Notes From A Mobilized Marketer - Questions Around Virtual Reality Adoption and Advertising In That Environment

Four of 10 under 40 years old expect to acquire a VR (virtual reality) headset for their mobile within two years, Magid reported. My take? It’s hard to believe that many know about them, much less will buy one, especially with the price for the best units around $800 and limited content to view.

Why should we as marketers care? Viewers engage with ads in VR much more than in mobile or desktop apps. As reported by VentureBeat, click-through rates, or what are called “gaze-through rates,” (GTR) are nearly 30% on one company’s platform, compared to industry averages of 1 percent for mobile and 0.4 percent for desktop.

87% of marketers consider data their organizations’ most underutilized asset, according to Teradata.

Only 19% of marketers track all of their efforts in order to drive improvement via reporting, per Aberdeen.

It's the least excited that I've been for an iPhone launch. Why? My iPhone 6 is good enough, the new phone reportedly isn't meaningfully better, and I feel burned by the constant underperformance of the Apple Watch.

There’s only one paid app in the list of the U.S. 50 top-grossing, via Smaato.

Uber lost at least $1.2 billion in first half of 2016, yet you can’t go a day without hearing someone asking for the next innovative company that resembles it.

Streaming of Olympics competition on computers and laptops accounted for over 60%, according to Sandvine. About 20% went via mobiles (phones and tablets) and another 17% through connected set-top devices such as Apple TV, Amazon Fire and Roku.

Google says that it will crack down on "intrusive interstitials" in January.

Publishers worry most above viewability and attribution, Mixpo says.

U.S. teens prefer to make their purchases in physical stores across most categories, per eMarketer.

48% of consumers say that cash will never go away, yet several hyping mobile payment solutions suggest that currency won’t be used as soon as Tuesday.

Mobile Implementation For The Holidays Demands Planning That Blends Old And New

Successful holiday mobile implementation planning begins before the seasons change, well in advance of any holiday festivities. Now is the time to assess what’s changed in 2016 and what remains the same.

This year’s mobile user is clearly watching more videos and chasing more Pokémon. These topics deserve to be part of any session when you are looking at options for fourth-quarter programs, along with lessons learned from 2015 and prior years.

First, let’s take a look at the two new headline-grabbing occurrences:

1. Mobile video engagement

It wasn’t very long ago that the global mobile leader for a Fortune 100 company asked me how the company should use mobile video beyond YouTube. I told him that through technological advances, personalization is not only possible, it’s imperative to think one-to-one with video. The “If you build it, will they watch?” question has been answered, with consumers around the world spending slightly under 20 minutes a day watching videos on smartphones and tablets.

Facebook has made a major push in 2016 to offer marketers additional mobile video ad opportunities and has provided best-practice tips that include the promotion of videos that show behind-the-scenes footage, product launches or customer stories to raise awareness. Others have given businesses more options, including Twitter, which recently increased its allotted video upload length from 30 seconds to 140 seconds.

2. Pokémon Go and augmented reality

Now on to the phenomenon of the summer, augmented reality app “Pokémon Go” seemed to be an overnight sensation, merging the physical world with the imaginary one as users tracked and found Pokémon out in the world. Given the success of the app — it became the most downloaded mobile game ever — marketers have been asked to duplicate this feat. They will surely have more luck cornering Pokémon in the real world.

What marketers can copy in the mobile implementation phase is the fun and social sharing aspects as well as the opportunity to augment reality. What will prove to be a challenge is recreating the leverage and authenticity behind the beloved franchise. Pokémon has 20 years of history and brand recognition and its name is broadly recognized in crowded app stores.

This isn’t to say that you shouldn’t go for it, but the reality is that by definition, phenomena are rare.

Now, let’s have a discussion of lessons that we have learned in the past few years:

·      Nothing replaces work-back schedules, especially when you are asking others in your organization to do their part. Timelines set expectations and enable businesses to hold people accountable.

·      It’s all about details and dependencies. The back-end stuff makes the front end work for your customers. Note and plan for milestone dates.

·      Part of a mobile marketer’s job is to educate colleagues so they see the wisdom in teaming up.

·      Regardless of the size of your business, it’s wise to be in a position to be nimble. The best plans anticipate and prepare for optimization. Think ahead of ways to enhance your program and other roads to take if your initiatives aren’t producing the anticipated results.

·      Build opt-in databases long before your customers and prospects get distracted by the season’s activities. Your calls to action should be designed in the mobile implementation and planning phase and be out months in advance.

·      Realize that it’s unrealistic (and even foolish) to rush an app if success is your goal. Pokémon aside, discovery by consumers doesn’t happen overnight, nor will awareness programs get your customers or prospects to immediately take notice.

·      Steer clear of “anticipointment” and ensure you can meet product demand. Align your efforts with back-end function leaders — communication is critical. It’s also important to ensure everyone has the same expectations.

·      Avoid surprises for your customer-facing personnel. Take the time to develop efficient training to deliver great experiences. Be certain that everyone in the organization knows the importance of the effort.

You would be smart to take note of Amazon’s approach to the crucial holiday selling season. Amazon determined that a mobile web page load slowdown of only one second could cost it $1.6 billion in sales each year, so it built faster-loading pages. Last year, it recorded its biggest season in its two-decade history when it delivered more than 200 million packages. Amazon added 18 warehouse facilities compared to just the six it added last year in anticipation of more demand in 2016.

