May 18, 2012

Ujjal Kohli is CEO of Rhythm NewMedia

By Ujjal Kohli

It might seem odd that a former chief marketing officer and the founder of a company which helps brands advertise on mobile would pen an article questioning the long-term viability of paid media. But the world of bought media is quickly changing.

Paid media is actually doing very well. High-production advertising content is such a part of our culture that, according to Hanon McKendry, during the 2011 Super Bowl 54 percent of the audience made a specific point to watch the ads.

Advertising is also creating record profits. Television advertising spending hit a new record in 2011, reaching more than $68 billion. In these ways, paid advertising is thriving.

But things are changing.

Massage message
Consumers are more questioning of the polished brand messages of old. As media consumption habits have changed and advertising messages become less trusted, there has been a rise in the influence of word-of-mouth messaging.

Brands no longer have the option to not take part in the discussion that follows the broadcast of their messages. Paid media is no longer the end of the conversation, but the beginning.

Traditionally, bought media has been a highly controlled product.

Through in-depth market research and analytical studies, marketers craft precise messages and polished advertisements designed to inspire and motivate consumers.

The most impactful earned media campaigns create a word-of-mouth buzz, both positive and negative. But because of the lack of control a brand has over the direction and content of these discussions, this has traditionally been a dangerous place for brands to engage.

Advertisers no longer have the choice of whether or to not take part in the social discussion around their earned media.

Consumers are becoming more cynical of polished corporate messages and increasingly paying attention to the opinions of their friends and family.

Consumer trust in social media has had the largest growth of any media, with a 75 percent increase from 2011, according to the 2012 Edelman Trust Barometer.

Additionally, this report found that 65 percent of the public now identifies a person like yourself as one of the most credible spokespeople, jumping 22 points from 2011.

People are looking to each other at an increasing rate, instead of brands, for their information on products and companies.

Given this shift in public trust, brands have begun to adjust their messaging.

Earning praise
No longer does simply broadcasting a highly controlled message work. Instead, effective earned media now creates a dialogue between the brand and its audience, most often carried out through social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter.

Reaching consumers where they are most likely to engage in a conversation maximizes the effect of earned media in this new paradigm.

A banner ad is not a great conversation starter. On the other hand, video is tops when it comes to engagement. As social-media-focused video campaigns such as Old Spices Smell Like a Man, Man campaign have demonstrated, video ads have a much more engaging and powerful effect.

The sight sound and motion of video has the ability to offer more complex messages, illicit emotional responses and create deeper dialogues with consumers.

Mobile devices are inherently personal and social, and take advantage of the word-of-mouth component of earned media even more than other mediums.

These devices are always carried with us and are our access-point to sharing news and communicating with friends and family.

It makes sense that mobile advertising performs so well in creating word of mouth buzz through social media.

In a survey, our company found that 68 percent of mobile consumers use Facebook at least once daily, compared to 54 percent of all Facebook users.

Also, 39 percent of the respondents said they use Twitter on a daily basis, greater than the 17 percent of Twitter users, as a whole, who use it daily.

Mobile users are inherently more social and they share brand messages and ads with their networks.

PAID MEDIA IS not and will never be dead. But the methods of old are no longer as effective as they were and I doubt they ever will be again.

The trend of consumers trusting each other more will continue. And because of this, for a brand to most efficiently engage its consumers and spread its message, it needs to take advantage of the immersive nature of video and mobiles intrinsic social abilities to create a conversation with the public.

So, no, it is not the end of paid media. That day will never come, but it is the beginning of a whole new conversation.

Ujjal Kohli is CEO of Rhythm NewMedia, Mountain View, CA. Reach him at .

