Mobile provides unprecedented capabilities to harness the science of marketing to build, execute and test targeted messaging strategies. But while data is key to effective mobile marketing, without eye-catching creative a campaign may still fail to grab a user?s attention. 

Some mobile experts say the answer is to know how to develop campaigns that are equal parts art and science while also being funded appropriately. Yes, data is the glue that holds mobile marketing together but do not forget to build an engaging experience that supports the user?s intentions.

?All creative requires both to be effective but the mobile-specific proof in the pudding lies in the ability to measure campaign effectiveness via tracked calls to action,? said Wilson Kerr, vice president of business development and sales at Unbound Commerce, Boston.

?Only mobile can deliver a specific ad to a specific customer that is prequalified to convert a purchase by their real-time location and then present a resultant offer within a mobile commerce site that is customized tailored for maximum effectiveness,? Mr. Kerr said.

Although creative is still important, marketers agree that science plays a big role in an effective mobile campaign.

?Traditional broadcast cost-per-thousand branding can work too, but the real power of mobile marketing lies in its ability to drive measured store traffic, offer redemptions and converted mobile commerce sales,? he said.

In order to find real revenue lift, brands can tie their mobile marketing initiatives with commerce elements such as mobile coupons and transactions to give marketers a better feel for where to place their money versus a simple impression.

Going forward, Mr. Kerr would like to see more trigger-point marketing that relates to location-based and revenue-linked efforts.

According to Harry Kargman, CEO/founder of Kargo, New York, finding ways to leverage good mobile creative is key.

?Any great marketing is about the creative, but in today?s world you need to measure creative performance to know what is most successful,? Mr. Kargman said.

?Even if you have great creative and science, if you do not have the reach then you are not going to be successful,? he said.

For example, a brand might have a great concept for a mobile application, but it might not be able to buy the media placement that is required to promote it.

Assuming that mobile users will find an app on their own is a mistake that brands cannot afford to make.

In order to make the most of mobile creative, brands can incorporate their other marketing channels such as television, Web and social media to help a mobile initiative get the most exposure.

Additionally, similar to all marketing efforts, companies need to plan for the future when rolling out a mobile campaign for updates and tweaks to campaigns. 

?Use technology to measure a campaign, and if it is not performing well then you need to go back and tweak it,? Mr. Kargman said.

?Great marketing campaigns are living, breathing things that change,? he said. 

Because mobile is so new to brands and consumers, some experts say that it is best to craft mobile campaigns based on more research-driven components as part of a larger digital strategy.

?Starting with a more scientific approach will generally yield a more useable, effective digital tool,? said Matt Garrity, director of business development at Canvas, New York.

?What we mean by science in this context is taking the time to research and understand firsthand what a user wants to do and how they currently use their mobile devices day-to-day,? he said.

?The next step is taking this information and building an experience that supports the user?s intentions.?

After these steps are put in place, then companies can start experimenting more with creative that center around a brand?s aesthetic.

Depending on a brand?s focus, creative can be tailored to meet specific business goals. For example, a company?s mobile site might be geared more at promoting a digital presence rather than driving a sale. 

Although there is some security in using research to dictate a company?s mobile strategy, testing still needs to be used to understanding things such as load time and user experience.

?While there is the idea that ? ?if it is not broke, do not fix it,? ? we also believe in pushing some of these boundaries,? Mr. Garrity said. 

The challenge for creating mobile creative is finding a way to target a mobile device, which should be treated differently than other marketing channels, according to an executive from Digitas.

?As with most marketing spaces, it is not an either or when it comes to art versus science,? said Ryan Griffin, vice president and director of media and mobile at Digitas, Boston. 

?There are absolutely parameters and best practices within which to operate, but marketing professionals need to be imaginative in the ways that they reach their consumers in mobile,? he said.

?The art versus science question invariably takes me to evaluating more brand-centric goals against those more rooted in performance ? in which case there is not really a debate. One should map ideation in mobile to your brand's objective and allow that to govern.?

In particular, Digitas focuses on finding specific moments to target towards mobile devices versus broader campaigns that have traditionally been used multiple times throughout a day such as television ads.

Having a clear, well-defined purpose is critical when developing mobile creative, per Mr. Griffin.

However, with mobile device fragmentation and unclear standards, some brands may see mobile as unknown territory where they are not willing to allot budget.

?Even more so than other digital channels, the possibilities inherent in mobile means that it lives at the intersection of creative and media, making it crucial that these competencies move forward together,? Mr. Griffin said.

?We can think about the state of mobile marketing today as being akin to that of the Internet circa 1998,? he said.

?In both instances, new spaces emerged that carry tantalizing new opportunities for marketers but require vision, creativity, patience and investment to fully realize the inherent potential.?