It could be said that there are two key factors to delivering a marketing message:

1. Knowing what message to deliver
2. Knowing which platform to deliver it on

Based on some stats recently released by the European Interactive Advertising Association (EIAA), it would appear that mobile web is fast becoming a platform to focus on.

The survey’s highlights include:

• 10 million people in the UK now browse the internet on their mobile every week
• Those accessing the mobile web do so for on average 6.3 hours/week
• That’s more time than they spend reading newspapers (5.3hrs) or magazines (3.7hrs)
• 46% use the internet whilst watching TV

These stats simply reinforce what us marketers already know: marketing on mobile is going to be huge. Very soon, having a mobile element to your marketing campaign will be a must, rather than an option.

But before you rush off to start designing your mobile apps and widgets, you need to consider whether your customers are active mobile web users. After all, the mobile web is still a predominantly young user base.

Whilst the EIAA survey found that 43% of 16-24 year olds and 26% of 25-34 year olds are accessing the mobile web regularly, I expect the numbers plummet past 35.

The fact is that despite all the fanfares on the millions now accessing Facebook and using branded apps on their mobiles – millions aren’t.

Why Labour’s focus on direct mail is a smart move

Some have been quick to judge the Labour party’s decision to allocate most of its budget to direct mail as a sign that it ‘doesn’t get’ the internet and is past the times. But focusing on direct mail might, actually, be a smart move.

With modern digital printing technology, they can create campaigns which are personalised to feature local issues, as well as those of national concern. Making their marketing more relevant to each individual means it could be more effective than a high profile poster campaign delivering the same message to every passer by.

If they had the budget for it, I’m sure Labour would have happily blitzed every platform. But focusing on direct mail is probably their best chance of engaging with their traditional Labour support base. Spending millions on mobile isn’t, yet, the most suitable strategy.

If Labour were really smart, they’d be integrating their direct mail with personalised URLs leading voters to websites customised with policies to match each voter’s interests. Maybe by the next election their marketing will have caught up.

_______________________________

BDA (Buckingham Design Associates) blog – real people giving real opinions, and a complete lack of agency waffle. BDA deliver an exciting blend of design and creative marketing for the Oxford, Milton Keynes, Northampton and London region.

Is your marketing aimed at building closer bonds or telling people how wonderful you are? If it’s the latter you might want to head back to the whiteboard. The fact is that consumer mindsets are changing; the ability to share opinions globally, in mere hours, is irrevocably changing the nature of marketing.

No longer can we simply spoon feed people advertising whilst they’re slumped in front of the TV, or carpet bomb messages they’re now adept at sidestepping. People just aren’t listening anymore when there’s so much noise to contend with.

Added to this is the recession tightening purse strings and hardening people’s resolve not to be bullied into buying ‘stuff’.

So what we’ve now arrived at, in 2010, is the rise of the cynical, sceptical and often critical consumer, who’s not shy of sharing their opinions with friends, followers and the search engines. With consumers now less trusting, building more personal relationships will be the key to marketing in 2010.

Here’s a rundown of some of the trends to watch out for this year:

1. Driven by the proliferation of laptops, smartphones and internet enabled TVs, people will be going online more often and from more locations – positioning digital closer to the centre of marketing campaigns, rather than an offshoot

2. Despite what some digital fanboys might say, direct mail still has a role to play. Surveys show that people prefer to receive offers in print. But to help print survive it needs to be supported by email, personalised URLs and mobile to enhance its relevance and impact

3. Digital advertising will become more targeted as advertisers start using data on where visitors have been and what they’re doing. Expect a backlash when complaints on privacy lead to rushed government legislation. You can pre-empt this (and build trust) by making it clear what data you’re collecting and what visitors gain in return

4. Expect more cases of multi million pound marketing budgets being ruined by critical or mischievous consumer generated content

5. Brands will create their own media channels (and sidestep the traditional media) offering consumers valuable content, useful apps and branded live events

6. Search gets social –Tweets and status updates will start appearing in the search results, making customer service more integral to marketing

7. Crisis marketing – the ability to spread negative opinions globally in hours means you must have a plan in place for monitoring what’s being said, and have the tools to respond and be a part of the conversation

