Big Numbers, Small Media, and the Future of Marketing
Ever since cell phones reached a level of ubiquity that rivals pants, those in the business of marketing to Generation Y have been trumpeting the coming of mobile technology. For mobile technology boosters, the refrain is always the same: “Next year — next year mobile technology is going to be huge.” It’s been about five years now, and “next year” simply hasn’t come. (In that way, it seems that mobile technology fanboys and Chicago Cubs loyalists are in the same boat.) But that’s changing.
Mobile technology may have fallen victim to early hype, but there’s no denying that, sooner than later, mobile technology is going to be a key platform for reaching today’s youth. The numbers are simply too good to ignore. Consider this data-rich post from marketing guru, Dave Knox. According to Knox’s numbers, the cellphone is the most popular electronic device in the world; there are more than two times as many cellphones as there are computers. More interestingly still, the average America gets their first cellphone at 10 years old! (At ten years old, I don’t think I even knew my home phone number.) And, again according to Knox, 88 percent of tweens/teens use their cellphone every single of day of their lives. In short: an entire generation is growing up with cellphones — which are, more and more, resembling mobile computers — glued to their hands. Cellphones are stuck on Gen Y like some kind of technological barnicle, and they’re not going anywhere. The longterm result? Not even the most tech-phobic could claim that mobile technology is heading in any direction but up.
We at YMC have, for some time now, advocated a holistic combination of physical (through experiential marketing) and digital (through mobile technology marketing and social media marketing). When the two are employed simultaneously, you’re reaching Gen-Y-ers in a way it genuine and authentic — because it mirrors the way they communicate with their peers and live their lives. This holistic approach means a brand experience — not just another ad. It means connecting with Gen-Y — not shouting at them.
Final thought: mobile technology is posied to fulfill its great promise. Get ready.
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