Mobile Marketer just published their Outlook for 2009. There is a lot of general “bla bla” in the report, talking about various growth numbers etc etc. The best piece is perhaps the interview with Bob Kraut, VP of Marketing for Pizza Hut. Not only because he is clearly an “actual” marketing exec at a leading brand, not a mobile marketing company die-hard, but he provides some valuable insight to the effect mobile has on their brand.
Also, my recent conversations with investors and others all end up in the question about what the economy will do to so called “experimental” marketing. While I disagree with the term “experimental” for various reasons, the report from Mobile Marketer certainly believes spending on mobile will grow. And hearing from Michael Bayle, senior marketing director at Yahoo, that “now is the time to invest and demand greater transparency and proof that their dollars spend in mobile far outperform from an efficacy standpoint traditional media and even [online]” is a good thing as it lends a lot of credibility.
The report also contains a good piece on exactly what a mobile campaign should cost a brand. But aside from good estimates on the cost, the article offers a far more important insight at the end with this quote: “The reality is that mobile advertising works best in tandem with traditional and online advertising support, which is why [4info] frequently sell integrated cross-media mobile campaigns in conjunction with our publishing partners”. This nails one of the issues of mobile marketing on the head: Mobile campaigns should not be viewed in isolation of other channels for the campaigns. The trick is to find out how to use mobile as yet another channel, with the benefits and complexity it entails, to enhance you overall campaign. This is a far cry from seeing mobile as “experimental”.
There are a few statements that I repeat often and that I am beginning to bore myself with… but
since you opened the door;
1) Mobile marketing must be integrated across all channels
2) Mobile marketing makes other mediums more accountable
3) Mobile marketing, when integrated provides incremental reach
4) Mobile marketing should be one of the first at the table and not brought in at the last minute when there’s a few dollars left in the kitty
5) Mobile marketing isn’t just about great creative, it’s about creating a conversation with your consumer whenever, wherever
6) You can have good creative and great results from mobile…
There… I’ve said it again. Good article.
Thanks for giving me the opportunity to vent!