The Future Of Mobile Marketing
Many ask about the realistic future of Mobile Marketing.
Below there is a simple presentation and following that, some words to accompany the slides.
To manage expectations, I don’t talk about augmented reality search, whizz-bang apps, video pre-rolls or any other uber-cool technology – apart from in slide 21…so fans of that kinda stuff should skip straight to that juice.
The Future of Mobile Marketing – May 2010
Slide 2 – 4: Nobody can predict the future…that’s what they say…..evidence suggests that most predictions are wide of the mark. However, when one predicts the future in terms of sociological or technological trends, you could argue that some things are ‘hunches’ that turn out to have been pretty much in the right direction. As the co-founder at this fluid world I ensure this is added to the learning and development we run with clients, and incorporated with the strategic consultancy we provide – along with specialist execution through my other company JMA. I’m also a proud member of The Futures Agency alongside Gerd Leonhard, Alan Moore and others, where our sense of the future can enable other companies to get an idea of the way things seem to be heading.
Slide 5 – 10: Even for the ‘enlightened’, predicting the future is a tricky business. Check out some of the predictions that have been made over the years…
Slide 11 – 12: And now – if you search for ‘the future of mobile marketing’ you get over 10 million results…I’m honoured to have heavily advised Cristy on the subject (credited with the 1st result on Google), but nevertheless, I only have 10 ideas here…hope some make sense.
Slide 13: 1. The divide between us and the stuff we need will present the greatest opportunity for mobile marketing.
This seems obvious right? But it evidently and blatantly isn’t. I recently mentioned to a room full of people I was training, that I’d suggested on live TV that mobile networks should have communicated with stranded passengers affected by the ash cloud (full story here).
The general consensus was ‘why?’
“Why should a mobile network offer such a service?” They asked
I answered “Why not? Why shouldn’t a mobile network add more value than just voice and data?”
The answer was indicative of the world in which we live – “Because that’s not what they do”
It’s kinda ironic. Of all the people that need to work out how to add more value, it’s mobile networks. Of all the people that should demand more value, it’s citizens. Yet we are often faced with a blank from either side – even when the opportunity is apparent. This leaves us in threat of a commoditised future.
In travel, entertainment, retail, fashion & beauty, sports, technology, whatever – the divide between us and the stuff we need to make our lives better or more convenient, is where the greatest opportunity is. If you are considering where to differentiate, innovate, add more value or disrupt, find a problem that needs solving. For a channel that is the most personal, connected and powerful, a ‘safe’ bet for the future, in my opinion, is to link common need with common technology.
Slide 14 – 15: 2. Mobilised armies of fanatics will protect the brands they love and citizen journalists with destroy the brands they hate.
A common theme I have been discussing over the last few years has been the need for companies to create armies of fanatics. Groups of people who adore your products and services to such an extent that they will defend and protect the brand reputation. These groups do this so efficiently that one could argue the assignment of budget to nurture and facilitate such armies it is the single best usage of budget in business.
As covered in detail here and here, I perceive the need for these armies to be alongside rather than below any superior power. For the brave, your army of fanatics should be the people you follow rather than the other way round.
We live in a world where billions of people have instant blogging devices – instant journalist tools, free with a mobile plan contract.
When you understand the power of social media and understand that the predominant device of accessing social platforms is mobile, it becomes clearer how the future of mobile marketing may look.
I cannot over-emphasise how important the angle of creating armies is, not just in terms of mobile marketing but for business survival and competitive advantage also. The contained and unleashed power from doing so, trumps pretty much any other activity you could pay for.
Slide 16: 3. Open, de-centralised organisations will win and closed silo’d companies will lose.
Starfish are de-centralised organisms. Spiders are centralised.
Cut off the leg of a spider and it’s disabled. Cut off it’s head and it’s dead.
If you cut off a leg of a starfish, another one grows in it’s place. But get this:
The leg that was cut off, grows into another starfish.
