As part of our annual digital trends, we have collected thoughts on 2015 digital marketing trends from expert leaders and practitioners in their field.
Below are 7 Mobile Marketing Trends for 2015.
| Howard Simms, Co-founder, Apadmi | |
 | Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology, used in indoor proximity system iBeacon, is a technology that has been increasingly realised by retailers and marketers in the last year and this will continue in 2015. This is because it combines the use of mobile apps and location-based services to reach out to customers in the right place and at the right time with targeted content.iBeacons can give customers specific information, deals and advice depending on where they are in the store, the time of day, their purchase history or based on other mobile behaviour. This personalisation of a consumer’s retail experience will be used to drive people back to the high street as customers discover how they can engage with retail stores in innovative and personalised ways. iBeacon technology will give developers and retailers the ability to target consumers on a more specific level than ever before. Large amounts of data will be generated through using such technology and this will assist with businesses’ strategic decision-making and enable companies to mobilise their marketing and sales teams accordingly. |
| Marco Veremis, CEO, Upstream | |
 | The mobile app and device landscape has been a battlefield this year, with mobile providers and operators fighting to increase their share in a quickly-evolving market.2015 will be a critical time for players within the emerging markets, who will be looking to capture the loyalty of what’s been coined the ‘next billion’ customers, a customer segment mostly using feature phones (rather than smartphones). While established brands like Apple and Samsung have not heavily invested in them, the emergence of affordable devices has allowed these consumers to make the transition, fuelling the rise of mobile marketing content geared for smartphones. Engaging the ‘next billion’ customers effectively will be key for mobile providers, and they will be thinking hard about how best to capture and retain that audience. Partnering with innovative players that have local expertise and a data-driven approach will allow marketers to stay ahead of others who treat mobile as ‘just another’ channel. |
| David Peters, CEO and Founder, Emagine | |
 | When it comes to mobile, things get personal. Marketing has to be based on the individual customer’s needs to provide better user experiences and generate higher returns. The key to this lies in the effective analysis and application of big data, creating what we can “behavioural DNA” for each customer. This can be used to select and target the best offer to each individual. Machine learning capabilities then learn from the data to adapt future communications to market and customer behaviour changes. This approach negates the need for lengthy test and learn marketing cycles, reducing the level of engagement required and making choices more accurate; based on the individual not an average market segment. Marketers can therefore concentrate time and effort on the creative element of generating the right offers, giving the machine more to work with. Campaigns and interactions become intelligent, personal, relevant and timely – living up to the promise of true “Marketing To One. |
| Andy Mitchell, European MD, BrightRoll | |
 | There are two prominent consumer trends worth noting in the UK: 1.) Digital video viewing is one of the top online activities among UK internet users. 2.) Nearly half of these video viewers are watching video on their mobile devices; both according to eMarketer. The most sophisticated advertisers follow their consumers and it’s clear that consumers are flocking to mobile devices to watch video. This presents a tremendous opportunity for advertisers to reach their audiences wherever they are. Despite its growth among consumers, mobile advertising still faces challenges that prohibit its full potential for video advertisers. It’s well known that there is a lack of industry standards around measurement and targeting tools to validate mobile video ads. While these factors will not seriously undermine its long-term growth, it is timely that by this time next year, advertisers can expect to see sophisticated mobile solutions available in the market. Specifically we’ll see continued advancements around GEO targeting capabilities and device ID mapping, which will lend a hand in solving the cross-screen targeting and measurement dilemma. As a result, we can expect 2015 to be a big year for moving the needle forward in cross-screen video advertising as well. |
| Ian Malone, CEO, Geemo | |
 | Brands are now realising that mobile advertising isn’t working for them. Despite this type of marketing working for developers selling iOS games, an FMCG or fashion brand isn’t seeing the same kind of return on investment – it is not delivering the kind of response rates expected from digital advertising. This is understandable, as many of us don’t walk into a shopping centre reading an article on a smartphone and subsequently click on a banner ad during that activity. What we’ve seen in the US is that proximity marketing – where mobile devices are detected near to a product and therefore the context of the user can be understood – is going to be a far more effective channel for brands. The next year will see more retailers trialling the technology, such as iBeacons, before going on to create proximity marketing networks that they can roll out across their stores. Some of these networks will be private – communicating to their own customers only – whereas some of these networks will be open to allow other brands and companies to advertise to in-store visitors. |
| Craig Busst, Managing Director, City Numbers | |
 | Let’s face it, throughout 2014 mobile marketing demonstrated that it is still failing to truly connect with consumers. A survey that we commissioned earlier in the year found it was actually the least effective form of marketing. Only 5% said they engaged with mobile marketing, compared to 79% who engaged with TV adverts. This is worrying considering the amount that marketers are spending on mobile marketing campaigns, only to see little return on their investment. In 2015 the industry will sit down and take stock, identifying where it’s going wrong and executing strategies to arrest this endemic failure to connect with key audiences. Mobile should be at the heart of any integrated marketing campaign and the industry knows it can’t let the status quo continue. |
| Adam Goran, Divisional Director, Grass Roots Group, Customer Engagement Division. | |
 | According to research from Mobile Squared, 97% of texts are read within three minutes of being received, proving that mobile has the potential to be an incredibly powerful and immediate tool for customer interaction. If used by brands in a relevant, meaningful and personalised way, it can have a dramatic effect on enhancing the customer experience. With mobile already a great way of generating customer experience feedback in both an immediate and contextual way, 2015 will bring new and innovative ways in which organisations can connect and engage with their customers through mobile technology. This include advances in the use of WiFi to track customer interaction as well as being able to send customers personalised, relevant and timely promotions based upon information gathered through mobile devices. Brands will be able to use mobile to garner customer experience feedback in a very efficient way, with mobile providing a way to bridge the gap between rational and emotional spending allowing brands to tap into the factors that can turn customers into brand advocates |