Article source: http://feeds.mobilemarketer.com/~r/homepage-news/~3/eeK5-8ba70Y/12859.html

May 18, 2012

Rue La La

Will Greece’s collapse affect luxury brands’ prospects in Europe?
The potential collapse of Greece, though tragic, will likely not harm the luxury industry as much as the media will have consumers believe, according to leading marketing experts.
Click here to read the entire story on Luxury Daily

Globalization of Pinterest signals power as branding tool
Online marketplace Rakuten is leading a $100 million investment in Pinterest that the social inspiration board site will use for improvements and global expansion.
Click here to read the entire story on Luxury Daily

Magellan Jets, Rue La La partner for complementary private jet charter hours
Magellan Jets is partnering with flash-sales site Rue La La to offer an exclusive discount on the private aviation company’s 25 Hour Jet Cards in an effort to build brand awareness.
Click here to read the entire story on Luxury Daily

Starwood’s Luxury Collection crosses cultures in pop-up restaurant
Starwood Hotels Resorts’ Luxury Collection brand is bringing a partner New Delhi, India, property restaurant to its London hotel as a limited-time pop-up joint that proved to be popular with locals by maxing out on reservations before opening.
Click here to read the entire story on Luxury Daily

Push notifications keep luxury branded apps top of mind
Mobile applications may help luxury brands interact with consumers on a constant basis, but adding push notifications can help to relay time-sensitive material and keep companies top of mind.
Click here to read the entire story on Luxury Daily
Will the Q1 profits sustain for luxury conglomerates?
Luxury conglomerates saw considerable revenue increases in the double digits during the first quarter, but it is likely that these sales will plateau in the remainder of the year.
Click here to read the entire story on Luxury Daily

Hugo Boss, Facebook, Brioni, Barneys and China – News briefs
Today in luxury marketing – Hugo Boss dresses up its China efforts; Facebook raises $16 billion in record technology offering; Brioni sees growth in expanding stores, product categories; Tomoko Ogura is now Barneys’ senior fashion director.
Click here to read the entire story on Luxury Daily

End of paid media?
It might seem odd that a former chief marketing officer and the founder of a company which helps brands advertise on mobile would pen an article questioning the long-term viability of paid media.
Click here to read the entire story on Luxury Daily

Article source: http://feeds.mobilemarketer.com/~r/homepage-news/~3/Ad6OLZM9mWU/12863.html

May 18, 2012

Flipboard iPhone app

NEW YORK A Flipboard executive at IABs Innovation Days conference this weeksaid that ultimately the rise in HTML5 willaddress the publishing walled garden that companies such as Apple have established.

During the A Fireside Chat with Flipboards Editorial Director session, the executive spoke about how mobile, specifically tablets, have changed the publishing industry. The session also gave an overview of how Flipboard handles its partnerships.

[HTML5] is not going to happen in the next year or two, but it will happen and it will naturally address that [walled-garden] question, said Josh Quittner, editorial director at Flipboard, Palo Alto, CA.

The tablet is great because I think its a fantastic media-consumption device, he said.

People love looking at or viewing or reading media on the tablet. Its obvious that this is a really huge thing thats only going to get huger as different form factors come out, different sizes, different weights, better screens its just going to be endless. People love to read that doesnt go away.

A screen shot of The Colbert Report on Flipboard

Publishing bells and whistles
Mobile has been tricky for publishers because it completely shifts the traditional way of thinking.

Coming from a background in journalism, Mr. Quittner said that it is hard enough for publishers to put out a magazine. With all the new digital platforms available to publishers, it is difficult to keep up with technology.

In particular, it is the midsized newspapers and publishers that are having challenges creating content for all mobile platforms.

According to the executive, Flipboard is a service provider that helps facilitate and promote journalism but does not create any content itself. Instead, the company works with partners to curate and connect content to an audience.

Instead of calling itself an aggregator, Mr. Quittner said that the company is a social magazine.

Therefore, there is a blur between what is considered a tech and media company.

Mr. Quittnerwith Randall Rothenberg, CEO/president of the Interactive Advertising Bureau, New York

Interactive reading
Flipboards business model is based on its partners earning advertising money, of which Flipboard gets a cut. Mainly, the company focuses on full-page display ads. All ads are sold by the content partners.

Compared to other news reading apps, Flipboard is designed to look like a magazine that lets users flip through pages of content.

The executive also demoed the Flipboard application and showed how two types of content appear from either a partner or a non-partner.

