How many times in the past week have you heard the term “Mobile Media”, or “Mobile Advertising”? I have clients, analyst, and reporters ask me constantly. “Who’s your mobile media expert?”, “What percentage of my budget should go to mobile media?” – Silliness in my opinion.
Most marketers associate the term media with a medium to deliver or PUSH your advertising. Basically if you see mobile as just another place for your ads, if you intend to include another line item in your media plan that says “mobile” – you have it all wrong.
Mobile is not media it is a point of interaction between a brand and a consumer. You may say well so is a TV spot, and that is media right? Not necessarily the key word here is interaction, and I mean the two-way kind.
Mobile, email, and even the good old telephone are amazing little tools to continue a conversation they should not be used as a medium to solicit one – that is called SPAM.
Comments (2)
If a consumer is surfing for free content or downloading free applications ads are a perfectly acceptable way to reach them. Why doesn't that make sense?
Posted by Ari Paparo | March 8, 2008 3:41 PM
Posted on March 8, 2008 15:41
I both agree, and respectfully disagree with you Gaston. Mobile is absolutly a point of interaction - its the digital device in your pocket that allows you to "bookmark" the world so to speak. Consumers are bombarded so completely each and every day that its very hard to make things stick - mobile helps accomplish just that by gibing you the ability to interact in the here and now, instead of relying on the ad to drive recall hours late when someone is sitting in front of their computer or walking down the grocery isle.
Mobile however, is also a medium. As consumer increase the use of smartphones and the rise of the all-you-can-eat data package permiates through the the economy, we see more and more consumers using their cell phones to browse the mobile internet. During that time, more often then not, they will come across an advertisement in the form of a banner ad, video pre/post roll or sometimes as simple as a branded text link. The point is - this medium is asking the consumer to interact with the brand, not forcing them to which would as you put it, be SPAM. I find it funny that some brand markets refer to surveys that say "90% of people when asked dont want advertising on their cell phones". - Well yeah, when you put it that way. 90% of people probally dont want advertising on their TVs either (hence TiVo), or in their magazines, but its still there.
Why is it there? Because despite what we say about advertising - we actually like some of it. It serves a purpose, letting us know what the newest products available are and informing us when the sale is that will save us money on the purchase we have been planning for will be. Mobile is no different then any other media in that regard. People say they do not want advertising on their mobile devices, as pictures of telemarketers calling at dinnertime dance in their heads, but recent studies show that of active mobile web users, 50% have clicked on an ad. Industry standard click through rates on mobile advertising are over 2% - significantly higher then what you can ever expect online.
We throw the word SPAM around because that is really the ultimate consumer fear. Mobile SPAM must just be the worst kind of SPAM right? While there are a few exceptions, mobile is a relatively SPAM-free environment. Consumers must initiate their interactions actively, so that you are getting only the content that you are reaching out for. The carriers if anyone have been known to send out an occasional promotional blast message, however since you are their customer, you've probably already signed over that right in triplicate
I love a good debate, and would be happy to speak with you on this more extensively, but its two am and its time for me to get some sleep.
Cheers,
Aaron
Posted by Aaron Watkins | April 19, 2008 10:08 AM
Posted on April 19, 2008 10:08