Mobile Marketing 

This type of marketing allows marketers and advertisers to promote products and services over mobile devices including cellular phones, smartphones, portable media players and tablets.

According to marketing professor Andreas Kaplan, mobile marketing is, "Any marketing activity conducted through a ubiquitous network to which consumers are constantly connected using a personal mobile device". Because mobile marketing is conducted using wireless networks, it is also known as "wireless marketing". Marketing communications on mobile devices is generally carried out via text messages or applications. Since consumers typically carry their mobile devices with them throughout the day, mobile marketing presents a cost-effective way for brands to deliver targeted messaging across different platforms.

Types of Mobile Marketing

Mobile Marketing

 

One of the most popular forms of mobile advertising is text messaging. During the early 2000' s, marketing through cell phones' Short Message Service (SMS) became increasingly common in Europe and parts of Asia. Consequently, SMS marketing has become a legitimate advertising channel in both developed and developing economies around the world. On average, it is estimated that SMS messages are read within four minutes after delivery to a mobile device. This makes mobile marketing highly attractive to brands looking for marketing communication channels with high lead-to-conversion rates.

Unlike SMS, Multimedia Message Service (MMS) mobile marketing combines the delivery of images, text, audio and video. Nearly all new phones with a color screen are capable of sending and receiving standard MMS messages. Brands are able to both send and receive rich content through MMS A2P (application-to-person) mobile networks to mobile subscribers. In some networks, brands are also able to sponsor messages sent P2P (person-to-person).

 

Marketing Trend Video

Please watch the following video on marketing trends on Mobile Friendly Content.

"Insivia Seminar Series: 2014 Marketing Trend: Mobile-Friendly Content," YouTube Video, 1:29, posted by "Insivia," October 23, 2013, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJJoKZUdhbA

 

Advantages and Disadvantages of Mobile Marketing

Some of the key advantages of mobile marketing are the close proximity of owners' mobile devices, as well as the habitual nature of using cell phones, smartphones and computer tablets. Distributing promotional and advertising messages customized according to the recipient's location, geography and personal interests through wireless networks makes mobile marketing highly cost-effective given the potential reach and scope of the audience.

However, mobile marketing practices present challenges around privacy concerns over user data. Push marketing tactics -- mobile advertising that is sent without consumers' required permission – have caused privacy violations. Although mobile advertising has become increasingly popular with the growing use of tablets and smartphones, numerous concerns have emerged due to the personal nature and close proximity of mobile devices to users. Some of the major concerns around privacy include mobile spam, personal identification, location information and wireless security.

Industry bodies including the Interactive Advertising Bureau and Mobile Marketing Association have established guidelines to prevent SPAM messages and the practice of carriers selling member databases to third parties.

However, these self-regulatory rules are also in place to support marketers looking to incorporate mobile marketing into their larger marketing communications strategies.

 

Source: "Mobile Marketing," Boundless.Com, https://www.boundless.com/marketing/textbooks/boundless-marketing-textbook/social-media-marketing-15/introduction-to-social-media-and-digital-marketing-98/mobile-marketing-484-10594/ (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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Concerns with push-marketing tactics include all of the items EXCEPT for...