Only 9% marketers see their mobile mktg as ‘very effective’
Mobile has emerged as a significant channel of engagement, as 31 per cent of marketers say it is growing in importance. The consumer is driving the importance of mobile that is leading to marketers taking on to the new technology options.
This was outlined in a study conducted by CMO Council and SAS which asserted that marketers view mobile as a critical component of the marketing toolkit, but also highlighted that the medium came with its own challenges.
According to 32 per cent of respondents, the importance of mobile has grown as consumers are using the medium along with social to connect with brands.
Speaking to DMA about the findings of the report, Liz Miller, SVP of Marketing, CMO Council said, “Mobile is everywhere — just take a second to think of what would happen if you were banned from accessing any mobile connection or technology in your day. It is so much more than an app or coding websites to be mobile friendly or placing a banner on a mobile website. Until now, mobile has been a ‘pilot program’ for marketers, but it is time to advance and really work to get in sync with a customer base that is truly mobile.”
However, marketers are not yet fully satisfied with the impact or effectiveness of their mobile initiatives. Only 37 per cent of the respondents indicated that their current marketing initiatives are moderately effective, while 9 per cent said that their programmes are very effective. About 45 per cent of the respondents believe that their campaigns are moderately ineffective.
Mobile: exploring, confusing…
Marketers continue to view mobile as a murky area of exploration and view it as marketing’s latest ‘shiny toy’. About 22 per cent of marketers say mobile is an area of exploration, 15 per cent call mobile an area of confusion and 18 per cent say it is more a ‘shiny toy’ than anything else.
At the same time, about 54 per cent of respondents say the mobile channel has become ‘critical’ to customer interaction, retention and brand differentiation. However, only 17 per cent of marketers have mobile strategies that are fully integrated and aligned with their overarching marketing strategies.
Mobile can be a gamechanger for marketers who create a full strategy around it rather than deploying disparate campaigns, according to the report.
“For markets in Asia Pacific this is especially true. With the explosive growth of mobile connectivity in Southeast Asia to the astronomical adoption rates in countries like Japan and Korea, marketers in the region and around the world must think as mobile beyond a campaign or a media buy and look to it as a strategy — where and how are our customers expecting content, experiences and transactions to be made available via mobile, and what connection, device and platform is most valued at that moment,” added Ms Miller.
While 64 per cent of respondents who believe mobile is critical also believe that mobile helps deliver a more personalised experience, only 46 per cent of the remaining survey respondents agree.
“When describing mobile as it relates to their marketing strategies, respondents provided a sense that the real opportunity for mobile lies not only in effective campaign delivery, but also in the ability to learn, listen and engage,” the report said. Over 200 marketers took part in the survey.
