With mobile slated to become a bigger part of television watching in 2012, brands and marketers need to think of new ways to incorporate marketing into on-air broadcasts. So what can consumers expect in mobile TV for the coming year?

According to experts, mobile calls-to-action will play an increased role in both advertising and programming in 2012. Additionally, new technologies such as augmented reality will play an important part in TV.

?Mobile calls-to-action will be used on TV in 2012 in much the same way they have been used in past years but likely with greater frequency,? said Doug Stovall, senior vice president of sales and client services at Hipcricket, Kirkland, WA.

?We will also likely see more real-time requests for interaction, especially during live programing such as sporting events and reality TV,? he said.

?Text-to-vote and text-to-win will become more prevalent as will real-time interactions with social media such as Twitter and Facebook.?

TV traction
In 2011, brands increasingly tapped mobile for TV spots to give users another form of engagement.

For example, Shazam began partnering with companies to include its logo on commercials. Once users scanned the logo with the Shazam app, they were able to interact with the brand and learn more about what was being advertised on-screen.

Although brands have not been released yet, Shazam claims that one-third of commercials in the upcoming Super Bowl commercials will be Shazamable, showing how consumers are becoming more knowledgeable about the technology.

Additionally, mobile calls-to-action will increasingly be used with SMS programs to offer consumers rewards and deals for tuning in.

?Offering a coupon or special offer to those who text in is a very effective way to drive engagement and sales,? Mr. Stovall said.

?This effectiveness can be further enhanced by asking customers to opt-in for further offers from the company, and creating loyalty clubs that tie directly to your CRM system closes the loop and provides potential for relationship building across channels,? he said.

Download mobile
Promoting mobile products such as applications and mobile Web sites will also be a trend to watch for in 2012.

Mobile has made the leap to be included in a company?s entire marketing mix and therefore needs to be promoted similarly.

Recent examples of brands promoting their mobile products include Geico and MTV.

In a new Geico commercial, the insurance company uses the entire length of a 30-second commercial to encourage consumers to download its new application, which is available for iPhone and Android devices.

Here is the Geico mobile app commercial

By promoting its app, Geico is able to incorporate mobile into its overall advertising. Although the ads do not include a direct way for consumers to act on the ads, they do educate consumers about its mobile apps.

More importantly, the Geico ad is a great example of how mobile has moved mainstream in marketing campaigns.

Up and comers
New technologies such as augmented reality and mobile bar codes will begin to be used more by TV marketers.

QR codes could pave the way for mobile engagement on TV but only if they are used strategically and lead to relevant content.

For example, online domain company Go Daddy is running commercials with a QR code that users could scan to learn more about Go Daddy.

The ad features a group of young men in college, and by using a QR code, Go Daddy was able to hook on to that same young, tech-savvy demographic while using mobile.

Augmented reality also has the opportunity to be a great resource for marketers looking to leverage their on-air broadcast.

Up until now, augmented reality has primarily been used on print materials including magazines, package labeling and at point-of-sale signage.

?TV can be tricky for augmented reality because it is moving, but there can be some great applications of it,? said Jessica Butcher, marketing and founding director at Blippar, London.

Augmented reality can also be combined with both advertising and programming.

Examples include including an augmented reality component to a children?s show or letting users scan their phones over the TV screen to find a recipe on a cooking program.

Very little has been done with TV and augmented reality, but Ms. Butcher offered three ways she thought brands could effectively combine TV and augmented reality.

?Placing a marker on the screen is essential because consumers still need to be educated on it and if it is flashed on the screen too quickly, it will not work,? Ms. Butcher said.

?It is also important to have the mobile call-to-action tie in with the brand as a recognition piece that matches what is already on the screen,? she said.

?Finally encouraging consumers to use the TV?s freeze frame or pause button to repeat content shows users what it is and how it can be used easily.?

Final Take
Lauren Johnson is editorial assistant on Mobile Marketer, New York