As the holidays steadily approach, it’s imperative to plan your path for mobile implementation success by analyzing mobile phenomena and user activity from the past year.

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Article first appeared here - http://mobilebusinessinsights.com/2016/08/mobile-implementation-for-the-holidays-demands-planning-that-blends-old-and-new/

Notes From A Mobilized Marketer - Dolphins Are Mammals, But It Seems Something Fishy Happened At SeaWorld

Reversing the trend of lower tablet demand, a dolphin grabbed an iPad from a guest at SeaWorld Orlando.

Through the first week of the Olympics, males were posting on social media about Games’ sponsors about twice as often as females, according to Sprinklr.

I understand, but do not agree with, the rationale of NBC’s primetime delay of the Olympics on West Coast. But there is no doubt that delayed weekend day coverage in this era of real time info gathering is dumb.

The percentage of Apple Watch users who will buy the next version, especially sight unseen? There’s no way of knowing, but I'm in the “absolutely not” category. The first time produced nothing but anticipointment.

eMarketer predicts U.S. retail m-commerce will reach about $131B by year's end.

More than one-quarter of U.S. Internet users block ads, per the IAB.

For the seventh straight quarter, AT&T added more cars than phones and tablets combined, according to analyst Chetan Sharma.

Millennials are 3X as likely as Baby Boomers to use mobile banking, according to FIS.

Citing "limited effectiveness", Proctor & Gamble said that it will scale back on targeted Facebook advertising.

Fast Company wrote that "for now, Siri is as good as anything that’s out there." Parity has never been Apple’s aim.

76% of U.S. Internet users aged 13-24 say that they are “addicted” to their digital devices: CivicScience.

Unrelated, but the same percentage of U.S. online adults engage with companies on social, up from 68% last year.

There are three million active advertisers on Facebook with 70% outside the U.S.

Several more mobile payment deals were announced recently, but contrary to the hype, cash wasn't gone by Tuesday.

Apple’s App Store saw record-breaking numbers during July as developer payouts crossed $50B.

In Life and Mobile Marketing, It's All About Timing

One of the cool moments of the year was getting on a yacht in hot Tampa to talk mobile marketing with IBM.

Among the best practices that I shared - time your communications. In other words, don't ask me to rate your app after you just canceled my flight. At that point, I hate you.

The interview is here. 

How do CMOs approach mobile projects? How can CMOs deliver great mobile experiences to their clients?

Notes From A Mobilized Marketer - Facebook Is Finally Being Looked At For Real News

66% of Facebook users get news there, according to Pew. And, by news, Pew means something other than that the dog got a grooming and now looks like Dad. Or that Dad now looks like the dog.

Pokemon Go is the biggest U.S. mobile game ever. And, with that, it will soon get ads in the form of sponsored locations.

Smartphone use percentages by country: South Korea 88, Australia 77, Israel 74, U.S. 72, Spain 71, UK 68, Canada 67, Italy 60 and Turkey 59, and China 58 (Pew).

Turkey is second in Periscope usage behind the U.S. and led to real-time look-ins of the attempted coup.

The average mobile cost per click (CPC) for brand keywords rose 25-30% above where they were in early May, per Merkle.

A meteorologist won't fit in your pocket but the FEMA app will, according to a tweet from the National Weather Service. You don’t say.

Survey: One in four U.S. adults have refilled an prescription via smartphone, but 62% want to (Adobe Digital).

Smartphone video had a cumulative audience of 110.1 million adults in the U.S. in the first quarter, up from 85.4 million in the year-ago quarter, according to Nielsen. Those users consumed 5.69 billion gross minutes of video, a jump from 3.41 billion a year ago.

Video viewing on PCs declined. Cumulative audience was 77.7 million, down from 86.3 million.

60% of mobile users would have a more positive view of a retailer if they were provided with offers that could be saved to their smartphones: Vibes.

The television viewing numbers tell a convincing story that baseball is not a young-person’s must-see TV. The median age for the Major League Baseball All-Star Game was 54.6. There were 294,000 viewers aged 12-17, 1.2 million viewers 18-34, 1.5 million viewers 35-49, and 5.2 million viewers 50+.

We’ll get another high-profile viewership glimpse with the upcoming Rio Olympics. The amount of NBC Olympics broadcasting hours is equal to roughly 52 FIFA World Cups and nearly 1,700 Super Bowl telecasts.

What Do Mobile Users Really Want From Brands?

Hype, myth and hyperbole live alongside reality in the mobile sphere, making it difficult for marketers to know where to turn. One of my favorites is the belief that mobile payments will be universally adopted ASAP. Some people suggest cash will be gone by Tuesday, which, of course, is nonsense. Just look at history — not only have mobile users been slow to use their devices for banking, but other customers still prefer to interact with tellers. Though you may think they’re in the minority, banks still offer in-person options because the demand is significant.

Do mobile owners actually want anything to do with brands and businesses while their heads are buried in their devices? Judging by the large increase in mobile users downloading ad-blocking software lately, you might discern that the answer is no. However, when you consider the entire population of mobile users, you’ll find your instinct is wrong — there’s still value in mobile marketing, and here’s the proof:

Facebook’s total revenue in Q1 of 2016 grew to $5.38 billion from $3.54 billion in Q4 2015, with ad revenue increasing 57 percent to $5.2 billion. Mobile ad revenue accounted for about 82 percent of total ad revenue, compared with about 73 percent a year earlier. Brands were spending more because the advertising was working.

