Over the past year numerous companies both large and small have ventured into the new world of advertising on demand or mobile marketing.  The goal--- to use the cell phone to make a personal and memorable experience for the consumer.  Mobile marketing is fairly new in the US, lagging far behind Europe and Asia.  From car companies, to magazines, to movies and travel venues; innovative companies looking for a competitive advantage have been replacing traditional advertising methods with mobile.

To see examples of successful mobile campaigns such as how a shark, or mobile sword fighting, or toothpaste with dating advice can lure in customers, keep reading.

Case Studies

Sharkbites (sharkbit.es) lures passersby to an in-store or display window where they can play a game with their wireless phones.  A wide-screen TV shows a fish tank with a shark circling menacingly.  Viewers can use their cell phones to text the word “bait” to a posted address, and then a few seconds later a fish bearing their name will appear in the tank.  The shark hunts and eats the personalized fish.  The goal is to elude the shark and be the last fish who will claim a prize.  Summer Bedard, the creator of the game for surf shops or movie theaters says, “It’s easy to forget a radio ad, but you won’t forget participating in a virtual shark attack.”

Like Sharkbites, the most creative and successful mobile campaigns aggressively explore the wireless device—what the technology does, where it does it, and how the marketing message can be integrated into our habits.

From car companies, to magazines, to movies and travel venues; companies have been replacing traditional advertising methods with mobile. 

·         Pontiac, “Catch a G6”
Pontiac created a campaign that asked users to snap and submit wireless phone-camera images of the new G6 model on the streets.  This milestone campaign made this new car model launch get noticed.  Something car makers usually spend millions to do.

·         ElleGirl magazine “Visual Search”
ElleGirl magazine wanted readers to seek out ads for subscribers.  They did this by providing incentives to readers to enter a contest by snapping and sending images of print ads in the magazine.  According to the magazine, purchase intent rose 28% and ad recall was 33%.  Better yet, teens liked taking pictures of the ads.  The average participant submitted 22 entries a month, and 96% said they would try a similar promotion again.

·         Disney, “Pirates of the Caribbean”
Disney wanted to bring back moviegoers into the “Pirates” world before the premiere of the sequel.  Verizon Wireless and Disney created a mobile campaign using familiar characters and settings in the film.  It compelled users to text message a short code that initiated a scene on the phone and invited the sender to choose a path (unlock a door, slip through a window, fight with a sword, etc) for the prospect of getting free ringtones, wallpapers, and a Caribbean trip. 

·         Crest “Extreme Toothpaste”
Trying to build on socializing and fresh breath, Proctor & Gamble launched a mobile campaign that was driven by print ads, and on-site collateral such as bar napkins and signs in restrooms. People were encouraged to text the words "IQ Extreme" to the short code CREST (27378) and answer a series of quiz-like multiple choice questions directly from their phones for prizes. Many of the questions dealt with dating and pick-up scenarios. One asked, "Tonight is destined to be special, what do you wear?"

·         Austin City Limits Music Festival
Not wanting to loose an engaged audience after a show, Austin City Limits used a simple approach with their mobile marketing.  They were able to gather real-time insight from attendees by capturing cell phone numbers for mobile phone surveys immediately after shows by posting signs at the exits.  The reward was a recorded call from their favorite performers.

First, some quick mobile facts from CTIA -- The Wireless Association:
- Mobile phone penetration reached 69% in the US this year.
- At the end of 2005, there were 207.9 million wireless subscribers in the US sending 9.8 billion text messages each month.
- Customers used their wireless devices for 1.5 trillion minutes in 2005, up 36% from 2004.

Stats from other sources:
- 26% of users said they browsed the Internet in 2005 for news and information on wireless devices, according to Ipsos Insight.
- 36.3% of US mobile phone users have sent a text message in 2006, up 5.9% from 2005, according to M:Metrics Inc.
- The Shosteck Group puts this year’s total mobile ad spend at $1 billion.

Written by Samantha Rufo

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