Life is portable. Actions that previously involved numerous appliances or devices can now be accomplished with a finger tap or key strike. With each new transportable platform, life's necessities concentrate down to super-devices that can accomplish anything, anywhere. This is extremely helpful for workaholics and the tech-obsessed, but now that mobile technologies are commonplace for just about everyone, the rules of clearly defined marketing have changed.
Consumers expect to be marketed to differently depending where they are and what they are doing; marketing staples like magazine advertisements, billboards, point-of-purchase and banner ads are a given, but the ability to reach consumers throughout their daily travels means that advertisers need to adjust their ways of thinking. Marketing success hinges on the ability to address and impress within the limitation of these new devices.
New playing field = new expectations
Activities like making restaurant reservations, checking sports scores, keeping in touch with friends, staying abreast of news stories, and fulfilling business obligations are a just a tap away in the new frontier of mobile. Consumers now expect information to be at their fingertips and are frustrated when it is not. Your neighbor no long picks up the morning paper, but reads it from her handheld on the train to work -- and why shouldn't she? The more portable life becomes, the more consumers grow frustrated with mundane, non-digital tasks. Case and point: When is the last time you considered a Yellow Page book to find a phone number? I expect the answer is about five years ago.
Consumers have changed and marketers need to do the same.
Imagine you're lost and running late to a business meeting. You're frantically Google Mapping where you’re supposed to turn. The last thing you're interested in is a geo targeted ad for the restaurant where you're supposed to be already.
Reaching consumers while they are on the move is a double edge sword for marketers. There is additional access, but consumers are not in the same mindset when they are on the move. The ubiquity of advertising platforms means there are novel marketing avenues, but marketers should be wary that consumers may not always be ready for a "commercial break."
The solution is to respect consumer expectations, provide value, and adapt to the platform.
Old rules vs. new rules
For the most part, the old rules of marketing still apply. Marketers still need to get the right message, to the right consumers at the right time. On portable devices, it is important that advertisers acknowledge the possible negative impact of their unconventional deliveries. Using Bluetooth technology to send an ad to someone driving past a billboard to their GPS console or cell phone is a smart idea. If that consumer is on a leisurely road trip, that advertisement would be effective and make a real impact. If we go back to you lost and running late to the business meeting, are you still receptive?
Whenever possible preempt users' mindsets. With so many variables, there is no way a marketer can anticipate this for every person, but be conscientious of time of day and demographics -- like Blackberry advertisements during rush hour might not be the best laid plan.
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