Then came news that mobile advertising drives $26.52 in incremental sales per thousand impressions for consumer packaged goods brands, topping digital video, TV and cross-media, according to a new report from Nielsen Catalina Solutions. The authors said that with mobile having the lowest frequency across all media, marketers could buy more and still expect strong returns.

Want additional proof? Just under 60 percent of mobile users said they would have a more positive opinion about a retailer if they were provided with coupons and offers that could be saved on their smartphone, per the 2016 Mobile Consumer Report released by Vibes.

And then there’s this one — more than half of millennials would use their phones to leverage restaurant or bar loyalty programs, according to QSR Magazine.

Finally, according to comScore, listeners don’t mind hearing ads during podcasts — and they actually act on them. In a study of US respondents ages 18 to 49, two-thirds of listeners have acted on ads they heard in a podcast either by researching a product or service or by actually purchasing something they heard about in an episode. Of course, many of those listens happen through a mobile device.

Lest you think I’m full of hype, let’s examine the latest ad-blocking statistics and their ramifications.

Ad blocking in the US is expected to grow by double digits this year and next, according to eMarketer. In 2016, 69.8 million people in the US will use some sort of ad blocker, representing an increase of 34.4 percent since 2015. The following year, that number will increase another 24 percent, topping out at 86.6 million people.

Currently, ad blocking is more common on desktops and laptops than on smartphones. However, the number of people using ad blockers on their smartphones will rise 62.3 percent this year, and the number of PC-based ad-blocking users will increase 30.1 percent, according to the source.

So what gives? In “The Art of Mobile Persuasion,” I dive into the personal relationship consumers have with their phones and dissect whether there’s a place for advertising and marketing or whether three is a crowd. Through reviewing thousands of mobile campaigns and interviews with more than a dozen of the world’s leading mobile marketers, the only conclusion to draw was that many mobile users — but not all — are willing and even eager to engage with businesses when they receive value in exchange.

The large and growing number of people blocking ads is due to mobile users being bothered by bad experiences, being fed up with communications from brands that are neither relevant nor contextual, and choosing to keep their relatively small screens uncluttered.

“Crappy ad experiences are behind the uptick in ad-blocking tools, and Google, along with the advertising and publishing industries, is obliged to come up with a fix,” said Sridhar Ramaswamy, Google’s senior vice president of Ads and Commerce.

However, the mistake comes when marketers believe the door is closed. By providing better and more personal interactions, brands and businesses can block not just the stream of smartphone owners downloading software, but the hype that does a disservice to a channel that has proven its worth time and again.

(first appeared at http://mobilebusinessinsights.com/2016/07/what-do-mobile-users-really-want-from-brands/)

Notes From A Mobilized Marketer - The Eternity That Is 140 Seconds of Twitter Video

Twitter users can now post videos up to 140 seconds long. That’s an eternity given the human attention span is 8 seconds (per Microsoft) -- less than that of a goldfish.

77% of people read at least one review before downloading an app: Apptentive.

Last week saw the most-streamed NBA Draft ever on WatchESPN, with more than 557,000 unique viewers.

On average, 41% of retail marketing budgets are dedicated to digital, per the National Retail Federation.

Mobile accounted for 29% of travel bookings in the U.S. last quarter, Crieto reported.

Instagram has now snapped over 500 million users with 95 millions videos and photos shared daily.

59% of buyers prefer to do research online instead of interacting with a sales rep: Accenture. Many are “self-sufficient” mobile users. That has a huge impact on customer service, as I wrote in my The Art of Mobile Persuasion (www.artofmobilepersuasion.com) book.

54% of worldwide mobile display ads will be traded programmatically by 2018: Tapjoy.

HeyMarket, a mobile CRM for text messaging, stops you from drunk texting your customers. It has come to this.

More than three billion photos are shared daily on social networks , according to KPCB.

78% between the ages of 21 and 39 make the mobile payments generated in China: eMarketer.

99 of 110 top news outlets have more mobile web traffic than desktop, according to Pew.

Per comScore, mobile ads are more effective than desktop for conversions and brand lift.

Apple says that there are two billion Siri requests a week. What wasn't shared was the accuracy percentage.

I've never been accused of being a fashionista, so it makes sense that responsiveness in new Apple Watch OS excites me more than new bands.

66% of all email in the US opened/read on smartphones or tablets: MovableInk.

5 Lessons For Better Mobile ROI

The results of a Forrester survey released a few months ago highlighted many marketers’ ineptitude when it comes to mobile ROI. The survey revealed two-thirds of marketers are unable to gauge the success or failure of their mobile programs. Newer information released from IBM http://www-935.ibm.com/services/us/gbs/thoughtleadership/mobileroi/ and discussed at IBM Amplify demonstrated that almost 50 percent of the largest companies doing mobile are operating on an ad hoc basis rather than in a strategic fashion.

Ladies and gentlemen, we need to do better.

The following are five takeaways from these reports and actions to take before you ask senior management for more mobile budget:

1. Establish business goals first

It’s clear that not enough marketers are starting mobile projects with the identification of business objectives. When objectives are detailed first, marketers can work their way backward and develop programs that lead with or include mobile. Take a lesson from the wireless carrier that addressed a concerning churn problem by providing personal and timely mobile videos that brought transparency and comfort to individuals. The result was tens of millions of dollars in saved business. That’s mobile ROI.

