Suddenly, both advertising agencies and mobile operators agree that mobile advertising is HOT.
Agencies want to be part of the new, new thing and see the mobile as a possible replacement for the declining power and revenues of the TV commercial - so long the bread and butter, as well as the jam, of agency income.
Mobile operators have also realised that they have the potential to become very powerful media owners. Move over Rupert Murdoch, they have a combined (and growing) circulation of 2 billion. They can smell money that might just help replace their declining revenues. While only 3 have publicly declared themselves to be a media company, you can see the others are starting to think on those lines.
This was the flavour at the recent Reuters Global Technology, Media and Telecoms Summit attended by the likes of the big boys from WPP and Viacom on the one hand and Sprint Nextel on the other.
But, it’s pretty clear to me that they don’t really know how make it work. I don’t mean to be disrespectful, but they’re like cavemen who know that a couple of sticks can create fire. They just haven’t figured out the rubbing together part yet.
Mobile is a new marketing channel and new thinking is needed. Just as the internet needed new and different thinking to TV, Print and Radio advertising, so mobile needs a new approach. It’s even foolhardy to view mobile as the same as the internet. Sure, there are some superficial similarities, just as there are between the UK and the US - but it would be stupid to think that they’re the same country.
Here’s a few thoughts:
Mobile “advertising” gives a too narrow focus. Reframe it. It’s mobile marketing.
Don’t just focus on video, unless it enhances your message. The right SMS/MMS/Game/Content can be many times more powerful that the best video footage. Not always, but often.
Stop restricting thinking to sponsored content - it’s only a small part of the solution. If you look at the marketing message as something you “make” the user consume, you’re missing the point. How can you engage the user to want to experience your communication?
As I’ve written before, mobile marketing is about giving the user an IDEA:
Information
Deals
Engagement
Advertainment
That’s the missing rubbing part that will set the medium on fire.
A final thought. Why do so many people assume that other people’s professions are just common sense and that they could do just as good a job? This may be true - maybe you could be a great brain surgeon, CEO of a global Ad Agency Network or CFO of Sprint. But not without years of experience and practice first. So why wouldn’t this hold true about mobile marketing?
If you’re an operator trying to play the media game, hire someone who knows how to do it. If you’re an agency wanting to get into mobile marketing, hire someone who knows what they’re doing. If you try to apply common sense without the experience you’ll just end up losing a lot of time, money and peace of mind.
100% Ok
I just hope this won’t lead to some abuses.
As usual Russel you got it right. Agencies and brands finally realized mobile is HOT. It’s so enjoyable to see how people that used to think mobile marketing was unusefull one year ago calling and saying : ” We think mobile marketing is something big for us, we decided to go mobile this year”. Really, so now it’s not unusefull anymore, how come ? !
Anyhow, no bad feelings, better late then never
Always a pleasure to read u
Mehdi
Remainders: Gadget Industry News…
• SLUMP’D: MVNOs Not Making Money? Surprised? [GigaOm] • BEEP! THIS IS YOUR WALLET GOBLIN: Mobile Advertising to Happen Quickly says Sorrell [Mob Happy] • BSBAL, APL PI: Yes, Americans Get Mobile [Russel Beattie] • GOODBYE, GREY …
[...] On Friday I wrote about about mobile marketing and how both the ad industry and operators seem to be trying to force old thinking into a new channel. [...]
I love the mental image of the cavemen with the sticks, not knowing how to rub them together, or why!
Maybe a carrier can turn its culture on its head and start behaving like a media business, but I’d say the odds are against it.
Step one would be to break down the walled garden and open up the handset deck to let the customer add any content or service they want. As you say, you can’t build a media model based on ‘making’ people consume content.
[...] If you weren’t being featured in Google News, that might not be a big deal to you, but how many other opportunities to be seen could be lost because of lack of access to mobile viewers? Business Week explains in a recent article Why Google’s Going Mobile. Mobhappy looks at opportunities with mobile advertising. Both articles raise many points worth considering. [...]
I’ve been reading so many posts last year about Mobile Adds, too much interest but nothing seems to really happen.
Very smart article indeed, we are still waiting for the right way to bring adds on Mobiles, but I am sure there will be a big bang sooner or later!
We have to wait and see if it is going to be successful or not!
On the other hand, it would be great if we could find the right way to do it!
amazing article … love the ‘IDEA’ of ‘fire’.
The restrictions mobile gives - i.e no pop ups :-), not much flashy content, small screen - its going to be a real challenge as the market explodes.
Location based marketing through different mobile mediums with a viral element (communities - network effect) will be the key I think