Mobile phone use is growing despite the weakening economy and savvy marketers are taking advantage of this trend through new mobile marketing programs. In 2008 there were 267 million mobile phone users in the U.S., which represents a 6% increase over 2007, according to a report by Limbo and GFK/NOP Research and reported in DM News on January 12, 2009. Worldwide there are now 4 billion mobile subscribers compared to 1 billion PCs in use worldwide, so the potential for growth for mobile web marketing is huge.
Mobile Internet service is becoming a more mainstream service in the U.S., according to the research firm Parks Associates, as noted in DM News. Mobile Broadband: Beyond the Cell Phone projects that U.S. mobile broadband users will increase by 200% by 2013 and that there will be 60 million smart phones sold in 2013, which are phones that have PC like functionality and can connect to the Internet. In addition, the increased adoption of 3G mobile technology now provides users with faster access to the Internet and users do not have to be near a wireless hotspot to connect.
Kraft Foods is utilizing new mobile technologies with the introduction of their iFood Assistant that offers 7000 recipes through iPhones. This application makes meal planning easier and more convenient for today’s more mobile consumers. And consumers are willing to pay for the utility and convenience of this service, according to AdAge.com. Target also is using the iPhone to market shopping online.
To give you an idea of expected growth of mobile marketing, Berg Insight estimates that the global mobile marketing and advertising market was € 855 million in 2007 and that it will grow to € 6.1 billion in 2013, which represents the same type of growth rate predicted for digital advertising over the same period of time, as reported by VAS Research. Among the various forms of mobile advertising, text campaigns represent a potential growth area for marketers that want to take advantage of the 14% increase in use of text messaging last year in the U.S., according toThe Mobile Advertising Report, as reported by DM News. Text messaging is being utilized by a wide range of direct marketers and I expect this application to see continued growth in the coming years. Banner advertising through mobile handsets is also popular. In terms of future mobile advertising growth, it’s predicted that mobile search, communities, social networks and a variety of location based services will be adopted by marketers, according to VAS Research.
I would advise forward thinking direct marketers, looking for new ways to maximize their advertising ROI, to start researching various mobile marketing options. The potential to tap into the spending power of 267 million mobile phone users in the U.S. and 4 billion worldwide should provide you with the incentive to seek out the best mobile marketing strategies for your business.
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