Targetted Measurable Ads Good; Crude Ad Splashes Bad

Implications: The screen on a mobile phone is a very personal area.  Anything intrusive will be seen as highly intrusive.  Anything welcomed can be very attractive.  Mobile advertising isn't a question of greed, it's a question of relevance.


Analysis: Mobile phones carry a lot of information about the user (e.g. number, usage pattern, ARPU, phone type).  They are the most personal and immediate way for a user to communicate or consume information.

Because they are an important part of our "personal space", we get very annoyed if we think someone has "invaded" that space uninvited.  At the same time, information or contact that is chosen or permitted can be warmly welcomed.

Direct marketing that can target a user's preferences (in time and space, as well as content) and enter this personal space "with permission," and then can offer some form of follow-through, e.g. click or call to buy or find out more, can therefore add much value to the user experience.  Traditional splash advertising will have the opposite effect.

Companies that can therefore position brands as relevant to a mobile user's experience AT THAT MOMENT IN TIME, by analyzing all available information about the user, will therefore be in a good position to make mobile advertising acceptable.

From a mobile operator's perspective, at the very least they should be in a position to track and analyze usage patterns - beyond just counting the minutes of ARPU - and working with advertisers to develop segmentation tools and "click through" systems.

It's similar to the internet advertising model, but with the added dimensions of immediacy and small screen as factors.