For example, the New York Times is not a Flipboard partner and its content shows up in a similar format of a RSS feed with just a headline and blurb. Traffic from Flipboard counts towards the New York Times Web traffic.

On the other side though, for a partner such as The Atlantic, content resembles a digital version of a magazine with multimedia and ads.

Although Flipboard does not aid in helping its partners gain subscriptions, companies can take advantage of the platform to promote subscription plans.

For example, USA Today is one of Flipboards partners and uses its content to promote its services to a new demographic who might not be familiar with the brand otherwise.

Flipboard is not the only tech company aiming to make online news reading easier for consumers.

Take for example, AOL with its Editions newsreading app. Although Mr. Quittner did not reveal what Flipboard has in store in the future, he did point out that it recently added audio support to let consumers listen to music while they flip through the app.

The real challenge will be from the next big technology wave though, according to the executive. Although it is tempting to try out every new tech thing, less is sometimes more in digital.

What Im most worried about is the thing I havent seen yet, Mr. Quittner said.

A mistake that I have made every time a new medium comes out is that I aim for the fences and say, Weve got to bring in every bell and whistle because we can, he said.

Look at how Steve Jobs approached reinventing the smartphone or the tablet its all about simplicity.

Final Take
Lauren Johnson is editorial assistant on Mobile Marketer, New York

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Article source: http://feeds.mobilemarketer.com/~r/homepage-news/~3/oPZ7cuxqXX4/12861.html

May 18, 2012

Article source: http://feeds.mobilemarketer.com/~r/homepage-news/~3/e6T9OWRWmyI/12864.html

May 18, 2012

Text messages focus on helping teens quit smoking

The National Cancer Institute is enlisting SMS for a far-reaching program targeting teens and young adults with messages designed to help them quit smoking.

The SmokefreeTXT SMS program delivers messages containing targeted advice and encouragement designed to help young people quit smoking. Teens and young adults can enter the program by texting QUIT to 47848 or through the SmokefreeTXT Web site.

Mobile messaging makes sense for the National Cancer Institute or any entity in the healthcare industry seeking to engage people around a health issue, said Jed Alpert, CEO of Mobile Commons, New York.

This is for the simple reason that mobile messaging – in this case, text messaging – has nearly universal reach and, more significantly, the highest read and response rates of any communication channel, he said.

For the National Cancer Institute who is communicating a message of smoking cessation, there simply is not a more effective or more inclusive method than mobile.

Mobile Commons worked with the National Cancer Institute to develop the program.

Targeting teens
The National Cancer Institute is driving sign-ups for the text messaging program through social media as well as organic searches. The organization will roll out a marketing strategy supporting the program over the next few months.

Consumers who opt-in to the program will receive messages leading up to their targeted quit date as well as for up to six weeks following this date.

The pacing of the messages will based on an individuals quit date. The messages will run in both English and Spanish.

By connecting with young smokers on their mobile phones, NCI hopes to more effectively encourage them to quit since text messaging is such a popular activity among teens and young adults.

Teens exchange an average of nearly 3,500 messages per month, according to data from Nielsen.

Text messaging can also be an important strategy for health care organizations because it can reach a large number of consumers from a variety of socioeconomic backgrounds.

Health care messaging
Text messaging has been shown to be an effective way to reach consumers with healthcare-related messaging.

For example, the New York City Department of Health used Mobile Commons to create a citywide smoking cessation program. Heavy smokers who received the texts were twice as likely to quit as those who did not.

In recognition of the growing use of mobile in health care related marketing, Mobile Commons recently introduced a new platform for healthcare organizations.

The use of mobile in health care is growing very rapidly, Mr. Alpert said. There is no question that mobile improves desired outcomes in all aspects of health care messaging.

This includes some of the most challenging situations, including complex drug and behavior regimens among HIV patients and reaching the most underserved populations with respect to public health priorities such as vaccinations, he said.

Every day we see more departments of health, healthcare providers, hospital groups and pharmaceutical companies seeking our help in utilizing mobile to improve those outcomes in a cost-effective manner.

