Every now and then the truth spills out in regards to how the general public as a whole views mobile marketing from an engagement standpoint. It’s easy to get caught up in the idea that mobile marketing can do no wrong, but when it comes down to those who actually interact with the medium, it sometimes tells a different story.
A recent study put out by BIGresearch took a look at the current composition of mobile marketing’s audience, and the results may surprise you. A key finding, and one that may seem ominous to any mobile marketer, is that since June of 2008, the percentage of people who don’t like mobile marketing has increased. More specifically, 67 percent don’t like text ads (vs. 64 percent last year), 60 percent don’t like voicemail ads (up from 57 percent) and 60 percent don’t like video ads (up from 56 percent).
Likewise, there’s also been an increase in the number of people saying that mobile marketing is an invasion of privacy — 52 percent of respondents, up from 50 percent in 2008 — as well as an increase in those saying marketers must get permission for such advertising- 58 percent as opposed to 56 percent a year ago. This proves once again how important proper targeting and privacy are when constructing mobile campaigns.
Other interesting tidbits from the study include the results of overall demographic research in regards to mobile marketing’s primary audience. The audience of mobile advertising is primarily male, with 58 percent of the total audience, with an overall median age of 39.2 – a stat I found particularly surprising. You’d think the average age for those interacting with mobile media would be much lower.
With the fact that over half of all consumers who interact with mobile marketing see it as either a breach of privacy or downright intrusive, it may seem like mobile marketing is going down the wrong path. In reality, it just means that marketers must change their gameplan and put more emphasis on creativity, extreme targeting and other aspects to improve overall end-user engagement.