When I usually explain the potential of mobile marketing to someone, I tend to use the expression "on the go". I usually say it is the opportunity to meet consumers on the go, to contact them in surprising (but brand or product related) situations. And I was reflecting on that when I was reading "How People Really Use Mobile" in HBR, a couple of weeks ago. Because that article, based on a InsightsNow research study for AOL and BBDO, defies that notion - it says that 68% of mobile consumption is at home! And that a massive amount of it is actually "me time" - the time we have only for ourselves, in which we actually are not interacting directly with anyone, we are relaxing, reading, watching a movie, reading (or writing...) blogs,... It raises a couple of questions:
- First of all, this means mobile devices are actually our retreat away from the world. That's the place we are ourselves and don't let much interfere with us. If mobile devices (which are actually, by definition, an extension of ourselves, the most individualistic gadget there is) are a way to reach consumers when they are "in me time", that makes them especially valuable to marketers - as it is a dimension that brands usually are not able to enter, a very intimate one. Just remember to be clever when doing it, because if you do it the wrong way, you will have a very angry rejection (remember consumers want that time for themselves, to be away from things like... advertising clutter!).
- "Me time" is a huge definition - just look at what I included when I defined it in the first paragraph. If we want to better understand mobile usage and how to better get advantage of "me time" potential, we need to go one level deeper and answer the question "what is mobile me time for my consumers?". Understand if it is reading, watching a movie, writing (or engaging in creative activities),... Only then will you be able to setup a communication strategy that actually suits this opportunity.
- My last question is actually a challenge. We are looking at "mobile" in an aggregate way - we are mixing in smartphones and tablets. I would love to understand if there are differences in usage between them - because, intuitively, I would say "home consumption" will be higher on tablets and smaller on phones, for the devices specs.
Ah! And last but not least - I swear I will not say "on the go" so much, when I am talking about mobile marketing...
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