Ad:Tech 2010 and mobile was definitely an area that screamed ‘come and listen to what I have to say’. Not only were there numerous agencies showcasing their expertise but the mobile marketing seminars were packed to the rafters – standing room only in most cases. So was there anything that was presented this year in mobile that I was particularly bowled over by? In all honesty, probably not – the same buzz words were being wielded about (geo-location, incentivisation even QR) BUT what does make you sit and take notice is the change in consumer behaviour, how new mobile technology is being adopted and the diminishing barriers to entry (data charges, WiFi accessibility and connection speeds). There’s a growing awareness of what your mobile phone can now offer you, more and more smartphones and iOS devices are being sold, there’s a selection of application platforms to choose from, even Facebook is meant to be developing their very own handset (!)

So with mobile and geolocation services in particular, have we turned a corner…? I would say yes…

With Apple surpassing 100 million in iOS device sales and the predicted growth of mobile coupon usage to 300 million by 2014, more and more brands are starting to embrace the use of geo location technology  for incentivising and rewarding customers (currently there are over 3,000 location based offers running in the UK according to agency,  VouChaCha). Also, with Facebook Places launching last week, geo location services are being brought to the masses and are no longer just for the early adopters who dived into services such as Foursquare and Gowalla.

So a few tips for brands wanting to explore mobile as a viable marketing channel:

• Ensure that your website is optimised for mobile and other iOS devices. Seems a no-brainer but many sites are not
• Know your platforms and where your target audience exists. The iPhone is not the only smartphone out there and many apps are now being produced for multiple devices
• Set out your objectives – what are you trying to achieve? Is it footfall to a store, increased sales or simply raising awareness of a product or service?

And what, from the seminars, were mobile trends which were predicated to be big?

• QR (Quick Response) Codes: Calvin Klein Jeans Replaces Racy Billboards with QR Codes
• Augmented Reality:  Mobile phones get cyborg vision / Museum of London launches incredible augmented-reality iPhone app
• NFC (Near Field Communication) for quick mobile payments: Nokia says all of its smartphones will support NFC starting next year / Nokia teases Swipe NFC payment system for digital receipts

If I being honest, I’m not convinced at how quickly we will see people embrace such creative executions (QR and AR have been around for a while) – it will still be for the early adopters, those that live and breath their mobile phones. Also, with NFC there is also the question of hardware despite Nokia’s announcement (above). However, there is without doubt, exciting emerging opportunities for brands to target their consumers in a way which can be focused on promotions, location and content. This is, as long as the target audience and their usage and understanding of the technologies is always front of mind.

The example below is from Lastminute.com and their application ‘Snaffle’: