Few Answer Mobile Marketing Call

DECEMBER 7, 2007

American Idol votes are just a drop in the bucket.

About one-quarter of mobile users are interested in mobile marketing, according to a November 2007 study by the Mobile Marketing Association.

Sweepstakes and voting campaigns (think American Idol) were the most common types of mobile marketing in which respondents had participated.

The MMA also speculated that marketers will begin taking advantage of mobile phone features such as cameras. For example, camera phone usage is up more than one-third since 2006.

"Camera phone [usage] dovetails perfectly with the coming cross-carrier interoperability of picture messaging via a short code," said Gene Keenan, vice president at Isobar, in a statement released with the MMA data. "We expect to see some very innovative campaigns this coming year using picture phoning," he said.

Overall, self-reported participation in mobile marketing increased to 5% in 2007. For once, teens were not on the cutting edge. Participation by 25- to 44-year-olds saw the largest increase.

With only 5% of these mobile phone users reporting participation in some form of mobile marketing campaign, it is still far from common. However, the move toward a mass audience for mobile marketers seems inevitable.

"The attraction of mobile messaging for marketers can be summarized in a single word: response," said John du Pre Gauntt, senior analyst at eMarketer. "The current response rates for mobile messaging campaigns blow competing mediums such as direct mail out of the water."

M:Metrics published research in September 2007 showing consumer response rates of 5.7% on the low end (in Germany) and 12% on the high end (in the US).

Learn what it will take for mobile marketing to move beyond the experimental stage. Read eMarketer's Mobile Message Marketing report.