AIMA Mobile SIG Lunch

Today the Atlanta Interactive Marketing Association (AIMA) had its first Mobile Special Interest Group (SIG) lunch. It was a great event that put mobile marketing in the forefront of marketers minds. There has been much confusion about what is mobile marketing and how to do it effectively. I think this will clear up a lot of the speculation and put some of the rumors to rest.

The speaker was Louis Gump from CNN. He is responsible for managing CNN’s mobile business. He has previously been at the Weather Channel, where he started their mobile program.  Mr. Gump has served on the Board of Directors for the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA), where he is past global chairman and was recently elected as MMA’s global treasurer for the 2009-2010 term. He is active in other industry associations including the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association (CTIA).  Last year, he was named one of the “Top Ten mobiThinkers” in the world, an award given by mobiThinking.com to recognize pioneers in mobile marketing.

He started off the lunch defining what mobile is, it is the use of a handheld device that includes phones and that the new tablets are considered a hybrid. He noted that the standard laptop is not, even though it is mobile and portable. He also, added one device and said that in car systems are considered mobile as well. The face of mobile will change in the next few years.

There are four areas of mobile marketing.

Mobile Web (Wireless Application Protocol sites)

  • Fundamental and will be the future of mobile.
  • Applications are limited by platform
  • Make sure that websites are made with a mobile site

Applications/Downloads

  • The average iPhone user has 10-20 apps.
  • Apps are phone specific
  • On average users on the iPhone have more page views, then any other mobile user
  • Other devices that are in mobile are:
    • Android – Google
    • Windows Mobile – Microsoft
    • Symbian – Nokia
    • The two platforms to focus on right now are the iPhone and Android
    • Apps will be important but with the roll out of HTML 5 it will make mobile more powerful

Video

  • It’s a powerful footage for CNN, ESPN and Fox.
  • People have a tolerance for 1-3 minutes of video on a mobile device. There are some variants for the length, but for the general population no more then 3 minutes.
  • Ads work in mobile video if the compliment the content.
  • CNN streamed live the Haiti telethon live on their iPhone app. But this is done for special occasions and not on a regular basis

Messaging

  • There are two types of messaging, Short Message Service (SMS) and Multimedia Message Service (MMS)
  • SMS has a capacity of 140 characters
  • MMS has more text and the ability to do pictures
  • Currently there are no consistent standards for MMS campaigns, which will need to be worked out before it makes significant in roads.

Advertising on Mobile

  • It was said back in 2001 that it was the year of mobile messaging. That proved not to be the case.
  • There may not be a year of mobile because mobile is on going.
  • 2006 saw the first mobile ads to appear. They were clickable ads, but had not revenue or impression stats. The analytics were just not up to speed with the technology at the time.
  • Standards were established for the mobile ads so there was continuity across platforms and vendors.  Thus making it easier for purchase and do mobile advertising.

Couponing on mobile devices

  • It is something that is not common in the US currently
  • Japan has a very good couponing system.
  • No standards have been set in the US, when they are they will aid in the adoption of couponing on mobile devices

Analytics in Mobile marketing

  • 2007 Yahoo and other companies started to do branding studies to see the impact mobile has on campaigns
  • The click through rates are any where from 1-6%
  • They are starting to measure reach and effectiveness of mobile campaigns.
  • Mr. Gump made a statement that you should not compare mobile vs. online because they are too different. They are like comparing apples to oranges.

Currently there are three platforms for marketing

  • On Air (Television/Radio_)
  • Online (interactive)
  • Mobile

Use of Applications

  • If you are going to produce a mobile app the pricing should be in the $1.99 – $3.99 range. There are a few exceptions to the pricing model. The MLB has sold their app at $9.99 and some of the navigation apps sell for around $79.99.
  • If you develop an ad and have links to a mobile site, develop it so you view the site in the app and it doesn’t close out when you either open or close the window.

There are just a few of the items that were discussed. It was a great event to give a broad overview of what Mobile marketing is and what some of the current and future trends are.

Tim is the founder of Element33. A social media agency specializing in education, management and strategy for small businesses. He comes from a traditional marketing agency but has embraced all things digital. He considers himself a marketing nerd and believes that all marketing is tied together. This means no matter what silo you are in, social, email, seach, etc, changes in one will affect the other!

5 comments on “AIMA Mobile SIG Lunch

  1. Reply mobithinking March 29, 2010 at 6:26 pm

    You can find The Top 10 mobiThinkers here, each profiled in full. Find out why Louis Gump, then at the Weather Channel, is a mobile pioneer: http://mobithinking.com/interview-transcripts/t

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    Today the Atlanta Interactive Marketing Association (AIMA) had its first Mobile Special Interest Group (SIG) lunch.

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