2. Focus on results, not budget

At first blush, smaller businesses may look at the mobile dollars being spent by enterprises and think they have nothing in common. In fact, according to the IBM study, the average number of mobile projects being done at enterprises is five, and the cost of each project is more than $2.4 million. The commonality in successful mobile programs from companies of all sizes is a commitment to engage users and key stakeholders to identify quick wins and impactful use cases.

3. Don’t cut corners

This should be a given, but judging by the evidence, it needs to be said. In all but rare exceptions, fast and cheap is dumb and dumber. An ice cream shop I visited as a child had a sign that said, “Good food is not cheap. Cheap food is not good.” All these years later, you can and should apply the same line of thinking to mobile.

4. Mobile benefits are clear

The mobile-enabled companies surveyed by IBM expect a 7 percent increase in revenue and a 6 percent cost decrease. It’s safe to say retailers can expect similar results. Not only can these stores sell more when they combine mobile commerce and brick-and-mortar, but they can often reduce overhead in terms of shelf space and service personnel with customer-driven mobile efforts.

5. More mobile projects needed

The expectations of mobile users rise every year. Many people have little to no patience for slow mobile web pages, irrelevant messages and experiences that are not intuitive. As a result, businesses of all sizes cannot afford to wait. In the IBM survey, 22 percent of companies plan to undertake 10 or more mobile initiatives in the next year, while another half of the group are planning between five to nine projects. Your numbers may not be the same, but the clear trend is that more projects are needed to remain competitive.

In summary, it all starts and ends with the ability to gauge mobile ROI. At IBM Amplify, Pete Teigen, mobile leader of the IBM Institute for Business Value and co-author of the aforementioned report, explained that what you don’t measure, you don’t get. That’s a lesson to be learned by all businesses, regardless of whether they have one employee or 1 million.

(article first appeared here - http://mobilebusinessinsights.com/2016/06/five-essential-takeaways-when-measuring-mobile-roi/#.V1rAGXUGkFA.twitter)

Notes From A Mobilized Marketer - The Ramifications of Bad Mobile Experiences

The rising expectations of mobile users have been well-documented and covered extensively in my The Art of Mobile Persuasion book. Now comes word that one third of mobile consumers would never purchase from brands that fail to deliver.

Alternatively, Sitecore reported, when a good mobile experience is achieved, 76% report that it has an influence on their loyalty to a brand.

Nearly one third of all mobile searches on Google are related to location.

Location-related mobile searches are growing 50% faster than mobile searches in general.

According to Nissan UK data, 6% of mobile ad clicks result in a trip to a dealership.

Nearly 1 in 4 people abandon mobile apps after only one use: Localytics.

Only 24% of mobile app users worldwide return to an app the day after they first use it: Appboy.

Another from Localytics: 62% of users will use an app less than 11 times.

Over 419 million individuals block ads on their smartphones, per PageFair. The number represents 22% of all individuals who own a smartphone worldwide.

Email is the most popular function of smartphone users (78%), followed by web browsing (73%), Facebook (70%) and looking at maps and directions (63%): IDC and Facebook.

Just 52% of small businesses had a mobile-optimized website in February 2016: Yodle, and Research Now.

More than one-third of US internet users said they first find out about small businesses when researching online, according to a survey by Vistaprint.

Nearly six in 10 mobile gamers watch an ad 10 times a week, via TapResearch.

Mobile sales growth exceeded desktop growth by nearly 10x last holiday season: comScore.

81% couldn’t go a day without their mobile device: O2.

Eight in 10 Twitter users are on mobile.

Four out of five 18 to 24-year-olds (81%) say that using mobile banking is helping them to actually save money: per Halifax’s Generation Save report. A further 65% of these young people say mobile banking makes them more likely to move money into savings accounts.

Notes From A Mobilized Marketer - The Lowering Age of the Smartphone User

The average age for a child getting their first smartphone is now 10.3 years, according to Influence Central’s new report called Kids & Tech: The Evolution of Today’s Digital Natives.

As first reported by TechCrunch:

• Tablets have surged from 26% to 55% usage as kids’ device of choice during car rides. Smartphones trail at 45% (up from 39% in 2012).
• 64% of kids have access to the Internet via their own laptop or tablet, compared to just 42% in 2012
• 39% of kids get a social media account at 11.4 years. 11% got a social media account when they were younger than 10.

Uber shared the fact that riders will pay the most their phone battery is dying. But it says that it doesn’t take that information into account and gouge people. “We absolutely don’t use that to kind of like push you a higher surge price, but it’s an interesting kind of psychological fact of human behavior,” Uber’s head of economic research Keith Chen told NPR.

By 2018, the number of chat app users will reach 2 billion globally and represent 80% of global smartphone users: Forrester.

Google and Levi's have partnered on a smart jacket that can answer calls, play your music and go in the wash, recode reported.

An eMarketer study said that 35% of mobile app users want more personalized experiences. My question - 65% don't want more personalization or they don't understand the concept?

Another eMarketer report caught my eye: only 31% of marketers surveyed have a customer engagement process that they are consistently applying across business units.

#NationalSendANudeDay was trending on Twitter the other day. Questions from me - send ‘em where? College? Out of the country? To a "friend's" house?

Google says that 20 percent of mobile queries are voice searches. That is expected to pick up significantly in the next couple of years.

"There Are Too Many Apps and Too Many Bad To Mediocre Experiences"

Forbes asked me how brands can be relevant, engaging, and useful on mobile.

