Mobile Marketing

The Council was formed in early 2006 and comprises members from the client, service supplier and agency sectors.

Mobile marketing, though one of the newest areas within interactive marketing, offers significant opportunities. The mobile phone is the device that most people own and have with them most of the time. It is a broad channel which includes technologies such as SMS, MMS, mobile internet, applications, location services and Bluetooth proximity marketing.

Mobile marketing is growing rapidly – currently over a quarter of people in the UK have interacted with it, and response rates to campaigns can be significant.

Marketers are using the medium in a broad range of areas, including:

• Response marketing and fulfilment
• Customer relationship management
• Sales promotion
• Interactive marketing, such as voting and competitions
• Ticketing and couponing
• Advertising

These campaigns are offered both exclusively on mobile and in conjunction with other media, including online, email, direct mail and broadcast channels.

As the most personal of channels, mobile marketing requires a strict permission process through both legislation and best practice. It also presents issues of technology compatibility and, with mobile as a means of payment, consumer billing.

The focus of the Council is to provide support in understanding the medium and how to use it. We do this through:

• Best Practice Guidelines for both marketers and consumers
• Help Notes on a number of specific mobile applications
• Educational events, including case histories and supporting information on why they were successful and how they were developed
• Benchmarking information to give users and potential users an understanding of what to expect

Mobile offers some exciting opportunities for direct marketing. The Mobile Council acts as resource for any members wishing to broaden their understanding and practice in this channel.

Mark Brill
Chair, Mobile Marketing Council