Article source: http://feeds.mobilemarketer.com/~r/homepage-news/~3/us4fKB_4JOA/12860.html

May 18, 2012

The campaign’s landing page

NEW YORK A Johnson Johnson executive at IABs Innovation Day conference this week said that although mobile is being tapped as a promotional tool, it is best used as a strategic tactic in emerging markets.

During the Brand Matters session, the executive discussed how Johnson Johnson approaches its marketing with consumer-first tactics with data, talent and insights. The executive also spoke about how digital needs to be integrated into all marketing channels in a companys organization.

I would say that we are at a point in time when consumer insights as we know them and love them arent enough,”said Kimberly Kadlec, worldwide vice president of the global marketing group at Johnson Johnson, New Brunswick, NJ.

“We are challenged to take those insights and turn them into actionable marketing messages in different formats across many screens,” she said.

“But I think the biggest challenge is how do we do that in a way that not only grows our business but also adds value.”

The banner ads in What to Expect

Collaboration is key
Ms. Kadlec said that the ways that mobile and digital have affected emerging markets can be staggering.

Although consumers in third-world countries might not be the stereotypical consumers associated with high mobile ownership, many consumers are plugged in with social media and mobile, which presents a huge opportunity to marketers.

For example, Johnson Johnson offers a mobile program to expectant moms in emerging countries that gives them information about pregnancy.

When it comes to social media, just getting a high number of Likes is not a strong metric. Instead, brands need to think about how social media creates a dialogue with the conversation with consumers and how it fits the message of the brand.

Additionally, brands should not be afraid tofocus on social media if there is a strong, transparent relationship with consumers.

The Johnson Johnson executive also said that marketers should not be afraid of data and should be willing to measure everything. However, it is important to think about what business goal the data will help solve and consistently use the data.

With multiple screens available at marketers’ fingertips, it can be a challenge to know which traditional mediums are worth investing in compared to new media.

Listening to what consumers have to say can be a great way for a company to understand who its demographic is and where they are.

For example, Johnson Johnson has several skincare brands and has a social media presence for all of them. Although all of the brands are under Johnson Johnson, they all have different marketing messages that need to be conveyed with a unique voice.

As an example of a social media campaign that struck a chord with both consumers and business clients, the executive spoke about how American Express used social media in its Sync campaign to give consumers specific deals. Not only does the campaign give consumers an incentive for using social media, it also helped both big retailers and mom-and-pop stores build a business strategy.

Ms. Kadlec with Randall Rothenberg, CEO/president of the Interactive Advertising Bureau, New York

Digital talent
Digital needs to become woven into a company instead of being siloed channels, per Ms. Kadlec.

In an organization such as Johnson Johnson, there can be lots of moving parts and people with different skill sets. Since digital is quickly becoming more ingrained into a multichannel approach, it is important for departments at a company to integrate early on in projects.

Additionally with the change in a multiscreen world, more brands are forging different partnerships with publishers.

For example, Johnson Johnson has a direct relationship with approximately 12 different publishers, which have become more connected to the companys agency and marketing team.

One of the important factors in building a relationship is listening,” Ms. Kadlec said.

“So we pulled back into this notion of storytelling, which I think has a very important role in what we all do, but it needs to change, and we need to spend more time listening because in storytelling that still keeps us in charge of the beginning, middle and end and thats really not how it works anymore.”

Final Take
Lauren Johnson is editorial assistant on Mobile Marketer, New York

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Article source: http://feeds.mobilemarketer.com/~r/homepage-news/~3/jGNoOKphbKc/12849.html

May 18, 2012

Google wants to expand the number of lead Android devices

Google appears to be seeking greater control over the Android mobile operating system by working more closely with handset manufacturers to develop pure Android devices and sell these directly to consumers. The moves could lead to less fragmentation in the Android ecosystem and simplify working with Android for developers and marketers.

According to published reports, Google plans to work with up to five different manufacturers, giving them all early access to new releases of Androidto create a portfolio of lead smartphone and tablet devices. At the same time, Google plans to sell these Nexus devices directly to consumers in the United States, Europe and Asia via the Google Play Device Store.

