Week 7 post: Top mobile predictions for 2013
Mobile Marketer recently put up an article analyzing their predictions for what is going to go down in mobile in the upcoming year. Here's a few of what they wrote and my thoughts on them:
- Getting to customers in the right context. This is referring to marketers being able to hit customers with relevant advertising or coupons, for example, when they're in the vicinity of a shopping outlet or most likely to be receptive to a coupon. Thus far, the article admits that marketers have had such a huge amount of data from mobile devices generated that they haven't been able to capitalize on it. I think this makes sense, but I just don't know if GPS or location-based targeting is ever going to work to the point where it's an effective and cost friendly tool. Many small businesses will never be able to afford it and I think there are also privacy concerns that could alienate consumers.
- The end of the "mobile web": The article notes that customers are becoming sick of having limited features in mobile-optimized sites and that they want all of the benefits of fully functional sites on their mobile devices. Instead of different sites, the article and its sources mention the desire of "One web". I agree that I would not want a stripped-down version of a website, but at what point do you need to consider how smartphones and tablets have less processing and memory capability than PC's? And who wants to scroll around on a small screen? I don't think the mobile-site is going anywhere, but I do think that companies will be forced to make sure their mobile sites are more closely matched to their PC offerings.
- Growth of mobile payments: Sources noted that more apps and technologies would increase customer confidence in making purchases on their mobile devices, and that large companies such as McDonald's and others are already jumping on board. I think this is a logical next step, although it will still take some more time for people to trust mobile payments. One topic discussed here was the importance of Customer Relationship Management (CRM), because companies will need to develop trust with consumers in order for them to be willing to interact and make purchases from their mobiles.
- Cloud storage and augmented reality proliferation: Some devices such as the Kindle Fire already use the cloud to store data, but analysts believe that more cloud based storage will occur in 2013. This is smart because it takes a lot of production and memory requirements off the hands of the device manufacturers and lets devices run more smoothly. Augmented reality, such as projected touch interfaces, and haptic devices are also projected but not really broken down into any detail. I do see more touch interfaces such as the Microsoft Surface and these new laptop/tablet combination products, but I still think we're a few years away from Star Wars style projections. Progress never moves as fast as you think it will.
Week 6 post: Greg Plitt and how to effectively use Social Media
I wanted to do a post on one of my favorite examples of how to use blogs and social media the right way, so I'm going to write about one of my role models, Greg Plitt. Plitt is the most successful fitness model in the United States and has been on reality TV, in movies, and is spokesperson for several fitness and supplement brands. My friends and I are big gym rats and into sports, so over the summer my friend came across Greg's website and signed up for just 10 bucks. Turns out it was one of the best decisions he ever made. Gregplitt.com has tons of the actual workouts that Greg does, and he hires a camerman to follow and record him in the gym. We started watching the videos and doing the workouts, which were the hardest sessions we'd ever done, and really enjoyed it and saw great results. Each video is usually about 45 minutes and he demonstrates how to do each exercise. These aren't basic exercises or workouts, and the advanced knowledge I got from Plitt was great. He's also very inspirational and a great motivational speaker, and we really bought into what he was saying. Outside of the gym, there are recipe sections, motivational blogs on a variety of topics, and home improvement work (Plitt is a big carpenter). He adds content about once a week and also has his videos and blasts go out on Twitter and Facebook. He's gaining about 1,000 followers per day on Facebook and is currently at about 90,000. I think this is an example of how to really connect with your base on social media, and monetize it as well. Preview clips of videos are always posted on Facebook to give non-members of his site a taste and entice them to buy in. The $10 fee is a small price to pay for all the knowledge, life advice, and fitness strategies, and I know that myself as well as many others have benefited from Greg Plitt without ever even meeting him. And it's all because of social media!
