DenuoFlash: CJA Talks Mobile; Advises Panelists to Think Value Prop
Posted by Mary DeBrunner | March 8, 2010
Courtney Acuff joined a handful of mobile experts last Thursday to discuss the state of the mobile industry and where it’s headed. This 75-minute panel, held at the downtown Hilton, was sponsored by the Chicago Interactive Marketing Association (CIMA) – the city’s only organization focused solely on interactive marketing. Topics ranged from scalable mobile tactics to accurate metrics/analytics and how the platform can be monetized and built to last.
Moderated by Connectual’s Managing Partner Aaron Goldman, the panel included Erin McKelvey, SVP/Marketing, Millennial Media Mobile; Gian Fulgoni, Chairman, ComScore, Inc.; and Josh Cherfoli, Online and Relationship Marketing Manager, Porsche Cars North America, Inc.
The discussion kicked off with a question about the difference between the connected internet vs. mobile internet. Panelists all agreed that it’s still the internet, the only thing that’s different is how and where you access information. Acuff challenged panelists to adopt a different mindset when creating an experience online and in the mobile space.
“If the ads are the same,” she said, “you’ve totally failed.”
Her words rang true, as many audience members applauded her statement and one person within earshot even audibly cheered “You go, Courtney.”
The conversation moved to search – a discipline that Courtney dubbed “the gateway drug to everything in mobile.” If you don’t have a mobile search strategy, you’re missing out on a huge opportunity. It is absolutely the way to advance features and close the circle on the mobile experience.
When asked if every marketer should be involved in mobile, Courtney stated that mobile shouldn’t be thought of as a tactic or add-on – it should be a core component of the communication strategy. All plans should be built with the audience’s value proposition in mind vs. what app you think they would like. True to Denuo’s unique operating model, if communication plans are built from the ground-up vs. top-down, you bring fresh perspective and a completely unique solution to the client. Referencing Denuo’s recent HP Mobile@Retail campaign, Courtney demonstrated how mobile can fill the gap at point of purchase and provide necessary details to consumers who are looking for more information on a product while in-store. Mobile is absolutely how consumers link to the real world and if there is a mobile entry point that gives them information they can use elsewhere, they’re going to leverage it.
When the conversation moved to best practices, Courtney said building relationships was key – speaking to the right partners helps the industry find efficiencies and move the discipline even closer to becoming something that is an automatic component of any marketing plan.
To end the panel, Goldman asked what the panelists saw in the future. Courtney candidly said she hoped she wouldn’t be in the same spot:
“In five years, I hope we’re not having the same mobile roundtable. It’s all information and content, we shouldn’t be siloed into mobile vs. online vs. social etc – it (mobile) has enough clout to expand across all marketing platforms.”
I think the most telling part of this article comes in the last paragraph.
In my mind, advertising needs to follow overall content themes both on connected and mobile Internet. It’s content and needs to be consumable however the end user wants, natively. Look at the AP, using Twitter to send users to Facebook (http://tcrn.ch/cHiBPj). Pretty savvy move to get the content with the users and make the focus the information not the location.
The intimacy of engaging with someone with their phone requires some extra care, which has some winner’s like foursquare (http://4sq.com) which makes you want to engage with brands/businesses, and then there’s apps like mobsters which…well…steal their way into your life (http://bit.ly/d6CkzH).
An exciting space for sure. Nice article!