I moderated a panel at OMMA Mobile earlier this week. No question, everyone was very enthusiastic about the prospects for mobile advertising and marketing. Anecdotes regarding successful campaigns were plentiful, although interestingly, most of the campaigns ran overseas. My panel, “Resolved: Sorry, It’s Still Not Ready,” was intended to really challenge the hype. My panelists were Linda Gridley, President & CEO of Gridley & Company LLC (a small M&A boutique focused on internet and marketing services, among other industries); Evan Kraus, Global SVP Ad Sales, Jumptap; Adam Schlacter, Senior Partner, Digital Practice Lead, Mediaedge:cia; and Steven Siegel, Mobile Solutions Specialist, Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) Advertising.
There was agreement that using mobile as part of an integrated marketing plan made enormous sense. However, the caveat was that it might not be worth all of the time involved if it was for one standalone campaign. If a marketer planned to use mobile over the course of time, the investment was worthwhile. Even the enthusiasts were willing to admit that not all campaigns are successful, but then again, that is true of any medium; in fact, in most cases, it wasn’t the medium that was the issue. There was some debate as to whether consumers really want ads on their phones since they already pay for using them. It was one of those priceless moments as, clearly, consumers don’t typically want advertising, regardless of the medium, they just accept that it helps defray the costs of the service. Several examples of successful campaigns were provided as well as industries that are more willing to use the medium, such as retailers, fast-food restaurants, auto and travel, among others.
Bottom line: This probably won’t be the breakout year for mobile, both because of the recession and the learning curve. But marketers should invest the time to learn about this medium as it will unquestionably be part of any successful mix in the not-too-distant future.
You can read more about this topic in my recent report “The Changing Mobile Industry and What It Means for Mobile Executives.” It’s available for sale here.
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