Foreword
Foreword to The Mobile Marketing Handbook
by Laura Marriott, President of the Mobile Marketing Association
Anytime, anywhere, always on, always available … mobile allows a brand to connect with the consumer like never before. A dialogue based on relevance, engagement, and consumer opt-in. For those who have participated in the Mobile Marketing Association or have heard me speak, this may sound like a broken record. I am one, in an industry of many passionate mobile advocates, hooked on mobile and the “power” of the mobile channel. Like many of my colleagues, I believe that mobile is positioned to emerge as the world’s leading media and to become not the third screen, but the first screen for connecting the brand to the consumer.
With more than 3.3 billion handsets worldwide, compared to only 1 billion PCs, mobile is rapidly becoming the media of choice for consumers around the globe. Mobile provides access to the web when you’re on the go, access to television or the Internet for populations where infrastructure is not yet deployed, and a means for a brand to create a relationship of affinity and interaction with its consumer. Mobile is a means to access the majority of the world’s population in a highly contextual and relevant consumer driven interaction. How could we not be passionate about mobile?
I am often asked, “Is this is the year for mobile?” and, “If not, what is impeding the growth of broad scale mobile marketing adoption globally?”
Well, let’s face it, mobile is here. We should stop trying to justify the answer to the question and, instead, start making it easier for those who want to engage and adopt to do just that. When I began leading the Mobile Marketing Association we focused heavily on the technology. A mobile campaign sale to a brand might first focus on conversations around cool technology—on “neat” demos, awesome platforms, and the “Wow” instead of the “How.” We have now learned that the key to success is helping to define and achieve brand strategic objectives and leverage creativity and innovation, regardless of the technology we use, to achieve campaign success.
Impediments to growth have included perceptions that mobile marketing is intrusive for brands, agencies, and consumers alike. However, attitudes are beginning to shift globally, and brands increasingly understand what mobile can do to help extend their messages using a consumer opt-in driven model. There is also the perception that mobile is complicated. And, yes, while mobile may appear complex, the industry has come together to define terminology and create a streamlined means of market entry with simple, easy-to-follow guidelines and best practices that remove barriers and create a common platform on which to launch campaigns.
Just as marketers use traditional media to achieve varied marketing objectives, mobile must be considered a critical component within a larger cross media campaign. Integration of the mobile call to action into existing traditional and digital media spend is one of the critical lessons we have learned in deploying successful campaigns.
Richard Saggers, Head of Mobile Advertising for Vodafone Group Services, shares that for mobile marketing to be successful we must ensure cross media integration, relevance, perceived consumer benefit, engaging interaction, and—most importantly—that it is not intrusive. One of the obstacles to overcome is the perceived consumer belief that mobile marketing involves push-based initiatives (unsolicited communications) directed at this highly personal device on an ad-hoc basis. However, unlike email or the Internet, mobile marketing is permission-based and consumers are able to proactively select the initiatives they participate in.
Consumer acceptance will be paramount to growing mobile marketing spend. Today, the dollars for mobile marketing might be best characterized as “trial/test and learn” and, before allocating additional budget to mobile, brands require an understanding of the role mobile media plays in the overall mix, consumer acceptance of brand messaging, consistent guidelines and best practices, and evidence of effectiveness/value via consistent metrics, measurement, and reporting.
Thus, education is key to the growth of our industry—both on the agency and the client sides. The success of mobile marketing efforts will be maximized by educating consumers on the benefits they will realize from participation, and by educating brands on how to engage this channel in the right way.
A digital marketing agency told me, “Our biggest challenge right now is figuring out what mobile marketing offerings we’re best positioned to assist our clients with. … We need to assess where our value proposition will lie in mobile.” Agencies are determining how they can expand their mobile offerings to help clients—and where and how they will find the expertise they need to succeed.
The Mobile Marketing Handbook: A Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Dynamic Mobile Marketing Campaigns provides this much-needed education. It is a must-read resource if you are contemplating launching a mobile initiative, or are simply looking to understand your options. The book helps readers grasp the challenges in defining objectives, choosing partners, and implementing tactics to achieve goals. And the information is delivered in an understandable and easy-to-use format.
The question of how to get started in mobile marketing is one I hear often, and this essential book is the kind of resource that will provide you with the insight you need to get involved—today. It will provide you with the basics and help you gain the knowledge to identify the important considerations for implementing your solution and achieving success.
A rising industry tide will float all ships, creating revenue for the brands and enhanced opportunities for the consumer. We will all win. Let’s keep our campaigns simple and relevant, deliver on value to the consumer—and have fun! The Mobile Marketing Handbook is your start.
Laura Marriott
President, Mobile Marketing Association
