An article on Rising this week made us sit up and think. An interview with mobile expert Max Pepe, Head of Clickwork7, a Global Performance Marketing company.
Specialising in mobile, Max says that delivering content to the mobile user is high on the agenda for 2015. There’s demand for a more sophisticated method of reaching a target audience by mobile and Facebook is at the forefront with it announcing the beta release of a highly advanced suite of publisher tools that offers the serving, tracking, optimisation, diarising and analysis of content published.
Various threats such as cyber terrorism and handling of sensitive data are surpassed by what he perceives as the biggest threat which is user cynicism and companies who are resisting change. As technical development in the mobile market continues to flourish and as we become more reliant on them as we go about our daily lives, so that cynicism will dwindle. Conversely, corporates will have to innovate and progress in order to offer these digital solutions to the individual so they become an intrinsic part of our lives. It’s a circle of adoption and one that has to naturally progress, Max argues.
He goes on to say that what we then need are the companies who will head up this innovation – who will speed up the rate of advancement.
Those companies who focussed on the mobile user journey and successfully created a unique mobile experience compared to the competition (he quotes Uber and Dominos Pizza as examples) will soon find themselves having to reassess their marketing pitch. Mobile users will expect the perfect mobile experience whatever they’re doing. Adding value to the user by offering an engaging experience that will bring them back repeatedly will be an ubiquitous requirement.
It’s crucial that brands collect data that can boost profits and Max argues that the way to do this will be via partnerships and analytics. People are exposed to brands via various devices and sources; what is important is that that data is captured and used to maximise awareness and ultimately sales. Through tracking your user, it’s possible to connect with a more personalised approach. He goes on to discuss Device Finger Printing – you can follow a user as they use various devices and you don’t have to logged in and cookies aren’t deployed – unfamiliar IP addresses don’t cause a problem either.
The final big development for 2015 Max cites is the power of the Millennial, those digital natives who have never known life without a mobile. They have taken the power away from brands and now demand a customer-centric approach.
“Millennials are mobile mad, social savvy and far from foolish. They are also the largest generation by population size.” This means they have power but can also serve as your strongest advocates as long as you’re genuine. Native advertising should be a top priority, be sincere and garner that trust from the Millennials. This form of advertising doesn’t hamper the life of a Millennial, it enhances it – so make that emotional connection either on a social platform, mobile app or blog.