Today I went to a presentation featuring Aubrey Gross, David Greene, Kristine Schachinger, and Phillip Gross entitled “Flash: The F Bomb or Da Bomb?”. I liked the title and I know everyone is buzzing around wondering “What’s going to happen with Flash?”, so I checked it out and ended up learning something things that I didn’t know. During the session the panel mainly talked about the use of Flash and accessibility. They also touched on the future of Flash, well rather if there is a future for Flash. (more…)
Today is the last day of SXSW Interactive 2012 and the crowd in the Austin Convention Center has dwindled considerably. I guess everyone is just tired at this point. Anyway, the first session I attended was called “App Empire” which was being presented by Chad Mureta who is the founder of Empire Apps and co-founder of T3 Apps and Best Apps. He is also the author of “App Empire: Make Money, Have a Life, and Let Technology Work for You”. In the book he lays out everything he did to enter the app world in hopes of helping other people achieve the type of success he has. So I went into the Ogilvy Day stage and for the first time, I actually got a seat. (more…)
I was flipping through the SXSW Interactive 2012 schedule for Monday and I came across a session with a name that caught my eye, “Avoiding Bulls**t Personas: A Case Study”, I figured I would check it out. I went to the presentation that was given by Jill Christ, of Lyda.com and Stephanie Carter of BoltPeters. (more…)
Today is the 4th day of SXSW Interactive 2012 and the very first session that I wanted to check out was “Getting Bold Using Social Media” which was presented by Sandy Carter, VP Social Business Evangelist at IBM, based on a book she wrote called “Getting Bold: Using Social Media To Create A New Type of Business”. I was very interested in learning how business can fully integrate social media and what it really means when a business goes social. (more…)
So it’s the second day of SXSW Interactive 2012 and I was looking for an interesting presentation to check out and I flipped through my pocket guide and came across a featured session called “The Secret Lives Of Links” given by Jared Spool. The name caught my eye and I figured it would be interesting so I went. I walked over to a huge room and waited for the session to start while watching Andrew Federman begin his Ogilvy Notes Image Think board about the session. Soon enough the large room started to fill and Jared Spool took the stage. (more…)
Today is day 2 of SXSW Interactive 2012 and I wanted to start off my morning by checking out a presentation called “100 Things Designers Need To Know About People”. I made my way over to Ballroom G of the Austin Convention Center and the room was packed with people wall to wall. There was only standing room so I stood in the back with a crowd of people that was flowing out of the door (this seems to be a reoccurring theme for me). Well we were all hanging around waiting for the speaker to arrive and we realize she is 10 minutes late and a SXSW Interactive team member came to the stage and said she hadn’t heard from her and she didn’t pick up her phone so she’s probably not going to be speaking. She added though that if someone wanted to speak to the crowd that they could take the stage. (more…)
During my first day at SXSW Interactive 2012, I decided to attend a session called “The Accidental Creative”. I can’t say that I knew exactly what that meant, but it sounded like something that would be right up my alley. So I made my way over to the location of Todd Henry’s presentation and to my surprise there were tons of people there and there was standing room only… so I stood in the back with a crowd of people that flowed out the door. (more…)
I attended the “Social Media, Social Change, and Social Filmmaking” for SXSW Interactive 2012. The panel was made up of some great documentary filmmakers: Dorothy Engelman, Meghan Warby, Rob Dyer, and Sherien Barsoum. Below are a few notes and key highlights from their panel. (more…)
Today is the first day of SXSW Interactive, which spans from March 9-13, 2012 and takes place in Austin, TX. SXSW Interactive is a great place to connect with industry thought leaders who are at the cutting edge of the latest technological advances and are sure to bring an inspiring and unique experience to all.
At the heart of it all is the Austin Convention Center, which is filled with people from all over the world mingling and exchanging thoughts and ideas. There are tons of people who are lined up for what seems like a mile to get their badges, maps, official SXSW bags, and are excited to see everything SXSW Interactive has to offer. (more…)
Over the past few years, mobile has made quite a splash in our everyday world and the digital marketing landscape as a whole. Back in the day we saw people with maybe a mobile phone or a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA). We have now evolved from those devices that now seem quite primitive compared to the technology that is widely available to us today. In today’s society, the use of mobile devices has grown exponentially; we can’t go anywhere without seeing someone on Smartphone, a tablet, or even an eReader. More and more people are “plugged in,” and that number is only going to grow as people continue to integrate things like mobile apps and other capabilities into everyday life. We use apps for everything from shopping, finding jobs, and staying connected to feeding our mobile gaming addiction with apps like Angry Birds and Words with Friends. Mobile devices have absolutely become staples of everyday life. Honestly, could you go a day without your Smartphone?
With the integration of mobile into everyday life also comes a whole new world of opportunities for marketers. Mobile devices offer a platform that can be utilized to reach thousands of people daily.
The number of Smartphone owners has more than doubled in 2 years
In Q3 2011, 26.3 million mobile consumers viewed mobile video
Currently, 87 percent of app downloader’s have used deal-of-the-day websites like Groupon or Living Social, and 54 percent of Smartphone owners claim to use their mobile headsets frequently while shopping
The majority of 25-35 and 18-24 year olds now own Smartphone’s (64% and 53% respectively)and they have led in Smartphone penetration compared to other age groups since 2009
By 2013, more people will use mobile phones than PCs to get online
In mid-2011, we reached a point at which consumers were spending more time on their mobile devices than on their PCs
86% of web users now use a mobile device while watching TV. The number of Smartphone subscribers using the mobile internet has grown 45 percent since 2010
49 percent of mobile customer say they frequently use their Smartphone’s while shopping
The majority of Smartphone owners (62%) have downloaded apps on their devices and games are the top application category used in the past 30 days*
Search engines and social networking websites are popular among Android Smartphone and iPhone owners (see figure below)
So … What Does This Mean For Marketers?
As mobile devices become more advanced the way people interact through these devices will also evolve. Which means the way marketers can interact with potential consumers must evolve and take advantage of this opportunity. “The promise of mobile marketing is its ability to reach the right consumer, at the right time, and the right place – including the very moment and point of purchase. The term “So-Lo-Mo” (for social, local, mobile) has been coined to refer to this opportunity.” (Nielsen)
There are many creative and effective ways to interact with potential customers, but here are 6 ways marketers can utilize this quickly expanding mobile landscape:
Test the mobile waters with basic mobile advertising.
Launch text message subscription campaigns. With this option consumers can opt in and receive information about your company on their mobile device.
Use QR codes can help generate leads, completed sales, and maybe spark consumers to connect with your company through different avenues like social media.
Utilize location-based deal platforms like Groupon and Living Social
Implement Geo-fencing technology, which is a technology that is compatible with a majority of mobile phones. The location-based technology alerts consumers by SMS while in parameters of participating shopping centers on deals that are available at surrounding stores.
Develop an app for your business. For example, if your business is a restaurant, offer your nutritional information through an app. If your business is a clothing store, offer your product line through your app. Apps are a great way for you to offer valuable information to potential and existing customers.
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