IMPACT: Sesame Street Shows The Way to Mobile Marketing Engagement; Opt-In Builds Loyalty
All these years later and we’re still learning from Sesame Street.
The media property that has won more Emmy Awards than any other turned 41 last week. But there’s nothing outmoded about its approach to mobile. To the contrary, the non-profit educational organization that helped many of us learn the basics continues to play a meaningful role in the lives of children – and their parents – worldwide. Moreover, Sesame Street is also teaching the industry an important lesson: the future of our children (and our own future as well) involves mobile.
Sesame Street used the Mobile Marketing Forum, which took place earlier this week in Los Angeles, to share its vision for mobile. The discussion sparked debate, stirred discussion and stood out as one of the presentations that gave us the clearest glimpse of just how mobile will affect education everywhere. .
Anita Stewart, Sesame Workshop Vice President, Corporate Partnerships, told us that mobile applications have proven to be a valuable learning aid. Sesame Street lessons are delivered via mobile in 140 countries. But it’s not just about reaching kids; Sesame Street also uses mobile to engage with young moms who may not watch TV, but want to participate in the experience with their children.
Interestingly, this experience can go beyond education. The Sesame franchise views mobile as the quickest and most effective way to educate youngsters on critical issues such as childhood obesity, healthy habits and financial literacy.
HOW I SEE IT: Mobile marketing has a successful and sustainable future provided it can gain and maintain trust with mobile subscribers. Sesame Street “gets” this – which is why studies consistently show that the Sesame properties are the most trusted among parents. In this make-or-break time for mobile, there is no better ambassador than Sesame Street to show that mobile does good. Mobile can reach youngsters (and their parents) with important lessons and skills. Mobile therefore deserves a central place in households across the globe.
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Loyalty can be tough to build, but it’s well worth the effort. Alcatel-Lucent, a global leader in delivering permission-based mobile marketing solutions and building the permission-based databases that power them, told attendees during a pre-event workshop that there are no shortcuts if you want to establish brand loyalty.
“You need to be transparent in giving consumers a way to opt out,” Thomas Labarthe, Vice President, Mobile Advertising, Alcatel-Lucent, said. In many cases, people simply want to opt-out for a set period and need us to give them that flexibility in how they interact with us. As Thomas pointed out: “Sometimes mobile subscribers want to opt out when they are on holiday so they don’t incur roaming charges while receiving messages.”
Thomas also advised marketers to think through a series of campaigns with consumers in order to bring value and deepen the relationship. He suggested brands build a “storyboard” or series of engagement campaigns with a consumer. They should also use multiple channels — not stop at mobile — and take the time to build a meaningful database before turning their attention to monetization.
HOW I SEE IT: Building lasting loyalty also means offering people the freedom to opt-in (and out) as they please. During the Forum we got a sneak preview of new research conducted and compiled by the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA). It shows that more than 30 percent of mobile subscribers in the U.S. are interested in joining a mobile loyalty club. In my opinion, that number is low – but it is also generally consistent with new proprietary research that Hipcricket will release before the end of the year. Against this backdrop, every point Thomas made in his presentation hit the mark. Give people the flexibility to leave (opt-out) and they will likely stay. They want to know that they have the option. I can say from my own vantage point (based on campaigns my company has run) that brands that respect the wishes of their loyalty club members are actually building stronger relationships and seeing opt-out rates well below 5 percent.
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So- called Celebrity CMO Jeffrey Hayzlett was back for an encore. He left a huge impression on the crowd at the Mobile Marketing Forum event last June in New York, and he again engaged the crowd in Los Angeles with terrific stories and important lessons.
What stood out? His passion for mobile and his no-holds-barred advice that goes to the heart of the matter: Take a risk and go big.
As Jeffrey put it: “No one will die if you make a mistake.” When it comes to mobile, you need to think campaigns through. It’s not about creating a single mobile execution and expecting it to succeed on its own.
And Jeffrey should know. When he was at Kodak he made a big mistake that spurred him (and Kodak) on to win big in the end. Basically, Jeffrey had a great idea for a mobile campaign linked to a call-to-action in movie theaters. But this single mobile execution completely ignored the fact that moviegoers turn their mobile phones off when they watch a film.
As a result, only two people responded to his call to action. But Kodak made the campaign work by changing the venue for its communications and delivering the call-to-action when people weren’t in the movie theater.
HOW I SEE IT: Jeffrey is a crowd-pleaser because he challenges audiences to think outside of the box. For him the brand experience is an “emotional journey” for the consumer. It’s a smart observation and no doubt comes from his learnings at Kodak, where he marketed memories, not just film and cameras. Brands accompany people on their journeys and they should be brave about how they make mobile part of this experience. As Jeffrey put it during a similar speech in New York: Mobile marketers should not follow the mistakes of the Internet and e-mail marketers. “Don’t ‘F’ it up,” he said. Classic Jeffrey – and if you like plain-talk, then you should also check out his book on the topic, The Mirror Test.
And finally…
We’ve come a long way in 2010. It wasn’t dubbed the year of mobile marketing advertising – and I’m relieved that the topic never even came up in Los Angeles.
Instead, the MMA Forum event recognized excellence and achievements in mobile advertising worldwide. Real results that have had real impact. The MMA also announced the winners of the Sixth Annual Global Mobile Marketing Awards. The companies that received this accolade included brands and agencies, as well as Alcatel-Lucent (which was recognized for its consumer insights and research into people’s attitudes toward permission-based mobile advertising) and Louis Gump, who now leads mobile for CNN and has done a tremendous job advancing mobile and educating the industry.
HOW I SEE IT: I was privileged to sit on the judging panel for the third consecutive year. The sophistication of the campaigns I reviewed, as well as the ROI they delivered, was unparalleled. And the Los Angeles event further reinforced the resolve of brands and agencies to go one better in the next year. It’s an exciting time in mobile and the MMA event was a terrific springboard for a great 2011.
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A career author and sought-after speaker, Jeff Hasen builds, strengthens and protects brands. Companies benefiting from his talents have landed on Wired’s list of most innovative entities on Earth and been named pioneers and the early leader in the burgeoning mobile marketing category. Jeff co-created the certification program for the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA). He is one of only two individuals certified by the MMA to train professionals and students on mobile marketing definitions, techniques and benefits. At Hipcricket, he conceived and led the execution of an accelerated rebranding effort in advance of the mobile marketing software and services company being named “the early leader in the mobile marketing space in the U.S.” by Frost and Sullivan. Hipcricket also won consecutive annual pioneer awards from CTIA — The Wireless Association. Follow Jeff on Twitter (@jeffhasen).
