« Mobile Marketing » is a expression defining the marketing acts which use mobile phone as a channel to reach customers and involve many specialised actors (e.g. Telecom and software companies, communication agencies) to set up these activity processes. It includes sending SMS (Short Message Service), MMS (Multimedia Message Service i.e. pictures, videos and audio files) and WAP (Wireless Application Protocol i.e. internet access via a mobile phone). 

This channel enables to apply very precise segmentation and communication thanks to the many different forms these dialogues can take. With the broadcasting of texts, it is possible to adapt your message according time and place, to send promotional texts, or to deliver highly customised information to the target. For instance, during an event, SMS can be sent and used as discount keys. Being able to instantly broadcast promotion highly increase the attractiveness of this channel.

The big retailers (such as Ikea, JC Penney, Wal Mart…) are already testing this type of advertisement to inform or to send promotional texts to their target. Domino’s Pizza pushes it further as it allows its customers to order via SMS. But above all, the behaviour modification appears even more with campaigns that include several Medias, e.g. a retailer includes phone number in its television advertisement, in order to push the television viewer to get discounts on certain products.

This new and interesting channel has to be managed the same way and with the same success factors as the others means of communication. On a relational point of view the aim is still to let the customers make their own mind up but to help them make good buys and provide good services at the same time. While on an organisational point of view the aim is to facilitate a wide view of relationships, to rationalise the processes affecting the clients and to benefit from the past experiences (by knowing that Marketing Mobile in case of abuses may be felt as very intruding by customers).

Apart from the messages broadcast and the devices interaction which require specific tools, the other steps (segmentation, media planning, results analysis,…) are managed with usual data warehousing and marketing campaign management solutions. Concerning the devices interaction management, new tools are necessary, and Teradata is currently working with Infinian Mobile Commerce Solution to improve its own resources (warehouse and campaign management).

The software provided by Infinian allows sending advertisement messages and bar codes (as discount tickets) to a customer’s mobile phone, PDA or any other mobile device, and can be confirmed instantly at the point of sale. These means can help the marketing specialist to target individual clients whenever and wherever they are, with appropriate messages and therefore replace the mass marketing by a segmented communication, such as in the following examples:

• A shopper in a store receives a discount ticket by SMS for his favourite product. Once at the checkout he shows the SMS from his mobile phone to the cashier. The SMS is instantly validated by the data warehouse where the customer’s behaviour is recorded for future marketing communications.
• A traveller receive a SMS from his airline company informing him his flight has been cancelled and that he has been reassigned to another flight. The traveller also receives a new boarding card (with a bar code) on his mobile phone which saves his time and energy and allows him to go directly to the boarding gate.
• A casino sends a SMS to an unlucky gambler who holds a membership card, offering him a free meal to help him keeping good memories of his day in the casino. If he agrees, he replies “yes” via his mobile phone and a stewardess collects him and walks him to the restaurant.

For further information on Mobile Marketing, please visit:

http://www.mmaglobal.com/main