Most marketers know that the future is mobile. Over the last years “cellular phones” switched from being a device used to call and text, to something that can be used pretty much for everything: to buy things, to watch movies, to gather any sort of info, while sitting on a bus or walking in a park.
The concept of telephone changed a lot, and it changed our life as well. Figures are quite self-explanatory:
- By the end of 2012 the number of mobile devices will overcome the number of human beings on the planet, with 7,3 billions of units.
- Within 2016 we will have 1,4 smartphones per head (over 10 billion devices).
- Only in Italy there are already 25 million smartphones and about 9,6 million people use them to go online, in a total population of 61 million.
Defining mobile marketing as an opportunity is not technically correct: mobile marketing is an imperative that brands can’t avoid to seriously take in consideration.
Companies are starting using more and more frequently this channel as a strategic asset, a necessary step in order to follow the evolution of consumers, that today are “always on”.
A recent Forrester report tried to delineate the pillars of a good mobile strategy:
- Immediacy: to provide contents that are immediately usable and involving;
- Simplicity: to keep in mind that not all of the users own the latest device on the market – and after all it is still a telephone, for many of them;
- Consistency: it’s important to offer contents and share messages that take in consideration the place and the moment in which the user will be when he receives them.
When we talk about mobile marketing, we mostly think about advertising: the investments on mobile adv will overcome 5 billion dollars by 2015. But there’s more than that: this field offers huge opportunities for creative solutions able to generate more engagement and loyalty. And these opportunities are for the most part still unexplored.
So, after all these numbers, let’s get to the core: some successful case histories able to show how those little objects we carry with us 24/7 could be actually used to create experiences that go beyond simple advertising.
Ebay – Dual Screen Shopping Experience
Ebay, knowing that nowadays very few people watch TV without holding an iPad in their hands, launched a “second screen” application named “Watch with Ebay” that offers the possibility to buy something – of course on Ebay – bringing the “impulse purchase” experience right on the couch in our living room.
The app allows users to easily find on the popular e-commerce portal objects related to what they are watching on TV, by simply selecting the cannel on the app. Once tuned in, the app displays signed posters and DVDs of the movie that’s being shown, official merchandise of the two teams that are playing a match in that moment, and so on. You can take a look at it:
Ebay is the first company to offer a dual-screen shopping experience; this idea is somehow relate with another initiative we discussed here on YDL a few months ago – the product placement + real-time shopping experience inside Mango’s website.
Heineken – Dual Screen Gamification
In 2011 Heineken launched an application – called Star Player – that was based on a multi-media experience while watching a football game.
The app allowed people to interact with UEFA Champions League games in real-time, by betting on the game (final result, outcome of corner kicks…) and by answering questions and quizzes related to the teams: all of this was aimed to get points based on correct answers.
Soccer fans could then create a whole tournament with their friends and see scores in real-time on their phones, integrated with stats and news. The game was Facebook connected, so that people could share their experience, and the rewards they got.
In case you missed something, here’s a video recap of the campaign:
Heineken got us used to entertaining and engaging initiatives, but this time they definitely won the award for the “best dual screen gamification” app: the average usage time of the app during matches was 56 minutes!
Red Bull – Dual Screen Point-of-View
This Red Bull idea is simple yet very spectacular: during the NBC broadcast of the Red Bull Supernatural snowboard tournament, they gave the audience the possibility to watch the race from a completely different prospective: the one of the snowboard racers!
Through the Shazam app users could watch the athletes go downhill from their exclusive POV on the second screen: their smartphone. Even in this case a huge percentage of the audience used the app to experience this breathtaking double point-of-view. Which is easily understandable, if we consider the target audience of Red Bull’s events.
Coca Cola – Dual Screen Advertising
Being amongst the most important brands in the world, Coca Cola has been always experimenting with marketing campaigns involving new technologies. And during the last Super Bowl they really did something outstanding.
Over 110 million people were expected to watch the game on TV – more than 65 million of them using a “second screen” as well. Coca Cola decided to create a show inside the show, so they set up the Polar Bowl campaign:
The two bears that appeared on the TV commercial supporting the two teams (New York Giants and New England Patriots) were reacting in real-time to what was happening on the field – and interacting with people sending them messages via Twitter and Facebook.
I’m quite positive Coca Cola will do something like this even next year: the campaign was a huge success, with over 9 million people involved, coming from all across the country and using several different platforms.
What do you think about these campaigns?
Riccardo Scarascia
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