Friday, January 21, 2011

Mobile Is Coming! Some Interesting Statistics

photo credit: mobilestorm.com
Posted by Amanda Walsh

Hard to believe we are mid-way through the month of January in a brand new year. Many recent reports have been foreseeing big changes in the media landscape for the coming year. A recap, "Marketing in 2011" in the January American Marketing Association (AMA) publication focuses on mobile marketing. Some interesting predictions and statistics include:
Julie Ask, VP and principal analyst at Forrester said, "Between the end of 2008 and end of 2009, we saw smartphone number grow from 11% to 17% of U.S. adults and I would expect to see similar growth in 2011."
“Spending on mobile advertising is expected to grow more than six fold between 2009 and 2014, reaching nearly $2.55 billion," according to eMarketer.
"In the third quarter of 2010, worldwide mobile phone sales grew 35% and smartphone sales grew 96% compared with the year-earlier period," according to Garner, Inc. "Tablets such as the iPad will reach 54.8 million units in 2011."
comScore, Inc. provided some statistics: "82.6% of smartphone users used apps as of October 2010, and the number of apps and the devices on which they're used are expected to reach new heights in the next few years."

A few months ago, I wrote a blog about QR codes. Experts say this type of technology still has a "way to go" before it becomes mainstream. Over time, better communication of how to scan and why will likely make these codes more popular.

In addition, some companies have been promoting special phone numbers where consumers can send a text for discount deals, recipes, etc. Specialized applications for Apple products play a big part in mobile marketing and  I'm sure we will be seeing more development of those this year. As a non-Apple product user, (not by choice but simply because of the hefty price tag) I haven't tapped into those so I can’t talk about the user experience.

As an Apple fan and iPad user, Laura Powers, the Vice President of Marketing at Furia Rubel, brought up some critical points to consider. Mobile marketing may be the future for Business to Consumer (B2C) companies, however, in Business to Business (B2B) companies, TV and computer are still the top screens to garner news and share resources. Much B2B research is done while on the job. B2C research on the other hand is done more frequently at the point-of-purchase. It all depends on the time and place - if you are at a store or social gathering, you are more likely to use a smartphone to research information.

The future for Apple is being widely talked about in the news as we speak with the recent medical leave announcement of Steve Jobs. In other news, the recent merger between NBC and Comcast, has many predicting "a change in the entertainment and communications landscape."

Many times when reading marketing industry trade publications, I feel that the articles are "preaching to the choir" in the sense that of course, many marketers and public relations professionals can recognize that "going mobile" is the way of the future. However, as an agency we work on the behalf of our clients and believe it or not, it is difficult sometimes to convince some professionals in other industries to get involved on social media, the value of SEO or to launch a new website. All in all, I appreciated the statistics provided in the AMA article and I'm anxious to see what 2011 in store for all of us.

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