There’s no Room in the Agency for a Mobile Marketing Neophyte

Chris Book

Back in the Black: April 28 – 29, 2011

Why should agencies care?

• This is the 5th consecutive “year of mobile”

• And thus, the 5th consecutive year of agencies struggling to capitalize on it

Why should agencies care?

• Smartphones are outselling PCs– In the last 3 months of 2010 110.9 million

smartphones were shipped globally, compared to 92.1 million PCs*

– Factor in the “mobile” tablets populating the market and the fact that they run mobile applications while performing the lion’s share of PC tasks...time to shift your business

*IDC Report

Why should agencies care?

• In 2010 there were 60 million smartphones in the U.S. By the end of 2011, there will be an additional 2011*

*Nielsen

Why should agencies care?

• Mobile advertising is continuing to grow– eMarketer predicts that 2011 US mobile ad

spending will grow 50% from 2010 to more than $1billion

– Globally, this market is spend is estimated at $16 billion

• This is despite the fact that advertisers have complained of negative ROI

Why agencies fail?

• Because agencies are agencies– They rely on hours and projects – they’re not

built to function without rules and boundaries– Mobile specifically cannot be treated like a

line item• It’s not easily replicated from client to client • The devices are no standard experiences

Why agencies fail?

• Computers allow for standard browsing experiences and standard deliverables such as SEO, PPC, email, etc.– Mobile is different

• Reduced screen size• No standard application experience• Few standard deliverables

• An agency is at great risk when showing their inability to go outside-the-box in areas such as new media and technology

Why agencies fail?

• The clients haven’t seen return in a business that depends on “showing” as much as “growing”– Facebook Places and Foursquare generate up

to a 2% revenue boost when implemented.* – You cant provide tangible results, if there aren’t

result to be had– Previously mentioned negative ROI in mobile

advertise furthers this point*Applied Predictive Technologies

How to do it well – 5 Steps

• Don’t be an agency– Cut the cord, Break the hours trap

• Clients have trouble spending hours-based dollars when they’re in uncharted waters

• Quote a project on a fixed bid• Having mobile expertise puts you ahead of the

curve. You want to get these projects under your belt. It’s an investment in the future

How to do it well – 5 Steps

• Build tools, not ads– The ABSOLUTE necessity in mobile is utility to the end user. – Apps don’t have to be limited to your client, they just need to

provide utility in the way of the core of their business• Example: Best Western breadcrumbs app

– Few of the top rated applications are actually client specific – it’s an uphill battle (http://www.makeitbetter.net/family/education/1031-the-25-best-iphone-applications)

– Ads detracts from a focused user experience. This could be pulled off on the web. With small screens and no ability to multi-tasks, ads do more harm than good. Stay with utility.

How to do it well – 5 Steps

• Invest in technology– Poor user experience in mobile is far more

fatal than with traditional PCs• Crashes and lag-time inhibit the very essence of

the mobile experience• Staff your agency with qualified technology

professionals– Avoid off-shore – Clients are protective about their ideas

and work like this requires synchronization between groups. Don’t present the idea of off-shoring, regardless of how big your eyes get when seeing the bottom line savings.

How to do it well – 5 Steps

• Avoid Apple Derangement Syndrome: Be Multi-platform– Develop experiences across all mobile platforms*

• Android 33%

• Blackberry 29%

• iPhone 25%

• Windows 8%

• Palm 2.8%

– eMarketer finds that usage among Android and iPhone for tasks (email, media, news, social) is nearly identical

*ComScore

How to do it well – 5 Steps

• Think long-term– These are not campaigns – these are

paradigm shifts• The tools must be cultivating relationships with

customers over time• You and your clients must be willing to do things

differently (and so should you!)• Reacting in real-time• Being accountable in the social web

Thank You

Chris Book

www.chatterplug.com

@chatterplug