Abstract
With the increasing growth and sophistication of mobile communications, companies integrate the mobile channel into their marketing communication and campaigns. Companies are able to execute very different and creative mobile marketing campaigns by using a wide range of mobile platforms such as Wireless Application Protocol (WAP), Short Message Service (SMS), and Multimedia Message Service (MMS). The purpose of this chapter is to review and exemplify the concepts, objectives, strategies and promotional tactics associated with mobile marketing campaigns; so that the review of relevant literature and exemplification of mobile marketing campaigns provide an insight into the nature of mobile marketing campaigns.
TopIntroduction
Penetration of Internet all over the world, closely followed by mobile technology creates opportunities for companies to reach their potential and current customers. Developments in information and communication technology give rise to new marketing communication channels and companies integrate all these channels to communicate the value propositions to their customers. Mobile communication is a fast-growing medium in terms of penetration and usage. The worldwide mobile subscriber base is still growing, there are more than 3 billion mobile subscribers worldwide (Wireless Intelligence, 2007). Mobile networks and infrastructure make connections better than ever and mobile handsets become better and easier to use. Therefore, mobile communication is becoming a primary means of communication channel. The emergence of high speed wireless network technologies and the increasing market penetration of mobile phones and other mobile devices highlight the potential and significance of the mobile channel for marketing.
Marketers have shown a great interest in reaching to and communicating with their customers and prospects through the mobile channel. Mobile communication enables highly targeted and timely marketing communications and it is becoming increasingly popular in the promotion of goods and services. Mobile marketing (m-marketing) campaign provides a company the ability to segment its target group based on specific criteria, to directly and efficiently reach these selected segments at anywhere and anytime (Balasubramanian, Peterson, and Järvenpää 2002; Barwise and Strong, 2002; Barnes and Scornavacca, 2004; Karjaluoto et al., 2007). Since m-marketing campaigns allow directly and efficiently targeting selected segments, it also helps to measure the effectiveness of the campaign at the individual level (Gopal and Tripathi, 2006). M-marketing creates new opportunities for the companies. Marketing has been gradually developing hand in hand with technological changes and the assortment of m-marketing campaign is also constantly changing, developing and transforming; so it is worthwhile to investigate the nature of m-marketing campaigns in a detailed way.
The main objective of this chapter is to provide an insight into the nature of m-marketing campaigns and get a comprehensive understanding about the fundamental concepts of m-marketing campaigns. Towards this end, the main concepts, strategies, objectives and tactics of m-marketing campaigns were reviewed on the basis of the relevant literature and exemplified with the real-life m-marketing campaign cases. Case study is particularly welcome in new situations where only a little is known about the phenomenon and in situations where current theories seem inadequate (Eisenhardt, 1989). The aim of the case study is to attain a comprehensive and detailed a description of the phenomena (Eisenhardt and Graebner, 2007). In this exploratory study, certain cases were chosen from the case database of Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) in order to exemplify m-marketing campaigns. The purpose of exemplifying the m-marketing campaigns with cases is not to make a generalization and attain a generalizable result; but to have a better understanding of the nature of the m-marketing campaigns. Objectives, implementation (specific tactics that are used to reach objective of the campaign), and the results of the campaign were indicated for the cases that were used to exemplification of m-marketing campaigns.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Provider-driven (push) mobile campaign: Company invites consumers to the m-marketing campaign by delivering the invitation directly to the consumer’s mobile device without request of the consumer. In push mobile campaign, the company initiates communication.
Mobile Coupon: A mobile coupon, which is sent and stored on a mobile phone, offers free samples, a rebate, a discount, etc., to a consumer that can be redeemed while making the purchase.
Mobile Marketing: M-marketing is the use of mobile communication channel to market and promote a brand, product, service or a message.
Mobile campaign tactics: Specific promotional tools (such as sweepstakes, instant win, mobile coupons, mobile web (WAP), and promotional content downloads, etc.) that are used to reach the mobile marketing campaign objective.
Text and Win campaign: Text and Win campaign is a mobile messaging campaign. The customer is invited to send a text message to a short code number in order to attend the campaign to win campaign related prizes. Mobile sweepstakes, instant-win, mobile banking, mobile ticket, mobile coupons, mobile contests are some of the mobile campaign promotional tools that can be used to encourage attendance to the Text and Win campaigns.
Promotional downloadable content: Downloadable content is usually used to attract consumers to attend m-marketing campaigns. The promotional downloadable content, which allows for brand exposure and create buzz about the marketing campaign, can be a song or ringtone, wall paper, video, game, or other application that is usually received on the handset through WAP link in a SMS message.
Location-based mobile marketing: In location based m-marketing, promotional information is delivered to the right consumer at the right place and time based on consumers’ current location.
Instant-Win: Instant-win can be considered as one of the promotional tactic in the context of “text and win” m-marketing campaigns. An instant-win mobile campaign invites consumers to send a text message to short code number in order to have the chance of instantly winning various campaign related prizes. When the consumer sends the message, a text message is returned to the consumer, so that consumers instantly learn if they win a prize.
Mobile sweepstakes: A mobile sweepstakes invites consumers to send a text message to a short code number in order to gain a chance to win various campaign related prizes and winners are drawn at the end of the campaign.
User-driven (pull) mobile campaign: The consumer requests to take part in the m-marketing campaign by sending a mobile text message from the company, typically in response to information on other media (such as television, magazines, newspapers, flyers or packaging).