“Mobile should no longer be treated as a vertical, stand-alone channel. Rather, it can be horizontal throughout the entire ecosystem of a campaign and, as a result, it is the responsibility of the entire agency, not just one designated team, to make sure it is part of the integrated solution.” – Patrick Moorhead, VP, director of mobile platforms at Draftfcb Chicago.
Last week, Draftfcb Chicago announced a new partnership with Velti, a leader in mobile marketing and advertising technology solutions, that will provide the agency and its clients a full range of in-house mobile services and capabilities. You can read the full press release from Draftfcb here.
Now I realize this may not seem like big news to you but it’s very big and exciting news to me because I feel it signals a shift in agency thinking toward the mobile platform. It also shows me that at least one agency recognizes the increased importance the mobile channel now plays when it comes to reaching and engaging consumers. Like a lot of agency folk out there, I was skeptical about mobile marketing in the beginning but lately find myself become more of an advocate. And with somewhere between 45-60 million U.S. smartphone users, the mobile channel, specifically barcode technology, is now an opportunity for brands to engage a large demographic by connecting traditional media with campaign specific content such as micro-sites on the mobile web. QR codes and 2D codes such as JAGTAG allow for advertisers (if they choose to do so) to fully integrate multimedia (videos, music etc.) into offline campaigns. They also provide consumer call-to-action’s that allow brands to deliver content-rich, relevant and instant messages/experiences.
Unfortunately, until more “traditional” ad agencies like Draftfcb take the initiative to partner with mobile technology companies and fully integrate mobile offerings in house, I don’t think mobile (specifically mobile barcodes) will become mainstream in the U.S. Many brands/clients seem hesitant about the mobile platform because it’s still somewhat unproven but also because their agency or agencies don’t confidently offer mobile strategy/solutions. This may be due to the fact that many agencies still don’t have the internal capabilities and/or mobile strategists in place to successfully integrate mobile with traditional multi-platform campaigns, which is unfortunate. I mean, how are clients supposed to embrace mobile if agencies don’t?
The way I look at it, the potential for brands to leverage mobile bar codes in all marketing initiatives is huge. With Nielsen predicting that smartphones will overtake feature phones in the U.S. by 2011, agencies need to start looking for ways to fully integrate mobile into their clients marketing initiatives, not just as an afterthought, but as a main component.
If you’d like to see some branded case studies involving QR codes, check out these examples or my latest Fun Friday post. Also, check out Tom Martin’s post QR vs. 2D Codes if you’d like an easy way to understand the differences between QR codes and 2D codes like JAGTAG.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Hey Matt,
I can’t tell you how many times I have purchased something from my phone. It is almost now a means to buy something to pick up in the store or have it shipped to my home more so than setting up something from my computer at home. Only reason why, and you should know, is that is way out of the way from where my commute takes me on a daily basis to drive home to set up something like that.
It’s just quicker and more accommodating for me to have it in the palm of my hand. Because of that reason alone, I feel that as time goes on, more and more brands will be coming out with their own type of barcode scanner idea. Or easier ways to purchase on mobile devices. My experiences have not included using barcode scanners, just going online on my phone is my method.
I’ve noticed since I followed the hype with the barcode scanners (and have downloaded at least a handful of them), that initially there is a delay in getting going since it usually includes me taking the time download the application proprietary to that store – brand to my phone before I can use the scanner itself.
ONE scanner application is needed to streamline the process otherwise it will be people like me me using a mobile phone as a mobile computer.
Always enjoy reading your blog! TP
Troy,
Thanks for checking out my blog and thanks for taking the time to comment. I enjoyed hearing about how you as a consumer use your mobile device regularly to make purchases. I think there are more and more people like yourself who are realizing the benefits and convenience their mobile device provides when it comes to making purchases. With the number of smartphones in the market rising dramatically over the past 12-18 months, smartphones will outnumber non smartphones by 2011 and many industry experts predict mobile internet users will outnumber PC users by 2015. That’s pretty incredible to think about it.
Your comment about a lack of experience using mobile barcodes is interesting and yet not surprising. The majority of consumers have either never seen a mobile barcode or don’t understand how to engage with one. This is due largely impart to the fact that mobile barcodes are still in their infancy here in the states, versus over in Asia or Europe where barcodes have been in the marketplace for several years now. My feeling is that as more brands begin to understand the benefits of mobile barcode technology as well as how to best implement them into their overall marketing strategy, consumers will see more of them in the marketplace and adapt quickly to them just as they adapted quickly to smartphones. And I totally agree with your thinking that brands will continue to think of ways to make the mobile purchase experience easier and more enjoyable for consumers. It happened with the PC online purchase experience ( i.e. Amazon) and has already begun with mobile when you think about brands building mobile versions of their sites.
In terms of downloading the actual barcode scanner, I think you’re right about it being easier sometimes to just use the web. However, there’s now technology out there that allows consumers to simply take a picture of a barcode with their smartphone, at which point a video or other branded content is instantly on their phone, ready for them to engage with. That’s pretty easy and in a way, even easier than pulling up your mobile web browser, typing in a URL and then searching for relevant content within a site. With barcodes, brands can now provide people with relevant content easily and at the very moment they are in need of it. That’s pretty cool if you ask me, both as a brand guy and a as a consumer.
Anyways, thanks again for the comments and feel free to continue this conversation.
Matt
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