Is Mobile Marketing Already Facing Recessionary Pressures?

It appears the online advertising cutbacks are already underway, but now at least one mobile industry publication is wondering aloud if mobile marketing's in for an especially tough road in 2008.

“I think one of the first belts that gets tightened (in an economic slowdown) is the emerging media belt,” Maria Mandel, a senior partner and executive director of digital innovation at Ogilvy, tells RCR Wireless. “I think that it’s still an unproven channel. Because there are no benchmarks in place, it’s tough” to pour resources into it -- especially in tough times.

But she's not all doom and gloom.

"While I see budgets potentially shrinking in mobile media, I’m seeing an increased appetite in spending on SMS integration; using existing presence and starting to add that call to action,” Mandel said. “If done correctly, mobile can be an effective channel. And I think one of the lowest-hanging fruits is adding on to existing media channels.”

As I talk about in BRANDING UNBOUND the book, that's really the place to start, even in boom times. SMS as a response mechanism is a no-brainer. Advertising via mobile handset, not so much.

Depending on the prevailing business conditions we'll experience in 2008, the economy may force the issue, anyway.

Read the RCR piece, here.

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