Are the expectations for Mobile too High?

Last week I attended OMMA Global in New York, where I listened to a number of panels and presentations regarding mobile: its effectiveness, its reach and other pertinent facts. I came out of all of the sessions asking the same question: Are our expectations for mobile possibly too high?

Let me clarify first that I am a big believer in mobile as a consumer medium. I constantly use my iPhone and my iPad, and I can say confidently they are an integral part of my life. I can also say confidently that for the last 10 years mobile has been “two years away” from the “promised land” (whatever that is). I’m starting to think our expectations for what the platform can be are not fair. There are too many companies trying to pin their entire business models on the hopes that mobile will sustain them.

Mobile is a deeply personal medium. I get it. Marketing messages that can invade the mobile environment and resonate with the audience can also be deeply effective. I get it. The problem is that the messages literally have to “invade” and “resonate,” which are two things at odds when it comes to mobile.
The majority of mobile advertising and marketing opportunities are invasive, and by the sheer nature of being invasive, they’re not welcomed by the consumer. When you broadcast or display a message that’s not welcome, you’re automatically starting from a position further away from the starting line. It’s more difficult to break through when you drop an ad unit in someone else’s app that has no contextual relevance and is only there because of so-called demographic targeting. Say what you will about contextual relevance, but it works for billions of dollars in paid media.

There are certainly apps that get past this quandary by being self-selected by the consumer, with ads integrated into the experience to try to maintain relevance. These can be more effective, but you’re typically still dealing with a space far smaller than even the smallest online ad for a standard website (even text ads on Google are larger than the majority of graphical ads on your smartphone). Even if you hold your phone six inches from your face, these ads are just not as impactful.

This also doesn’t even take into account the fact that such a deeply personal medium means that when consumers use it, they’re most likely ultra-focused on a task at hand and don’t pay as close attention to ads and marketing messages. Those are some steep hurdles to jump — almost Sisyphean for some.

I know there’s data to prove me wrong on this, but the data and research I see are typically based on one small snapshot of a mobile campaign in a vacuum and not integrated with the rest of the media mix. That doesn’t tell the whole story.

I believe mobile is a tool for consumer retention and messaging to your existing audience. I do not personally believe that it is a good acquisition vehicle, nor is it a good introductory vehicle for generating initial awareness. I feel mobile should be positioned as a secondary vehicle for marketers who are already engaging with their consumers and are looking for additional frequency and ways to stay top-of-mind. To that end, I would want to see more research dedicated to mobile as a CRM and secondary frequency vehicle.

I know there are mobile marketing companies rising up every day (and many of you email me at least once a week), but what I’m looking for is a mobile marketing company that integrates its offerings into other forms of media. Mobile is not a stand-alone vehicle. It requires partnership with other media vehicles to be truly effective. Mobile is an extension of print, it is an extension of TV and it is certainly an extension of out-of-home media. When it comes to online, mobile is a subsegment of the greater picture, because any device that can be untethered from your desk is considered mobile, and therefore cannot be planned or implemented all by itself.

I’ve written pieces like this before, and I’m sure I’ll write them again. For mobile to meet our expectations as a medium, we need to make sure the expectations are accurate, achievable and fair. My fear is there are a plethora of companies launching in the mobile space and not being set up to succeed because they aren’t setting the bar at a realistic level to jump.

By Cory Treffiletti
Courtesy of MediaPost