Why would a brand make the move to mobile marketing? Many reasons. It could be that you're part of a very competitive market that has its finger on the pulse of all things new and you need to keep up. There could be lots of new entrants in the market, all vying for attention from a varied audience, or you could have a conservative marketing budget.
All of this came into play with the reasoning behind Suzuki SA's latest mobile campaign, which fit into a larger marketing strategy that saw instant sales leads and year-on-year sales increase by more than 33% for 2014, reaching a record high. This despite the local market decline by 0.7%.
But how do you get it right? The simple answer is to appoint a mobile media agency focused on sending easily digestible information out quickly and effectively to engage the target audience. Rosen explains how Mobiclicks did just that and gives a broader view on mobile advertising on our shores...
1. Tell us more about the impact - good and bad alike - of mobile advertising in South Africa, and the rest of the continent. Rosen: With mobile penetration sitting at over 100% in South Africa, as well as its explosive growth in the rest of Africa, a predominant benefit would be its ability to reach the masses. There are very few - if any - other mediums, where you can reach this scale in such a cost-effective and measurable manner.
The negative aspect would be the perception of mobile advertising as 'spam' through the use of pushed messaging to user cell phones. The reality is that mobile advertising is much more than that - it can be relevant, effective and measurable.
2. Building on this aspect, talk us through the realities of mobile ad avoidance. Rosen: Advertising on mobile, as with other platforms, can annoy customers if not relevant or found to be obtrusive. This will ultimately lead to ad avoidance. The key is to present an advert at the right time and in the right format - and most importantly, make sure it's relevant to the target audience.
Issues arise if marketers keep pushing messages to customers that are of no relevance to them. As a result, the platform loses its credibility and ultimately lands up being labelled as a channel for spam.
3. Understandable. Let's flip back to the positive: Mobile's touted as the way to go for advertisers with a conservative marketing budget - how does it help instill a more creative and targeted approach? Rosen: We believe that if we educate marketers around mobile's creative abilities, its proficiency in targeting audiences and, most importantly, its measurability, we would see a definitive shift in mind-set. Ultimately, this will lead to bigger budgets being allocated to mobile. This goes hand-in-hand with the current need for more accountability for brand spend and the result of return on investment.
4. OK then. How can advertisers best reach target audiences through mobile? Rosen: The most important aspect is to first determine the campaign objective. Are you looking for leads, sales, calls, installs or just brand awareness? This will provide a clear-cut strategy when it comes to placement. There are many ad units available on mobile depending on the objective, from rich media placements in apps to simple text messages and 'Please Call Me's. Once the call to action is defined, you can select the best way to reach the audience.
As mobile is evolving, more publishers are sharing information that is helping to profile people who are browsing sites and apps. This gives marketers valuable information and the ability to target according to age, gender and location.
5. Moving on to Suzuki campaign in particular, then - how did you assist the brand with a targeted mobile advertising campaign, what were the challenges and how did you overcome them? Rosen: Our mandate was to focus on audiences in LSM 7 to 9, who have access to smartphones from makers like Apple, Samsung and BlackBerry. We also wanted to reach a market of young professionals aged 25+.
Our methodology involved advertising the Suzuki brand through premium sites that were age- and interest-appropriate. Our challenge was to reach the correct audiences, but we overcame this through using the correct targeting measures.
6. What was on the 'large shopping list' Penquin tasked you with? Rosen:
7. What were the campaign results - how did you measure its success? Rosen: The campaign helped Suzuki reach over 25 million users and we achieved up to 2.35% click-through rates. The client was therefore able to track the cost per conversion on their end.
The success of the campaign was measured through the click through rate (CTR), which was high due to precise targeting methods.
8. How would such a campaign fit into a broader marketing strategy? Rosen: Mobile needs to be part of the marketing strategy and should complement and enhance traditional forms of advertising. It can either be used as a mechanism to initiate the call to action, for example, SMS a keyword or dial a USSD string. Alternatively, mobile could be used as an extension of a campaign with the aim to get more information, for example, click on a banner to be directed to a mobisite or app for more information.
9. What's the secret to reaching the audience at the right place at the right time? Rosen: Relevance and targeting abilities play a big role in this. Targeting capabilities help marketers to identify audience location, time/day and features such as publisher can help them reach a customer aged between 25 and 30 in Gauteng that enjoys music, for example, and display an advert for an upcoming concert in their location.
10. Let's end off by taking a peek into the crystal ball. What's next on the cards for mobile advertising in Africa? Rosen: Mobile advertising is getting more attention and we have noticed increased interest in this space, both in South Africa and across the continent. With more publications going mobile and more content being developed for mobile, there has been a surge in mobile web and app browsing. In Africa, the mobile device is the primary means of access to the internet and now, with Android making smartphones more affordable, we are confident that app usage will increase. This will allow mobile advertisers to engage in more rich-media formats, making campaigns more engaging and appealing.
What are you waiting for? Get onto consumers' handsets in a way that matters to them. Click here for more on Mobiclicks, and follow their Twitter handle.