It seems like Google is moving more in the direction of the middle in terms of taking more control over the software experience, said Noah Elkin, principal analyst at eMarketer, New York.

I would say it is less a question of making the platform less open and more to take steps to ensure there is greater consistency of the experience, he said. This probably has more benefits for the participants in the value chain than downsides.

It could be an important shift for the Android ecosystem.

Over 1 billion Android apps are downloaded every month

Google declined to comment for this story.

Improved user experience
Google’s Androidhas famously been an open system and while this fact is one of the key reasons for its significant growth over the past couple of years, there has also been a lot of grumbling about the fragmentation and inconsistencies that have resulted.

The moves to work with more manufacturers and sell more devices direct address some of these concerns.

Kindle Fire controls over half of Android tablet market

In the past, Google partnered with only one hardware manufacturer at a time to produce lead Android devices.

Other devices often were not updated in a consistent or timely fashion, which meant there were typically many different versions of the Android software available on a variety of different handsets at any given time, making it difficult for developers trying to create apps for Android to know where to put their focus.

The new strategy to work with multiple manufacturers should help Google streamline the process of making updates to the operating system, giving users a better experience.

Additionally, by purchasing the devices unlocked directly from Google, users will not have to commit to a two-year contract and can install what they want on their phones.

Marketing opportunities
By providing a better user experience, this could attract more marketing to Android.

Marketing on Android will always be a product of how effective the customer experience is on Android devices, said Raqib Sheikh, senior strategic planner at Modea, Blacksburg, VA.

The fact that marketers are willing to deal with iAds in spite of the restrictions and expense is because we believe it’s worth it to deliver our brand messages on a platform that consistently delights consumers,” he said.

As Google makes this move to deliver a better consumer experience through Android, then, yes more marketers should consider being present on that platform.

The new portfolio of Nexus phones is expected to be available in the fourth quarter.

The moves could also help Google continue to develop Google Wallet, which has been challenged in part by the limited number of devices on which it is available.

It would also appear this is part of Googles continuing strategy to control their own destiny when it comes to the uptake and success of Google Wallet, said Jeff Huang, manager of mobile and emerging platforms at MEC, New York.

To date, theyve been solely reliant on third parties to provide the necessary hardware for what is a key part of Googles payments vision,” he said.

“With their Motorola Mobility acquisition, together with this news, they are aiming to give Google Wallet the additional fillip it needs – and before the seemingly inevitable entry of Apple hardware not to mention the raft of other organizations software platforms into this space.

Benefitting the ecosystem
Working more closely with multiple manufacturers also potentially answers the questions that have been circulating since Google announced plans to acquire Motorola last year about what Googles relationship with other manufacturers will be.

While some were concerned that Motorola would be the first to have access to the latest software, this now does not seem to be the case.

By working with more manufacturers, rather than having a single halo device and spreading the latest version of Android across multiple devices, should benefit the ecosystem, as a whole, eMarketer’s Mr. Elkin said.

It will simplify the mission of developers in that regard with not having to support multiple versions of the software, he said.

What this signals to a certain extent is that the ecosystem, as a whole, remains important to Google.”

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Article source: http://feeds.mobilemarketer.com/~r/homepage-news/~3/uT7bMY7a46Y/12862.html

May 17, 2012

The Starbucks Card Mobile app

Mobile Marketer is inviting editorial submissions for the next edition of its Classic Guide to Mobile Commerce, a comprehensive resource of how-to and best-practice tips on mobile commerce.

Mobile Marketers Classic Guide to Mobile Commerce is one of the most read, downloaded and forwarded editorial products on mobile commerce. The guide targets retailers and marketers as well as mobile marketing firms and mobile commerce enablers.

Thefourth edition of this popular guide will focus on how retailers and marketers are using the mobile channel for shopping, transactions, branding and customer acquisition and customer retention.

The guide will also feature content on how retailers and marketers are using mobile to drive traffic to other channels such as retail stores, online and catalogs.

