It feels like yesterday when the marketing world was still learning to adapt to the changing world of the internet, getting introduced to e-commerce, figuring out social media and then there came another great opportunity called mobile marketing!

For long, CMOs have mostly focused on a handful of channels for their media spend. More often than not, for them, the formula for the right mix of media would be TV and print, followed by radio. And, if there’s any money remaining, they might add digital and if there’s still some more money, they would pay attention to mobile. Or some won’t bother at all and would just hire a digital manager!

Mobile is not just another medium like TV and print. It is the coming together of all the media available to us and here’s why:

Mobile devices have become omnipresent. Advertising on mobiles gives you the power to send your message directly to your consumers’ hands.

Mobile video ads are fast gaining popularity over TV. Major marketers are willing to move their TV monies to mobile video — as they provide personalised reach, accurate targeting without compromising on the scale and better mindshare in your target audience

Banners and rich media are increasingly yielding more return on investment (ROI) vis-a vis spending on out of home (OOH).

Music streaming apps provide a similar platform as radio at a much lower cost.

A mobile is the closest you can get to the consumer. There is no other device that is as personal, and always within reach. It is reshaping the customer’s buying journey and is the first place consumers go to, to communicate, research and share before making a purchase. Mobile is now an integral part of the customer experience and is also being seen by some as the be-all and end-all for marketers — so much that there are some brands which are quickly changing from mobile-first to mobile-only strategy.

In countries such as the UK, ad spends on digital and mobile are bigger than TV and print media. India continues to lag behind. But mobile phones are here to stay. To make the most of this opportunity, decision-makers can start by giving mobile advertising one-tenth of the spend allocated for their campaign. They are bound to experience effective targeting capabilities and better ROI than any other medium and will see the power of these small miracle devices for themselves!

Pancham Endlaw leads South Asia operations for Opera Mediaworks, a mobile advertising company.

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