Why should I care about mobile advertising and how does it differ from desktop advertising? In recent times, it is more common for an individual to have a cell phone or smartphone as opposed to a desktop. On top of this, their smartphones are essentially an extension of these individuals so it NEVER leaves their side compared to a desktop that does not fit in a pocket and cannot be accessed virtually anywhere. According to Pew Research (Pew Research 2019, para. 2), “The share of Americans that own smartphones is now 81%” compared to “Nearly three-quarters of U.S. adults now own desktop computers”. The indicators show that smartphones are being adopted at a faster rate than previously projected. Marketers are taking note of this change and adapting their strategies accordingly.
How is mobile different than desktop marketing? Mobile has some great advantages for advertising due to some of the features it has that desktops lack including location search leading to more local intent, targeting can be done in a more time-sensitive manner since smartphones are usually always on the individual, voice search, search by image, personalization, interactive campaigns, and a whole assortment of apps that may be utilized for advertising.
Marketers are using GPS location for circumstances like advertising on Google Maps, tracking the relativity of potential customers to their location, and even retargeting in Google Ads. This allows marketers to more precisely spend advertising dollars on the most appealing customers. Advertising in Arkansas for a local California business that provides services for the bay area would not be an effective use of advertising dollars; however, with these new features, marketers can target individuals as close to their service area as possible.
Smartphones are smaller, more affordable, and more convenient than desktops or desktops so it is easy to see why the growth rate of smartphones is higher than expected. This means that not only is there more reach with mobile advertising, but it is also more likely that these ads will be viewed closer to the point of purchase than if viewed on a desktop (especially for brick-and-mortar stores). The fact that these personal devices are usually not shared also allows for marketers to provide more curated and targeted campaigns to get the audience that they seek so these GPS targeted ads can be served up to the right audience, at the right time, and the right place.
The availability of app building has also changed marketing forever as now companies can create applications that allow users to directly interact with the business as well as allowing for welcomed notifications to pop up on their phones and have a more personalized experience than ever.
Interactive marketing is not a new landscape; however, the introduction of smartphones has expanded the category allowing for more creative and tech-driven innovations. Everything from QR codes in gamified contests to the personalized bottles of coke that were part of the “Share a Coke” campaign with the Freestyle app are becoming increasingly popular as the results they provide speak for themselves.
We can see that mobile is becoming more and more integrated into modern society and we must adapt to changing circumstances. As marketers, we are expected to keep up with modern trends and attempt to predict future ones to find Blue Ocean that has not previously been occupied. In the economy of attention, it is clear that we not only have to target desktops but to integrate new trends and tech into our list of touchpoints.
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References:
Pew Research 2019, Mobile Fact Sheet, Pew Research, viewed March 11, 2021,
<https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/fact-sheet/mobile/>
Neal, C 2014, Share a Coke: It’s All in a Name, Medium, viewed March 11, 2021,
<https://medium.com/marketing-and-advertising/share-a-coke-its-all-in-a-name- 8700a7e30df5>
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