Topics under consideration include:

Moble apps such as the Amazon Price Check app make price comparison shopping easy

 The state of mobile commerce
 The case for mobile commerce
 Mobile commerce in a multichannel environment
 Research on mobile commerce
 How to create a mobile commerce site
 How to create a mobile commerce application
 Will simply repurposing the ecommerce site work?
 Using SMS and short code marketing to drive traffic to retail stores
 Creating a mobile CRM program with SMS
 Dos and donts of mobile commerce site and application design
 The allure of mobile coupons
 The effect of HTML5 on mobile strategy
 What type of coupons work best for mobile commerce
 How to make a mobile commerce site transactional
 Should a mobile commerce site be transactional?
 Billing options on a mobile commerce site
 How secure are mobile commerce transactions?
 Case studies on mobile commerce sites and applications
 Case studies on mobile coupon programs
 Case studies on mobile campaigns and programs driving retail sales
 Mobile advertising and marketing for mobile commerce
 The legal dos and donts for mobile commerce
 The role of wireless carriers in mobile commerce
 Are the smartphones safe, secure and ready for mobile commerce
 Do retailers get mobile commerce?

Housekeeping
Available in PDF format year-round on the Mobile Marketer site and Mobile Marketer Daily newsletter, the Classic Guide to Mobile Commerce will comprise how-to articles, best-practice tips, research and case studies.

Industry experts will pen these pieces, along with coverage from the Mobile Marketer team. Each article will run a maximum 700 words. Paragraphs and sentences should be short and tight, with no jargon or hard sell.

Targeting mobile shoppers

The article should be sent in a Word document. The authors name, title, company, city, state and email address should be listed at the bottom of the piece. Articles submitted without these details at the bottom will not be accepted for consideration.

Each contributed article should be supported by at least three high res jpeg images of about 300dpi and with a maximum file size of 2 megabytes. The authors high res jpeg headshot in color has to be one of three images sent.

Deadline
Please send the submission ideas by Thursday, May 31 to .

Once accepted, complete submissions including the Word document containing the article and the three high res jpeg images should be sent in a single email by Friday, June 15.

For advertising queries, please contact Jodie Solomon, director of advertising sales, at .

Mobile Marketers Classic Guide to Mobile Commerce publishes on Thursday, June 28. It will be distributed to the entire subscriber base via the Mobile Marketer Daily newsletter and will also run on the Mobile Marketer Web site.

Please click here to download a copy of the third annualMobile Marketer’s Classic Guide to Mobile Commerce.

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Article source: http://feeds.mobilemarketer.com/~r/homepage-news/~3/ybxQterysq0/12848.html

May 17, 2012

Orient-Express

Dolce Gabbana direct-links to ecommerce via restyled YouTube page

Article source: http://feeds.mobilemarketer.com/~r/homepage-news/~3/oZx54TFObNU/12856.html

May 17, 2012

Mobile local search is on the rise

Pointing to the need for marketers to engage with users on multiple screens, a whopping 86 percent of smartphone users in the United States are mutitasking with their devices while interacting with another media such as television, print or Web.

Google has releasedthe most-recent installment of its Our Mobile Planet study, which took a close-up view of worldwide smartphone adoption. The study surveyed smartphone owners in 26 countries and was commissioned by Ipsos MediaCT as well as the Mobile Marketing Association and the Interactive Advertising Bureau.

“The 2012 Our Mobile Planet research shows that there is a global mobile movement underway,” saidDai Pham, group product marketing manager of mobile ads at Google, Mountain View, CA.

“Around the world, from the U.S. to the United Arab Emirates, from China to Brazil to France and more, smartphone adoption is increasing and this is transforming core consumer behaviors in how we search, shop, connect with others, keep entertained and look for local information,” she said.

“With increased smartphone adoption, consumers can get information anytime, anywhere. They have the power of the Internet in the palm of their hand and that means customers have more opportunities to discover your business and engage with your brand. Businesses need to be where their customers are, and increasingly that means being on mobile.”

