The Growing Potential of the Mobile Internet

Mobile devices and the mobile internet are proving to be a popular contender in the race to reach existing and potential consumers in new and innovative ways. With almost half a billion mobile internet users worldwide, and a forecasted one billion by 2011, the mobile internet is a fast growing medium available to be used in a variety of marketing and advertising initiatives.  A recent poll found that mobile devices were the second most popular way of accessing the internet, with 58% of respondents saying they used their phones to access the web.

Companies are now starting to notice the mobile internet trend. In 2009, the total mobile marketing and advertising expenditure was under half a billion dollars. Over the next five years however, this spending is forecasted to grow at an annual compounded rate of 40%. These few stats alone begin to clarify the popularity and potential that the mobile internet now has among mobile subscribers.

Phone applications are a popular way that some companies have already started harnessing the mobile internet’s potential. The free Night Navigator mobile application was launched for the 2009 Scotiabank Nuit Blanche in Toronto last October. The application allowed users to obtain event information, rate exhibits, vote for favourites, and obtain event locations and recommendations. Scotiabank, in partnership with Simply Good Technologies plans to launch another free mobile application for the upcoming 2010 Scotiabank Caribana, which will be available for iPhone, Blackberry, and Android users.

Another use for the mobile internet comes to us from Heineken. The company launched a mobi site to raise awareness about the effects of drinking.  The site encourages switching to non-alcoholic beverages before it’s too late to prevent embarrassing behavior. This is done through the introduction of five embarrassing types – the sleeper, the groper, the exhibitionist, the crier, and the fighter. The site also allows for interaction, by allowing users to share embarrassing videos, or send virtual glasses of water to friends.

Overall, it is clear that we can no longer ignore the huge growth in mobile subscribers, and mobile internet use. With its large growth, and increasing popularity, it is sure to be a medium that all companies will soon be using.

European Digital OOH

Recently, we have begun to see more and more digital OOH initiatives coming out of Europe. Some websites, including www.digitalsignagescene.com have forecast that digital OOH revenue in Western Europe is likely to quadruple in a five year time span, from 158 million euros in 2007 to a forecasted 626 million in 2012! This equals an annual growth rate of 32%.

A perfect example is Diesel’s Be Stupid campaign. A digital window display by Comtech has consumers photographing themselves with their mobile phones, so that they can MMS the photo into Diesel. The photos then go to the digital display, as well as the Facebook page. Want to know the scary part of it all? None of the photos are moderated. If the campaign, which is currently taking place in Denmark, is successful then it will be rolled out across Europe.

Another example of European Digital OOH comes from Stroer Kentvizyon, Turkey’s largest developer of OOH advertising. An Outdoortv digital ad network has been installed in 16 metro stations in Istanbul and Ankara, Turkey. The screens were developed to help make waiting for the metro more enjoyable. The screens, which are located in the centre of each metro station, also provide advertisers the opportunity to reach consumers through appealing digital content, and brand messaging.

http://en.ooh-tv.com/2010/05/05/turkey-strer-kentvizyon-installs-digital-signage-network-in-metro-stations-selects-scala/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

One other example of Europe is harnessing the power of digital OOH comes from Portugal, where the mobile Internet service Vodafone 360 is being promoted through 360 degree, crystal clear LED displays. These displays are Litefast MAGIC, a product made by German Kinoton gmbH, and are located in malls throughout Lisbon and Porto.

http://www.digitalsignageuniverse.com/news_kinoton_120909.html

Digital OOH offers a multitude of advantages that suggest Europe might just have the right idea. Unlike traditional static formats that require manual maintenance, digital formats are fed remotely from a central server. The flexibility and creative allowances that digital formats offer, are also able to generate higher ROI. Another advantage to digital OOH is the reduction of entry barriers through the ability to run shorter campaigns, such as part-day campaigns that run in the morning commuting hours. It is clear that there is a lot we can learn from Europe and their current use of digital OOH technologies. When will we start seeing these types of initiatives here in Canada? 

Digital and Interactive OOH: The Perfect Media for all Target Markets

It's no secret that marketers far and wide have spent millions of dollars trying to reach specific target groups with the right medium; internet advertising for teens, television for adults, and mobile marketing for young, urban professionals. But as people start spending less time in their homes and more time outside, Digital and Interactive OOH media becomes more dominant in a world of unengaging and traditionally boring media. 

Digital OOH media reaches 19.2 million consumers monthly. Now that's a lot of exposure. 

Throughout this 19.2 million, several profitable target groups are reached through Digital and Interactive OOH - from affluent adults to college students to alpha moms right back to teens, Digital and Interactive OOH media has the stopping power to gain awareness from the consumer due to its innovative social and impressive technologies. 

Here's how people throughout all life stages/patterns effectively notice Digital and Interactive OOH media making it the ideal and perfect media to give your company a unique, trendy, and well-heard voice:

Affluents: 60% notice, 36 % take action. 

They make over $100,000 a year in household income and have enough disposable income to engage in high-end activities such as traveling, taking cruises and having mad spending sprees. They notice Digital and Interactive OOH media more than any other traditional media source.

Movie Goers: 69% notice, 51% take action.

18-55 year olds who attend movies more than once a month. 

Business Professionals: 67% notice, 30% take action.

Aged 22-55 they are more likely to have a college or graduate degree, very social and active. 

College Students: 65% notice, 49% take action.

Aged 18-34, they attend college, university, or graduate school. They also have a lot of purchasing power. 

Nightlifers: 65% notice, 43% take action. 

They like to go out at night and frequent visitors of bars and nightclubs, and are very social. 

Mobile Millennials: 63% notice, 43% take action

18-34 year olds with lots of purchasing power. They lead a more mobile, tech-savvy lifestyle. DOOH is an ideal medium for this group as they prefer communication with an interactive element. 

Teens: 54% notice, 55% take action.

Between 13-17 years old. A very social image-conscious group. Although they are the lowest percentile to take notice, they are the highest to take action. 

So there you have it. These groups were the highest among others to take notice of Digital OOH media. And these numbers are only going to rise - with social media websites such as Facebook and Foursquare engaging their users in a world of interactivity, Digital and Interactive OOH media will only boom and dominate the media landscape. And what more could a company want than massive appeal in a cool and shared manner?

*Statistics taken from OMAC "Engaging People with Digital Out Of Home Media" (http://www.omaccanada.ca/Sites/omac/multimedias/membersarea/SeeSaw_EngagingPpl_DOOH_Full_2007.pdf)