Mobile Marketing Leaders Since 1998
Press
Use Multiple Channels to Achieve Mobile Campaign Goals: CTIA Panel
April 29, 2009
SAN DIEGO - Marketing at its core is focused on building brand equity and driving sales revenue, and mobile is an excellent vehicle to help brands reach either goal.
That opinion was expressed during a panel at CTIA Wireless I.T. & Entertainment 2009: Mobile Business. Moderator Brian Gratch, CEO of sixteen30, asked the panel whether traditional rules apply when implementing mobile marketing concepts within a campaign or if we are we seeing the creation of a completely new paradigm.
“Mobile enhances traditional channels-integrating mobile with print is big for us, and brands that run a print ad without having some sort of mobile call-to-action is missing the boat,” said Jason Fulmines, vice president of mobile products at Gannett’s USA Today. “We’re on the publisher side, and the reach is certainly there-the USAToday.com mobile site gets tens of millions of page views each month.
“You can run banner ads on a litany of other publishers, but we can help brands build something you can’t get from an ad network, such as customization inside of our iPhone application,” he said.
Just as marketing strategies cross over somewhat from other media, brands’ mandate to know their audience is no different in mobile.
While it is true that some verticals have invested more in mobile than others, it is a fallacy that only brands that want to target the younger demographic should turn to mobile marketing.
“At USA Today we have an older audience compared with other mobile publishers, and it probably skews 70-30 toward men,” Mr. Fulmines said. “We have a big sports audience, guys who are checking sports scores on their devices.
“As far as advertisers trying to reach those demographics, we’ve seen the same trailblazers in mobile as we saw in the early days of the Web, the automotive, banking and travel sectors,” he said.
Mr. Fulmines said that many brands are interested in cross-platform buys. Marriott and Random House-for Dan Brown’s new book “The Lost Symbol”-are two examples he cited of brands that have advertised across multiple USA Today properties, which include print, online, SMS alerts, a mobile Web site and an iPhone application.
While it is important for a campaign’s creative and message to remain consistent across various channels, each channel has its own strengths and weaknesses that must be taken into account.
“An integrated campaign doesn’t mean execute the same across all media, but definitely interactive is key,” said Mitch Feinman, a consultant for SayNow. “Online is a key driver for mobile campaigns, which offer more immediacy.
“Brands may be targeting similar audiences online and on mobile, but we need to make it easier for the brands to participate, as the number of carriers and handset-makers is dizzying,” he said. “In mobile as with other channels, it comes down to clever ways of building ongoing dialogue.”
Brands should strive to activate other media using the mobile channel, which is unique in its ability to deploy campaigns with a focus on timing, location and interaction with consumers.
Other channels can also be used to activate mobile campaigns.
“Messaging campaigns are dependent upon other mediums to promote that short code,” said Jack Philbin, cofounder/president of Vibes Media. “You can do a mobile program in conjunction with mobile advertising, with banner ads across various ad networks, but mobile perfect complement to other channels such as print or TV.
“Mobile not in its own silo,” he said. “Mobile is the glue that helps bring other mediums together,” he said.
SMS has grown exponentially over the last few years, and musicians and sports teams are running in-venue text-to-screen initiatives to engage event attendees and drive opt-ins.
More and more brands are sponsoring such initiatives or running ads with SMS alerts from popular publishers. News and sports publishers have done especially well in this area.
SMS also has the greatest reach of any mobile channel. So just because an iPhone application is sexy does not mean it is the best vehicle to accomplish a marketer’s goals.
“People who say text messaging isn’t sexy, it’s because they’re stupid,” said Konny Zsigo, president of the Wireless Developer Agency, East Lansing, MI. “The medium is not the problem-it’s like saying paper is boring, no its not, it’s all about what you put on it, so take responsibility and come up with something creative.
“As a marketer you get tempted by the iPhone because it is sexy, but it doesn’t reach all demographics, only a specific high-end demographic,” he said. “Most brands want the broadest reach possible and have to think about not excluding any group.”