It’s 1997 all over again,” assessed Maria Mandel, partner/executive director of digital innovation at Ogilvy Interactive. Mandel drew a parallel to today by hearkening back to the late ’90s when ad agencies were acquiring interactive shops to build new media acumen and resources. Now she again sees deja vu on the horizon, with more agencies seriously looking to acquire mobile ad firms and expertise.
Mandel’s comments came as a panelist during a roundtable session at the Mobile Marketing Forum on Nov. 14 in Los Angeles. The day-long event of panel discussions and case studies was sponsored by the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA), a non-profit group established to lead the growth of mobile marketing and its associated technologies. The MMA has more than 500 member companies spanning agencies, advertisers, handheld device manufacturers, wireless operators, aggregators, technology enablers, market research firms and other shops focused on the mobile space.
While Mandel and her agency panelist colleagues are enthused over mobile marketing and advertising prospects, they acknowledged that there are still obstacles to overcome in order for that potential to be realized.
Eric Bader, senior VP of digital connections at MediaVest Worldwide, noted that a relatively small buy for a mobile campaign entails logistical complexities that require extensive man hours, often making the initiative far more expensive than it should be. He explained that campaigns frequently have to go across different mobile phone and digital device carriers, all with different standards and no agreed upon serving technology. This, he said, can make it “exponentially harder” to handle the mobile aspect of an advertising/marketing campaign.
And there’s still a considerable learning curve to be mastered by the clients themselves, related Renee Borkowski, senior VP, digital & database marketing, at Arc Worldwide (an affiliate of Leo Burnett Worldwide). “Brands are challenged by the medium…they’re even struggling with their own cellphones” when it comes to more sophisticated uses such as tapping into richer experiences offered by broader band content, she observed.
Borkowski said that clients generally are doing well in areas where marketplace adoption and penetration are most established like text messaging and mobile Internet, but agencies need “to teach [clients] as we go” for emerging, more ambitious, less exploited mobile forms of communication, including rich content.
MediaVest’s Bader related that there are different means whereby mobile campaigns are being funded, the first jumping-on point being “the maverick stage” in which a client or brand with a maverick spirit finds money in the “couch cushion” portion of budgets to invest in experimental mobile initiatives. “Almost nothing is integrated at this stage,” he said.
The next, more advanced stage that’s aspired to, he continued, is indeed when mobile is part of not only an integrated campaign but an overall allocation of dollars. In this scenario, mobile serves a role in communicating with consumers–in concert with and complementary to other platforms–and is measured and valued as such.
As for the impact of Apple’s iPhone on the mobile landscape, Bader observed that consumers access mobile media because they want to participate in something or want to get answers. Thus the direct WiFi line for iPhone users, he said, “can only be good for consumers and everyone,” including its implications for the mobile marketing community.
Gene Hackman Died Of Heart Disease; Hantavirus Claimed His Wife’s Life About One Week Prior
Actor Gene Hackman died of heart disease a full week after his wife died from hantavirus in their New Mexico hillside home, likely unaware that she was dead because he was in the advanced stages of Alzheimer's disease, authorities revealed Friday. Both deaths were ruled to be from natural causes, chief medical examiner Dr. Heather Jarrell said alongside state fire and health officials at a news conference. "Mr. Hackman showed evidence of advanced Alzheimer's disease," Jarrell said. "He was in a very poor state of health. He had significant heart disease, and I think ultimately that's what resulted in his death." Authorities didn't suspect foul play after the bodies of Hackman, 95, and Betsy Arakawa, 65, were discovered Feb 26. Immediate tests for carbon monoxide poisoning were negative. Investigators found that the last known communication and activity from Arakawa was Feb. 11 when she visited a pharmacy, pet store and grocery before returning to their gated neighborhood that afternoon, Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said Friday. Hackman's pacemaker last showed signs of activity a week later and that he had an abnormal heart rhythm Feb. 18, the day he likely died, Jarrell said. Although there was no reliable way to determine the date and time when both died, all signs point to their deaths coming a week apart, Jarrell said. "It's quite possible he was not aware she was deceased," Jarrell said. Dr. Michael Baden, a former New York City medical examiner, said he believes Hackman was severely impaired due to Alzheimer's disease and unable to deal with his wife's death in the last week of his life. "You are talking about very severe Alzheimer's disease that normal people would be in a nursing home or have a nurse, but she was taking care... Read More