2015 mobile Trends and Insights
The vibration you felt? It wasn t just from your smartphone. It was the combined reverberation of the billions of mobile devices disrupting our industry faster than you can say Snapchat. Consider this: The world is now home to more mobile phones than people, smartphone activations outnumber births 3:1 and, in 2014, we shared a record 71.5 trillion messages through apps. Now consider that each of these mobile devices and activations represents a new opportunity for brands to connect with people. The following report will help ensure you re part of the buzz. Read on for the full report or click on the links below to go directly to a topic: Takeaways from Mobile World Congress Programmatic in the Mobile World People-First Strategy The Content Connection Asia Takes the Lead
Key Takeaways from Mobile World Congress By Scott Curtis, Mobile Development Director Here s what the trends and technologies coming out of this year s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona mean for marketers. REDEFINING RETAIL Near Field Communications-enabled screens and interactive robots are creating in-store interactions that put consumers in control of their experiences, while mobile payments are giving marketers a 1:1 view into advertising s effect on previously unseen non-digital sales. WEARABLES DIGITIZING THE PHYSiCAL WORLD Wearables are moving from gadgets that entertain to devices that deliver tangible value. One example: trackers that allow parents to always know where their kids are. Wearables will help marketers too digitizing more of the physical world and creating additional data for advertisers to make more informed targeting and content-delivery decisions. New ways of interacting Touchless control now lets consumers use gestures and eye movements to manage their smart products; haptic (tactile) feedback, augmented reality and virtual reality are also gaining momentum. Creative is primed to become more immersive as these technologies gather pace and maturity. INTERNET OF THINGS MOMENTUM People can now use smartphones to control and measure more aspects of their home, travel and health bridging the gap between inanimate objects and the digital world. Marketers can use this data to create more bespoke advertising experiences.
Programmatic in the Mobile World By Seth Hittman, Co-Founder and CEO, RUN No space is more poised to leverage the opportunities that programmatic presents than mobile, giving marketers the power to create audiences who can be uniquely targeted and engaged throughout a media campaign. To take full advantage of this space, it s critical to wrap data around people not cookies to reach individuals in a way that is definite rather than probable. It s with this focus that SMG acquired ad-tech company RUN last year, providing marketers with greater cross-device control over messaging, sequencing and precision than ever before. Here s how to leverage programmatic in the mobile world: M O B I L E aster the data: Ingest and parse data points to find insights that can optimize current and future campaigns, i.e. device models, geos, browser languages, operating systems, time of day, etc. ffline and online: Analyze and act on connected sets of diverse insights from first- and third-party and CRM data for more precise targeting. id with certainty: Use real-time bidding (RTB) to find and bid on exact audiences in real time. RTB integrates intelligence with automation to deliver efficiency and maximize returns. dentification through location: Use latitude and longitude coordinates to reach specific targets, at the right time, leveraging this location data (in order of importance): 1) GPS; 2) Wi-Fi; 3) cell towers; 4) IP address; 5) user registration. ucidity: Transparency is paramount. Use programmatic to surface and highlight market pricing and environments across sites and apps. valuation: Test creative and tactics in real time as well as execute sequential messaging to bolster any display, video or connected-tv campaign.
People-First Strategy By Matthew Mulderink, SVP, Director, Mobile and Social, Product and Partnerships People drive technology, not the other way around. And when a brand moves at the pace and purpose of people it is perfectly positioned to use mobile to delight and create new solutions for consumers. Here s how to put a people-first strategy into action: MAKE YOUR MOBILE STRATEGY ABOUT PEOPLE Identify a behavioral insight in which mobility may play within your brand or industry. LINE, for example, started as an app to help survivors of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. Today it is a life platform with more than 100 million people in 69 countries using its voice messaging, games and mobile pay system every day. ALIGN MOBILE INITIATIVES TO CORE BUSINESS OBJECTIVES Prioritize your initiatives big and small against your company s top two to three objectives. This will help secure resources, accelerate approval and prompt cross-functional support. BUILD QUICKLY AND DON T BE PRECIOUS Don t freeze. Consider your consumer s environment, then build fast and forward. The good news is that whether it s a beacon-enabled push-messaging strategy or a mobile loyalty program, the lightweight tech involved makes for relatively low-risk test and learn.
The Content Connection By Olivier Gers, Global President, LiquidThread Content is the lifeblood of every successful mobile campaign. Here is the winning combination to consider when approaching mobile content. Precision Content Data and technology empower brands to offer greater content precision and personalization: Consider how you can creatively enhance near-the-store and in-the-store experiences based on consumer insights. Use programmatic technology to inject relevant, real-time content into the experience. To create and serve content based on what s trending, first look at messaging apps like WhatsApp. Then harness Nielsen and Twitter social data to capture real-time behavior and proximity before overlaying that data with geo-targeting capabilities. Cross-screen engagement Smartphones with a 5.5-plus inch screen create higher engagement levels, generating more minutes of in-app usage and increased revenue through in-app purchases and advertising. Video is key, regardless of screen size. As you set your content development strategy: Consider the amount of time a consumer spends with a device; the proximity and the time of day are vital. Make app development light so it doesn t drain consumers batteries. power of imagery Images speak every language and offer brands an opportunity to share a point of view. Explore Snapchat, Kik or emerging services like WeChat and LINE. These apps let brands create opportunities for fans to interact and enhance conversation with truly shareable and creative content in environments they re in already.
Asia Takes the Lead By Jeffrey Seah, CEO Southeast Asia and Chair Asia Digital Leadership When it comes to mobile-first Asia takes the lead, with Singapore number one in smartphone adoption at 85%, Korea number two at 80% and Asia, as a whole, becoming the first place in the world where smartphones have overtaken computer usage. So it comes as no surprise that marketers in Asia are putting mobile front and center. Insurance provider AIA s recent campaign Letters for the Future, for example, asked Malaysians to use their phones to share heartfelt thoughts about family members on Facebook. AIA not only exceeded targets, it put people first by letting them use mobile to amplify their voices. Southeast Asia s mobile-first head start spanning test, learn and grow offers insights that apply to any region of the world: PRIORITIZE PRIVACY In today s sensor-everywhere world, where every mobile device is a data drone, always protect your customers. If their information gets hacked while using your app, they re likely to never come back. STRIKE A BALANCE To create meaningful conversations and real give-and-take, treat people as peers rather than customers and give them the opportunity to share their voices in a way that complements brand messaging. SPEAK UP Remain attentive especially when consumers agree to have dialogue. If people are sharing thoughts on social media and you aren t responding, it decreases desire to participate in conversations moving forward. ANTICIPATE One constant remains: consumer expectations of what technology can do. Embrace the velocity of change and the ongoing, transforming landscape of possibilities.