2013-06-19T12:27:19-04:00 James Hilton http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/author/index.php?author=james-hilton Copyright 2008, HuffingtonPost.com, Inc. HuffingtonPost Blogger Feed for James Hilton Good old fashioned elbow grease. tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2013:/theblog//3.2597666 2013-02-01T08:03:15-05:00 2013-04-03T05:12:01-04:00

James Hilton http://www.huffingtonpost.com/james-hilton/
Mobile advertising is already a lucrative business, worth some $6.43 billion globally in 2012. And it's fast-evolving industry: changes to technologies and consumer habits mean that opportunities to drive greater engagement and new advertising formats are appearing all the time. Facebook is one company that is now benefiting from these opportunities. As reported on The Huffington Post, more of Facebook's users logged onto the site with mobile phones rather than PC bringing in 23% of advertising revenue - up from 14% in the previous quarter. Perhaps the biggest new opportunity has been created by the launch of 4G mobile services by UK operator EE.

The technology behind 4G, LTE, is up to five times faster than 3G. While at the moment EE is the only 4G network, in May the other major networks will launch their own 4G services. This should have a direct effect on the amount of rich media (e.g. video) advertising offered to mobile users. Data from the Internet Advertising Bureau showed that spend in the UK on text ads and display banners was £41 million in the first half of the year, with 20% of this being rich media adverts. Research from Medialets showed consumers spend an average of 20 seconds on mobile rich-media ads increasing to a minute when additional features like games were included. These formats are appealing as they deliver improved metrics to advertisers, which helps create healthier campaigns. The long-term view here is that 4G could usher-in significant changes. The increased speeds delivered 4G has the ability to for retailers to offer high-bandwidth mobile downloads in-store to complement their physical offerings. That means advertisers can get creative.

There will also be a real shift in the devices we see in the hands of consumers in 2013. Perhaps we'll see the iPad losing its iron grip: several analysts say Apple's share of the tablet market has already dipped below 50%. Yes, the iPad is still the market leader, but with the Microsoft Surface, Google Nexus 7, Nook, Kindle Fire HD, Galaxy Tab and more to choose from the sector is more diffused and competitive than when the iPad first launched.

Mobile payments will also be an area to keep an eye on over the course of 2013. Credit card providers and banks are very focused on mobile and 2012 was the year many of them forged alliances in mobile. For example, Telefónica agreed a deal with MasterCard, whilst Vodafone set-up Smart Pass: both smart moves that will no doubt prove to be extremely lucrative down the line. In the UK, all four major UK networks set up Weve, which offers a central hub for buying ads and targeted offers to UK mobile subscribers, and will most likely offer a 'mobile wallet' product in time.

The year ahead will show the strategies behind these deals, and how they will turn into live services and perhaps even some new technologies to drive the payment industry forward. In the same space Apple will probably add more functionality to its Passbook loyalty app to compete with Groupon and Voucher Cloud, and big brands like Starbucks will launch their own loyalty apps directly to consumers. If this includes payment, the knock-on effect will be huge and the market will begin in earnest.

It seems strange to say that these are still early days for mobile, as it's hard to remember a time that we didn't have our phones by our side every minute of the day. But the reality is over half of us have a smartphone in the UK, and the potential is there for growth both in users and also how we use our phones for more of our every day life. Undoubtably in twelve months time we will be talking about how far mobile has expanded in 2013, and how much further it still has to go.]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.2144258 2012-11-16T10:12:20-05:00 2013-01-16T05:12:01-05:00

James Hilton http://www.huffingtonpost.com/james-hilton/
With new technology come the early adopters who jump on the latest devices and networks, keen to find out the new capabilities available. For brands wanting to tap into this affluent and eager market, there is no better time to run mobile marketing campaigns. Campaigns that utilise the top inventory will see better results as consumers try out the different capabilities and interactive features that mobile devices allow for.