8. Social networking will fragment as teenagers abandon Facebook to escape snooping parents and as people form private networks amongst those whose opinions they actually care about. This will make the job of identifying where customers are congregating that little bit trickier – you won’t be able to just slap up a Facebook fan page and tick social media off the list

9. Mobile will come of age as people start buying more than just ring tones. Short code and coupon marketing will become more widespread, and smartphone apps will evolve from mere gimmicks into useful tools

10. 2010 is going to be an interesting year for marketers, and one in which you’ll need to significantly update your job description as marketing becomes integral to everything a company does

_______________________________

BDA (Buckingham Design Associates) blog – real people giving real opinions, and a complete lack of agency waffle. BDA deliver an exciting blend of design and creative marketing for the Oxford, Milton Keynes, Northampton and London region.

Tomorrow there will be people wondering whether their Christmas wishes will be granted this year. And marketers are no exception, many of whom will be hoping for some festive cheer after what has been a difficult year.

Here are five wishes we think many marketers will be hoping come true this Christmas:

1. Proliferation of smartphones

Smartphones are an exciting prospect, with their flashy touch screens, the explosion in the popularity of apps and because they’re such a personal device. There have certainly been some impressive marketing hits and misses this year. As we learn from those who got it right and avoid the mistakes of those who got it wrong, smartphones will become an integrated part of the marketing mix.

Even if millions of people don’t get smartphones in their stockings this year there’s no need to feel glum. There’s still plenty of fun to be had with short codes and coupons in the meantime.

2. More businesses realising the importance of the web

I could sprout off some stats about the millions who went shopping online this Xmas and the millions more searching for product information throughout the year. But I think a timely example is the recent race in the music charts. The X Factor marketing juggernaut had the power of TV, radio and in store advertising powering its campaign. Rage Against the Machine had Facebook.

Rage’s victory (on download sales alone) was a great demonstration of social media flexing its muscles to influence opinions and spread ideas. More businesses need to realise that online is where their customers are spending more and more of their time, and invest in their web presence accordingly.

3. More investment in PURL campaigns

We bang on about PURL campaigns a lot on this blog, and for a good reason –they’re just so darn effective.

Marketing needs to be targeted and personalised if it’s going to appeal to people weary of being carpet bombed messages of little relevance or value to them. PURL campaigns, whether integrated with print or email, enable you to deliver customised messages based on an individual’s preferences and capture data for future campaigns at the same time.

In 2010 you’ll need to be marketing smarter if you want people to listen, which is why many marketers will be hoping they get the funds they need to deliver targeted PURL campaigns next year.

4. Less spent on celebrity endorsements

The implosion of brand Tiger has had many brand strategists shaking their heads and saying we’ve already seen the first and the last one billion dollar brand.

Whether or not Tiger Woods seeks deliverance on Oprah, brands are now nervous of risking millions having their identity stapled to a fallible human being. Many marketers will be hoping the millions saved on celebrity endorsements can go on campaigns they can more easily predict and control.

5. Job security and rebuilt teams

2009 has certainly been a difficult year. Despite everyone agreeing that marketing more in a recession is the smart thing to do, most companies have guillotined budgets, leaving depleted teams scrambling around to deliver the same results on a shrunken budget, slowing momentum and dampening morale.

With signs of brighter times ahead, many marketers will be hoping the grip on the money hose is loosened, and they can start rehiring and jumpstarting campaigns that have been put on hold.

Here’s hoping that Santa makes some of these wishes come true and spreads some festive joy for all the overworked marketers out there this Christmas.

_______________________________

BDA (Buckingham Design Associates) blog – real people giving real opinions, and a complete lack of agency waffle. BDA deliver an exciting blend of design and creative marketing for the Oxford, Milton Keynes, Northampton and London region.

In these cash strapped times, frugality has never been more fashionable. So it should come as no surprise that (according to a Juniper Research survey) 3 million people are now using mobile coupons in the UK. And with a redemption rate 6 times higher than paper, giving out mobile coupons is a marketing trend set to continue, even when we’re back to maxing out our credit cards.

