When you think of your daily life and the technology you use, I can guarantee the first device you list is your cell phone. After your cell phone there is a good chance that you name a tablet (iPad, Surface etc). Why is this such a big deal to marketers? Well you see, as of 2020 there are 3.8 Billion smartphone users Worldwide (O’Dea, 2020). In the marketing world, this means that we have the opportunity to reach 3.8 Billion people through mobile marketing.
Now some of you may think why is this such an important fact? Well, it was found that TV viewing has been dramatically dropping off over the last 10 years. Almost half of Millennials and Gen X have ditched the normal TV services and instead have subscribed to streaming platforms such as Hulu and Netflix. Some even go strictly with watching things on free platforms such as YouTube (Pensworth, 2020). Due to this, these consumers are not reached with traditional TV marketing and instead need to be reached with a different form of marketing, so this is where mobile marketing comes in.
By targeting these mobile devices and streaming services, marketers can now reach these previously “untouchable” consumers. By targeting select demographics and using online habits, marketers can better target the appropriate consumers and have a better ROI. These ads are placed on social networks, streaming services and YouTube videos. For example if you recently searched “Apple headphones” in Google and then while scrolling Facebook you see ads for Apple AirPods you can thank Mobile Marketing. These targeted ads can lead consumers to look at selected products, go to company websites and even make purchases.
While this trend of marketing seems like an easy solution and a no brainer, there are constraints and limitations that occur. One of the largest ones is the mobile user themselves. While doing things on our mobile devices may be very natural to most, there are still consumers who are not technologically savvy and struggle with such devices. For marketers, it would be necessary to make websites user friendly and any ads or interactive marketing techniques (such as SMS or interactive ads) very clear and precise (Anderson, 2017).
Another constraint is the actual impact to the consumer. Consumers are flooded with ads from companies and it is very important to create mobile marketing campaigns that are targeted at the right consumer so they take the appropriate action. These actions can include visiting a website, downloading an app, purchasing a product or sharing information. By using the data available to companies it is very important to select the appropriate consumers to target rather than targeting everyone the same way.
One of the largest constraints is that of User Privacy. With so much information being shared with companies, users truly want to make sure their information is protected. It is very important for companies to disclose what data will be collected and how it will be used. It is also important to inform consumers on the protections the company will use to guard the consumer’s sensitive data (Tode, 2021).
References:
Anderson, G. O. (2017, December 1). Technology Use and Attitudes among Mid-Life and Older Americans. Retrieved March 13, 2021, from https://www.aarp.org/content/dam/aarp/research/surveys_statistics/technology/info-2018/atom-nov-2017-tech-module.doi.10.26419%252Fres.00210.001.pdf
O’Dea, S. (2020, December 10). Smartphone users 2020. Retrieved March 14, 2021, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/330695/number-of-smartphone-users-worldwide/
Pensworth, L. (2020, February 18). Why digital media is KILLING tv advertising. Retrieved March 14, 2021, from https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/why-digital-media-is-killing-tv-advertising
Tode, C. (2021). 5 legal issues that could impede MOBILE marketing’s progress. Retrieved March 14, 2021, from https://www.marketingdive.com/ex/mobilemarketer/cms/news/legal-privacy/10035.html
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