Why Do We See Such High ROI With Mobile Marketing?

It seems like every time I turn around, there is another article about a mobile campaign that generated response and conversion rates that would leave most marketing executives slackjawed and drooling. For instance, we’ve seen an SMS campaign to promote a mobile banking application that brings in a 20% response rate and over 100,000 app downloads and a BMW mobile campaign promoting snow tires that saw a staggering 30.31% conversion rate. What is it about mobile that makes it so successful?

Truth be told, there are a lot of factors that play into it. But I think one of the biggest reasons is the fact that most people have a much stronger, much more personal connection with their cell phone. Jarvis Graham made the following observation:

One of the comparative success factors behind mobile marketing is down to people keeping their mobile phones nearly always with them, and it is also claimed that they often feel lost without them as if they have a personal relationship with their phones. It is therefore easier for brands to exploit this emotional attachment; that is so long as they adhere to the principles of relationship marketing

That emotional attachment cannot be understated. How did you feel the last time you left your cell phone at home? How comfortable would you be letting someone else use your cell phone? And while other forms of communication, such as email, may encourage personal attachment as well, they tend to pale in comparison. When is the last time you have deleted a text message without reading it, as opposed to deleting an unread email?

I would like to remind everyone that the emotional attachment between consumer and cell phone can not only drive a marketing campaign to staggering success, but it can also tear down a brand if it is implemented poorly. Do I sound like a broken record yet? I know this message has made its way into several of my recent posts, but I think its importance is underestimated. Bottom line - a well planned and thought out mobile marketing campaign tends to have much higher success rates than traditional campaigns. And a poorly executed mobile campaign will likely be more damaging to the brand than a traditional one.