Hunting around for discounts is already popular on the web. In fact, Hitwise estimated that searches for discount vouchers went up 47.5% in the past year. Coupons are great for email marketing too, with reports that open rates for emails with coupons average 25% compared to 16-18% for emails without.

So, as the figures show, coupons can be a great way of attracting people to your website and getting your emails opened. But when it comes to mobile, coupon marketing offers so much more…

Mobile – the ultimate personal marketing channel

Let’s just consider some of the benefits mobiles offer to marketers:

• Most people have one (many have two)
• They offer a direct route of contact
• They’re normally switched on and close to hand
• People can use them to respond impulsively to marketing
• The success of campaigns can be measured to the exact text message
• They have a built in payment mechanism

And all these benefits without the need of a touch screen!

When you consider the immediacy of mobile it’s no wonder coupon campaigns can be so effective. Here are two great examples:

Coca-Cola’s 200k giveaway

Coca-Cola recently ran a promotion (comprising of point-of-sale advertising, door posters and shelf blazers) letting people know they were only a text message away from a free drink. Participants simply had to text ‘YES’ and their date of birth to receive a promotion code for a free bottle of Fanta, Sprite or Dr Pepper.

The promotion helped distribute 200,000 free bottles to 100,000 people, without the need to fill in a form or cut out a coupon. The campaign had a very high redemption rate of 87%, and provided Coca-Cola with valuable data on coupon hotspots.

Planet Funk’s 377% campaign ROI

Uber trendy US clothing retailer Planet Funk is currently the poster child for mobile coupon marketing. In the run up to Christmas last year it sent 2000 coupons to text subscribers and people who’d texted in response to posters and ads on its website.

Planet Funk’s campaign received a 91% redemption rate – contributing 28% to their December sales and a 377% return on the cost of the campaign. As an added bonus, 15% of coupon redeemers (not wishing to look a gift horse in the mouth) opted into future Planet Funk mobile campaigns.

As these two examples show, coupon marketing, whether by email or mobile, can be a very effective way of attracting a burst of sales and filling your database for future campaigns.

So, instead of Christmas cards, consider sending coupons to your favourite customers this year. It’s a gift many will be happy to receive.

_______________________________

BDA (Buckingham Design Associates) blog – real people giving real opinions, and a complete lack of agency waffle. BDA deliver an exciting blend of design and creative marketing for the Oxford, Milton Keynes, Northampton and London region.

With Christmas fast approaching, there will be plenty of people hoping for smartphones in stockings this year. Amongst them will be Google, who’ve just shelled out £449 million on Admob, a mobile advertising company. Dumping such a huge pot of cash on mobile has been seen as preparing for mass market adoption of smartphones. It’s expected that soon there will be millions more smartphone owners eagerly consuming content, and the ads to go with it. But in all this anticipation for smartphones, are some companies missing out on a mass market mobile marketing opportunity that already exists?

Now don’t get me wrong: I’m as excited as the next marketer about the opportunities offered by touchscreens, mobile apps and miniature web browsers. I just think that, in all the excitement, many companies are ignoring a way of engaging people on mobiles that’s popular, is already proven and offers one of the most immediate response mechanisms around.

What am I talking about? Why, the humble text message of course.

Marketing with short codes

Whilst some wait eagerly for the age of the smartphone, many smart marketers are already taking advantage of everyday, run of the mill text messaging technology.

You might by now be used to seeing five digit text numbers on TV shows, like X Factor, and on print ads (e.g. the Times’ 7am delivery ad on the London tube). These numbers are known as short codes, and they’re earmarked for massive growth (irrespective of what’s happening on smartphones).

These are just some of the benefits:

• More easily remembered than a telephone number or website address, particularly when the numbers spell out a word e.g. 62262 = OBAMA
• Virtually all mobiles can text
• People can take part in polls, receive coupons, register for news alerts and respond immediately to marketing messages
• All responses demonstrate interest
• Mobile numbers can be fed into a database for follow up activity
• Low deployment costs and fast delivery make short codes particularly suitable for time sensitive campaigns

But do people really want to receive floods of texted coupons, special offers and marketing messages I hear you ask? Well, according to research released by the Direct Marketing Association – yes, they do.

