Mobile is Not a Screen

Why does mobile marketing cause us headaches?

The future of marketing is literally in the palm of our hands - the smart phone.  But we have to rethink things; it is not just another screen.

Given all recent stats from just about every firm around, there should be no question about the impact of mobile on retail shopping.  True, it varies by category according to Deloitte reserach but the trend is undeniable: we use it to help us decide.

The result is a series of paradoxes we're not used to because it totally disrupted the path to purchase as we understood it to be. We're now operating in a world when...

• More information from more sources is present at decision time not less because we don't need to wean out choices ahead of time.  
• The ability to push messages first requires pull, activation or opt-in because this is personal not broadcast.
• The content is not what we'd thought it would be (ads) but rather what they need (info) because that is what is actually important. 
• Awareness and consideration may occur at the same instant because it eliminates the need for prior research.
• The time and space distinction of channels has evaporated because there are no physical constraints on where it can be used.
• Showrooming can lead to higher in-store conversion because consumers can recognize the offer as 'good enough'. 

So, let's stop thinking about mobile as the 3rd screen (NYT piece from 2007) for advertising but rather a decision support platform. 

Maybe we should design our content strategy like a dashboard....