Monday, November 24, 2008

Mobile Marketing - Sports & Pizza

The focus of week 5 in class was mobile marketing and the latest trends. I can’t say I’ve ever opted-in to any mobile marketing campaign, then again I use my cell phone probably far less than the average person. Some people talk on a cell phone like they’re addicted to it – not me. But the truth of the matter is that in today’s society a cell phone is basically like a little buddy that people can’t live without therefore it’s a great way to deliver messages directly to customers.

Here are some areas in which I think mobile marketing will continue to grow:

Sports Marketing – Sports fans are very passionate and can’t get enough information about their favorite teams. Receiving information about their teams on their cell phone is an instant winner. As Cuneo states “Then one Sunday in October 2007, and ESPN has what may be seen as a watershed moment in mobile history: For the first time, it had more visits to the NFL content on its mobile phone site than it did to the same area on its PC website” (Cuneo).

Furthermore, athletic arenas are great places to to promote mobile media campaigns. Think about, what else do you have to do during a timeout but watch the Jumbotron?. The Jumbotron is a perfect outlet to promote mobile campaigns because it allows people to focus on the message without being able to change the channel. Companies can easily reach tens of thousands of people at one time and get them to opt-in on the spot.

Pizza – Yes, pizza. Ordering pizza seems simple enough but think about what a hassle it can sometimes be. First of all you have to remember the phone number. Then you need to find the menu. Then you get put on hold for a few minutes until they take your order. Then you have to repeat yourself a few times because the pizza place is so loud that the person taking your order can’t hear what you’re saying. Then you have to call back because you forgot to ask how long it will take to deliver or for you to pick it up. Now think about how much easier it would be if you could just order directly from your cell phone. I know some pizza chains allow customers to order online which is good, however who wants to get up from the couch during a big game to go log onto the computer? It would be so much easier to just reach for your cell phone and order it without any movement from the couch. Any true sports fan can relate to this.

The pizza industry can use mobile marketing to promote special offers and even craft the messages to indicate what big game is on TV and what a great complement pizza would be to the viewing experience. This shows that although mobile marketing is high tech it can be utilized in some low tech industries.

- Patrick

Reference
Cuneo, A. (2008, March 17). ESPN. (cover story). Advertising Age, 79(11), 58-58. Retrieved November 23, 2008, from Business Source Premier database

1 comment:

Kristin said...

Patrick,
I think your idea of pizza and text message ordering is great. In fact, I recently heard that Papa John's is now allowing this. Check out their website!!

http://www.papajohns.com/sms/index.shtm.

Kristin