There is much hype around the new digital and mobile communication platforms, however conservatism in media planning and investment into new media exists which may be due largely to the average profile of CEOs and senior management who tend to be more traditionally focused and less open or risk averse to commit any significant budget spend on digital and mobile technology platforms.
This is creating “frienemies” (friends or enemies) within the traditional ad agency and new media world, the cause and effect of which does not benefit the industry, client or consumer. Mobile proximity marketing is still seen as a ‘bolt-on' and a ‘nice to have' instead of an integral part of the marketing mix. It is also viewed as a one-off or short activation project instead of a longer, more strategic brand engagement with the audience. And yet, this platform is one of the few that is able to close the loop by delivering in-depth consumer insight and brand interaction analytics.
But before anyone accuses me of trying to disenfranchise traditional media and evangelising new media let me make it very clear that I believe that digital and mobile communication does not exist in isolation; they are a part of a set of cooperative platforms that hold the marketing mix together.
The architecture of brand communication has not changed. It still requires the awareness of the brand message leading into the customer's brand experience; that leads to a brand dialogue that nurtures a relationship that aims to create brand affinity or evangelism.
To create a cohesive ‘conversation ecosystem' the brand narrative needs to be created by multiple media touch-points that are designed to introduce, engage and guide the audience through the consumer brand journey. To isolate one platform from another dilutes the value of the dialogue and can make the brand appear schizophrenic.
Integrating mobile and digital to the marketing mix changes the emphasis and creates action by driving behaviour that can be recognised, measured and tracked. This is an ‘outside-in' approach that focuses on delivering a compelling, value added customer experience not merely emotion based introspection.
To interact with customers in today's economic climate, brands need to be ‘useful' and rewarding as well as relevant to the customer's lifestyle. Communication content across the media platforms has to deliver an engaging storyline that is not weighted toward brand dictated consumption but in favour of consumer driven brand participation.
Location based or mobile proximity marketing is more about the ‘who' and the ‘where', not so much the ‘how many'. It's ‘Getvertising', which refers to mobile's ability to create pull not push, invitation not interruption and two way dialogue not one way statements. This type of media platform creates lots of small fires called diffusion links, based on the ‘small world phenomenon'.
To explain; according to Malcolm Gladwell's, “The Tipping Point” and Duncan J. Watts, “Six Degrees: The Science Of A Connected Age”, the diffusion network links of 100 people is estimated to have 4,950 possible links, whereas with a network of 1,000 people the possible links rises to 500,000. This is not surprising when one realises that on Facebook the average person has approximately 10 to 12 intimate contacts, 150 social contacts and between 500 and 1500 weak ties.
But why is all this important? It's important when one considers that people trust other people more than they trust brand advertising. So when someone you know sends content to your mobile phone you will open it and chances are it will create a dialogue or action.
The fusing of the digital and physical worlds are the prime objectives of mobile communication. Online is an important point of contact for brands and their audiences, however it's inaccessible in almost all situations where the brand is relevant. Mobile Proximity marketing bridges this divide by targeting the lifestyle of the audience and focusing on the activities that make the brand relevant and memorable and that add value to the experience.
In order to understand the new communication environment marketers need to re-evaluate the current linear models of distributing content and clearly define ‘how' and ‘where' people connect to brands and ‘why'. The mobile phone is not merely a new media channel, it's a vital communication medium opportunity. This means value based marketing is less about one-dimensional brand messaging and more about participation and reward.
There are some progressive brands like Nike who understand the new brandscape. Mark Parker, CEO, Nike is quoted as saying:
"For every Nike employee, there are ten million consumers out there deciding whether or not the products and brands we offer really matter.”
“The Consumer Decides, is one of Nike's 11 maxims that really define who we are and how we compete as a company. Clearly, the power has shifted to consumers.”
Consumers are less willing to believe traditional advertising and marketers need to use the channels that consumers use to reach and engage them. Brands are our personal reflection of an experience influenced by our anticipation and participation of that moment. As Ajaz Ahmed, Founder of AKQA put it: “Marketing and product have converged. The consumer doesn't separate the experience.”