Opinion: Marketing Society - Mobile is coming of age

Isn't it strange that the most direct, immediate, personal and widely penetrated channel (mobile phone penetration is now exceeding 85% in the UK) is the one with the least spam? The key reason is that, unlike email, mobile messaging is not free. Mobile operators charge for the sending of messages, and that cost tends to discourage most spammers from using the channel, leaving it open for legitimate marketers.

To date, mobile has primarily been synonymous with 'txt 'n' win' - namely, as a promotional entry mechanic. Flytxt has conducted research over the past month among 3000 respondents to determine what consumers would like to receive over their mobile phone. The picture that emerged was that, overwhelmingly, consumers want to use mobile as a facilitator of everyday life. The most-desired service is money-off offers from retailers, restaurants or cinemas, as well as gift vouchers.

The second-most popular category is appointment reminders, closely followed by customer service queries from banks, utilities and directory enquiry services (using texting or your phone browser instead of holding on the line for a call centre operator).

The research shows that consumers are ready for a set of lifestyle services via their mobile that can simplify and enhance their lives. These services will also reduce selling costs and offer innovative brand marketing opportunities.

Mobile technology has not been ripe for any of these services until now (remember the WAP fiasco?), but the sector has changed greatly in the past four years. Colour mobile multimedia handsets are now mass-market, enjoying penetration of more than 40% in the UK. Mobile browsing is enjoying a quiet rebirth, with the number of WAP page impressions doubling every six months. What's more, the addition of technologies such as Java on handsets allows phones to be used for a variety of applications, such as mobile banking. These applications are remarkably fast and pleasant to use.

So, if mobile is not part of your marketing plan, think again. With the advent of colour, browsing capabilities and rich applications, mobile is ripe for marketers to use in many new ways. Over the next two years, we will witness a wide variety of brands jumping on the mobile bandwagon.

Make sure you are among the first.