ADWEEK: Mobile Marketing About Branded Utilities, Not Ads

Turns out mobile marketing's killer app may be the killer app.

ADWEEK is reporting today on how major brands are finally waking up to one of the major points of my book BRANDING UNBOUND: Mobile's not a new distribution channel for advertising. It's a medium through which brands can deliver true value.

In December, cold-and-flu wary consumers can sign up for weather alerts on their mobile phones, courtesy of Vicks. It's part of an effort from Procter & Gamble to develop mobile applications, rather than just use mobile phones as a venue for media buys.

"At the end of the day, if they tap into why you own the phone, brands can figure out how they can help you deal with your life," John Hadl, CEO of Brand in Hand, a mobile marketing consultancy, which advises P&G on mobile strategy, tells the pub. "What can brands do for us that also ties in to the brand benefit?"

As a result, you'll see more efforts like Sprite's The Yard, instead of more and more ad buys. And P&G, in particular, is ramping up efforts. Its CoverGirl brand, for instance, has created a "ColorMatch" mobile app that recommends shades based on complexion and clothing and accessories colors. The idea is to provide a tool when women are at the makeup counter, where they wouldn't have access to a computer.

Coca-Cola's Sprite brand launched The Yard, a mobile social networking service. AT&T helped launch a tool for fans to track last month's Ironman World Championship triathlon in Hawaii.

The key is to align the tool with the brand promise. This fall, Visa Signature started offering wine-and-cheese recommendations via mobile, in conjunction with supermarket Mollie Stone. The idea was to appeal to the Signature brand's upscale consumer.

For many more examples of these kinds of branded mobile apps, pick up a copy of BRANDING UNBOUND today.

And for the ADWEEK piece, click here.

Quick Links:

GENERATION WOW: The World of Multi-platform Marketing
BRANDING UNBOUND The Book
BRANDING UNBOUND IN ADWEEK Magazines
Rick Mathieson.com