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PCs are often shared by all members of the household, while mobile devices are definitely the property of an individual. They are portable, handheld and contain valuable personal information – the most personal companions of the digital age.

Consumers will not accept brands into this personal space unless they get real value in return. Consequently, brands need to think differently. Mobile is more successfully used in marketing as an extension of products or services – not as another advertising channel.

As in any emerging practice, it is tempting for marketers to rush into the buzz around mobile. Sure, some brands have seen their games being heavily downloaded on iPhone but, according to RBC Capital Markets, iPhone users will only represent 0.8% of all mobile users in 2009 and 75% of users never play a downloaded game again (source: Pinch Media).

To succeed in the mobile space, brands need to think as service designers and use a human-centred design approach to create solutions that are desirable, feasible and viable. Below are the key steps marketers need to consider when developing mobile initiatives.

1) DEFINE THE PURPOSE OF YOUR MOBILE INITIATIVE

Start with the definition of the problem the organisation is trying to solve and the behaviour you are trying to facilitate. What are the frictions around current products or services that prevent that behaviour from happening? What role can the brand credibly play in the mobile space?

During this stage, try to map out the customer’s journey. This will help you understand frictions that prevent a desired behaviour from happening, but also show you when mobile might be the most appropriate channel. For example, when Kraft Foods developed iFood Assistant, it first understood that busy people were deciding what to cook for dinner in a very short timeframe, usually on the commute home from work, and would buy the ingredients in the shop closest to their home. By developing a service aiming to make dinners faster, easier and more convenient for those with less time, Kraft created a valuable relationship with its customers. As the service could be used in-store, Kraft’s products would be more often considered.

2) CHOOSE THE MOBILE PLATFORM(S) THAT SUIT YOUR AUDIENCE AND OBJECTIVES

Once you have defined the purpose, you need to choose the most suitable mobile platform. Which mobile platforms are the target audience using? What are the strengths and weaknesses of each platform, based on the objectives? How are the audience currently using their mobile phones?

First of all, research the penetration of the audience across mobile platforms. It will help you define whether it is more relevant to build a mobile application for smartphones, a website for mobile phone, an SMS service or a mix of all three.

Each platform comes with its own strengths and considerations. For example, SMS is a viable way for marketers to reach the mass-market, but also has its limitations. It takes about three months to receive approval from the carriers for a short code. It is also restrictive in terms of the engagement it can provide. By comparison, a mobile application on smart-phones will give you smaller reach, but it can be developed within weeks and will provide your customers with higher levels of engagement.

Success often means using multiple platforms. For example, when British Airways developed mobile services such as a boarding time reminder, real-time timetable and check-in, it did it across a mix of SMS, mobile web and smartphone applications. Assessing mobile platforms that embrace your objectives and audience is critical to create a viable solution.

3) MAXIMISE THE VALUE OF YOUR MOBILE SOLUTION(S) WITHIN THE CHOSEN PLATFORM(S)

Once you have understood what the best mobile platform is, you need to design your solution to maximise value. Will this solution be using technologies that are unique to the chosen mobile platform? How will the solution reach the highest possible level of relevance?

The challenge at this stage is to identify a solution that makes use of mobile’s unique capabilities and increases value at the lowest cost.

There are four such capabilities:

• Location: Whether it is through the triangulation of nearby antennae or GPS, mobile can utilise the users’ location. This is the most valuable capability for marketers. Expanding on the theme of its well-known ‘Priceless’ campaign, MasterCard’s Priceless Picks pairs GPS and maps to show customers local deals, dining and other points of interest around their immediate location. ATM Hunter, another application from MasterCard, allows users to quickly find the ATMs closest to them. The app is currently the top free finance application on iPhone. ATM Hunter can also filter results on criteria such as specific banks, operating hours, surcharges and wheelchair access

• Audio input: This may be obvious but the fact that all phones have it makes it a unique capability. Shazam uses a mobile phone’s microphone to gather samples of music played and compare it against a database. If a match is found, information such as the artist, song title and album are relayed. Links to iTunes allow customers to buy the song instantly.

