How mobile makes traditional marketing more measureable

By Giselle Tsirulnik

July 23, 2010

Rolex used mobile image recognition in its ad

Traditional marketing mediums such as print, inserts and direct mail can usually be appealing in terms of creative, but lack a sense of immediacy and do not have an interactive element – until now.

With the rise of QR codes, SMS, image recognition, 2D bar codes and other mobile tools, traditional marketing is being taken to new heights. Mobile is augmenting the experience of these traditional channels.

“Print naturally, is not going to go away, and direct mail continues to communicate brands in ways that other online channels cannot,” said Oscar Padilla, director of interactive services at Vertis Communications, New York.

“But what mobile is doing is creating ‘trigger events’ that drive consumers to digital media,” he said. “We're seeing this in text messaging, with the emergence of 2D bar codes and other print-to-Web channels.

“Print programs are often large volume campaigns that have highly targeted penetration. With a mobile call-to-action, marketers are piggy backing on a successful vehicle to close the loop in establishing a digital relationship with an audience.”

Mobile is being used to make traditional channels such as print, inserts and direct mail more measureable and actionable.

When bridging the gap between print and digital media, marketers are gaining valuable metrics and conversion data that print alone cannot deliver.

Users responding to a mobile coupon are providing  a full-cycle data measurement component, from initial opt-in data, subscriber list growth, through full mobile coupon redemption at the point of sale level, per Mr. Padilla. 

“Any mobile tactic that is embedded into a print program has a measurement component that is based on user actions,” Mr. Padilla said. “The challenge for marketers is knowing upfront what these success measurements will be and setting up these metrics properly to track the end-to-end performance of that program.”

Case in point
Cosmetics giant Clinique used mobile to activate its print campaign within Bon-Ton Stores Inc.-owned Bergner’s weekly circular.

With the large reach that the circular has among Bergner’s customers, Clinique was able to build a sizeable mobile database for future marketing efforts (see story).

Rolex mobilized its print ad in the April issue of W Magazine, letting consumers get information and deals from the brand, as well as enter for a chance to win $1,000.

The luxury brand is just one of several companies that took part in the image recognition-enabled ads that are included in the April issue. Mobile social media technology company, Pongr partnered with W Magazine to make the ads interactive for the publication’s readers (see story).

At your convenience
Mobile is becoming all about convenience. It is being used to make everyday tasks easier.

Retailers for instance are not only providing applications that allow consumers to shop on a mobile device, but now they are going a step further.

For instance, Sears allows users to shop on a mobile device, select store pick-up and send a text message at the door of the store to have the merchandise delivered directly to the car. This is convenience.

“Mobile devices are changing our behavior on how we conduct traditional basic tasks,” Mr. Padilla said. “In the coming months we're going to see more programs that focus on expanding customer convenience, and not just at the transactional level, but at the total customer experience level.”

Vertis has been supporting Rack Room Shoes with 100 percent of its advertising inserts and media placement services for nearly five years.

With 300 stores in 24 states, the footwear retailer was looking for ways to save on the costs incurred for changes to its ad insert store address panels when adding new store locations.

In October 2008, Vertis introduced a mobile concept of asking Rack Room customers to send a text message to find out the nearest store location. At first, a trickle of requests were received.

Then on Black Friday, 2,600 store location request text messages were received. That level of interest was maintained throughout the holiday season, and by the end of the year there were more than 10,000 participants.

This success is underscored by the fact that the text "store locator" option was shown only on the Rack Room Shoes advertising inserts—not on the Web site, direct mail or other communications.

The inserts became the mousetrap that allowed Rack Room to create visibility for the program. Rack Room Shoes customers had a high propensity to interact with a mobile device to communicate with the brand.

“The top trends that encourage me - and surely all in the space – are talked about in a recent report among Fortune 500 company marketers,” said Wright Ferguson, senior vice president of national sales at Pongr, Darien, CT. “While never too late to the party, because it's their money which makes for a good party, three-quarter of these marketers are considering a mobile site, and 61 percent want to engage in mobile sales and commerce.”

Although big brands are currently having a love affair with applications, the vast majority of apps are abandoned in a month or two, per Mr. Ferguson. 

“Mobile allows consumers to act when and where they want,” Mr. Ferguson said. “In a program we are doing for a major publisher we will help turn tier wonderful magazine into a full-fledged shopping guide. 

“A deeper engagement with the editors' recommendations will result in greater brand affinity and actual sales,” he said. “Does it get any better than this?”

Final Take