Week 5 post: Kids and Smartphones
We were discussing in my Consumer Behavior class a few days ago about the growing trend of kids owning cell phones and even smart phones these days. And when I mean kids, I mean kids under the age of 14. I had no idea that this was even an issue, but apparently parents are buying their kids more and more cell phones these days. Everyone in the class was in disbelief, with most of us saying we didn't even receive phones until we were in high school. I know I didn't get a phone until I was in 9th grade, and even then it was an extremely low-quality phone that was basically just used for occassional calls with my parents. I guess this all goes to show how the mobile culture is penetrating even the tween market these days. I just can't imagine why I would need a phone at that young of an age, when you can't drive or go anywhere else without your parents. We raised the question that perhaps parents were buying the phones as a sense of security for their kids so that they would be able to reach them at all times. I just think it's excessive and teaching the wrong kind of behavior. But hey, who cares what I say.
I had an example of how mobile technology is impacting kids, particularly really really young kids, when I flew on a plane last winter. I was strangely placed in between a young family of 5 in the aisle, and they had a 2 year old boy there. The kid could barely speak at all but still knew the word "ipad" and would request it over and over when he wanted to be entertained. Finally the parents gave him their ipad and he knew how to use it! I couldn't believe that this 2 year old kid was using an ipad to watch videos. It was probably the craziest thing I've ever seen in technology with kids and I still remember it to this day. We had a similar discussion in class, and apparently this is the norm. My teacher's 2 year old daughter uses an ipad as well, and one girl said that the kids she takes care of at day care do the same thing....crazy.
I had an example of how mobile technology is impacting kids, particularly really really young kids, when I flew on a plane last winter. I was strangely placed in between a young family of 5 in the aisle, and they had a 2 year old boy there. The kid could barely speak at all but still knew the word "ipad" and would request it over and over when he wanted to be entertained. Finally the parents gave him their ipad and he knew how to use it! I couldn't believe that this 2 year old kid was using an ipad to watch videos. It was probably the craziest thing I've ever seen in technology with kids and I still remember it to this day. We had a similar discussion in class, and apparently this is the norm. My teacher's 2 year old daughter uses an ipad as well, and one girl said that the kids she takes care of at day care do the same thing....crazy.
Week 4 post: Mobile Currency
I would like to discuss an article I found on Ad Age Digital about mobile currency and how brands can innovate new ways to connect to their customers through their mobile devices. Here's the link: http://adage.com/article/digitalnext/mobile-currency-making-cash-obsolete/237699/
Obviously, currency is just a symbol. A dollar bill here in America means probably nothing to some people across the world, just as I don't care about if I receive a yen (is one yen called a 'ye'?) over here. So I guess I could see how we start using our phones as payment systems or how companies "reward" us with things in monetary form in games or contests. As long as we are still getting that perception of value that money holds, it doesn't matter what medium we use to transfer that. This article mentions specifically how the development of Apple's Passbook system has already spawned many apps for mobile payments and mobile wallets. While I still think there is a gigantic privacy issue associated with paying on a mobile, one of these companies could become the standard for the payment system of the future. Think about how much that'd be worth. Also mentioned was the impact of "loyalty marketing" such as with Kiip, a gaming network that decided to capitalize on their masses of mobile game users. Basically, instead of just putting up banner ads or boring traditional advertisements, Kiip decided to create rewards in the form of real products (headphones, for example) that players could compete for all over the world. It was like a big contest for who could score the highest, but with something tangible to actually shoot for (no pun there). I don't know why I haven't thought of that before. We see video games use virtual rewards and leveling up through badges or accomplishments, but why not just hold some real products/money in front of them? Genius. There's a short explanatory video in the article if you'd like to hear more. Not only does this provide more value to the player (who will be more likely to download Kiip games and services), Kiip can go to companies and brands and use this platform as a reason to acquire funding or sponsorship. Or brands could find a way to do this more directly.
The second crazy concept from the article was "co-marketing", and the example was American Express. In a video explaining the product, Amex has introduced Sync, which allows you to sign up a credit card that you can use to earn cash back or discounts on certain advertised products through Twitter. Apparently, there will be companies offering special deals through hashtags for a variety of products (likely those who are in partnership with Amex) that can be taken advantage of with people with Sync on their cards. You buy the product with your card and you're automatically credited the savings on your bill. While you're still paying with plastic, the fact that social media and mobile communication is what raises the awareness for the deals and what drives the consumption is what matters. Eventually, this could be expanded upon and any number of possibilities could be taken advantage of. Another note: everything listed above is all opt-in by the user, ensuring a higher engagement rate and campaign success among users. I'm not sure how many credit card companies are doing this right now, but I think it'd be a good idea to get on board!
