Interactive Seven 2009 Supplement - Marketing Week

MWIB_260209_p033 19/2/09 18:56 Page 33
INTERACTIVE MOBILE
Mobile’s momentum
Although it made its presence felt, mobile marketing failed to really take
off last year. But with new technology and a more favourable reputation,
2009 could see it fulfill its promise. By Camille Alarcon
While the take up of mobile marketing
among advertisers continues
its steady rise, 2008 will hardly
go down with many as a big year
for mobile. A lot of clients and agencies have
continued to take a cautious approach to this
relatively young marketing medium. Despite
this, observers are positive that it will continue
to grow ad revenue share, in spite of the
recession. In fact, the launch of sexy new handsets
and mobile platforms, such as the iPhone
and Google Android, means agencies and their
clients are still spending money on looking at
ways of winning the attention of mobile phone
users.
According to the Mobile Marketing Association’s
2008 Attitude and Usage Study – Western
Europe, compiled by Synovate, mobile
phone penetration is extremely high in western
European markets, with over 90% of the
respondents surveyed being mobile phone
users, and the average number of handsets in
a mobile household totalling three.
This means great growth opportunities
for marketers, particularly those looking to
target people aged 16 to 24. The recently
launched ad-funded mobile service aimed at
teens, Blyk, is a testament to this. Since it
entered the market in September 2007, it has
run campaigns for clients including Boots,
EMI, L’Oréal and NatWest. It signals just how
seriously big brands are taking mobile as a
marketing platform.
Overcoming challenges
A Frost & Sullivan report estimates that revenue
for the mobile advertising market should
reach €2.18bn (£1.96bn) by 2012. But this will
only be achievable if the market is able to overcome
three key challenges: technological features,
consumer motivation and a change in
attitude within the advertising industry.
The technological aspect refers to high
quality features that will enhance the user
experience, such as an easy-to-use interface
and fast connectivity. Consumer motivation
refers to how a mobile marketing initiative
Blyk: The ad-funded mobile service provider
for 16 to 24 year olds, working with L’Oréal
can add value to the mobile experience, rather
than intrude on it. The Frost & Sullivan report
also says it is essential that the advertising
industry quashes any reservations it may have
towards mobile as a marketing tool and develops
clear metrics of usage which can show
how mobile marketing can fit within a wider,
integrated campaign.
Saverio Romeo, author of the report and
Frost & Sullivan industry analyst for mobile
and wireless communications, says if such
“Location is closely tied to
the growth of social
networking... [bringing]
together not just the
location of an individual,
but also of their friends and
favourite places”
Christian Louca, YOC Group
issues are not fully resolved, mobile marketing
is only likely to grow to €1.16bn (£1.04bn)
by 2012.
While SMS continues to be the most commonly
used application on the mobile platform,
agencies are beginning to develop many
other initiatives, with social networking,
gaming downloads and mobile internet enjoying
growth.
Christian Louca, UK country manager and
head of publishers for mobile marketing
agency YOC Group, predicts that the use of
SMS as a marketing tool will go from being
“bland”, to providing richer interactive marketing
this year. An example would be driving
consumers to the mobile internet
promotional sites and portals.
Location, location, location
He also believes that location will be one of
the biggest areas of growth in 2009, because
making advertising and services “location
aware” will open up massive possibilities to
individually tailor offers to consumers.
“For example, brands can directly contact
a customer as they walk past a particular shop
or location, or send a discount voucher that’s
tied to a specific store,” Louca says. “Location
is also closely tied to the growth of social networking,
so I expect to see a lot of interesting
ideas which bring together not just the location
of an individual, but also of their friends and
favourite places.”
Rapp group’s digital strategy director, Russell
Marsh, adds that Java applications have
been available on the majority of handsets for
a few years, but they have never had an interface
like iTunes to make selection and installation
so simple. “These branded utilities have
allowed customers to further customise what
they want out of their phones, making them
even more personalised and based around
their personal needs and desires,” he notes.
Marsh says Java-based widgets are also
likely to encourage the use of m-commerce.
These applications on the phone can allow
encrypted data to be sent from a handset
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