This is because the main organs are replicated across all parts. Ultimately, it’s leaderless, centre-less and fundamentally flexible.
If you consider this in a business context, the companies that are operate like this can’t really be competed with.
In any industry/religion/movement, organisations like this are essentially super-powered. The mobile and marketing industry is no different.
Adopting a structure that can behave autonomously, a structure that can partner on a whim yet act alone on a whim, is impossible to track, predict or slow.
This is the ideal structure and my prediction is that the companies that inherit this will win – the others being at their mercy.
Slide 18: 4. Facilitation of experiences will eclipse interruption in terms of media spend
Marketing and advertising campaigns that actually do something, be it as a utility, a platform, a pizza ordering tool, whatever, will ultimately beat inherited, intrusive and assumptive campaigns in terms of where budget is assigned.
As we move into a convergent world, we will think less of ‘above’ versus ‘below’ the line. In mobile, the pervasive personal media channel, we can become aware, consider, purchase and share, on any mobile device at the same moment.
I predict the future of mobile marketing will see interruptive advertising as a disability. I predict that once there are proof points from other areas (like interactive dialogue), the toleration of non-interaction will erode. I write about this in a chapter in my book, The Communication Ideal, called The Abolition of Toleration.
Slide 19 – 20: 5. Mobile payment convergence will fundamentally change advertising & marketing and our banking systems
The future of ‘mobile’ in general I see as a world of ‘mobility’. I predict a world of machines and screens that are ultimately mobile in terms of being ‘anywhere’. In the same way as we see the convergence of other concepts such as cameras with phones, the most game-changing will be the convergence of payment services with digital devices meaning that the advertising and marketing funnel of awareness, consideration and purchase is possible using any machine and screen, at any time.
I predict this will have an affect on our banking systems, presenting new currencies (out of scope, I see a trust and reputation economy – but that’s for another day). If you think hard about what a cashless society looks like, it’s possible to envisage alternative banking systems which aren’t based on multiple layers of middlemen (and women).
It’s possible to envisage banking systems that are more direct and involve citizens acting as their own banks, in the same way as citizens could feasibly act as their own direct marketing agencies of self. Again, that’s for another day 
Slide 21 – 22: 6. Technology will be really cool but we will need to prioritise psychology
Inside the Google results for ‘the future of mobile marketing’ you will find numerous mentions of the types of technology we may expect moving forward. I don’t feel the need to cover that here, I’m sure it’s super-interesting, but without the understanding of citizens and the application of fundamental psychological principles, the technology will be just that, super-interesting.
Many who make technology are so wrapped up in how super-interesting it is, they assume that the psychological aspects are inherent. In the context of mobile marketing, this is more of a risk than an opportunity.
We are dealing with people’s lives here. We are dealing with personal media. Regardless of the technology, understanding people is the primary need for development…and I’m saying that as geek!
Slide 23: 7. Our desire for data to see ‘what’ is happening, will be eclipsed by a need for the ‘why’
We have data coming out of our ears.
Data everywhere, monitoring everything. Fascinating stuff.
Frankly, I look at analytics reports and after you get over how pretty the charts are, your left with residual questions around why these things are happening.
In the context of mobile marketing, the question why involves an understanding of how people operate.
For an understanding of how people operate, you need to start with the fundamental rights of citizen’s in terms of identity and privacy. This is at the core of self. Ignore it at your peril.
Slide 24 – 25: 8. The winning approaches will be easy to spot and will be based upon ‘citizentricity’ – building valuable solutions around citizens: their needs, rights and preferences
At this fluid world, we created a whitepaper that you can download here called ‘the fluid way – a 15 minute guide to survival in a new communications and business world’ where we outline the concept of citizentricity. Here is an excerpt:
We believe the trick is to build solutions around people, not organisations, and certainly not brands. We call this ‘citizentricity’ (which is a cunning bit of word-play matching the word citizen with centricity!). With citizens at the centre, it’s really crucial to understand people. We know for sure that understanding people allows us to increase value for them, which in turn drives loyalty and advocacy – that’s the ideal result.
