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MMA (Mobile Marketing Association) Asia Forum unfolded on April 23-25 in Singapore. Thanks to the efforts by the MMA, the increasing presence of media agencies and brands in this forum clearly indicates their necessity and importance to harness mobile as an effective channel to reach the consumers in the region. The presentations, discussions and conversations over these 3 days highlighted how the development of the mobile marketing and advertising industry is contingent on a deeper understanding of tech-equipped digitally-aware consumers, who increasingly shape the new emerging media.

The tone and direction was set right in the beginning during the first panel discussion by Nick Seckold, Head of Digital, Mindshare APAC, when he mentioned that the question is not anymore “Why Mobile” but “How Mobile.” This was echoed throughout the forum by various speakers, panelists and in general conversations during the breaks. This is a major milestone and turning point for the mobile marketing community at large! After all, the figures speak for themselves. Marketers can no longer put mobile on back burner as smartphone sales surpassed the number of PCs sold in 2011. Hand held mobile devices will dwarf the number of PCs in a couple of years. With the number of iPhones alone sold per minute across the globe being more than the number of babies born per minute, the change is taking place at a pace far greater than humans increasing their foot print on the earth!

And the direction on “How Mobile?” was so aptly given by none other than the MMA APAC Chairman Barney Loehnis who heads Digital for Ogilvy & Mather in APAC. Barney reminded us that while thinking “mobile”, the focus has to remain on consumer experience and not on placement of mobile as media. Brands and advertisers look for engagement, interaction and convergence, and mobile as a channel is capable of creating engagement at every point in the purchase funnel. However, there is a need to “re-imagine mobile” – creatively and otherwise. With mobile, the marketers need to target moments, moods, mindsets and milliseconds as opposed to socio-demographic segments at certain times. As per Barney, the need is to CAPTURE the Mobile Moments and Movements of the consumers to effectively TOUCH them and go beyond just Conversation to Conversions. And CAPTURE as per Barney means;

C – Contextual

A – Always On

P – Placely

T – Timely

U – Useful

R – Remarkable

E – Effortful

Barney presented some very interesting case studies and use cases around mobile and ended his keynote by highlighting that because people are ready to take decisions on the go, the transactional nature of mobile is transformative. As per Barney, mobile marketing is also about building consumer insights and a providing a long-term platform for loyalty. A word of caution to the brands from Barney about Mobile display ads – NEVER do mobile display ads unless your landing page is mobile optimized and actionable. According Google, more than 70% sites are not optimized for mobile!

Ashutosh Srivastav, CEO, Mindshare Asia reiterated the same thought about the role of mobile at every stage of the consumer journey mentioning that mobile is an always on performance based platform adding interactivity to static media. He reminded the audience to look at mobile as a central touch point of integrated communication in the media mix and not as a separate platform.

This central position occupied by mobile was reinforced by Michael Bayle, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Mobile, ESPN, who called mobile the bridge that connected fans to all media.

Rahul Welde, Vice President, Media Unilever for Asia, Africa, Middle-East & Turkey in the concluding panel discussion for the Forum aptly stated, “For mobile media to take off effectively, the need is to create Aha moments for the consumers on mobile”. Welde believes that mobile is still new to tens of thousands of marketers, the need is to build the capability and awareness in the industry to create the much needed Aha moments on mobile.

As for SMS, the view that reverberated through the forum is that despite the advent of smartphones this channel still remains the most effective way to engage the masses on mobile. SMS is great for Call to Actions and thus to turbo-charge the campaigns. It is the simplest and the most widely used channel by consumers on mobile who otherwise are trying to keep abreast and are constantly mired in the tumble of technology.

Sadly we are not at the end of push messaging. Conversations take thought, but push just takes money. More emphasis needs to be placed on effectively engaging the consumer. That’s where permission and preference based contextual conversations come in to play.

 

The first of the MMA Forums for this year will be taking place in Singapore next week, 23 – 25 April. This year’s Forum is bringing together the world’s leading mobile marketers and big brands to showcase smart approaches to mobile marketing. Through their examples and discussions, you’ll learn how to capitalize on the power of mobile in your own endeavors.

We’re happy to report that Optism’s Avtansh Sharma, Commercial Director, Media Monetization for Alcatel-Lucent, will be presenting at the Forum. Avtansh’s session, Mobile Marketing Meets the Wallet, will focus on the promise of commerce aided by advertising and how you can use mobile as the connective tissue in your marketing strategies. Avtansh will explore the benefits of surrounding mobile payments with additional value such as offers, deals and loyalty programs. This topic is very timely, given the growing demand from the industry to bridge the gap from advertising to actual conversions and demonstrate the ROI from mobile marketing.

The MMA Forums provide an excellent opportunity to learn the inside scoop on our always-exciting industry. There’s still time to register so please check it out. If you can’t join us, then follow the conference chatter on Twitter #MMAF2012. We hope to see many of you there.

Note: This blog post was originally published in the Permission Marketing Briefing Room hosted by Optism on the MobileGroove website.

