Mobile campaigns missing the mark?

To quote the article, “Okay, so I embellish a bit, but bloody hell man, what marketing Neanderthal signed off on this campaign? Who thought it a good idea to take a collection of the most painfully average umlungus, gooi them in a lounge with their ‘deer-in-headlights kids', and then have them read a script with as much enthusiasm as a Sandtonite having to do community service at a Brakpan soup-kitchen?”

Reactions like these can put a big dent in one's brand. Apart from the costs of creating the strategy around the campaign, paying the agency to put the campaign together and having it place, one wonders how long the campaign ran for and what the total airtime cost to the advertiser was?

Desired impact

Ok, so I'm in mobile marketing and you're wondering what I'm going on about? Well it's simple... If you're a brand manager or marketing director, are you reaching the people you're trying to promote your brand to and are you reaching them effectively? Are the campaigns your agency is rolling out on your behalf having the desired impact?

Blogs are becoming more and more important, if only for the simple reason that they highlight what people are thinking. And if you tap into what consumers are saying and you realise your advertising strategy is not being implemented across the right medium(s) and/or is creating campaigns that are not wielding the kind of results you're hoping for, then what do you do? You could not only be pouring your money down the drain, but you could also be damaging the brand you're trying to build.

Basically I'm talking about three important things: channel, content and impact. They're all vital parts to building your brand and mobile marketing is giving companies compelling reasons across all three areas to start using the cellphone as a new way to reach the target market.

New, direct and dynamic

Mobile marketing, whether it's through direct campaigns like MMS or using a mobi website customised for cellphone use, provides a new and interesting channel to reach out to the consumer. The challenge of traditional advertising medium has always been one of penetration. Companies have promoted themselves across channels to try and penetrate the market with their message.

The advantage that mobile marketing offers is that it's new and fresh, which means it captures people's attention. Furthermore, it's more direct than any other channel, going straight to consumers' most treasured device – the cellphone.

From a content perspective, the multimedia aspect of mobile marketing allows companies to create really powerful content to capture people's attention. That content can the also be saved as a ringtone or screen background. Mobile marketing is all about experience and if the consumer has a great experience on their phone, then it will be something they share with others.

While initially there were fears about spam and invasion of privacy, mobile advertising nipped this issue in the bud by being permission based. Initially consumers could choose on two levels to reject a message – either by rejecting the header in the message inbox or by opting out of the service.

One step further

Mobile advertising is taking it one step further by giving consumers the choice to opt in to receive material. In turn they are provided with discounts, free gifts and incentives. The advantage of this is that consumers only receive marketing material if they want it and advertisers are assured of communicating with a targeted base.

In terms of impact, the channel provides advertisers with impressive reporting options, providing visibility on who has been communicated with, when they received the message, when the message was opened and how many people have unsubscribed from the service. And unlike other mediums, penetration through the base occurs within about 72 hours. In addition, campaigns can be controlled so the company does not over communicate to a specific consumer, maintaining the integrity of the channel.

Consumers know what they want and above all they want to decide what information they look at. Mobile marketing gives them that choice and allows companies to communicate more accurately than ever before, ensuring that budget is well spent and has a positive, brand building impact.