As faster networks spread throughout the country, we are expecting to see a closer integration of traditional campaigns with mobile as brands continue to understand the role mobile plays in the marketing mix. Over the coming years, LTE networks will cover more of the UK than fixed line internet, providing more consistent speeds to make rich media campaigns more feasible. This ought to help to deliver highly innovative campaigns that will make mobile a truly sexy channel for marketers and brands to utilise. Now is the time to start looking at tools such as augmented reality, location targeting, rich media and mobile commerce and figuring out how they fit into assisting brands deliver unique and impressive campaigns.

Since the introduction of the iPad, brands and marketers have been trying to understand how these devices will be used and how they will impact their marketing channels. From what we've seen, the impact has been far beyond what anyone really expected. With the current release of more affordable devices such as Amazon Kindle Fire HD and the Google Nexus 7, as well as other high-end devices such as the Microsoft Surface the impact of tablets upon mobile advertising will continue to increase after the Christmas period.

Over the Christmas period, we predict that spend on tablets will increase by 25% with over 90% of our global client campaigns already planned to ensure they secure the most valuable inventory. Significantly, this means that for the first time ever, we expect that the tablet versus handset spend will split towards tablets in terms of media spend capitalising on the spending habits of tablet users. For retailers looking to capitalise on the growing opportunity, running socio-demographic targeted campaigns and having websites optimised for tablet devices will result in the best results.

Due to tablet usage being more akin to sofa surfing, exact location targeting hasn't proven to be a big factor when it comes to the success of tablet campaigns with less than 10% of our tablet campaigns utilising geo-targeting. Instead, for the most successful tablet campaigns, other targeting methods such as country or city geo-targeting, demographic, language, time of day and channel targeting is proven to be more important. With faster networks speeds and an increase in large pocket friendly devices coming to the market, exact targeting will increasingly be a more integral part of tablet campaigns as users take advantage of the portability of smaller tablets.

Millions of new tablets and smartphones are being bought as users upgrade and gravitate towards the latest devices. With Christmas just around the corner, these users will be more willing to try new types of marketing and advertising, which could lead them to make purchases through their gadgets. Come Christmas day, we expect to see a huge boost in traffic once a large number of tablets and smartphones are activated. Brands who ignore the opportunity of targeting these consumers risk losing out on higher value sales.]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.1900589 2012-09-20T12:26:29-04:00 2012-11-20T05:12:01-05:00

James Hilton http://www.huffingtonpost.com/james-hilton/
Brands that adopt mobile first can take advantage of mobile search by building location data into their search results. Google search on mobile already provides results based on the users location for certain key words - such as food, coffee, petrol station - but only if the user has first agreed for Google to use their location.

Branded or retail apps can also build in extra-personalised content or offers to users, helping them to find the nearest retail store. By encouraging users to open applications with the lure of tailored offers, apps can collate individual consumers' usage habits, which in turn enable brands to issue intelligent notifications. A good example is the daily commute to work, when many people are tempted to grab a coffee on their way in to the office. If an app knows when and where a person buys their coffee, it can use this time and location data to suggest complimentary products, or send time-sensitive promotional offers at a particular moment. And if the person is in a different location, the app can also direct them to the nearest branch of their usual coffee shop.

As mobile devices come to know more about the user, they can start making smarter, more targeted recommendations. To some extent, we've already seen this with Siri on the iPhone 4S. With additional functionality on iOS 6, users are able to find restaurants based on location, peer recommendation and personal preference. It's widely understood by marketing agencies and mobile technology providers alike that there is a huge potential for contextual relevance marketing on mobile. It is because of this that privacy concerns are also one of the most talked about issues in the industry.

The more we can get users to share, the better the results we can give them. Consumers rightly need to be assured that their data isn't being abused. Apple has now introduced an option for users limiting how much tracking advertisers can do on their iOS 6 devices. While this does result in less relevant and useful adverts for consumers, it does offer peace of mind to those who want to limit what third parties are privy to.

Earlier this week, Facebook announced a new plan to monetise the vast amounts of data through search - in a similar vein to Google. Social is mobile. With Windows Phone, Android and iOS all being fully integrated with Twitter and Facebook sharing, it is evident how big a part mobile plays within social media. Social search helps to provide relevant results that are tailored around the individual user. 91% of all mobile Internet usage is social related; Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc, compared to 79% of desktop Internet usage. What all of this does it provide more relevant results based on location, peer recommendation and reviews to help people find exactly what they are looking for in a smaller amount of time.

