through traditional marketing tactics. 

Effectiveness of Advergames in Branding

Growth in these areas has mainly been driven by the marketing community to reach its target audiences in their comfort zones. More importantly, advergaming and mobile marketing research have indicated that they have successfully impacted higher repeat purchase, greater loyalty and stronger brand advocacy, because both have been recognized as tools that serve buzz and viral marketing.

Paying Tribute

We always pay tribute to so many things in our lives.  Today, I think that it’s time to hail a brand that has aggressively pursued the US market with its ‘brand in the hand’ strategy and other emerging media platforms as part of its marketing technique to beat the ‘swoosh’ to a pulp. Yes, I’m refering to Adidas.

Way back then, when emerging media was still an infant, the European brand provided an appealing experience to its 12- 24 target audience.  Signing on best selling artist and five time Grammy winner Missy Elliott, Addidas repositioned itself as the urban cool brand for young Americans with the Respect M.E. campaign.

 

Respect M.E. viral marketing campaign promoted its new line of products using the internet as its lead medium, in an attempt to reach American hip hop fans; an estimated 45 million Americans of its target market (age 12-24 years old), who have $ 1 trillion spending power and are influenced by hip hop trends. 

Using mobile 3G technology, internet and face-to-face events, Addidas gave hip hop fans attractive promotions at affordable costs while gathering further information on customers to expand its current database to plan ahead.  Understanding that this particular target segment are more interested in being engaged in appealing mobile and online technology, Addidas built upon its historical European ‘Road 2 Lisbon’ campaign (R2L) experience, during the Euro championship in 2004; creating stimulating features through personal mobile gateways to relate to its customers.  Once potential consumer registered, via phone or internet, they were able to download Missy Elliott tunes, wallpaper, chat with the hip hop star, provide alerts of the latest fashion trends and receive product previews.  Users were also encouraged to share the latest with the friends to earn them points for free downloads. 

Addidas’ Global Media Group (GMG) tactically reached its technology savvy audience via mobile technology, hence increasing frequency, expanding reach, and moving away from traditional media clutter and fragmentation, enabling interactivity at lower cost per thousand. 

It is this kind of risk that brands need to shift towards with the new year up ahead if they are looking for innovative marketing. Check out this year’s mobile marketing guidelines, and this video on how to launch a mobile marketing campaign. 

Do you know of others we should be paying tribute to?