According to the Mobile Marketing Association,
"Mobile Marketing is a set of practices that enables organizations to communicate and engage with their audience in an interactive and relevant manner through any mobile device or network."
And that communication and engagement is being implemented by marketers from the smallest 'mom & pop shop' to the largest multi-national corporations. As the traditional marketing channels suffer various levels of decline, mobile marketing is experiencing triple-digit growth annually. Why you ask? According to the Director of Research at Nielsen Mobile, "People look at every text message they get", and they do so within 15 minutes. Can you think of any other advertising medium where you are almost guaranteed that every person targeted will see your message?
A mobile marketing program is any marketing or advertising program that is delivered via a handset.
"The most direct and personal of all media channels these days is mobile phones. They enable us to remain connected 24/7. No need to log onto the Internet or roam around town looking for a hot spot. Mobile devices are always hot. A marketer’s dream is to engage in meaningful two-way conversations with people who are truly interested in their brand, and mobile gives you that direct line of communication — constantly.
Mobile marketing is quickly growing beyond the experimental and is showing tangible results. Two examples are Barack Obama’s unprecedented mobilization of supporters during his presidential campaign, and the incredibly successful American Idol reality show, where over 20 million mobile users text their votes each week." - Jeff Hayzlett, Chief Marketing Officer / Vice-President, Eastman Kodak Company. An additional recent example is the spectacular fundraising efforts for Haiti which were driven by mobile donations.
"Mobile apps for the iPhone and other smart devices are enabling access to online communities like Facebook and Twitter, but more importantly, to established companies like Target, Barnes and Noble, the Wall Street Journal, and Kodak. This is a fresh, innovative way to reach your customers and give them access to your brand at any time, wherever they are." - Jeff Hayzlett, Chief Marketing Officer / Vice-President, Eastman Kodak Company
Focusing on display, search and messaging-based advertising, eMarketer predicts that U.S. mobile advertising spending will grow from $320 million last year to $416 million this year to more than $1.5 billion by 2013.
What Do Consumers Think About Mobile Marketing?
A new survey published by Compete.com indicates smartphone owners are very receptive to mobile coupons. The fact that over 1 in 5 smartphone owners would be interested in these top-5 concepts is very promising for the mobile marketing industry. Read more about the Compete,com survey.
Another recent survey indicated that consumers are unhappy about the lack of mobile advertising by their favorite brands. Yes, you read that correctly! "a massive 83% of people surveyed for HipCricket's second annual Mobile Marketing Survey are staring blankly at their mobile screens just waiting for a marketing message that could direct them to a bargain from their favorite brand or provide them with a nugget of new product information. Consumers are already using the mobile Internet to find brands and products, with 85% of respondents agreeing that it's a valuable source of information that interests them. A little over 40% have visited a retailer's mobile website for such reasons as finding store locations (70%), store hours (51%), directions (39%) and searching for coupons or promotions (29%)." - BizReport.com
What is the Most Effective Way to Utilize Mobile Marketing?
It is important to understand mobile’s role in the marketing mix. It certainly won’t supplant ecommerce or the wired Web. It won’t take away from print, TV or radio’s branding strengths. And it won’t compete with the catalog, mailer, insert or email.
Instead, mobile will enhance other advertising channels, through mobile advertising, mobile marketing and mobile commerce. Adding mobile to print, TV, radio, direct mail, email and other channels will help enhance the range, and track the effectiveness, of those channels.
Mobile Marketing is most effective when utilized as a complement to the marketing mix in conjunction with your standard marketing media.
What Results Can a Company Expect from Mobile Marketing?
Hear the Keynote and Other Presentations to See Where the Mobile Industry is Headed
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What is Mobile Marketing and Why is it Important? 