As with the fixed internet, understanding the importance of search engine optimisation (SEO) and building in the right type of relevant location data is key. And as with anything related to mobile marketing, mobile search needs to understand the mobile touch points - where consumers will be using their mobile devices, and what they'll be using them for.

Looking to the future, mobile search will get to a point where it can start to predict what users are looking for. While this may sound like science fiction, the reality is that its virtually here now. It would work based on the time, location, personal preferences and actions being taken by users - for example, if a user has been in a recipe app and the phone calendar shows that they have a dinner party the next night, it could predict that the user will be looking for a shop to buy the ingredients. It could then make a suggestion of the nearest supermarket plus travel directions, opening hours. It may even incorporate availability data about the ingredients from the supermarket.

Mobile search is a function that each of us use, probably more than we realise. It is now at a point that when it delivers false or incorrect information, we notice. A good example is the reported issues surrounding the accuracy of Apple's new maps. Mobile search is a culprit to the death of the lengthy pub debate about which team scored which goal during certain games. It allows us to quickly find products, services and information from the palm of our hands and will only become more intelligent as time goes on.]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.1826861 2012-08-24T03:07:27-04:00 2012-10-23T05:12:11-04:00

James Hilton http://www.huffingtonpost.com/james-hilton/
According to Ofcom, 97.5 per cent of all text messages are read within five seconds of being received. Of course, there are reasons for this. Text messages are generally from friends and family as a way of communication. It is a convenient way of getting a message to someone when you may not have time to talk to them. When it comes to marketing text messages, the average response rate typically ranges from 15-30 per cent, compared with five per cent for email according to research from Text Local and Mobile Marketing Magazine. Text messaging is effective then. There is a clear and obvious caveat to this; it can only be effective if the person receiving it has opted-in to it.

While text messaging has its place, modern smartphones have, for some years helped brands to efficiently target consumers in ways that will actually be seen as useful. Recognising the growing importance of mobile devices in 2010, M&C Saatchi decided to acquire a specialist firm, rather than grow a division in-house. Just one year after becoming part of the group, M&C Saatchi Mobile represented up to 20 per cent of the groups profit. In large, this is attributed to the use of high performance targeted campaigns that reach the right audiences, getting messages seen.

Data from Dynamic Logic supports our own data by showing that the average mobile campaign outpaces online in the top five measurement categories. Advertising awareness alone was at over 19.9 per cent on mobile compared with just 4.2 per cent online. Mobile just works.

Over the coming years, it will get better too. Imagine, for example, that when you wake up in the morning and look at your phone, it's used weather and travel data to send you a branded message letting you know whether you'll need an umbrella or if there are travel disruptions. It would know the time you tend to leave and whether it is a weekday or weekend. During your day, as you pass a coffee shop, your mobile device would know, from your actions, which is your favourite dispenser and the days you tend to purchase. It could, discreetly alert the user through banner advertising or a notification if there's an offer available.

By intelligently and securely handling data, mobile devices could work alongside your calendar to know when birthdays are coming up, recommend targeted gift ideas or allow you to order a personalised card using a picture from your phones library. If you find yourself at a meeting in an unfamiliar area your mobile device could serve lunchtime results based on social recommendations and what it knows about the type of food you like at a price in your range.

In many ways, phones and tablets are becoming a personal assistant that is able to use a variety of different data - from what you tell it, how you use it, what your friends recommend and habits to give you only relevant information. From a brands perspective this is hugely powerful. It means that they can start to target people who are the most likely to be interested in a product or offering.

Mobile marketing has always been an effective way of targeting messages to audiences. It's had a few bumps in the road, especially in its early stages when SMS spam was becoming an issue. If brands and marketers can get the privacy around the use of personal data nailed properly, mobile won't be seen as a channel for spam but instead, one where only the most relevant information makes it through. There will always be a place for outdoor, TV and other forms of marketing and advertising. Mobile, will be at the centre of all these campaigns, intelligently interacting with other forms of advertising to help filter out irrelevant information.]]>