Not sure what it means to market in mobile? Three experts show the way.
Here are some things you already know about mobile:
- Though it's one of the youngest marketing channels, there are already more than three billion devices in existence.
- It's estimated that people spend between 10 and 15 hours a day with their mobile devices.
- Some studies have found that teens would sooner part with their television sets than with their cellphones.
The massive penetration of mobile makes it a prime platform on which to reach audiences. But your average marketer is still unclear as to how to leverage it to the greatest advantage. Not to mention the nagging issues of invasion of personal space, who gets charged for what access and services, etc.
Three marketing experts -- Chris Petrovic from Playboy, Amy Lorbati from Fox and Univision's Chris Brunner -- joined Noreen Allen of Motricity on November 14 at the Mobile Marketing Forum in Los Angeles to discuss what works and what doesn't in mobile marketing.
The issues facing Playboy
When it comes to a publisher like Playboy, it "is in a unique position," noted Playboy VP of Digital Media Chris Petrovic. "Our mobile footprint extends to a third of global countries -- to between 60 and 70 countries. But in the U.S., it's still early days, and there are brand-related sensitivities. For us we've seen a huge spike as of late, through the mobile internet, to our brand. (And we have Quattro, our partner, to thank for developing that presence.) We've been taking those learnings gained oversees and applying them to the U.S."
"For us, it's very important to establish ubiquity. It's important to establish a mobilized version of Playboy.com that's ad supported. It's important to be tied up with the carriers as well -- to have that ubiquitous presence so we can deliver on what the consumer is looking for, wherever, whenever," said Petrovic.
How Fox approaches mobile
From Fox's perspective, creating content for the mobile platform begs the question: is it financially viable? Fox VP of Marketing Partnerships and Advertising Strategy Amy Lorbati explained, "We look to see how we can make advertiser revenue off our entertainment content. We go for short form mobile content. In 2006 we started doing ad-sponsored mobisodes; we did five of those in 2006. These were shot and edited for the small screen. They were built around some of our largest brands -- '24' and 'Prison Break.' But the biggest challenge was providing measurement to advertisers."
One number that no advertiser could be unhappy with was the audience percentage that could recall the brand unaided -- 70 percent. But despite this, mobile is still in an early stage and, according to Lorbati, "the number of streams hasn't yet caught up with the cost of production."
Univision's mobile marketing strategy
Chris Brunner from Univision, a Spanish-language TV network, spoke on his company's mobile strategy -- which is sponsorship-based. He noted that, "As many as three and a half years ago, we started selling across all three screens [TV, online and mobile]. Today we run anywhere from three to five campaigns a month. We started working with Quattro, which built our WAP site. It became an incredible extension of the other things we do."
As far as the landscape at large, he commented, "I do think the Hispanic demo is the one to go after; although it is still early for advertisers, and getting the right metrics has proved difficult."
At this point, Noreen Allen, Motricity's VP of marketing and the panel's moderator, asked, "What have you seen in terms of what is and isn't working? What are some trends your viewers are not responding to?"
Brunner responded, "Mobile in itself is a very difficult platform to sell. Advertisers need to know what they want to accomplish. We've seen it be successful when they come in and are willing to put that shortcode or CTA in all their media. That's the way we push back. We try not to do just an online and mobile campaign. Which platform is most effective in driving traffic to mobile? TV."
Made for mobile content
Allen then asked the panel, "Everyone here has content from other sources. What are you seeing in terms of the importance of content made specifically for the mobile device? Is that really essential for success?"
Petrovic responded, "I think it depends on how you measure success, on what the business goals are. We're ROI-based, so it has to make financial sense. The good thing about our company is that we have a huge content-producing machine; if we're there at a video shoot, we may have a videographer and the photographer do something specific for mobile."
Brunner took a different angle, "The issue is, do we have the right content on the right device? But it has to make business sense. We need to have content that's appropriate for the device, but there needs to be enough revenue to drive this. As we get enough of an uptake from consumers, there will be more content built for mobile."
Lorbati answered, "Now we have to get somebody on board before we produce it. Whether it's original mobisodes, or whether we come up with iconic funny clips (pulled from a show like 'Family Guy'), both work. But the creation has to be offset by sponsorship revenue. Right now it's really tough."
Challenges in the industry
When Allen asked about the challenges, Brunner responded, "The working in partnership -- the industry is just cut up, there isn't a lot of alignment. It's about going in partnership with a brand, with an agency. Coming up with a white paper you can sell to the next guy."
When asked if there had been improvements over the recent months, Brunner explained, "Carriers are being more cooperative, at least with some of the larger brands. But you still have a lot of issues."
Lorbati added, "The education of agencies has been a huge issue. And from an internal standpoint, trying to explain to the top management what these numbers look like now is hard. Trying to explain, if you want to get this much money for this deal -- well, I'm not gonna get that. Expectations on revenue now and into the next couple of years are hard to manage. There is a lot of guesswork on next year's numbers because we just don't know."
Emma Brownell is managing editor at iMedia Connection. Read full bio.