| Giving them what they want |
| Tuesday, 29 March 2005 | |
|
The medium has long been the darling of theoretical direct marketers because of the fact that it is the only 'always-with-you' and 'always-on' personal medium. This promise has to an extent been held in check by the fear of unsolicited messages creating a spam environment. This hasn't happened however and nor will it as long as the 'sender pays' and the wealth of consumer protection legislation remains in place and is observed by bona fide marketers. Spam filtering has largely invalidated much email marketing so a similar threat must be averted by mobile marketers - all the evidence currently suggests that this is happening. For a long time, sceptical marketers may have also steered clear of the medium on the basis that it appeals to teenagers only. Recent research by Vodafone though shows that over 40 per cent of people aged 35-45 would be interested in receiving offers or competitions to their phone and this backs up many experiences of campaigns for anything from cars to family holidays - hardly the domain of your average teenage texter. Direct marketers in particular have been wary of the apparent limitations of the medium in collecting data and using it in subsequent messages. The perceived limit of 160 text characters belies the reality of automated systems that create full addresses from postcodes and mobile internet sites that display deep information whilst collecting registration data from visitors. That many of these are happening right now proves how far we have come. The medium is no longer out on its own. It is being increasingly integrated with other media (both old and new) via applications as simple as response fulfilment and iTV support. In the former case, consumers can text in response to a poster as a quick and easy means of claiming a brochure or an offer. In the latter case, consumers can sign up to services via the red button on their interactive TV service and receive delivery of a service to their mobile (the recent example of Weapon 7's clever work with Nicquitin and Sky being a good example). Fundamentally, mobile does not exist solely for the delivery of messages. Those marketers who have grasped this have been the most successful. There are simple examples of this - the sales of ringtones and wallpaper as brand extensions is commonplace; the Qjump service gives consumers a code that enables them to go to the front of the queue outside clubs - but there are more ambitious campaigns too. For example, Yell which takes a tried and tested service that has been transferred from book to web and now to mobile. Yet it is only this latest development that really brings alive the application of giving every key piece of information at the point that it's required there and then. Orange Wednesdays is another text book example of smart CRM that gives Orange users a tangible and compelling benefit through a programme that manages claim and redemption through mobile couponing. Our own consumer research shows that the three most popular applications chosen by current mobile users were offers sent to - and redeemable from - their phone for retail items, meals at restaurant and cinema/theatre tickets. The consumer is asking for the best offers delivered straight to them. How better could this be achieved than by mobile? Nowhere in the above is mentioned the phrases WAP, Java or GPRS and yet these technologies are behind many of the applications. This of course is a sign of a maturing market - it's not the technologists who ultimately make it happen. The real benefit of the service to the consumer persuades adoption of the service and this is happening right now. © Copyright Flytxt Ltd 2006. Unauthorized use of any content constitutes a material breach. |
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|