Here’s what I told author John Koetsier:

Koetsier: We see some brands building massive engagement on mobile, like Starbucks. But many brands aren’t sure where to start. Where should they begin?

Hasen: Everything and nothing has changed with mobile. We still need to sell stuff. It’s the how that is different. The common thread we see with successful mobile marketers is that they are pragmatic and using the channel to attain business objectives and to address pain like churn.

Successful mobile marketers are also open-minded, collaborative, good listeners and risk takers. Those who fail often are selfish, impulsive, illogical, timid and inattentive.

The relationship with the mobile device is so personal that brands need to enhance the experience. Otherwise, three is a crowd.

Koetsier: 75% of people who download an app don’t become long-term engaged users, and that’s probably higher for brand apps. What’s the key problem here?

Hasen: Several factors.

There are too many apps, too many mediocre to bad experiences, and consumers have no patience to see if you will provide value. It needs to begin from the get-go: help the stressed parent with recipes, show them that the train is on time, give them reason to believe that you are out for their personal best interests.

Koetsier: Many brand apps are not daily drivers … they’re not like Facebook that you open multiple times a day. Instead, you use them weekly or monthly as you interact with your airline, for instance. How can you maintain a connection in those times?

Hasen: For some apps, their value is in the knowledge that they will be there for you when and if you need them.

Of course, these days push notifications are the rage. In some instances, like when someone has entered a mall and has opted in to receive pushes, you can send them a notification that reminds them and incents them to open the app.

Another way to engage is by providing offers, special content or the like and promoting it in other interactions with the app users.

Koetsier: Push messaging is huge and there’s a lot of good things brands can do it with. Should push messages be sent only in response to users’ queries or preferences or requests?

Hasen: Push messages shouldn’t even be talked about until you’ve provided some value to the user.

A major mistake seen often is a brand asking for permission before gaining the trust of the consumer. Even when done correctly, brands should treat the relationship as precious and not believe that they can enter someone’s house, put their feet on the furniture, eat all the chips, drink the beer, and stay all night.

Koetsier: Once users are in the app, how should brands use in-app messaging? What’s it best at?

Hasen: When used to its fullest, in-app messaging produces even more value to the user and is personal and within context.

An airline should ask me to rate its app after it gives me an upgrade to first class, not after my flight was canceled. That’s why it is so important to use tools like mobile marketing automation to have a healthy, rich view of a consumer to know his or her likes, dislikes and interactions with you.

Koetsier: How should brands cohort or segment users? What should they be looking for?

Hasen: You and I might shop at the same store but have very different buying patterns. I may need an offer every three months for you to monetize me to the fullest. You may return on your own and never need a prod or a buy-one-get-one.

Group audiences through identified traits that make communications feel like a one-to-one experience – and drive business outcomes.

Koetsier: Is a brand app even useful at all if it’s not tied to the company’s back-end systems for customer and order management, and maybe support/service?

Hasen: There are lots of uses for apps (and also more than a few misuses).

Often the most successful apps engage the loyal customer with even more value as delivered through such things as exclusive content, access to sales and merchandise earlier, and to engage and become part of a user’s life. Nike is the perennial leader at this.

Koetsier: How important is it for a brand to have its own mobile app?

Hasen: Ah, the question that still gets asked after all these years.

It’s about a businesses’ individual customer insights. Does its audience carry smartphones? Are they apt to engage more deeply than what they could do on the mobile web? Can the business make its app stand out among a crowded space or should it tie into a more popular app as many retailers do today. In general, the mobile web is the foundational piece, then an app is layered on if it could enhance the experience.

Mobile users will punish a brand for a crappy experience and reward one that delivers.

Koetsier: Any great stories about brands driving high engagement on mobile that you want to share?

Hasen: The most successful mobile marketers are the ones who are pragmatic. Take the case of a large wireless carrier that uses personalized mobile video to reduce churn.

One way is through a custom welcome video that is the very first point of communication with a new customer.  Sent to mobile devices, this personalized welcome video acknowledges and thanks the subscriber for his or her business and summarizes the details of the account and what to expect when the first bill arrives.

As a result, the carrier has seen:

·      Significant reduction in churn (customers leaving in the first 30 days), saving what it says is tens of millions of dollars

·      A decrease in calls to customer support

·      The highest recall of any other touch with the customer (over 50 percent measured at 90 days post-video delivery)

·      Significant increase in revenue (ARPU or average revenue per user and lifetime value)

The piece appears here - http://www.forbes.com/sites/johnkoetsier/2016/05/10/brands-and-apps-how-to-be-relevant-engaging-and-useful-on-mobile/#47d6d17713d4

Why Are Brands Still Falling Short On Mobile Personalization Efforts?

Personalization was supposed to be the tonic that brought brands closer to immersed mobile users, but as the midpoint of 2016 draws closer, vegetarians are still getting meatball sandwich offers. Customers have little reason to believe businesses understand them, not to mention have the interest or means to reach out to them on an individual basis. What gives?

“We have to realize how complex [mobile personalization] is,” Sean Lyons, US president of advertising agency R/GA, explained in “The Art of Mobile Persuasion.”

“Think about how well you know your close friends and how preferences adapt and change over time,” he said. “Could you predict with great certainty what they may want at a certain moment? Maybe only your closest friends.”

Lyons went on to explain that the personalization consumers crave is a big ask.