Understanding the links between what people value, prefer and recommend opens up the ability to provide more personalised experiences of higher value – and it just so happens that people tend to pay for what they value. New business models will have to be built as citizentric – we suspect that citizens (i.e. your potential customers) will be very pleased if you make that happen.
Slide 26: 9. The big question is: what do we do if the most valuable information is the most private?
This is The Privacy Dilemma which you can read all about here.
A quick excerpt:
We are living in a world where our trust can only come from respect of citizen privacy (preceded with credibility, authenticity, consistency and positive interactions)….this is one of the main differentiators between the winning tools, platforms and channels in the future and the resources that get turned off en masse.
In mobile marketing, of all disciplines, you need to take a view on this dilemma. You need to work out how you morally approach an environment that is only going to get more personal and rely more on the building of trust.
Do you a) find even more subtle ways of gaining private information, or b) enable citizens to be in control of their own private information?
Slide 27: 10. Citizen privacy and permission will be mandatory for truly understanding preference
I answer ‘b’ to the previous question.
I have heard all manner of creative reasons why this is an unrealistic stance, all of which would never actually fly with an informed public.
The backbone to contrary arguments is that the public aren’t well informed about where their information is and how it’s used.
This, ultimately, seems to be the underlying justification why it’s ‘OK’ to continue to abuse privacy and avoid the need for asking permission.
So long as a) you can predict that people will remain uninformed and/or b) you can morally proceed – then I predict there will be two schools of thought and people like me will be seen as non-practical ‘thinkers’.
However, and for the record, I predict that a) people will become increasingly informed and b) your moral compass is directly proportional to the level of trust you can nurture in society -trust being the most powerful catalyst to mobile marketing success and growth.
I think that realistically and practically we have a responsibility in the advertising and marketing industry to shift toward this mentality for the benefit of every single one of us.
–
Thanks for your time.
Namaste
****oh, and by the way, from speaking on many stages all over the world for many years, I always start and/or end with saying ‘namaste’….this is often met with some kind of confusion. Actually, it is central to my core reasoning in citizen respect, justice and communication (let alone mobile marketing….). I think it may be of value to listen to Pastor Eddie D. Smith Sr. This isn’t a religious statement – this is a life statement and if you apply to any form of communication, commercial or otherwise, you will find that it pays you back more than you could possibly imagine****
****update 29th May 2010
Thank you everyone for the retweets that spread this message across the twitterverse – massively appreciated and hope it’s of value!
 mobileminmag says: RT @jmacdonald: The Future of Mobile Marketing: http://tinyurl.com/33flse4 #mobile #marketing #advertising – 12 hours ago
 ilicco says: @jmacdonald’s closing remarks today are thought provoking as ever http://www.jonathanmacdonald.com/?p=4630 thanks @paulbmma for the event – 14 hours ago
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 MattHellmann says: RT @mobilezeitgeist: Awesome presentation! RT @jmacdonald: The Future of Mobile Marketing: http://tinyurl.com/33flse4 #mobile #marketing … – 17 hours ago
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 FredMartinent says: Great presentation by @jmacdonald: The Future of Mobile Marketing: http://bit.ly/9eIETE – 1 day ago
 MoMoSlo says: Brilliant work from @jmacdonald, as usual! -> The Future of Mobile Marketing: http://tinyurl.com/33flse4 – 1 day ago
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 MoMoSlo says: The Future of Mobile Marketing: http://tinyurl.com/33flse4 #mobile #marketing #advertising (via @jmacdonald) – 1 day ago
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 MY ORIGINAL TWEET: jmacdonald says: The Future of Mobile Marketing: http://tinyurl.com/33flse4 #mobile #marketing #advertising – 1 day ago