I read today that the folks at Mullen have developed a mobile marketing practice within the agency. With analysts predicting a near five fold increase in mobile display from $313 million in 2010 to $1.5 billion by 2015, the outlook for mobile marketing is bright.
The STRATA quarterly survey of major U.S. advertising firms indicates that advertisers are ready, willing, and starting to make major investments in mobile marketing. According to the survey, almost one-third of advertisers say that mobile advertising is the focus of their interactive spend. STRATA says that’s a 107% increase over the first quarter of this year. No matter where you sit in the digital marketing ecosystem, you can’t help but recognize that digital advertising continues to encroach on TV as an advertising medium of choice.
“We’re big believers that mobile is the tool that activates the entire marketing program.” -John Moore, Chief Media Officer, Mullen’s mediahub unit
According to Pew, 82% of the U.S. adult population own a mobile device and ABI Research says 28% of U.S. mobile subscribers access the mobile Internet on a daily basis. Mary Meeker’s research also indicated that by 2014, mobile Internet usage will surpass the desktop. ABI further shares that eleven percent of U.S. adults who own a mobile device have used it to make a purchase, 23% have used it to access an online social network, 20% have watched a video, and 11% have made a charitable donation.
That’s a lot of [potential] mobile display wood. And let’s not forget applications for smartphones, tablets, digital-out-of-home, location-based services, and whatever else can be mobile-ized.
Mobile marketing is certainly not looked upon as a passing fad anymore – which means marketers need to work on filling their toolbox to help stay current and competitive in the mobile space in order to better serve their clients [before someone else, like Mullen, does]. One more thing to add to the “things I need to be competent in to be a decent marketer” list.
Because of fragmented audiences and dynamic content consumption patterns, clients want and need new ways to connect with consumers and mobile certainly fits the bill, since most people don’t leave home without their phone. In fact, some people can’t seem to stop using their phone, even when driving. Of course, when it comes to mobile or any other technology, we need to be sure we’re applying the technology where it fits best and not forcing square pegs into round holes as is sometimes the case with technology implementation.
What are you doing to stay current and competitive in the mobile space? Are you developing new models that integrate mobile marketing into your business? I’d love to hear from you.
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