“We have really high expectations for the capability to personalize communications, but it’s a very complicated thing,” he noted. “It’s a mix of both a trail of data but also the feeling that I have right now, my mood, that we’re not factoring in. There are going to be a lot more mistakes made and personalization with the wrong people targeted. That’s part of the evolution of it.”

Though it may seem like more companies are failing than adapting, there are brands that have driven business results by creating mobile personalization through one-on-one interactions mobile users find valuable.

For example, one major wireless carrier understands the importance of personalized service and continuously works to decrease churn and increase customer satisfaction. One way it does this is through a personalized welcome video, powered by technology firm Vehicle. The video is the first point of communication with new customers. It thanks subscribers for their business, summarizes the account details and outlines what to expect when the first bill arrives.

As a result of these personalized mobile videos, the carrier has seen:

·      A significant reduction in customers leaving in the first 30 days of service, saving millions of dollars

·      A decrease in calls to customer support

·      A significant increase in average revenue per user and lifetime value

Elsewhere, Toyota targeted Facebook users with personal video advertisements for its new RAV, according to Mobile Marketer. The automaker worked with an agency to create more than 100 interchangeable clips and deliver personal experiences based on data around the viewer’s personal interests.

Although these personalization wins are significant, the failures are often more memorable. For example, imagine this situation: In an attempt to deliver on mobile personalization, an optometrist’s office starts sending appointment text reminders at 4 a.m. a full 13 days before the appointment to patients who haven’t opted in. Not only would this be a violation of regulations and potentially cost the sender thousands of dollars per text, it’s a memorably bad idea to intrude with a text at such a personal hour. Ideally, businesses will employ more common sense as mobile takes hold.

Some consumers want the best of personalization and want it now, but Lyons explained that engaged consumers are more apt to understand the issues in getting to one-on-one marketing.

“People are going to be way more accepting of those mistakes if you are getting a truly remarkable service from the brand,” he said. “Differentiating what your products and services are is still paramount. That will lead the way and gives brands a lot more leeway in how they tailor their communications.”

This may be true, but brands are still leaving money on the table. According to App Developer Magazine, 6 in 10 consumers do not feel their mobile experience expectations are being completely met. Brands need to work smart and invest wisely to make the most of their mobile development budgets and deliver the top-notch marketing experiences their customers crave.

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(article first appeared here - http://mobilebusinessinsights.com/2016/05/why-are-brands-still-falling-short-on-mobile-personalization-efforts/)

Notes From A Mobilized Marketer: Floor Traffic Lights Installed For "Smombies"

The German city of Augsburg has installed floor traffic lights for smartphone addicts. According to a German newspaper that calls such addicts “smombies”, the move followed these accidents: a 15-year-old girl in Munich was run over by a tram while looking at her smartphone with headphones in; in nearby Augsburg, on two recent occasions, pedestrians have been hit by street trains while looking at their phones.

Facebook has passed 1.65 billion monthly active users with 54% accessing the service only on mobile. Meanwhile, the company reports $5.38 billion in revenue, 79% from mobile advertising.

Apple may be working on a way to show friends your autocorrect mistakes, the Verge reported. Apple’s autocorrect mistakes or mine?

DeWalt, known as a drill maker, has introduced a rugged MD501 smartphone.

Vendors shipped a total of 334.9 million smartphones 1Q16 up slightly from the 334.3 million units in 1Q15, marking the smallest year over year growth on record: IDC.

Amazon is liable for in-app purchases made by kids, a court determined.

Apple pointed to 451 research saying that there's "94 percent customer satisfaction for Apple Watch." They didn’t ask me, but I would definitely be in the other camp.

Despite a “down quarter”, Apple sold 395 iPhones per minute.

Unlockd raised $12 million to lower one’s mobile phone bill in exchange for viewing ads.

In 2016 mobile payment transactions could total $27 billion, up 210%, IBM reported.

Walmart Canada’s responsive redesign has boosted conversion by 20%, according to the company.

Interesting stats from Forrester: only 37% of brands use mobile paid search advertising; just 23% have unique mobile content; and just over one in five send push notifications.

comScore found that for every $6 spent online shopping in the fourth quarter of 2015, one of those dollars was spent viaa mobile device.

"You're Being The Whale Guy"

In advance of IBM Amplify http://www-01.ibm.com/software/events/amplify/, where I will attend as an invited futurist, I answered some questions for the company’s QUICKBYTES column http://ibmevents.tumblr.com/post/143584665604/what-do-you-see-as-the-hottest-trends-in-mobile:

What do you see as the hottest trends in mobile today?

There has been more emphasis on the customer journey and personalization although I’m still getting meatball sandwich offers despite going to the same restaurant 300 times and always ordering vegetarian. So there’s more work to do there.

We have also seen the rise of the “self-sufficient” mobile user who doesn’t want to talk to humans. This has a major effect on traditional customer service. Retailers like REI have had to adapt since they spend time and resources developing “Green Vests,” experts on climbing equipment, bike helmets, and more. Part of the answer for REI is to equip the Green Vests with wireless solutions to serve the customer.

What are you most looking forward to at IBM Amplify this year?

The exchange of ideas is going to be awesome. I’m also looking to further identify best practices and success stories that prove mobile’s worth. And I’m most interested in seeing advancements in personalization.

What major developments do you anticipate in mobile marketing?