• Camera: According to comScore, 78% of European and 66% of American mobile users have a built-in camera in their mobile device. Barnes & Noble’s mobile bookstore allows customers to search millions of books, DVDs, and CDs using a phone camera. Customers can snap a photo of the front cover of a book and instantly get product details, editorial reviews, customer ratings and even reserve a copy in the closest Barnes & Noble store.

• Immediacy: This is the broadest capability, but nonetheless important. Mobile phones are always carried and connected. Many billboard, print and TV ads can include short codes as calls to action, making it easier for consumers to get information immediately instead of having to remember the ad the next time they’re online. Kraft Foods used mobile to promote the launch of its Jacobs instant coffee products. It allowed customers to send an SMS to request a sample once they had seen a print or TV ad. Promoting the mobile campaign through traditional media provided users with an immediate opportunity to interact with the brand. The result was nearly half a million samples delivered to the target audience.

5) USE MOBILE TO CHANGE BEHAVIOUR

Mobile is the most personal companion and the most intelligent device of the digital age. Marketers have the opportunity to detect where customers are located, when the phone is being used, and why. It gives brands invaluable assets to enhance customers’ life and change behaviour.

Mobile will be used more successfully as an extension of a brand’s products or services. But, for brands to be accepted in such a personal space, they need to create sustainable value.

Kraft Foods, Barnes & Noble and MasterCard have understood customer behaviour and the opportunities in the mobile ecosystem, and have thought differently about marketing. They have realised that mobile marketing is most powerful when designed as a service – not used as another advertising channel.

Reproduced with permission of Admap, the world’s primary source of strategies for effective advertising, marketing and research. To subscribe visit www.warc.com/admap.  © Copyright Admap.

New technologies and business models emerge almost overnight. Advertising, retail, manufacturing, media, financial services, travel—no matter what business you’re in, you’ve felt, or are about to feel, the shockwave that disruption brings.

This exclusive, invite-only event featured top industry leaders on how to think different about change, and how to use it to your advantage.  The content of that event is now available for the rest us including the papers.

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The atmosphere of energy in the room at startup school is something to experience. Many founders have told that this event was what finally made them take the leap.

For more, here is the coverage from Techcrunch:

• Mark Pincus Talks About Becoming A Great CEO, With Tony Robbins’ Help
• Tony Hsieh On Delivering Happiness
• An Interview With Mark Zuckerberg
• Paul Buchheit Wings It, Tells Us What He’s Learned
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Researchers at Microsoft, Nokia, Philips and digital security company Gemalto recently announced the launch of a new initiative that aims to set out how consumers and businesses can do just that. Called Trust in Digital Life Partnership, their vision is to address “the fundamental societal issue of trust in new and emerging digital services.”

One of the founding members of Trust in Digital Life is Kim Cameron , chief architect of identity with the Identity and Security division at Microsoft. Mr. Cameron is a firm believer that the need to animate interest in the area of digital trust is key. In a recent Q&A interview with the Globe and Mail, Mr. Cameron outlines what steps need to be taken to secure digital identity.

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Most people are still careful to protect their personal information, but more and more of us are choosing to store our most intimate details online: financial information, health records, personal preferences, and even our schedules and location. This is not because we are more trusting, but because sharing information unlocks access to personalized services that support us in meaningful ways.

Services such as Flickr, Facebook, and Mint have created platforms to collect personal information and, in turn, have built value around their customers’ willingness to provide it. Netflix asks for direct input in exchange for personal recommendations, but the Toyota Prius works in the background, unobtrusively capturing our driving behavior and playing it back to us. Building on the power of information, these services can transform unintended consequences into intentional change.

As people share more, their expectations are evolving from archiving services to personalized services that adapt to them, and even anticipatory services that nudge them in positive ways. This has resulted in services that capture people’s history, filter their information, and turn it into tailored recommendations, options, alerts, and connections.

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