Jen O'Connell, president and CEO, Voice of Wireless
Myth #9: TV on mobile phones is the next big thing.
Reality
This technology is still in its infancy, with many obstacles still to be overcome. One big problem: No one has figured out what kind of programming works best on cellphones. Video for mobile devices must be shot differently to look good on the tiny screen, which is why repurposing content and simply editing it down to five minutes or less has not set the world on fire.
To make mobile TV advertising work, all three components of the system must be harnessed. The consumer's device must be able to support the content or application you're trying to send. The wireless service must be capable of sending and receiving the appropriate messaging. And the wireless network must have the bandwidth to support transfer of your content in a workable length of time. There have been some really poor executions, but they don't prove mobile marketing won't work. They merely show the limitations of the people designing the campaign, who haven't grasped the essentials of what it takes to be successful in this new medium.
Mobile TV should offer additional content you can't get anywhere else. It should add incremental value to existing programs, as well as being appropriate for mobile. That's why advertisers should support unique programs created specifically for mobile, much the way Tide is a sponsor of "Crescent Heights," a program geared specifically to mobile TV, with the sponsor's product carefully integrated into the storyline (for example, characters have lots of conversations in the laundry room).
Myth #10: Advertising on mobile will make it far easier to locate your customers geographically.
Reality
Forget it. First and foremost, individuals have the ability to protect their identity and location, or to disclose this if, when and how they choose. It is up to the individual to say, "I want to interact with this offer," or not. That's why mobile marketing should be conceptualized as an opt-in opportunity. The alternative is for mobile marketing to be seen as spam, and no one wants to go that way. The central task is to inspire consumers to interact with your brand.
Myth #11: Mobile marketing is too small to be important.
Reality
The spend for mobile marketing is on target at around $1 billion in the U.S. in 2008, with projections of about $4 billion in 2010 and about $10 billion globally. Advertising revenues are declining for other channels, but they are increasing rapidly for mobile.
Myth #12: People don't really care about mobile marketing.
Reality
Good executions will always add value. Consumers always carry their wallet, their keys and their cellphones, so the potential for mobile marketing is extremely high. End users simply have to be offered exciting and valuable ways to interact with each new mobile capability. UPS, for example, has begun using mobile to track packages -- perhaps the most prosaic purpose imaginable. But, nonetheless, it's bringing people to UPS.
Jen O'Connell is president and CEO of Voice of Wireless. She is a 14-year veteran in the industry -- having worked for Cingular and Verizon -- an author and an expert on wireless for Wall Street and the media.