Mobile-first world
According to the Google study, six countries Sweden, Britain, Saudi Arabia, Australia, Norway, and the UAE have reached a 50 percent smartphone adoption. Smartphone ownership was highest in the UAE with 62 percent of respondents owning a smartphone.

The research found that Norway, Britain and Sweden all had more than a 20 percent increase adoption in less than a year, showing how quickly mobile is growing.

Seven other countries surveyed had a 40 percent smartphone adoption. The countries are the U.S., Denmark, Ireland, Spain, New Zealand, Netherlands and Switzerland.

For marketers, the high number of smartphone users shows that although it is important to develop campaigns for both smartphones and feature phones, companies should plan for long-term initiatives when mobile ownership will significantly tip for smartphones.

The study also looked at how consumers in different countries use their devices with search to drive an action. Fifty-eight percent of French consumers, for example, visit a business after making a local search. Additionally, 32 percent of Italian consumers who use their devices to research nearby information made a purchase either in-store or online.

Given the size of a mobile device, searches are primarily being made for local results. For example, 50 percent of consumers in the U.S. and Canada said that they had used their device to look up restaurant or bar information. These searches are most likely being made while a consumer is away from a desktop and is looking for things that are nearby.

According to the report, commerce-enabled actions are gaining traction worldwide but are especially common in Asia. One hundred percent of Japanese smartphone users surveyed said that they used their device to research a purchase, and 59 percent of smartphone users in China have made a purchase via their mobile phone.

Therefore, having a full 360-degree mobile strategy that includes applications, a mobile site and search marketing is crucial.

In the U.S., 35 percent of smartphone owners hold their device in stores to help them comparison shop or learn more about a product. Meanwhile, 32 percent of consumers surveyed said that using their smartphone made them change their mind about a product or service, showing how powerful mobile can be to a brand’s competitors.

Mobile habits
Although mobile devices are being used while consumers are the go, they are also increasingly being used at home.

For example, in Spain 91 percent of smartphone owners surveyed said that they had used their device while at home. Sixty-eight percent of consumers used their device while on the go, and 42 percent used their devices while in a store.

When it comes to what consumers are doing on their devices, social media is a main driver. In the U.S., 80 percent of participants said that they used their smartphones to access social media and 55 percent of those users connect with social media at least once a day on mobile.

Video is a hot spot for smartphone users. Seventy-six percent of U.S. consumers surveyed said that they watched video on their devices, 25 percent of which watch videos daily.

Desktop search is also being swapped out for mobile. For instance, in Australia, 65 percent of smartphone owners surveyed said they accessed the Internet on their device at least once a day. Fifty-seven percent of those consumers said they used their devices for email, 55 percent connected with social media and 54 percent used search engines.

With the small size of mobile devices, consumers have a shorter attention span when searching. Sixty-one percent of smartphone owners in the U.S. only look at the first page of search results when making a mobile search. Additionally, 89 percent of users notice mobile advertisements, and 40 percent of consumers remembered seeing a mobile ad on a search engine.

Mobile expectations
Although smartphone owners do download a high number of applications, the majority of them are free or do not get used often. In Britain, the average consumer has 23 apps downloaded. Nine of these apps have been used in the last month, and six of them are paid downloads.

Not only do smartphone owners expect to use their devices to access information, they also have higher long-term expectations for what they will be able to do on mobile.

In the U.S., 35 percent of smartphone users expect to use the Internet via their devices more in the future.

“The businesses that succeed will be the ones that understand this massive shift in consumer behavior and adapt their business and marketing strategies to mobile,” Ms. Pham said.

“Can you easily be found when someone looks for you on mobile? Does your business have a mobile-optimized site? Are you making mobile a core part of your cross-media and cross-channel strategies?” she said.

“The research shows that businesses need to be doing these things as consumers go online on mobile, look for local information, multitask with their phones while consuming other media and use their smartphones to shop and make purchase decisions.”

Final Take
Lauren Johnson is editorial assistant on Mobile Marketer, New York

Article source: http://feeds.mobilemarketer.com/~r/homepage-news/~3/LrNbSo-L8x8/12855.html