Mobile + Social Marketing= The Future

The Glittering Allure of the Mobile Society was written by Allan Moore back in November. Interesting white paper on how we will become a mobile society. A bit of a long read at 29 pages but Marketing, examples of mobile in other countries, Mobile as the 7th mass media and Social Marketing Intelligence are all covered.

It is pointed out that Mobile as a media is only 8 years old and possesses 6 unique benefits:

1. The first personal mass media
2. The first always carried media
3. The first always on media
4. The first media with a built-in payment mechanism
5. The first media always present at the point of creative impulse
6. The first media where the audience can be accurately identified

After reading this I couldn't help but realize even more how the two hottest topics in marketing, Mobile & Social Networking, are on a collision course to combine together to essentially create what will one day be the most effective marketing medium.

The Next Breakthrough in Mobile

If we look back at the history of the PC over the past 20 years and the role it has played in society, we see how it has become a more integral part of people's lives. The PC's role in our jobs, as a form of entertainment and how we communicate continues to evolve and become more of a necessity for every person to own. As we look at the same affect mobile phones have had on society, we must realize that the potential to become a more "personal" device is enormous. The mobile phone is fast becoming that "I'm naked with out it" item that will be more important than a purse or wallet. With that will come the incredibly personal way to market to consumers that has already started to take hold. I know most of you reading this know that I am stating the obvious but I also think we can all agree that the Mobile Phone has so much farther to go in how it will impact people's lives in the future. And that takes me to the point of this post: What feature or change to the device is going to take Mobile to the next level?

Right now, most mobile owners would agree that their phone is already an important piece of personal property- we have all heard "When people leave their home, there are three things they always have with them. Wallet/purse, keys and their phone." Well, who is to say that there can't be only one thing people need to leave the house with. Twenty...no, ten years from now your phone could serve as your wallet and it could start your car via wi-fi. Of course the mobile phone is important but just wait to see how much more important it is by the time our next president leaves office.

But what will that next breakthrough for the phone be? Will it be when Mobile Banking goes mainstream? Will WiMax bring a way for our phones to communicate with chips that are implanted in future models of our appliances or vehicles? Will it be QR codes being a new way for Americans to collect information on the run? Are mobile phones a true replacement for the PC?

Whatever that breakthrough turns out to be, I am sure that the Marketing opportunities will continue to grow along with the ways we Market using Mobile.