The DMA’s survey, of 270 people, found that 70% would be happy to receive messages from brands and 55% would welcome texts of sales and special offers. However, these findings shouldn’t be seen as an excuse to open the floodgates and start flooding people with text messages. Being useful and timely, rather than an annoyance, will be the key.

So whilst some companies sit watching the horizon for the dawn of the age of the smartphone, you can be engaging people with a simple technology that virtually everyone can already use.

_______________________________

BDA (Buckingham Design Associates) blog – real people giving real opinions, and a complete lack of agency waffle. BDA deliver an exciting blend of design and creative marketing for the Oxford, Milton Keynes, Northampton and London region.

With marketing so fragmented these days, even the biggest brands risk slipping up trying something new. And it’s been Pepsi left blushing after its iPhone app, ‘Amp Up Before You Score’, attracted the wrong sort of headlines for pigeonholing women (around half its customers). It’s certainly one experiment they won’t be in a rush to repeat.

Whilst most don’t backfire so spectacularly, there’s no shortage of poorly conceived iPhone apps created by brands. But there are also some great ones too, which reflect what the brand is about and extend the marketing experience onto the popular mobile device.

Here are 10 great branded iPhone apps Pepsi might want to take note of before releasing their next one:

1. myStarbucks – Users can create their own drinks, locate their nearest Starbucks and view nutritional info on different types of coffee bean. This is a good example of the type of apps retailers can create for directing people to their nearest store. Gap ‘Stylemixer’ is another notable example.

2. Jamie’s 20 Minute Meals – Currently the top grossing app in the UK iTunes store, with 50 recipes and step-by–step prep photos, perfect for when you’re at the supermarket and want to try something new for dinner.

3. Official Arsenal Football Club app – Another new and popular app in the UK iPhone store (well, with Gunners fans anyway) featuring info on fixtures, team news, video highlights and match photos. You can expect to see a flood of apps from sports teams enabling fans to stay connected to one of their life’s passions whenever and wherever they are.

4. Mercedes-Benz –C63 AMG – This is an excellent example of the mini site apps being created by luxury brands (e.g. Breitling, Christian Dior and Lacoste), which extend the marketing experience onto the iPhone. Mercedes’ app features videos of the new C63 AMG drag racing, engine sounds and, of course, directions to the nearest dealer.

5. Volkswagen Polo challenge – In an adrenaline fuelled alternative to Mercedes’ approach, this 3D racing game is designed to promote the launch of the new Polo. Race around seven courses before finding directions to the nearest showroom to test drive the real thing.

6. P!nk’s Funhouse – One of the first artist themed apps released, this promotional vehicle for the singer’s latest tour features pictures, video interviews and 30 second song clips to entice you into buying the full track. Expect to see similarly themed apps appearing for more artists and tours very soon.

7. Absolut Drinkspiration – If you ever want to impress your friends as a drinks connoisseur then this app can help. It offers drink suggestions based on criteria such as mood, the type of bar and shape of the glass. Maybe you’ll only use this app occasionally, but it fits in perfectly with what the brand is all about and promotes it’s logo at exactly the right time.

8. Virtual Zippo lighter – Currently the most popular branded app around with 5 million downloads of the imitation flame, which you’ve probably seen sparking up at concerts. Carling’s iPint is another popular example of virtual product marketing.

9. Oakley Surf Report – Access surf community news and weather reports for planning your next jaunt to the waves. Just be careful not to get your iPhone covered in sand when you go.

10. Last Minute’s Talking Phrasebook – More of a sponsored app this one, but perfectly relevant to the brand nevertheless. Rather than leave you struggling to pronounce phrases this app actually says them for you. This app is practical, useful and will certainly encourage you to visit Lastminute.com when planning your next trip abroad.

_______________________________

BDA (Buckingham Design Associates) blog – real people giving real opinions, and a complete lack of agency waffle. BDA deliver an exciting blend of design and creative marketing for the Oxford, Milton Keynes, Northampton and London region.

