May 18, 2006
Creative Mobile Marketing
By Aaron Watkins
ipsh!'s creative lead discusses mobile content and knowing your mobile audience.
While we all still consider mobile "new media"-- with a predicted 45 percent of brands looking to interact with users on their mobile phones in 2006, how do agencies effectively tap this medium to target an audience and generate measurable results? What makes a user pick up the phone and send a text message or enter a phone number on the web to receive content? How do you go from being just another ringtone or wallpaper to conducting a truly viral campaign that drives brand awareness and generates opt-ins?
The first thing to remember is that the mobile phone is an extremely personal device. How many times have you seen people show off their new RAZR or Treo to their friends, or put their phone on the conference table in the middle of a meeting? It's not because they expect it to ring…but because phones often are a status symbol.
There are three main forms of media that can be placed on phones today: wallpapers, ringtones and SMS.
Wallpapers
Wallpaper is what I consider a personal medium, as it is seen by the user more than by those around him/her. Brands with easily recognizable imagery can get away with more direct branding, such as Absolut vodka bottles. Celebrity images are also highly downloaded-- utilize your sponsorships and get the rights to the mobile assets to help generate opt-ins in exchange for free content. Remember-- consumers are used to paying $1.50 to $3 for basic mobile content and will be willing to give you information as a value exchange for free content.
Ringtones
Ringtones are a social medium-- when a phone goes off in the middle of a room, the ringtone not only alerts you that your phone is ringing but gives the people around you a glimpse of your personal style. Do you have a laissez-faire attitude to the whole thing and still have the Nokia ringtone on your phone, or did you decide to change it to Beethoven's 9th? Maybe your ringtone is more of a humorous voice-tone or a top 40 pop artist. People are naturally tuned-in to ringtones, able to pull them out of the background noise to determine if it's their phone that's ringing. For a brand this is extremely powerful-- not only is the consumer subtly reminded of the brand every time the phone rings, but you have the opportunity to affect rooms full of people. When someone asks a consumer, "Hey, where did you get that ringtone? I love it!" -- and the answer includes your brand -- you know you're effectively utilizing the mobile channel.
SMS
SMS, or Short Message Service, is the industry term for text messaging. With only 160 characters (including spaces) to work with, get ready to deliver a concise, targeted message in as few words as possible. While "text-speak," the use of slang like brb, lol, b4, 4get, etc., often can be understood by younger demographics, use it only as needed. SMS messages get read. Studies show that 95 percent of all SMS get opened-- so make sure the information will be useful to the recipient, was requested by the recipient, and is sent at a time that won't disturb the recipient.
Mobile video
While mobile video still has relatively low penetration today (about 5 percent of handsets in the U.S., according to some sources), it's projected to quickly become more and more a part of the life of the mobile user. With its small screen and slower frame rate, mobile video requires shots that are cut in close because subtle details and quick movements get lost in translation. The most effective shots are close-ups, with strong colors and high contrast. Don't expect to simply take your TV commercial and convert it to mobile-- most mobile video must be shot specifically for the third screen, with guidelines like these in mind.
Targeting and delivery
The first step in any mobile marketing campaign (actually, I would say the first step in any marketing campaign) is to identify the goal and the target audience. While I think almost any brand should use mobile-- there are definitely demographics that respond far better to mobile marketing campaigns. Statistics and experience tell us that a mobile marketing program for the AARP won't have nearly the success of Elizabeth Arden's campaign for Britney Spears' new perfume. It's more than a matter of age. In the case of the "Corpse Bride" campaign, Tim Burton's fan base identified for this movie was a very specific subsection of youth, often called "Alternative Youth." There are many other names for them -- Punk, Goth, Industrial, etc.…but they all have one thing in common -- there isn't a lot of mobile content designed specifically for this demographic. These youth don't want the Hello Kitty or SpongeBob's that you find on most carrier decks-- opening a void that "Corpse Bride" will fill.
Designing the mobile "Corpse Bride" content was only the first step. Next you have to find a way to deliver it. Even the best mobile campaigns will fail if not properly targeted and promoted. Here is your big chance to start getting really creative! Know your audience and meet them on their own turf. For "Corpse Bride" we knew that these alternative youth were against any branding attempts that were too obvious; these internet savvy youth tend to ignore pop-ups and bypass banner advertisements. On the other hand, they flock to music-focused social networking sites such as myspace. The solution? Don't just design a banner-- give it away. We made the code for the "Corpse Bride" wallpaper download banner available, so users could give it to their friends on their websites, blogs and social networking pages. The result? A highly successful viral campaign that was passed from user to user instead of from brand to user.
The lesson? It's not enough to just do mobile-- the "Field of Dreams" mentality of "If you build it, they will come" has failed over and over. The first rule of mobile marketing is "Know Thy Audience." Get creative with your mobile marketing. Fun ways to deliver content, ringtones that draw attention or 160 characters of targeted, relevant information, will take your campaigns to the next level and create interactions with your consumers unavailable in any other form of media.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />
