| Over the past decade or so, mobile marketing | | | | Bluetooth marketing is often very similar to SMS |
| has gone form a fairly broad advertising term to | | | | messaging but uses a different type of |
| a rather specific type of marketing. Once, the | | | | communication to send messages to mobile |
| term traditionally was used to describe any form | | | | devices and is based around a "hotspot" system. |
| of marketing that made use of a moving | | | | Generally, this involves sending marketing |
| ("mobile") medium; moving billboards, roadshows | | | | messages to any user who walks within range of |
| and other types of outdoor advertising. | | | | the bluetooth transmitter with their settings open. |
| Today the term generally refers to a medium | | | | MMS marketing |
| that may move but has little in common with the | | | | Essentially a rich media form of SMS marketing, |
| traditional definition - the mobile phone or mobile | | | | this uses the Multimedia Message Service and |
| computer device. Strictly speaking, the latest | | | | therefore can only reach phones with a colour |
| definition from the Mobile Marketing Association is | | | | screen and MMS capability. Luckily, this accounts |
| "a set of practices that enables organisations to | | | | for the vast majority of users and effectively all |
| communicate and engage with their audience in an | | | | modern phones. These messages can contain a |
| interactive and relevant manner through any | | | | timed slideshow of images, text, audio and/or |
| mobile device or network." | | | | video and are popular among brands for more |
| The different types of mobile marketing on offer | | | | closely targeted campaigns. Some MMS campaigns |
| have expanded rapidly in a relatively short amount | | | | involve user participation, where the advertiser |
| of time: | | | | actually receives photos, videos or audio clips for |
| SMS marketing | | | | use in a competition or to crowdsource content |
| Arguably the first method of marketing to mobile | | | | for the web. |
| devices, this type of method only became | | | | Web marketing for mobiles |
| possible when the Short Message Service (SMS) | | | | The latest addition is by and large, an extension |
| system became a standard capability for mobile | | | | of web marketing. Many mobile devices provide |
| phones and service providers. First launched in the | | | | access to the internet either through the 3G |
| early 2000s across western Europe and North | | | | network or even via wireless internet connections; |
| America, it originally received a negative reception | | | | the more advanced of these are known as |
| from many quarters as it was unregulated and | | | | 'smartphones' and are often capable of rendering |
| businesses would often send unwanted advertising | | | | a web page in the same fashion as a desktop PC. |
| to users who had never opted to receive such | | | | Still, the different dimensions and interface of a |
| messages. | | | | mobile device mean that traditional HTML pages |
| Today, anti-spam laws in most developed nations | | | | are often duplicated in an optimised mobile format |
| require advertisers to receive permission from | | | | at another address, where navigation is less |
| mobile phone users before sending SMS | | | | dependent on a mouse and where processor |
| messages and must give an opt-out option within | | | | intensive content is less likely to appear. This |
| each text. This has probably helped it become the | | | | opens up display advertising for mobile devices as |
| most popular branch of the mobile marketing | | | | well as banner ads and text ads in search engine |
| industry, with several hundred million advertising | | | | marketing. Advertisers can often use traditional |
| SMS messages sent out every month in Europe | | | | PC advertising networks to target mobile devices |
| alone. SMS marketing covers both direct | | | | specifically if they include certain lines of code, |
| advertising and open competitions, where users | | | | which is useful as the mobile format also allows |
| send in their answers to a brand in return for | | | | for the new 'click to call' format for generating |
| opting in to their marketing campaigns and a | | | | direct leads as well as dynamic location-based |
| chance at winning a prize. | | | | marketing using geolocation. |
| Bluetooth content | | | | |