Nearly two years after its release, it seems as though iPhones are becoming overloaded with gimmicky apps that get deleted after only two days. And this is particularly true when the app has been created as part of a marketing campaign.

Last year I commented on why iPhone apps were at the top of many brands’ Christmas wish list. Ever since Stanley Works released their virtual spirit level, brands have been pumping out mobile apps on an industrial scale.

To be fair, it’s easy to understand why. A recent Wireless Expertise study estimated the number of smartphones sold per year worldwide will rise from 165 million to 423 million by 2013. So finding a way of integrating mobile into the marketing mix is becoming essential, rather than an optional extra.

The market is saturated

The problem for marketers is that the smartphone market is already swamped with apps. In fact, there are already over 85,000 different apps just for the iPhone, following a gold rush of developers hoping to make their fortune.

With this level of competition, one of an app’s key aims should now be to stay on people’s mobiles and be something people will use regularly. So are brands going the right way about it? Or are they at risk of annoying people fed up with gimmicky mini games?

Well, according to research by Flurry, a mobile analytics company, the apps people use most frequently and for the longest period are those offering them useful information, rather than novelty mini games.

Mobile apps should give people what they want – useful info

In a study of user retention of 19 different types of apps over 90 days Flurry found that gimmicky apps (labelled as entertainment) and games ranked poorly for retention, as shown in this handy chart:

This study suggests that if brands want their apps to be used regularly and stay on people’s mobiles they need to be apps providing useful content.

There’s a growing consensus that brands need to become publishers if they want their marketing to appeal to consumers hungry for information and dismissive of advertising.

So as well as harnessing the ability to pump out news, industry insight and product advice on their website, brands need to start doing it through mobile apps too.

Gimmicky apps might get five minutes of fame. But according to Flurry’s study, it’s apps people find useful and use regularly that will stay on their mobiles and keep them engaged with a brand’s marketing.

_______________________________

BDA (Buckingham Design Associates) blog – real people giving real opinions, and a complete lack of agency waffle. BDA deliver an exciting blend of design and creative marketing for the Oxford, Milton Keynes, Northampton and London region.

Well, Christmas is upon us, and many people will be hoping Santa leaves them a snazzy new smartphone in their stocking this year. And it won’t be just thoughts of an iPhone keeping people awake on Christmas Eve, because Google’s G1 and Blackberry’s Storm will also be vying for space under the tree.

Sleek touchscreens, 3G+ internet and a plethora of apps have seduced people into putting a smartphone at the top of their Christmas wish list, replacing watches and shoes as this year’s must have accessory.

The demand for smartphones is great news for marketers. It means they can grow out of simple text and banner ads, and take advantage of swifter web speeds and slicker interfaces to deliver richer marketing messages, and let their creativity free from the bottle.

New devices, same rules

Marketers have been salivating over the potential reach of mobile for the last decade: most people own one, they rarely leave people’s pockets and offer a direct channel virtually 24 hours a day.

However, marketers need to tread carefully. Mobiles are more personal than a home PC, posing a risk if users see you as an intruder, whilst offering rich rewards if you’re able to add value to the mobile experience.

Whilst desperate to mine their goldmine of users (and prop up falling SMS and call revenue), if operators damage the mobile experience they risk losing subscribers to their rivals.

So, mobile marketing has to ensure it obeys the rules of being relevant and offering value if it wants to be accepted.

Next year you can expect mobile marketing to get more sophisticated as brands learn how to harness the potential of the handsets being packed onto Santa’s sleigh. The ripples of which have already been felt this year by what has been dubbed the ‘iPhone effect’.

The iPhone Effect on mobile marketing

There are plenty of stats on the potential of mobile you can reel off to persuade brands where to bet next year’s budget; however, the one which has really put fire into mobile’s engine is that nearly half of the responses to a mobile display ad were made on an iPhone.

From even a cynical view, this figure indicates that when handsets with touchscreens and faster internet access proliferate people will be more inclined to respond to marketing.

But before advertisers start flooding messages onto iPhones, G phones and Blackberrys, they need to work out how to deliver them in a way that adds to the mobile experience and is accepted by users.

