Many end-of-year or dawn-of pieces open
with the obligatory “My, hasn’t time has flown by?” or a “What a year it’s
been!” statement. I will skip both, but go on record to say that 2012 was the
year where mobile finally got top billing, a year where experts predicted that
by 2017, more than 4% of all ads will appear on mobile phone screens and where
the mobile mindset matured.
More than the technology itself, was
how consumers used that technology and how brands capitalized on those uses.
No longer are consumers tethered to one
place. And the type of engagement that users gain from their mobile experiences
differs depending on location, whether it’s the beach, kitchen, office, train,
or elsewhere.
For marketers, this means an unmatched
opportunity to tailor their messages to these places of use while at the same
time capitalizing on the four E’s – enhance, engage, experience and enjoy.
Now on to the technology itself and
some of the trends we will see in the year ahead.
Setting off the proximity alarm: Geo-marketing is gaining
traction
At times, I am shocked by how much farther this technology needs to advance. Of course, smart digital signage still lit up screens as it did minds in 2012, but I did not feel as though its “future had arrived.”
At times, I am shocked by how much farther this technology needs to advance. Of course, smart digital signage still lit up screens as it did minds in 2012, but I did not feel as though its “future had arrived.”
Take foursquare, a location-based
social networking service. It has “only” reached 25 million users in the last
three years. Compare that to Facebook, whose membership now exceeds 1 billion,
or one-seventh of the human population.
With more people using more mobile more
often, it is only natural marketers tap this resource.
Of course, there have been some
encouraging 2012 examples ranging from KLM Airlines and its Meat and Seat
social media program that allowed travelers to choose who they’d like to sit
next to based on the sharing of personal information via social media, to a
California-based organic foods company that launched a successful Twitter campaign.
Considering these successes, (and
others) perhaps 2013 will see the growth of “hyper fencing,” or proximity-based
offers and deals within a single shopping outlet or mall or airport?
Mobile payments and wallets usage will grow, but not prosper
– yet
Mobile payments became a hot topic among industry experts and consumers in 2012, with 66% of the latter believing that mobile payments will eventually overshadow card payments.
Mobile payments became a hot topic among industry experts and consumers in 2012, with 66% of the latter believing that mobile payments will eventually overshadow card payments.
Perhaps no better example of this trend
emerged than with Apple’s Passbook, the loyalty program and gift card
aggregator. The app has seen more than 20 companies join its ranks and the
latest upgrade rumors hint at the possibility of NFC.
But Passbook is not mobile payments,
and technologies such as Near Field Communication – NFC, or radio frequency
contactless payments – that herald a new age of mobile wallets, doing away with
paper cash and plastic card, have yet to mature.
The limited number of NFC-enabled
devices – only 12 attendees at an NFC conference had the NFC enabled phones
(ironic, no?) – as well as nagging security risks, namely third-party digital
eavesdropping and the theft of personal data, will tend to keep NFC and the
mobile wallet game a spectator sport – even if Passbook performs some kind of
NFL-style NFC punt.
Augmented reality will augment the face of mobile
What used to be considered a fad that would eventually disappear has undergone a significant turnaround.
What used to be considered a fad that would eventually disappear has undergone a significant turnaround.
Augmented Reality, or AR, superimposes
digital data, gathered from the Web and social media networks and places that
information over physical objects or pictures.
Recent Juniper research already
predicts AR smartphone apps will generate $300 million in global revenue this
year.
One company, Layar, began its AR focus
on real estate in The Netherlands but has since moved on to print publications,
banking the technology will prove most entertaining for consumers and revenue
generating for marketers there.
Of course, to its detractors, AR might
cause one to yell, “AAAARRRRR!!!!!” as it is not where prognosticators
predicted it would be. But continued media interest reaffirms AR will augment
the face of mobile – eventually.
Enhance, engage, experience and enjoy
Ultimately the four E’s are what matters most. Not just for consumers, but marketers as well.
Ultimately the four E’s are what matters most. Not just for consumers, but marketers as well.
When Motorola’s brick phone started us
on our mobile path more than 30 years ago, few could have predicted how far and
fast technological miniaturization would evolve.
The first mobile phones were not
envisioned as enjoyable, engaging experiences but utilitarian devices performing
tasks.
For marketers, though, that is the
furthest thing from a successful product.
LIKE THOSE EARLY mobile models, many of
the trends highlighted in this article – proximity, mobile payments and
augmented reality – have yet to fully hit their stride.
But that is what prediction and
prognostication is all about.
I, for one, am betting on mobile’s
continued success – in the mindset and the handset.
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