The Fourth Screen

The mobile phone is taking over as the universal medium for most Indians. It is drawing the internet onto its small screen and turning into a tool that offers more than calls and SMS. This is making the mobile screen an increasingly favoured advertising tool. Santanu, my bro, is a true inhabitant of the wired world. Right from the moment he wakes up to the time he hits his bed, whether it is the last minute changes to the client presentation or to check the latest cricket score or to catch up with friends on Facebook or even listen to some foot-thumping music……. His world starts and ends with his Blackberry. This shows how seemingly innocuous looking gadget is quietly taking control and touching our lives in ways unimaginable.

As mobile telephony grows rapidly, it is used not just for voice communication. Even SMS is passé today. Multitasking is the operative word here with a camera, computer and music player, all packed into the hand held. From downloading software to games, entertainment to accessing content across genres, mobile users are looking for new ways to personalise their handsets with utilities and multimedia content that make their mobile experience richer.

The Indian media and entertainment industry stood at Rs 58, 400 crore in 2008 and over the next five years, the industry is projected to grow at a CAGR of 12.5 % to become Rs 1,05, 200 crore by 2013. (FICCI ; KPMG) Though internet advertising contributes only 1.8 % of the country’s total advertising expenditure, it has grown a whopping 65% as against 17% growth of advertising on the whole. The newer options for marketing communication are on the shore and are harnessing the hot market of the current time. With the upswing of mobile market and swift rise in their sale, business people are taking the mobile medium as a promising sector for marketing and advertising. For the past few years, marketing practitioners have been suggesting that mobile devices would become the next generation marketing channel and supersede print, audio-visual and email and even web. With 400 million mobile users and 8-10 million more every month, India should be one of the hottest markets for mobile advertisers.

Often called the fourth screen after the TV, Cinema and the Internet, the mobile phone is the way to connect with the next billion and the increasing middle-class consumers in Brazil, Russia, India and China. For consumers, the mobile phone has become more than a communication device, it is now a complete entertainment gadget.. They expect their mobile phones to double as state-of-the-art digital cameras, gaming consoles and web access. These uses increases advertisers’ chances to connect with consumers on the move, who get engrossed in these multi-tasking devices. Mobile advertising will receive another boost because of the shift in the advertising industry itself. Advertisers are focusing away from broadcasting through a one way medium to narrow casting for one-to-one consumer engagement and feedback. Marketing is changing from mass-media-push to mass-customisation-pull… PULL IN ANYONE, ANYTIME, ANYWHERE is the mantra.

Will keep updating the latest marketing moves made by the hand held device, from time to time..

RECESSION? Going mobile can be the answer

Mobile marketing is no longer a forte or fashion.

The popularity of mobile phones means that the mobile channel will become more than a vehicle for sending texts and receiving calls. Mobile is still considered an up-and-coming channel by some, susceptible to uncertainty and hesitancy among late adopters. But smart marketers are integrating trackable, quantifiable mobile components within campaigns to extend their reach and increase efficacy. Mobile applications, known as apps, are the latest phenomenon. Web-based apps gained notoriety in May 2007 when social networking site Facebook opened its application platform to third-party developers. But it wasn’t until July 2008, when Apple launched iPhone 3G and App Store, that mobile apps became one of the most accessible and popular avenues to brand a business, popularize its services, pull teenagers to retail outlets, convince women to tread in during shopping carnival or even position a political party and woo the mindsets of voters. Even Hollywood these days are reaching audiences where they live- on their mobile phones.

Few things to be held in reserve when pursuing a successful mobile marketing inventiveness:

(a) One needs to think beyond the text: While SMS is the most recognized format of marketing via mobile, it is important to think beyond the traditional "BUY2DAY" such as content downloads, product alerts, surveys, loyalty messages, even wake-up calls, all designed to provide value and compelling content to the customers.

(b) Go forth and integrate: Customers may be provided with content and services that fit their lifestyles and improve their lives. The communications should be integrated across all channels, including mobile. In other words, mobile phones should be used as a complement to other media, and vice versa.

(c) Put the consumer first by balancing respectful communication and ease of use. Mobile users expect instant gratification, and do not want to jump through hoops to get the information they need. And they will bristle fiercely at any perceived invasion of privacy.

(d) The consumers should be given something they want. For example, if a marketer thinks of Mc coupons or other financial prompts; to text for more information or log on to a mobile site, the marketer can combine a mobile coupon with a store locator to add more value.