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When saying no is best

A striking comment made at last week's IAB Leadership Forum: Mobile event was honesty at its best and marketing at its smartest. And it came from the CEO of one of the leading mobile marketing agencies worldwide.

Vladimir Edelman, boss of the Ansible agency, was part of a panel that threw up case studies of mobile work for marketers such as Procter & Gamble Co., Johnson & Johnson and Research In Motion Inc.'s BlackBerry (see story). After outlining his agency's work for J&J's BabyCenter site, Mr. Edelman advised the audience to be realistic, say no to work that does not translate well to mobile and find budgets that make sense.

"This industry cannot afford bad case studies," Mr. Edelman said. "Brands can sit this out and not worry about missing anything."

The 300 or so executives in the audience -- agency creatives, media buyers, publishers, marketers and mobile service providers -- may not have immediately understood the import of those words. But it serves everyone well to reflect on the wisdom of that message.

Eyes on mobile
Mobile marketing is under scrutiny like it has never been before.

Since the Apple iPhone's launch last year and an upgrade's debut earlier this month, consumers have raised their expectations of the mobile phone. See the steady stream of iPhone-focused applications developed for content, media, commerce and marketing purposes.

Developers, retailers and publishers have also lavished attention on the BlackBerry platform as well as Google's much-hyped Android.

Yahoo and Microsoft too have a dog in the game, each collaborating with the marketplace to gain a spot on the world's most valuable real estate -- the mobile phone screen.

Each widget or application brings the mobile experience closer to a computer's. A small screen, speed and data charges are all that hinder the mobile phone's progress as the laptop's successor.

On the marketing side, banner ads are now quite commonplace on major mobile publisher sites. The ads are simple, not intrusive and yet eye-catching, clickable to a landing page with Web or telephone options.

Advertisers in the entertainment and automotive sectors, for example, have found a marvelous outreach channel to reach consumers on the go. Given the newness of this medium, click-throughs are high compared with computer-based email or banner ads.

Similarly, text programs are more popular now than they have ever been. Marketers are turning to SMS for promotions and mobile coupons. They are inviting consumers to sign up for alerts, updates and sweepstakes. They are building opted-in databases of immeasurable value.

Advise, revise
Smart mobile marketing agencies, ad networks, service providers and publishers will obviously tout the value of mobile marketing. They will trot out case studies as proof of concept.

But smarter players will also know when to turn down business. It is tempting to slap the mobile label on every ad campaign. After all, how difficult is it to take a short code and add keywords and before you know it, the agency has proposed an SMS campaign?

Well, the one thing mobile marketing firms do not want to do is emulate the dot-coms in their cocky heyday. Venture-capital-flush Internet companies over-promised and under-delivered. Mobile does not have the luxury of losing billions to learning lessons.

So when thinking of pitching a client, consider: Does it make sense to add a mobile component? Does it extend brand awareness? Does it serve well as a direct marketing medium? Does it build loyalty? Does it add to the database? Is the effort measurable? Does it complement other channels?

Above all, does the marketer's product or service lend itself to mobile marketing, content or commerce?

If the answer to most of these questions is no, then mobile is not a candidate for that brand's marketing efforts -- at least not at the time of evaluation.

And even if mobile is a strong possibility for the brand, agencies and marketers should invite publishers and ad networks to comment on the ad's likely effectiveness.

Essentially, publishers and ad networks should request to see the creative before it is formally submitted. After all, they know their audience's propensity to respond to targeted content.

Given the small size, the message and branding on the banner unit must be immediately apparent. Make sure the brand lettering does not get lost in the color of the banner. The call to action should be loud and clear. Don't be too smart by half -- there's simply no time for showing off.

The landing page experience is equally important. Ask the visitor to accomplish the call to action in one of three ways -- signing up for additional information, clicking on a link to another mobile Web page or clicking on a link that dials the brand's call center.

Any call to action on mobile must be limited to no more than three clicks. Limit the data fields to the basic details that will identify the user and his or her preferences. This tip is not based on scientific assessment, but common sense. The mobile channel does not suffer fills gladly.

Not now, darling
To Mr. Edelman's point, realism and saying no will be appreciated by the client or the prospect. That marketer will return when his or her brand is more mobile-friendly.

The final point is budgets. Do not just settle. Mobile is not a cheaper cousin of the computer-based Internet. It has its own cost structures.

Mr. Edelman and his fellow panelists were asked at the IAB Mobile event if $50,000 to $75,000 could buy a decent mobile ad campaign. His answer: not much.

Yes, that amount could buy some testing or finger-in-the-wind analysis. But it will not have a wide effect on a larger audience.

A strong, consumer-focused mobile marketing campaign can cost upwards of $250,000, according to Mr. Edelman. It's not hard to imagine and is worth it when it costs just about that much to wire up a Bluetooth bus stand.

"This year, moving into 2009, we're seeing a lot more seven-figure budgets," Mr. Edelman said.

Many marketers and agencies complain that mobile is a complicated channel. It is not. But it requires dedicated attention. It requires transparency. It requires honesty. Sometimes saying "Not now" will prevent a headache.