Today I came across a white paper titled “Getting started with mobile marketing: Answers to marketers’ frequently asked questions” (registration required) from the email division of Experian, the database marketing services company. As companies outside the mobile arena begin casting their eyes at a new revenue opportunity I am curious to see how their value proposition stacks up against the pure plays.
The paper conveniently states: “the first type of mobile marketing is simply sending pre-existing email communications to mobile devices or “smart phones” (e.g. BlackBerry, Treo, Motorola Q devices).”
For a dedicated email marketer, that may at first seem like a good strategy, and Experian supports device specific formatted emails to ensure user presentation is consistent. Yet, this is a narrow view of the mobile channel not indicative of how the email marketer’s boss should perceive mobile – as an interaction channel as opposed to a message conduit like email. SMS is often the more logical initial foray into mobile marketing given its greater potential audience, but Experian recommends it as the “second type of mobile marketing.”
For marketers new to mobile, the paper explains common terms but when it comes to text messaging, Experian does not provide this service itself; it partners with a UK firm to offer text message marketing capabilities and appears to be simply passing through the business as a reseller. No wonder text is “number 2.”
Given the lack of consideration for the mobile customer experience and other important elements like applications and mobile optimized websites, the Experian paper underwhelms with a focus on simply selling more email services targeting mobile devices. The date of the paper, May 2007, shows it lacks currency which the rapid pace of change and innovation in the mobile space absolutely requires.
Marketers, be they mobile or email focused, should of course consider pre-existing vendor relationships to engage customers via the mobile channel, but they must be certain to do so with an eye on their business requirements above all else.
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