Getting It Right Through Mobile Technology

It is always extremely amusing and very entertaining when I watch marketing executives and practitioners liberally throw around buzzwords like, ‘360 degree brand engagement’, ‘creating meaningful conversations’ and, my favourite these days, ‘going mobile’. With the exception of the purist early adopters, 60% of the people who use these terms generally don’t have the foggiest how to apply them practically. In Africa, Algeria has the highest number of mobile subscribers at 92.7% followed by South Africa’s 92.2% and with this kind of growth in the use of mobile technology for ALL communication and transactional needs, the opportunities may seem vast and, in many cases, un-manageable. Too much choice can sometimes be bad for business. Thankfully, there are those shining stars that get it soooo right – and we applaud them – and the best way to describe their position is, ‘Just because they make it look easy, it doesn’t mean it is’.

Don’t confuse the message with the medium

I always simplify my approach to ‘mobile’ by asking whether it is indeed true that we brief agencies by saying – “ We need to go radio.”? If not, why the need to issue briefs that state, “We need to go Mobile.”? The basic premise is that ‘mobile’ – be it Internet-on-the-go, mobile applications or quick recognition codes – is all extensions of seamless interactive platforms in one form or the other. ‘Mobile’ is not necessarily here to replace other tools in the toolbox, but rather to add to your battalion of weaponry. Messaging that resonates, connects and leads to action still fundamentally dominates new brand thinking, effective marketing strategy, and drives adoption and the bottom line.
The best kind of communication will ALWAYS stem from an intimate understanding of consumers

When Nike decided to invest in the development of an application that could run on your iPod and iPhone, they understood that performance was important to their consumers. The simple ability to record, compare, measure and analyze your own performance is a fundamental AND important need for athletes. The consumer was empowered to become his own personal trainer and the brand was positioned as the enabler of peak performance for global athletes. Introducing consumers to a cutting-edge performance-measurement tool also means you can recommend performance-enhancing apparel and equipment. The consumer is empowered and satisfied through a brandaligned mobile solution, and the business objectives are met through a clever sales strategy underpinned by word of mouth – recommendation and referrals.

The technology must bring the thinking to life

It cannot be stressed how important it is to build simple solutions and clear ideas; the technology is there to service concepts, not the other way around. Nowadays, with the speed and development of tech, the temptation is great to have strategies led by technological developments. However, as custodians of the brands, we should be constantly scanning the environment to find opportunities to delight our customers, and then use technology to solve them. The bullish approach of ‘technology overload’ illustrates a profound misunderstanding of the audience. We must remember that, in spite of all its grandeur, at the end of the day it was a pebble in the sea that sank the Titanic.
Learn how to learn, unlearn and re-learn.

Given that technology is changing as fast as it is, our thinking is being challenged more frequently and more intensely. The ability to learn, unlearn and re-learn is a skill that is critically important, but only perfected over time. Organisations and brands that adopt this approach with regards to their mobile strategies will become the frontrunners in their respective markets. In the marketing environment we are dealing with changing variables constantly. The ability to move quickly and intelligently is a valuable competitive advantage. Mobile provides us the opportunity to do both.