Mobile Marketing: Small Screen, Big Potential

eMarketer projects ever-higher mobile ad spending

Small screen, big potential: What's ahead for mobile marketing in 2013?

• Rich media customized for small screens. Mobile marketers are learning how to make video and other elements look good and function effectively on smart phone screens, within apps and on mobile web sites. Watch for more experiments and incremental improvements.
• Relevance in content and presentation. Intrusive interruptions aren't customer-friendly. Consumers won't pay attention long enough to respond unless mobile marketing is meaningful, presented in a relevant context, timed properly, and geared to their needs and interests. Coca-Cola has had success with text messages, for example, related to its Olympics campaign worldwide. At the same time, it's important that customers be able to opt out of text message marketing.
• More compelling business rationale for mobile marketing. Decision-makers are looking to make every dollar count. Just because mobile is relatively new and attracting attention doesn't mean it's right for every marketer. Accidental clicks don't count. This is the year when pilot programs and big data will make the case (or not) for mobile marketing, brand by brand and company by company.
• Clearer rules for mobile marketing. The FCC had to step into the controversy over companies (and their digital agencies) sending a confirmatory text when a consumer opts out of receiving marketing text messages. (Companies are now allowed to send consumers one final ad-free message "confirming" that they've opted out, within 5 minutes of receiving the opt-out notice.) The rise in mobile marketing inevitably means more squabbling over details and more guidelines for marketers to follow.
• Competition for customer attention. Expect more noise, more clutter, more competition for attention. Mobiles are in every hand or pocket, and customer power is stronger than ever before, so target wisely and post-evaluate every program or test.