We are in an era where more and more consumers are spending more time on their mobile devices. In fact, according to a study by Pew Research, 97% of Americans own any cell phone while 85% own a smartphone. It’s not just young people using smartphones; in another study, data showed that Baby Boomers (age 55-73) and the Silent Generation (age 74-91) are also increasing their use of smartphones. Also, online dependency has grown over the years across all demographics.
Why is this information important?
As marketers, our primary goal is to meet our customers/target audience where they are at and inform them of the advantages of our brand or service. Mobile marketing can help with this. Mobile marketing is marketing your business or product to appeal to mobile device users. One of the most significant benefits of this tool is that your business can reach a larger audience. As seen in the previous data, the use of smartphones is steadily increasing, and more and more people are spending significant amounts of time online, allowing marketers to get their message across to thousands of people.
Due to the sudden Covid 19 pandemic, 2020 was a year that brought many hardships. However, it also provided a “golden” opportunity for mobile marketing to shine if brands were strategic enough to pay attention. Many businesses had to pivot and focus on meeting their customers on digital channels as the rest of the world was shut down. Out of this came some of the best mobile marketing campaigns. One of my favorites was the Chipotle Together campaign. At the beginning of the lockdown, many Americans transitioned to working from home. This new environment reduced the number of interactions with co-workers, which left many wondering how to get that back. That’s what made the Chipotle campaign so successful and memorable. They saw a need and provided an innovative solution. They started hosting virtual lunches where people could connect with others. They further enhanced the meetings with celebrity guests, presentations, Q&As, and a chance to win prizes and other treats like free delivery when ordering through the app.
The result of this campaign not only increased human interaction when we needed it the most but also proved beneficial for the brand. This campaign generated 670 million media impressions, 137 editorial articles and increased digital sales by 216%.
With how society is moving, mobile marketing is a tactic that businesses can no longer ignore. So hopefully, they can take notes from Chipotle.
References:
Grover, V. (2020, August 27). 3 Mobile Marketing Campaigns That Won Us Over in the First Half of 2020. Toolbox.com. Retrieved October 11, 2021, from https://www.toolbox.com/marketing/mobile-marketing/articles/3-mobile-marketing-campaigns-that-won-us-over-in-the-first-half-of-2020/.
Meyer, E. F. (2017, September 20). Council post: Five reasons mobile marketing is becoming even more important. Forbes. Retrieved October 11, 2021, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2017/05/31/five-reasons-mobile-marketing-is-becoming-even-more-important/?sh=762ba1bbabb4.
Perrin, A., & Atske, S. (2021, June 5). About three-in-ten U.S. adults say they are ‘almost constantly’ online. Pew Research Center. Retrieved October 11, 2021, from https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/03/26/about-three-in-ten-u-s-adults-say-they-are-almost-constantly-online/.
Pew Research Center. (2021, April 26). Demographics of mobile device ownership and adoption in the United States. Pew Research Center: Internet, Science & Tech. Retrieved October 11, 2021, from https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/fact-sheet/mobile/.
Shorty Awards LLC. (2020). Chipotle together – the shorty awards. Shorty Awards. Retrieved October 11, 2021, from https://shortyawards.com/13th/chipotle-together.
Vogels, E. A. (2020, September 23). Millennials stand out for their technology use, but older generations also Embrace Digital Life. Pew Research Center. Retrieved October 11, 2021, from https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/09/09/us-generations-technology-use/.
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