THE POWER OF THE MOBILE CHANNEL
/Let’s kick this off with an infographic. I LOVE INFOGRAPHICS! While they have their critics, the visual images have lasting impact and hopefully incite people to dig deeper into the data that lies behind them.
Long ago, I joined Nextel just in time to be part of the team that launched wireless data services. Very soon after mobile data launched the buzz around mobile advertising started and each successive year was declared as ‘the year mobile advertising takes off.’
Nextel was one of the first to support mobile advertising. We had our successes in those early days selling everything from ringtones (remember them?) to service plans to hard goods (devices and accessories). We had success with short codes, and our own mobile search solution. We also ran successful integrated cross-channel (TV/Web/Text/WAP) campaigns. The promise of the mobile channel was clear. Still, mobile lacked the reach, frequency and relevancy needed to scale.
But, now it’s official! Mobile advertising has broken through and Advertising Age declared it so. SmartPhones, high-speed data and significant investment mobiles two biggest players (Apple and Google) brought mobile advertising, ergo the mobile channel to the mainstream. AdAge even argues that mobile is no longer the third screen but is now the first, as habits and behaviors continue to shift.
Still, the mobile channel is about more than advertising. In my opinion, it always has been. Forrester and others argue that in the ‘Age of the Customer’ mobile is a critical tool to engage. They go on to describe ways in which the customer relationship may radically change reshaped by mobile, big data and other related technologies. Our infographic perhaps provides a glimpse into the coming change and the mobile trends that lie beneath it. Enjoy.
