Mobile Marketing Mantra

Two days of the Jury Process in Bulandsheher was focused on Sustainable mobile inclusion, with cases being discussed, on VAS / mCommerce / mGovernance /
mHealth etc. I want to talk about one of the challenges that we have always faced and eventually discovered means to tackle is how “Brands / Agencies / Enterprises” could best use the mobile to reach out to its consumer. it is the Holy Grail of Connected Brand Presence that every brand manager would want his / her brand to have when it comes to talking to the consumer.

What can we do with various brands and enterprises to smoothen their journey on this mobile internet / mobile first connected lifestyle of a consumer?

Customer Communication
A whopping 850 million+ people in india have their mobile phones within reach right now. they are communicating through voice, SmS, mobile internet or even via Apps many times daily. So it is a logical conclusion that brands should use this easiest and on-the-go mode of communication with customers. However, reality begs to differ today. Brands are waking up to this potent medium, but not as fast as the consumers are adapting to it. this is one gap that we see getting filled in the times to come and hoping that more brands will earmark more funds for not just digital marketing, but mobile marketing will figure as a major head in the ad spends.

Experiential Mobile Marketing
With technologies such as Augmented Reality warming up the mobile scenario, brands will be all set to give their consumers an immersive experience. through the use of interactions of mobile phones with digital signage, or with brand collateral displayed through various media, the consumers will become a part of the brand story. Now this experience is something they will not forget in a hurry, along with retention of the brand’s top of mind recall. most definitely worth being a piece of the mobile marketing budget pie!

Mobile Presence
Water water everywhere, but not a single drop to drink! this has so far been the case of brands’ mobile presence. mobile internet is right here, being used by the consumer. India in our view will be a 200 million internet user market by end of this year. this is another race in which the consumer may have beaten the marketers. on one hand are facts and figures such as: 50% of mobile searches lead to purchase; 70% mobile users compare product prices on their phones; while on the other is this grim scenario of far less than 90% companies having a mobile optimized presence. This gap must change in the times to come. if companies are to benefit from this phenomenon, it is high time they optimize their mobile presence.

Mobile First Strategy
Companies and brands can no longer ignore the potency of mobile as a medium. Until now the media or content strategy comprises of repackaging content already created for a different screen, be it television or internet. this again is going to change in the near future. more and more content makers will realize how to best create content to the specifications of the little screens and how their users can get a tremendous experience from it. A whole new boost to the
mobile marketing and advertising space is coming up soon. The question is, are brands ready to get on to the bandwagon with their mobile first strategies in place? this is something to factor-in at the next strategy discussion.

Long-term Sustained Mobile Approach
A long term mobile strategy is the future. Those who adopt it first, will find themselves ahead in this race. This not only works out more economical than short bursts of campaigns, but also much more beneficial. once brands acquire and filter database over the first few campaigns, they can get on to the job of reaching and engaging niche customers and talking to them according to their paying power, interests, and history with the brand and more, thus ensuring
total loyalty. this is certainly going to be a powerful tool in the hands of brand managers. Mobile has always been said to be the most personal, intimate
medium, which needs to be handled with lot of care and innovation. Any excessive interference from a Brand can also suggest an intrusion of private space of consumer. But a campaign which uses an optimum number of messages, using the right modes of delivery, will go a long way in building the confidence with the audience on its mobile interactions.

Milind Pathak
Global Head (New Business) at One97