Obviously, currency is just a symbol. A dollar bill here in America means probably nothing to some people across the world, just as I don't care about if I receive a yen (is one yen called a 'ye'?) over here. So I guess I could see how we start using our phones as payment systems or how companies "reward" us with things in monetary form in games or contests. As long as we are still getting that perception of value that money holds, it doesn't matter what medium we use to transfer that. This article mentions specifically how the development of Apple's Passbook system has already spawned many apps for mobile payments and mobile wallets. While I still think there is a gigantic privacy issue associated with paying on a mobile, one of these companies could become the standard for the payment system of the future. Think about how much that'd be worth. Also mentioned was the impact of "loyalty marketing" such as with Kiip, a gaming network that decided to capitalize on their masses of mobile game users. Basically, instead of just putting up banner ads or boring traditional advertisements, Kiip decided to create rewards in the form of real products (headphones, for example) that players could compete for all over the world. It was like a big contest for who could score the highest, but with something tangible to actually shoot for (no pun there). I don't know why I haven't thought of that before. We see video games use virtual rewards and leveling up through badges or accomplishments, but why not just hold some real products/money in front of them? Genius. There's a short explanatory video in the article if you'd like to hear more. Not only does this provide more value to the player (who will be more likely to download Kiip games and services), Kiip can go to companies and brands and use this platform as a reason to acquire funding or sponsorship. Or brands could find a way to do this more directly.
The second crazy concept from the article was "co-marketing", and the example was American Express. In a video explaining the product, Amex has introduced Sync, which allows you to sign up a credit card that you can use to earn cash back or discounts on certain advertised products through Twitter. Apparently, there will be companies offering special deals through hashtags for a variety of products (likely those who are in partnership with Amex) that can be taken advantage of with people with Sync on their cards. You buy the product with your card and you're automatically credited the savings on your bill. While you're still paying with plastic, the fact that social media and mobile communication is what raises the awareness for the deals and what drives the consumption is what matters. Eventually, this could be expanded upon and any number of possibilities could be taken advantage of. Another note: everything listed above is all opt-in by the user, ensuring a higher engagement rate and campaign success among users. I'm not sure how many credit card companies are doing this right now, but I think it'd be a good idea to get on board!
Week 3 post: Mobile News
This week I have a couple of articles I got off MobileMarketer that I thought were worth some discussion. The first one is about the concept of personalized mobile banner ads and the second refers to some remarks and strategies that Coca Cola executives made about mobile in general. Here are the two links: http://www.luxurydaily.com/personalized-mobile-banner-ads-does-less-mean-more/
http://www.mobilemarketer.com/cms/news/commerce/13933.html
The first article on personalized mobile banner ads had some points I would like to point out:
http://www.mobilemarketer.com/cms/news/commerce/13933.html
The first article on personalized mobile banner ads had some points I would like to point out:
- It's important not to get too invasive with customers when making a personalized ad. The article states that information such as using a customer's name or other personal information might be too invasive and turn off some engagement. The best way to target the ad seems to be geographically, through use of the phone's GPS and tracking systems. The article gives an example that Tiffany used that told customers how far away they were from the nearest Tiffany's store when the banner popped up. There was a specific call to action and the phone number and website were provided right there.
- Luxury brands can see significant success with personalized mobile ads because their customers enjoy the personal relationships and interaction that they have with the brand. On the flip side, because luxury brands have a smaller fan base, you have to be careful not to turn them off because there's so few of them. Each customer is that much more valuable
- 38% of smartphone users have purchased something on their phone, says comScore. If you can get a call to action and get a customers to click on your ad, there is a good chance they might buy. I was pretty shocked to think of someone actually buying something on their phone, but I guess that's just what's going to happen these days. It's a great opportunity for marketers to take advantage of.
