We’ve been spending a lot of time on the subject of mobile marketing here at Quaintise, and it’s for one main reason; mobile marketing is the future. Yes, as a reputable Scottsdale marketing firm, we take pride in our expert abilities in ‘traditional’ advertising such as print, banner ads, radio and TV, but mobile marketing is the next big thing and, as always, we’re one step ahead of the pack.
Not too far off into the future, we all will be connected to the entire world at every second of the day. Today, it’s through our mobile phones. In the future, as Google sees it, our connections might be through interactive mobile glasses that keep us connected to absolutely everything at every moment of the day.
But for today, let’s take a moment to look at what mobile marketing techniques will be huge over the next few years.
Augmented Reality – This is becoming bigger and bigger with every passing day, thanks to improvements in technology allowing some very creative minds design some very interactive advertisements. Augmented reality is the idea of interacting with the ‘live’ world through your mobile device. For example, Hallmark incorporates augmented reality into many of their greeting cards, where you can simply place your mobile phone camera over an area of the greeting card to witness an animation on your phone that corresponds with the very card you’re holding.
Starbucks incorporated augmented reality recently into their Valentine’s Day marketing, where by simply pointing your mobile phone camera over a special Valentine’s Day cup would create some very interactive animations.
How can you use augmented reality in your mobile marketing plans?
According to Inc.com, the market for augmented reality in the U.S. alone is expected to hit $350 million in 2014. To be successful with augmented reality, you absolutely must get creative. Take Esquire Magazine, for example, who’s augmented reality advertising campaign includes taking a ‘virtual photo’ with a supermodel as you check in to certain Barnes and Noble locations. Genius, right?
See the video below for an example of how Disney is using augmented reality in their advertising. How can you creatively integrate this type of marketing into your future marketing plans?
Disney Augmented Reality in Times Square
Flexible Brands for Consumer-Controlled Media
How flexible is your brand? How trusted is your brand? In the near future, the consumer will literally control its experience with your brand. Augmented reality is a great example of this, but consumer-controlled media will mean that your advertising, your brand, will be in the hands of the consumer. They will decide how they want to engage with your brand, creating their own media instead of simply consuming the media you’ve created for them.
This is nothing new, and has been a part of marketing for years. In fact, MarketingWeek.com published a report on consumer-created media way back in 2009, warning brands how important this form of advertising will become. By understanding your fans, segmenting your fans, and engaging with them on a more personal level, you can stay both true to your brand message while allowing the consumer all of the power.
There really is no limit to what you can do with your brand when it comes to mobile marketing. These are but two examples of what the future has to hold, and the future is now. If you have any questions about what marketing strategies you should be using, feel free to contact us today.