Mipcom

The mobile future is huge and the iPod is dead. Nokia alone currently sell over 1 million mobile phones a day and more people are listening to radio and music via mobile phones than on iPods or other portable music devices. Consumer demand for media is huge and consumers simply ‘want more’. Mobile phones are multimedia computers capable of many tasks and give people access to the web and allow brands to reach the ‘out’ generation, those consumers who don’t have access to pay TV or the internet via traditional means.

Mobile content and mobile marketing needs to be created for the unique features of the mobile platform. I’ve recently attended MoCollywood in London and many discussions about what type of content and marketing would work on mobile phones took place and the solutions are in essence quite simple.

A print ad doesn’t work on a billboard, nor does a radio ad on TV. Currently content for mobile is being re-purposed which often gives a poor user experience. The same applies to brands and advertisers using the mobile platform. Agencies need to understand the dynamics of mobile and how it can be used effectively for brand advertising. There are far more mobile phones in the world than there are TV sets, iPods, internet capable computers combined so why has mobile advertising been so slow on the uptake?

Unlike any other media, such as television, print and even billboards, the mobile phone is a very personal device and people will not accept or tolerate intrusive brand messages that often have no relevance. With television, we can switch channels. With print, we simply turn the page and billboards we just don’t notice, but when your mobile phone bleeps with a message, it’s hard to ignore and you’re forced to interact with it. Mobile marketing needs to be opt in and it needs to be relevant. Mobile phones are communication devices and brands need to create conversations with consumers rather than just pushing brand messages. Web banners and pop ups won’t necessarily work on mobile and the traditional web experience shouldn’t be replicated on mobile. For consumers it’s a case of ‘Give me something I want or don’t give it to me at all’.

Mobile offers the opportunity for branded entertainment. Give me the weather, my horoscope, a recipe; exercise routine, exchange rates, news highlights, sports scores, etc. Give me a daily soap opera delivered as a mobisode or even a movie preview on demand. If these are brought to you by a particular brand and advertiser funded, consumers would accept content which is relevant to them. Consumers appreciate that advertising funds our entertainment but SMS spam is simply not the way to go and unfortunately this is where mobile marketing has started and is the reason why consumers are wary of mobile marketing. In terms of reaching the ‘out’ generation, mobile offers a huge opportunity for brands as mobile phones offer more media rich content and much wider access to the web. Brands need to create mobile optimised websites where consumers can interact with brands that are relevant to them.

Mobile is often referred to as the third screen as it is not the primary source of content but mobile is a true ‘body’ media – it’s the only media device we always have with us and should be regarded as the first screen, which can drive consumers to other traditional media such as television and print. We’ve already seen Mobizines on mobile phones which can encourage the purchase of the actual print title and similarly, short programme previews and additional content on mobile can be used to drive viewership to traditional television programming.

Mobile advertising needs to part of the marketing mix and like other digital media, not just a tick box to satisfy a need to offer some form of digital marketing. Clients also need to embrace mobile – yes there are issues with metrics and yes there are no benchmarks yet but as the first advertisements appeared on radio and television, brands had the same concerns. Some brands led, others followed and the same will apply to mobile.

The huge benefit of mobile is that it is immediate and offers brands accessibility to consumers like never before. Mobile marketing is about reaching a targeted audience with a relevant message and creating a response in order to develop a brand conversation.

Stanley Edwards, Director at Platypus Productions is currently at MIPCOM in Cannes, France and will be reporting daily for BizCommunity. Platypus Productions will be hosting two post MIPCOM seminars in CPT and JHB in November. For details of the Reshaping Media Seminars go to www.platypusblog.com