From car makers to telecom companies, a strategy that reduces complexity and encourages a robust business ecosystem pays dividends. Hani Ramzi tells why keeping it simple (KISS) is a must-have mindset that can help key stakeholders in the mobile marketing value chain focus on (and achieve) real growth opportunities.

Show me a world-leading company, and I’ll show you a management that understands the value of simplicity and the danger of complexity. Indeed, too much complexity can drag companies down a slippery slope that eliminates gains, interferes with efficiency and ultimately destroys competitive advantage. However, understanding that less is more (keeping it simple) generates profits, growth and tremendous customer satisfaction.

Take Google, a company that has brought the world simple search. But it’s not just the uncluttered design and sharp focus on user-friendliness that has made Google the market giant. The Google ecosystem is also simple, allowing all stakeholders to contribute — and benefit.

Another excellent example is SMS. It has become the way we connect with friends, family, community members and — increasingly — companies and brands. Why? Because everyone everywhere on the planet can type a message on a phone keypad. In a word: it’s simple.

Mobile advertising opportunities

Clearly, companies, value chains and services that are simple succeed. It’s a basic business tenet that we would do well to apply to the mobile marketing ecosystem.

First, we need to identify the key groups in the value chain. Some analyst firms have identified dozens of players; I have purposely chosen to simplify the ecosystem and break it down into three distinct groups of stakeholders: consumers, mobile operators, and agencies and advertisers.

 Keeping it simple for consumers

People are inundated with advertising on their mobile phones. And this deluge of advertising — much of it spam that consumers did not give their permission to receive in the first place — is delivered via an ever-increasing variety of advertising creatives and formats. These range from traditional banners ads and in-app advertising, to brand schemes that harness augmented reality for maximum impact.

Connect the dots, and consumers are faced with too many choices. It is complex and difficult to navigate. So how do we make sure we serve the consumer, the most important link in any value chain, advertising messages they appreciate?

The key is engagement.

People get involved when they see a benefit. In mobile marketing this benefit  must be delivered within the context of what matters most to people: their lives, their experiences, their networks, and their worlds.

The most effective (and simplest) way to find out what matters most to people?

Ask.

The rules of permission marketing are simple. The consumer opts in to receive mobile advertising messages. The interaction evolves into an ongoing exchange where the consumer volunteers personal information, such as interests and hobbies, in return for brand messages that are relevant to their preferences.

The exchange is transparent (because the consumer gives permission every step of the way) and takes place in a ‘trusted environment’ where personal privacy is respected and the individual is in control. The advertising is valuable  because the consumer only receives advertising from brands and companies they appreciate. Thus, the groundwork is laid for a dialog that pairs brands with an opted-in audience that wants to hear what they have to say.

Keeping it simple for mobile operators

Mobile operators also have much to gain from keeping it simple. How can they reduce complexity and boost the advantage?

First, mobile operators require an approach that further reinforces their role in the mobile marketing value chain and allows them to reap a share of the revenues generated.

They also need to focus efforts on monetizing inventory they truly own. (Permission marketing puts mobile operators in charge, allowing them to offer advertisers access to an opted-in audience, which is a valuable inventory indeed.) Finally, mobile operators must make it simple for agencies to buy this media. (A big part of this is providing agencies the tools to manage and measure their campaigns.)

At a technology level, mobile operators are advised to rely on a trusted partner (and a managed service), rather than tackle the complexity of buying, owning, upgrading and maintaining their own mobile advertising platform. At a business level, mobile operators that have an in-house mobile advertising sales force should use it. Mobile operators that haven’t yet built up a sales house capability internally would do better to stop before they start. It’s easier to rely on existing partners — and it’s simpler than creating a sales force from scratch.

Keeping it simple for agencies & advertisers

Agencies and advertisers are under pressure to show lasting benefits and prove campaign ROI.

What’s more, they are confronted by some pretty tough questions: How should they approach mobile? How do they reach all consumers — and not just the ones that happen to own smartphones? How can they move past brand awareness to achieve other business objectives, such as increasing brand loyalty or boosting customer engagement?

Again, a simple approach holds the answers.

Clearly, brands advertisers want to deliver their message to consumers who are most likely to listen and respond. This is precisely what they get when a highly responsive, scalable and effective dialog media (that is permission- and preference-based) has been implemented to connect with consumers and continue the conversation.

Enabling simplicity

Complexity distracts companies from zeroing in on key growth areas and opportunities that generate the most profits. This is why it is imperative for companies — particularly in mobile marketing — to keep it simple.

Simplicity at all levels — in the service we deliver to customers and across the ecosystem that makes it possible in the first place — is a prerequisite for competing in market that has moved from more is better to less is more. Keeping it simple is not just a way to streamline where is counts; it’s the way to make it big.

About Hani: Hani Ramzi is Alcatel-Lucent’s executive director of Mobile Advertising for EMEA. He has a long track record in the mobile industry where his chief responsibility has been to support telcos at the C-level, helping senior management define and execute strategy. Prior to that Hani held a variety of management roles across all regions (Americas, EMEA, APAC). Hani is based in Paris and is a frequent speaker at industry events and conferences.