There’s still a lot of experimentation to be done.

Application Wars

Earlier this year, Apple opened up the iPhone platform in a bid to steal Google’s thunder as the developer’s platform of choice.

Along with fishing games, finger print scanners and internet radio players, brands have been releasing applications which they hope will enable them to engage with the iPhone user base.

US clothes retailer Target, for example, has released a ‘Gift Globe’ in time for Christmas. Give your iPhone a shake and the screen mimics the effect of a snow globe, with the flakes revealing gift ideas and links to your local store.

Next year you can expect to see a flood of mobile apps competing for attention as brands follow the new rules of marketing in which you offer relevancy and value in exchange for engagement.

Although judging from this review, Target has more experimenting to do before it releases the next one:

_______________________________

BDA (Buckingham Design Associates) blog – real people giving real opinions, and a complete lack of agency waffle. BDA deliver an exciting blend of design and creative marketing for the Oxford, Milton Keynes, Northampton and London region.

It’s easy to get excited about mobile marketing. The UK’s 43 million handsets offer an immediate, always on route to consumers. However, people have a different relationship with their mobiles compared to that with their PC. A mobile is a much more personal device, and permission to contact them on it is tightly guarded.

Unless you think users are eager to receive floods of texts and banner ads clogging up their shrunken screens, smart thinking is needed on how you gain permission to deliver your messages.

Mobile marketing is still in its infancy, and has a lot of growing up to do before it reaches maturity. And that applies to marketing tactics as much as it does to the technology.

Mobiles are more personal, which is what mobile marketing needs to be

Since Mr Jobs reeled off the iPhone’s features to rapturous whoops, manufacturers have been rushing to build the ultimate multi-functional mobile device. More than just a phone with added bells, mobiles will be appearing that provide access to the same services as on a home PC.
Whether it’s paying bills, online shopping or finding a local restaurant, mobiles will soon be an integral tool for how people manage their lives. It’s when the next gen mobile becomes the essential lifestyle device that we’ll see them emerging from pockets other than than those of the business or tech savvy user.

A mobile phone will become the ultimate, personalised lifestyle device for accessing the things people care about. Consequently, people’s relationship with their mobile will be even more personal than they are already. Permission to use them as a marketing channel will therefore be even more tightly guarded.

Whilst the personal relationship a prospect has with their mobile poses a challenge, it also offers marketers an opportunity.

Mobile marketing should be about relationship building

We’re already living in an age where strategies need to be smarter than just to ’spray and pray’ messages. Consumers are taking control of the content they want to receive. If you’re not offering them value then you’ll soon find your path blocked. This is the mobile marketer’s challenge: to build trust with ad weary prospects.

However, mobile also presents an enormous opportunity. It has the potential to be the superior relationship building medium (barring meeting every prospect one-to-one). It’s a platform for coaxing trust and loyalty by being of value to the consumer. The quickest way to ruin these feelings is to bombard them with messages as soon as they switch on their mobile.

The future lies in a mobile CRM strategy: building loyalty and dialogue through engaging with relevant, targeted offers and desirable, downloadable content. A mobile is a personal device. And as such users will reward loyalty to those who treat it with respect.  

The success of mobile marketing is not just a case of waiting for better data plans, coverage and handsets. But also for the right marketing mindset to mature.

Mass delivery of irrelevant messages is the quickest way to lose trust

The personal and immediate nature of mobile offers enormous potential for relationship building with valuable content. And as with the relationship between print and digital, your mobile strategy should be integrated into your wider campaign, with calls to action to initiate mobile included in your brochures and website.

So whilst some advertisers prepare to pepper mobile users with banner ads and text messages, remember that the quickest way to lose trust is with undesired, irrelevant content.

Start thinking about customised messages, downloadable videos and GPS targeted offers. Because to be successful in mobile marketing you’ll want to be a user’s valued and trusted friend, rather than a temporary intruder.  

___________________________

BDA (Buckingham Design Associates) – real people giving real opinions, and a complete lack of agency waffle. BDA deliver an exciting blend of design and creative marketing for the Oxford, Milton Keynes, Northampton and London region.