I’ve been in this for 10 years and we are finally getting to the point where we are looking to use mobile to solve business problems. The most successful mobile marketers who I interviewed for my The Art of Mobile Persuasion book are pragmatic–they are attacking business pain points like churn with imaginative, measureable and meaningful mobile programs. A wireless carrier has saved tens of millions of dollars by providing personalized, transparent experiences through the delivery of mobile video.

How can an organization stay relevant five years from now?

It has to stay nimble, be brave, and current. And while it has to take measured risks, it can’t bet it all on one thing in mobile. As Miles Orkin, the former head of mobile at the American Cancer Society, told me, “Not everyone can be Mark Zuckerberg. If you bet it all and lose, you could be selling coffee.”

Data without analytics is like [blank] without [blank].

Data without analytics is like words in an unfamiliar language without a dictionary or translator. It leads to confusion and ineffectiveness.

What do you consider most promising in the era of cognitive computing?

There is a marriage to be made between humans and machines. One exists without the other, but doesn’t realize its potential. Machines help us understand our customers and prospects, but there will always be a role for marketers to maximize the learnings with creativity, experience, and imagination.

What app can you not live without?

My FlightTracker app since I’m constantly not only traveling, but moving flights up and back.

Are you always plugged in or do you sometimes unplug?

I’m like the guy caught on camera in Redondo Beach, CA, who missed seeing a humpback whale two feet from his boat because he was so enthralled with what was on his mobile phone. In fact, whenever I do this, which is often, my wife says, “You’re being the whale guy.” And, of course, she’s right.

What was the worst job you ever had?

The one after I stopped being a sports writer. I used to go to Super Bowls, the World Series, Final Four, and more. My Dad said, “Enjoy it because one day you will have to work for a living.” Of course, he was right, too.

How short is your attention span?

Huh?

Notes From A Mobilized Marketer - Wee-Wee Pads? Rover Actually Wants An iPad

NPR said that soon we might be sharing our gadgets with our pets, too. My three spoiled (human fault, not theirs) dogs want high-resolution smartphone screens and an iPad to go next to the wee-wee pads.

My frustrations with Apple Watch are well documented. With word that all Apple Watch apps must be native apps (built for the device) starting on June 1, I’ll say great rather than it’s about time.

If you missed National High Five Day last week, rest easy. Next up is National Fist Bump Day in June. #ridiculousness

Nine in 10 US smartphone owners use location services on their phone, according to data from Pew Research Center.

Smartphone owners use on average 26 apps and 52 mobile sites per month, Forrester reported.

59% of consumers have higher expectations for customer service today than last year: Microsoft. It used to be that you can manage public opinion in two hours. Now it’s closer to two minutes.

I asked Siri how much grass should you let a dog eat. Twice, she returned with "I found 15 restaurants. Tell me the one you are looking for"

The Yankees are offering a food-purchasing app, but only 20% of Stadium patrons can use it.

One-fifth of millennials don't use a desktop PC, per comScore.

It has come to this – a "smart mattress" will tell you if you're being cheated on.

The average mobile gamer is 36 years old, Nielsen says.

Approximately 10% of internet users are mobile-only: Accenture.

84% of mobile time spent is on just 5 apps, according to Facebook.

Cracker Jack has replaced its toy prizes with digital codes for games.

This year, mobile game revenue will surpass console and PC gaming, per new study: Newzoo BV.

92.5% of internet users in China had downloaded music apps to their smartphone, per Tencent Penguin Intelligence.

Notes From A Mobilized Marketer - How McDonald's Views Choice As The Killer App

For 43 years, the slogan from McDonald’s said,  “You deserve a break today.” These days, when it comes to patrons accessing product information and offers, the quick service restaurant believes that we deserve choice. Despite an impressive 10 million mobile app downloads, McDonalds has installed kiosks in its restaurants, too, giving options to its customers beyond cellphones and the traditional information found on boards behind the cashiers.

An example of my Apple Watch frustration? A gate change that doesn't come with tap when that’s exactly what's needed. Now, you have to notice. And often don't.

Mobile captures 2 out of every 3 digital media minutes in the U.S., per comScore.

One in five U.S. households have bought groceries online in the past month, according to eMarketer.

Apple will likely sell its one billionth iPhone later this year.

This is permission-based, but still raised more than one eyebrow - when you open the Domino’s app, it automatically sends you a pizza unless you cancel within 10 seconds.

78% of food shoppers say they want to save as much money as possible via mobile, according to Gfk. This is one constant in wireless era – pre-recession, during recession, post-recession, people want deals.

75% of consumers say relevancy matters when it comes to the rewards that businesses provide: Colloquy. The others didn't understand the question?

British mobile phone users’ movements could be sold for profit, as reported in The Guardian. That brings worries that location data will be used by criminals.

10 million did their taxes on mobile last year with Intuit.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella says that the secret to a harmonious life is to stop obsessing over your smartphone. Many of us know this but won't/can't/don't believe that we can do anything about it.

Native ads will make up 63% of mobile display ad spend by 2020, a Facebook & IHS study finds.

52% of users view push messages as annoying, according to Localytics. Better practices, more value and education are keys to improving that number.

My eye doctor was appalled when I told him that his vendor was sending appointment text reminders at 4 a.m. to people who haven’t opted in. We will see if anything changes.

Notes From A Mobilized Marketer - The Confusion Around Mobile's ROI

Few argue with the idea that more dollars will flow into mobile when we can get more clarity into the results of our efforts. But two studies apparently show how far we have to go. 67% of marketers told Forrester that they can't measure mobile's ROI. But 77% told Salesforce that they can.

