Marketers Should Wake Up to the Potential of Mobile

Marketers Should Wake Up to the Potential of Mobile.

It�s not a tsunami. But the first waves of what could become a marketing �perfect storm� are already lapping at the feet of marketing departments in many parts of the world, and according to ABI Research practice director for mobile marketing strategies Neil Strother, it�s time for marketing professionals to take note.

�The trend starts with smartphones, which have reached critical mass among US mobile subscribers,� he says. �These powerful devices, coupled with affordable data plans, enable people to search, browse, and watch video in ways and in volumes that have become more and

more attractive to marketers.�

A February, 2010 ABI Research consumer survey revealed that only about 15% of the mobile phone subscribers who accessed the Internet at least occasionally had never used their phone�s search engine, used a mobile yellow pages, or clicked on a mobile web advertisement.

Marketing messages can reach mobile users in a variety of ways: text messaging, search advertising, ads within applications, and video (streaming and on-demand). This range of options means that marketers can tailor the delivery medium to each particular kind of branding message or call-to-action.

�Consumers appear consistently receptive to location-based promotions,� adds Strother, �as long as they are not used in an invasive or abusive manner.