The All-Powerful and Almighty Mobile Phone

After watching the video, this is the only thing I have to say:  one cannot afford to be complacent and rest on one’s laurels.   Advancements in information technology have been so rapid that one has to continuously evolve to stay on top.  Take the case of the mobile phone.  You paid a fortune for the latest model of a Nokia phone only to find out that its value will be half of the original price when you bought it six months ago.  It lost its luster with the arrival of newer and more improved models.

New technology has put quite a few gadgets obsolete.  Who can forget the Easy Call beepers, PDAs, analog mobile phones, Kodak instamatic cameras?  These were the essentials years back but today one will not be caught one with it.  Traditional media have not been spared from the advent of this new technology.  Newspapers are suffering declines in circulation while television and radio companies are losing ad revenues to non-traditional media.  Marketers and manufacturers are forced to go back to the drawing board to think of ways to catch the attention of the average consumer.  New technology saw the emergence of the prosumer, the empowered consumer.  The consumer now has a say to the products he wants to buy. It’s as if he has contributed something to the creation of a product by way of offering feedbacks and comments.

Did you know that mobile service will be the world’s primary connection tool to the internet in 2020? It is but logical that since the prosumer is King, marketers will tailor-fit their advertising initiatives to his needs.  The medium used by which to reach him should take into consideration his convenience.  What better way to reach him but through his mobile phone.  In the Philippines, owning a mobile phone is a must.  It has transcended social classes.  One doesn’t have to be in the ABC bracket to own one.  It has been noted that people would prioritize the buying of prepaid cards than food. 

The mobile phone is really convenient as it can be put in one’s pocket or bag.  One just has to take it out of the bag or pocket when he needs it. 

Though the Philippines can boast that 75% of its population has a mobile phone,  smartphone owners comprise only 26% of the total though it has doubled from its 2009 figure. Nowadays, going online  using the mobile phone could prove to be expensive.  In 2020, that may not be the scenario.  Telcos will be offering different services to the consumer to be able to give value for its money. Convergence will pull down costs and subsequently make internet connection by mobile phone affordable.

Why Mobile Marketing?

Image by premasagar via Flickr

When I first learned from my Digital Marketing Wiki Course that the mobile phone will play a very significant role in Digital Marketing, I found it hard to believe. I ask myself: How can a small gadget host a myriad of graphics, colors and content? Will it be effective?


When I registered in the Mobile Marketing Course, it was more of a compliance to the Digital Marketing Diploma Program. I was not excited to say the least. The succeeding courses are more cool and exciting.


On the first day of the course, the Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) tasked to deliver the lecture, successfully justified the importance of Mobile Marketing. My perception on the effectiveness of mobile as a medium for marketing changed. One cannot underestimate the capability of mobile to reach a larger segment of society compared to other media. In the Philippines, there are 75 million mobile phone subscribers. This translates to 8 out of 10 people having a mobile phone. 75 million subscribers is nothing to sneeze at as it represents 82% of the Philippine population.


Mobile has the highest level of engagement and interaction and can deliver on its promise of one-on-one marketing. It has become the fastest way to communicate with anyone as people never seem to turn off their mobile devices unlike any other media. The device encourages the brand to interact with the consumer on an intimate basis. Because it is intimate, it has targeting capabilities. Messages can be sent in a relevant, tailored and timely manner. The consumer receives the right messages at the right time and the right place. This translates for mobile marketing to have high conversion rates.


Mobile marketing is measurable. It is easy to monitor the amount spent, the rate of conversion and how many participated in the campaign.


Aside from all of the reasons stated above on mobile as a very potent marketing medium, its use would be better appreciated and maximized if there is a corresponding investment on the part of handset manufacturers in data transmission speeds and for telcos in terms of bandwidth. The lack of which will compromise the future of mobile marketing.


What can mobile marketing do to a brand? For one, it can increase brand awareness of a product. SMS raffles, mCoupons, mSampling, downloads, info-on demand, mobile hotline can very well deliver more awareness for the brand. Because of the very nature of mobile marketing campaigns wherein a customer has to register vital information about himself, mobile marketing can generate profile opt-in database for the brand. This database can be mined extensively by the brand for future campaigns and strategies. The brand can also further interactivity with the customer by leading him to a website wherein he can read more information about the product. Loyalty programs can be created from the database on hand. These activities all point to increasing the company's revenues.


Though mobile marketing seems the way to go putting into consideration its wide reach and targeting capabilities, it can not be a stand alone campaign. It works best with traditional marketing media.