Which is it?

Diving further into the Forrester study, we see that only 20% say that they have adequate mobile budget. Yet, as mentioned, 2 in 3 aren’t sure if it’s working or not.  I would love to be in on the conversations when these marketers are asked to justify the budget expenditures.

15% of Americans are “cord cutters” who used to have cable or satellite TV but now don't, per Pew.

The Associated Press – and therefore all of us -- will lowercase internet effective June 1. There’s more – in that same timeline, AP will lowercase web in all instances – web page, the web, web browser, etc.

A “suggested” Subway app in my Twitter timeline says that I can order a meatball sandwich. I haven't had one in more than 30 years. This is the best that we can do on personalization in 2016?

Along the same lines, 24% of U.S. respondents are “extremely frustrated” with restaurants for not making interactions and offers more relevant, Accenture says.

87% of B2B marketers struggle to develop compelling content, according to Forrester.

A study from Accenture finds that 60% expect the same customer experience across all touch points – from phone service to in-store & digital interactions. And that number grows every day.

Only 65% of U.S. marketers think that location data is accurate, reports the Location Based Marketing Association.

I was intrigued by a trending hashtag #IfIHadAnExtraFiveMinutes, but I didn’t so it remains a mystery.

StubHub is introducing a 360-view within app so buyers can see view seats before buying tickets.

Millennials living in their own home without kids spent 94+ hours on their PCs, tablets & smartphones in November, Nielsen says.

Notes From A Mobilized Marketer - The Short-Sightedness of a 4 a.m. Text Message

The easiest way to betray trust on mobile? Follow the lead of my eye doctor’s office and send a text message at 4 a.m. to remind someone about an appointment 13 days later. Is it that hard to see the stupidity in that intrusion?

For every $1 spent on a mobile device, $30 of retail sales are influenced by mobile, per Forrester.

65% of Spotify's global streams are now on mobile devices. This covers 70 million users and 30 million subscribers.

More than 40% of the top-selling smartphone apps have no privacy policy, per Forbes.

This is the longest stretch since 2007 where I haven't felt compelled to visit an Apple Store to engage with a new product. How about you?

83% of consumers prefer a talk with a person rather than digital interaction for customer service issues: Accenture.

Marketers need to move from “measuring and marketing to devices, to marketing and measuring people,” according to ESPN’s David Coletti. I devote a section of my The Art of Mobile Persuasion book to ESPN’s moves toward even more personalization.

Apple Pay is coming to mobile websites later this year, according to several reports.

Starbucks says that it is within "30 to 45 days" of releasing a Windows mobile app.

Google has added ride-sharing tab to Maps for iOS.

We might have to start a drinking game every time we hear the term mobile moments. It is the new The Year of Mobile repeated-by-all phrase.

I asked my 22-year-old niece if she knows anyone who owns an Apple Watch. "Only some parents. No one my age," was her response.

Juniper Research predicts app advertising will top $44 billion by 2020, up from $13 billion last year.

CBS plans to sell one of its radio division. Several of the stations ran pioneering mobile campaigns that tapped into listener loyalty.

When "You Did It" Prompt Made Me Feel 10 Feet Tall

Jeff is one of the leading strategists, evangelists, and voices in mobile. He has written two books, including the new The Art of Mobile Persuasion. He has spoken around the world more than 200 times.

One of the stories that I recently shared at SXSW includes my reaction to the first tap on my wrist from the Apple Watch. It was no laughing matter then, but it brings chuckles now.

Please check it out and laugh along.

Notes From A Mobilized Marketer - Facebook Drives Mobile Video Growth

Robots and virtual reality advances aside, my SXSW experience was heavy on results and opportunities around mobile video.

On the live streaming side, we now know that last year’s SXSW darling Meerkat was forced to change its business model with the appearance of Facebook Live and the adoption of Periscope.

It was Facebook’s moves and associated metrics that especially caught my attention over the last few days:

As shared by a company executive, 100 million hours of video are viewed every day on Facebook. Mobile is a large driver.

Ninety percent of the views on Facebook for the Straight Outta Compton trailer were on mobile.

The trailer for Furious 7 had 100 million views on Facebook, with an undisclosed but high number on mobile devices.

Approximately 2.2 million people watched the Facebook Live stream of Peyton Manning’s retirement announcement. This came despite the fact that the event was shown on a variety of television and online outlets.

Facebook has long viewed mobile as its biggest growth opportunity. Clearly video is key to the company’s aspirations.

Elsewhere:

Of the gazillion people at SXSW, no one brought a better in-flight Wi-Fi solution. Damn.

In a panel on beacons, Clorox's Sarah Ortman said that a brand’s mobile outreach in store should solve a problem or delight a consumer.  Or both.

Despite the hype, I didn’t see many robots at SXSW unless you count those who stayed out until 4 a.m. and were forced to attend early morning panels.

The majority of McDonald’s U.S. business is via the drive thru, making mobile solutions more important. The company had a large presence in Austin.

In the UK this year, mobile ad spending will surpass TV spending as well as desktop spending, according to eMarketer

Half of all debit card holders don't believe it's safe to use their card for online purchases, Kantar reported. I wonder what these people would say about using a smartphone to make a purchase. Likely, no, thanks.

In 2015, Apple sold 441 iPhones per minute.