- The headline says it all. "Mobile is the last place consumers look before they buy". This quote, while not really backed up with any metrics, really just spoke to me as the stark realization of how people are using their devices these days. The thing most fresh in your mind is usually what you just saw, and from a customer standpoint, that's on your mobile device. This should go to show that companies need to place even more emphasis on their mobile campaigns
- I thought it was interesting how Coke divided up their campaign money for the Olympics. 90% of the mobile budget went to "proven methods" and the remaining 10% was to new strategies. Overall, the huge Coke Olympics campaign cost only 1/4 what the traditional online desktop campaign cost.
- Coke got a 55% engagement rate off their campaign in Canada alone. Their campaign allowed you to create a song beat by moving your phone at will. Seems like a pretty cool idea just to get the brand name out there and recognized. The only problem I have is this: how can you measure how much the campaign impacted sales? At the end of the day it should come down to sales. People might have simply just used the app because they thought it was cool and didn't care who sponsored it. Maybe they unconsciously care even if they don't realize it? I don't know.
Week 2 post: Tablet Trends
I recently came across an article on MobileMarketer that discussed the growth of tablet usage and corresponding advertising growth. Here's the link to the article: http://www.mobilemarketer.com/cms/news/research/13876.html
A few things I found interesting:
A few things I found interesting:
- Tablet users spend 30% more time on sites than PC users and have higher engagement. I was pretty shocked by this. As I mentioned once in class, I stupidly went out and bought a Kindle Fire last winter and I never use the thing. I just don't see the point when I can get everything I need on my laptop (which is also faster, has a bigger screen, and has all of my documents and music already on it, along with something known as a keyboard). I do wonder if the report took into account people being "online" when they were really just streaming a movie or TV show? Either way, it's clear that tablets are becoming the new thing. I guess I just didn't start realizing it until now.
- 20% higher engagement rate than PC users doesn't surprise me. We talked about in class once about how there's a different mentality when you fire up a tablet versus a PC. When you're using the tablet, it's usually for entertainment and personal use. You expect to get something of value and you know what you want. I just think this state is so much more appealing to marketers and advertisers because you're more likely to click on an ad or buy something when you otherwise might have skipped.
- Mobile and tablet search advertising went up 167% over the previous quarter, and apparently this was still somewhat of a disappointment. The next time I increase something by 167% and consider it a bad thing, I'll let you know.
- Mobile search now accounts for 16.3% of total search budgets. That's just going to keep going up and is a slight increase over the previous quarter.
Week 1 post: GNC's Mobile Campaign
I wanted to start my blog with a mobile campaign that I've seen and used first-hand here at Marquette. I'm a big fan of exercise and going to the gym, so naturally I'm receptive to brands that advertise supplements and health products such as GNC, which is probably the biggest nutritional store out there. I noticed this campaign started last semester and has continued into this year. The goal is to use product giveaways coupled with mobile advertising through SMS to increase the appeal of GNC to college students who work out at their rec centers. It's pretty simple. Upon walking into the rec center, there is a table with a GNC box in the hallway that is filled with giveaways such as t-shirts, product samples, or coupons every now and then (sadly I usually get to the gym too late and everything has been taken). The products are great but what really interested me about the campaign is the mobile component. The GNC box has coupons that tell you to text their campaign number and thus get on their subscriber list. I didn't think much of it until a few days after signing up I received a text from GNC with an exclusive mobile coupon! I think the campaign is smart. You don't have to have a smartphone, don't have to use a laptop, and can participate by simply sending a text. GNC only sends you deals every once and awhile, so they aren't too annoying or smothering like other brands can be. I think GNC struck the perfect balance in terms of how often to communicate. The deals offered are actually pretty sweet ($10 off a $20 purchase, or another one I got offering a free shaker bottle) and worth your time. GNC even gives away free "Gold Cards" to the college students in the campaign. Gold Cards are basically the shopper's club card for GNC and get you 20% off all products for the first week of every month. Usually it costs about $20 to get one, but GNC got me a free card by sending me a text deal. I think the campaign is boosting brand awareness and loyalty here at Marquette, and gives them more sales too. Maybe I can actually get there in time to snag a t-shirt next time.