experience matters

Johnny Schroepfer | Critical Mass Chicago

Mobile and emerging technology have historically had more hype than actual adoption or implementation within marketing campaigns; but with the proliferation of mobile devices and digitization, the mobile channel is slowly becoming a necessity rather than a novelty. In this post, I wanted to address key developmental areas of mobile and their impact on customer experience and engagement.

Traditional & Mobile Integration in Marketing

From an integrative marketing standpoint, the mobile device can be seen as an extension of the brand experience; it’s what connects the end user with the brand messaging. Mobile is often an overlooked or undervalued channel of communication but in reality, it’s one of the most personal forms of communication in this digital world. When campaigns are successfully crafted and executed, the channel that connects the end user with the message has the power to change both brand perception and consumer behavior. With that said I believe we will continue to see more brands create mobile campaigns or initiatives that complement traditional marketing channels while allocating a significant amount of their advertising budget towards mobile and emerging technologies.

Advertising

The recent launch of the Apple iAd platform will only further prove my point that there will continue to be a major marketing shift and emphasis on mobile within integrated marketing campaigns. The iAd platform allows developers to create beautiful and rich advertising executions that are less disruptive and reach the consumer at the intersection of emotion and interactivity. In addition to this innovative approach, the developers will retain 60% of revenues which have already shown signs of success. Obviously, these signs of success are due more to novelty rather than active engagement and interest, but the iAd platform is definitely a step in the right direction for advertisers.

Payment

Mobile commerce is another key area of significant growth that is driving adoption and new users. With more brands integrating traditional and mobile campaigns, allowing consumers to easily pay for various products and services on-the-go will benefit both parties. Apples iTunes payment system is a great example of quick, convenient one-click purchasing. During the D8 conference, eBay CEO, John Donahoe, discussed the adoption of the mobile device as a way to pay for goods and services. Donahoe explained that the mobile delivered $600M last year and will deliver $1.5B to $2.0B in revenue to eBay this year.

Additional examples of up and coming payment models include Jack Dorsey’s recent startup, Square, which allows consumer to send and receive payments through their iPhone or iPad. In addition to Square, which is hardware dependent, other emerging opportunities lie within Near Field Communications. Near Field Communications would allow RFID chips to be imbedded within phones which enable direct payments. While these payment models will continue to help the mobile space evolve, privacy concerns are still a very hot topic. The recent news of Apple iTunes accounts being hacked will require companies to provide a “reason to believe” and reassure them that their information is secure.

Social & Location Based Services

When discussing social and mobile with our very own Neil Clemmons, he pointed out that the intersection of mobile and social is a key driver of adoption and growth. Over the past year there have been several social and location based service developments which have supported his opinion. Brands that take the time to understand and develop services based around social media and GPS locations can provide personal messages and incentives to highly segmented groups thus creating relevant content and messaging for consumers who are actively seeking the information. Facebook is a great example of mobile adoption, with over 100MM mobile users today. In addition to highly segmented groups, brands have the ability to collect location based consumer insights.
All of the following, when used strategically in an integrative marketing campaign, will help provide a flawless user experience for consumers. I think we will continue to see significant developments in mobile and more brands pursing its highly targeted and relevant services as a complement to their traditional marketing efforts.

Johnny is a planner intern from our Chicago office.