Like many, I’m regularly tracking share and number of mobile opt-ins. By all yardsticks, the morphing to a wireless world is impressive and unmistakable with huge ramifications for brands.
But, well beyond consumer numbers, I’m interested in marketer participation, both newbies and those who have seen enough in mobile that they are increasing their investments in time and money.
The recent Mobile Marketing Forum held by the Mobile Marketing Association shows progress in that area as well.
No attendance figures were publically offered. By my estimation, there were well over 1,000 in New York with the great majority brands rather than vendors (even if many registration passes for brand marketers were heavily discounted to get them there). That’s quite a change.
I’ve been going to these events since 2005 – now as Chief Marketing Officer of Mobivity (www.mobivity.com). For years, it was mobile provider talking to mobile provider, often times with exaggerated claims of how well business was going.
Here is some of what struck me as noteworthy:
· Chrysler sees 45 percent of its web traffic from mobile. As is the case with many brands, attribution is still a challenge, but it hasn’t prevented the carmaker from increasing spend, according to Amy Peet, senior digital marketing manager at Chrysler, Auburn Hills, MI. Chrysler believes that it isn’t necessary to tie every mobile ad or effort to a Key Performance Indicator (KPI). That follows what Wendy’s said in a previous Forum.
· Traditional media works well, but "nothing is more powerful for us than mobile", said John Costello of Dunkin' Donuts, who during the show was named Chair of the MMA’s Global Board of Directors. Still, Costello said that the “early part” of mobile is “slow and expensive”.
· More around the world have a mobile phone than a toothbrush. We might soon say the same thing about smartphones. Coca-Cola’s Tom Daily said that a $25 smartphone will soon be available globally.
· Added Daly, “It's not an internet of things - it's an internet of people.”
· The mobile wallet was dissed and represented as immature. “I think there are actually very few wallet experiences that really transform the consumer experience,” said Denée Carrington, senior analyst at Forrester Research. “The one that I would offer up is Uber. If we assume for a moment that Uber could be a wallet app, it’s a branded app with a payment.”
· Engagement was a buzzword. The National Football League is seeing success with push notifications. “We noticed specifically at the NHL that the average session length when someone had turned on push notifications was 36 percent higher than someone who had turned it off,” said Matt Restivo, head of digital product at the NHL.
The MMA has its CEO/CMO Summit next up in July. That event has historically drawn crowds built in part by cool locales like the Dominican Republic and Deer Valley. This year’s conference is in Hilton Head, another top destination, but where we are going with mobile is a lot more interesting.
(article first appeared on imediaconnection.com - http://blogs.imediaconnection.com/blog/2014/05/13/mobile-opt-ins-increasing-for-brand-marketers-too/)
