Feature: Mobile Marketing Goes For The Greys
Over the last year or so text messaging has proved its worth as an effective youth-marketing tool, with a range of high-profile brands using SMS to reach valuable teenage audiences. However, figures from Egg and Mori show that the profile of texters is broadening, and with the over 55s now sending more SMS messages than ever before, it looks as though mobile marketing is finally coming of age.
The latest figures from the Mobile Data Association show that around 45 million text messages are sent each day across the UK’s four GSM networks, compared with 32 million in June 2001. Younger, more media-savvy mobile phone users, who were the first to embrace the craze, are still the heaviest text messagers, with 21% of 14-19 year-olds and 15% of 20-29 year-olds sending more than 180 messages each month (see below). However, the phenomenon is quickly spreading up the age range and the over-55s are now the fastest growing group in terms of mobile messaging, with 1.3 million embracing the medium, compared to just over one million a year ago.
Mobile marketing firm 12Snap recently launched an SMS campaign on behalf of Champagne Mumm targeting older consumers. The company’s commercial director, Dan Rosen, insists that brand advertisers are realising that mobile marketing can give them access to a broader range of consumers. He says: “When we first started, advertisers had a strong youth focus and only seemed interested in targeting the 16-24 year-old core market. Now brands are keen to reach the under 16s and the over 35s.”
He adds: “Older consumers are catching onto text and a lot of parents have been drawn in by their children. Research shows that 47% adults with children now use SMS, compared with 28% of those without.”
Rosen acknowledges that the over 35s are a traditionally hard market to target, but predicts there will be an increase in the number of niche campaigns aimed at older consumers over the coming months. He says: “It will take advertisers and agencies time to react, but I think they’ll make the most of mobile marketing. The mechanics are improving and this is attracting premium brands.”
Text messaging also appears to be popular across the range of demographics and figures supplied by 12Snap show that 27% of professionals, 26% of blue-collar workers, 17% of students and 4% of the retired are regular texters. This is good news for advertisers as research from NOP shows that SMS marketing has an average response rate of 5-28%, compared with just 2% for direct mail.
Wireless marketing companies will, no doubt, have to work hard to attract major clients, but mobile phone penetration is increasing and advertisers will soon be able to target consumers with multi-media and enhanced marketing messages. These new opportunities combined with the fact that brands are being drawn towards more accountable forms of advertising should help to make mobile marketing an increasingly important part of the media mix.