He who dares, succeeds in mobile marketing

Now that the mobile has successfully transitioned from being a device babies once stared at in bed to one that adults now do, it was only right and proper to blow the Comms Conch on this topic and assemble the marketing glitterati that is The Marketing Society MENA.

Our agenda: to scoff down the sage words of Yasir Saddiqui along with our bodyweight in pastries at the welcoming hands of Hilton – a veritable double treat at DoubleTree.

As I say, our topic was all things mobile (or ‘Mowbull’, if you’re American – even ‘Cellphone’ – and if you are my daughter ‘Shellphone’ – aw, bless her clueless cotton socks) and who better to romp us through this vast landscape than an alumnus of IBM, the ubiquitous, omniscient IT colossus fresh from the World Mobile Summit.

What followed was a comprehensive overview of the digital-to-mobile marketing fundamentals right from bulk SMS through to one-to-one personalised communication with plenty of appropriate but undeniably jargonish indulgences along the way (IoT, AI, ML, ETC.) And sitting at the heart of all this, the buzzing in the ear of all marketers, the red card of relevance.

But much like the fruit platter in the corner, the elephant in the room that was left largely untouched, like the fact that our phones are an extension of us, almost one of our own (only better as they have a limited battery life, flight mode and it’s not a crime to leave them in the car) and there is such a thing as over-personal. In fact, intrusive communication in this domain could very easily serve as both a metaphorical and literal turn off.

But, we few, we happy few, concluded that this is the plight of the brave marketer –  destined to eternally toe a delicate, death-defying tightrope in a never-ending act of eye-bulging balance.

So, success in mobile simply comes down to he who dares.

Well, do you?

By Matt Horobin, director brand engagement, communications & business development, Dubai Airports