Pokemon Go: What Businesses Need to Learn

Pokemon Go: What Businesses Need to Learn

Pokemon Go has become a rage in very less time. The augmented reality game has engaged kids and adults likewise with gamers addicted to capturing the in-game digital monsters virtually placed in real-world settings. Non-gamers are affected too. Police have issued warnings about playing the game while driving and there are major safety concerns for users who are glued to their phones or tablets while moving around.

Augmented reality is not new. It has been around for quiet a few years now. Applications like Wikitude World Browser, Yelp Monocle, Google Ingress, SpecTrek, Snapshot Showroom, Theodolite, Augmented Car Finder, Google Sky Map and many others have been using augmented reality. These applications make use of the native features of the user’s smartphone or tablet, like camera, GPS, Contacts, Bluetooth, etc., cleverly integrate them with digital effects and user’s natural surrounding and create a real-life digital experience. From map overlays to virtual showrooms to hi-tech games to virtual tours, augmented reality has so been around.

When augmented reality has been around for so long, why the rage for Pokémon Go? Well, because it’s simple, uncomplicated and really engages the user.

This is a great learning point for marketers. Augmented reality or not, online marketers need to present more real-world interactions and opportunities of engagement to users. The key is not how digital or how mobile friendly a brand is, the key is how well does the brand connect technology to bring convenience, spectacle and engaging experiences to users. Technology needs to be the medium and not the end. The end product always has to be the experience, value or convenience that the user gets.

Most business answers will be radially available if the end product becomes the starting point of all business planning, strategy and design. Do I need an app? Well, does the app add to value to the final product? If yes, then you do need an app. Similarly, the UID, the functionality, technology involvement, online and offline support, the scope of each of this, and lot many other business aspects can be determined by keeping the final product as the goal.

So, to conclude, the point is not how advanced technology is used, but the point is how well does your offering engage and interact with the user.

Need help with your online and offline strategy? Contact us now at support@xymob.com .

Mobile Advertising: Understanding the Challange

Mobile Advertising: Understanding the Challange

Mobile advertising has become quiet popular in recent years. This comes with the obvious increased mobile usage; more the audience, more the advertising, simple math.

The irony is that despite evident data showing surge in the number of mobile users, the impact of mobile advertising is not certain. For instance, a car manufacturer creates a great ad for mobile. The ad is humorous and cleverly entertaining. It goes viral and people across social media platforms share it. But the question remains, how many potential car buyers could actually get access to the ad, and how many people were really influenced by the ad to buy the car? Media KPI would show how many people saw the ad, but for all you know the those were teenagers or college going kids who would hardly qualify as even the influencers for the buying decision of a luxury car. So who actually did see the ad? And as if this wasn’t enough for confusion, apps do not support cookies, so there is ambiguity on the customer’s buying profile. Over and above this, there are users who view the ad on their smart phone and then view it on their laptop, so for one user there’s data of ‘two views’, phantom viewers.

The Big Puzzle

Measuring results for mobile ads effectiveness is a big puzzle that marketers across the world are trying to solve. When a sale takes place, can it be credited to the mobile ad? Or the mobile ad is more like a link in the circle of brand awareness? These are important questions marketers need to answer before they plan their mobile ads.

To take a use case, say a person reads about a smart watch, talks to his friend who recommends the watch. Then he looks it up on his smart phone and comes across the advertisement video. He reads the reviews, sees the video, and decides to buy the watch. In this case, was the mobile ad of any influence, or it just filled as a link in the circle of product information or the new age buying cycle, that is. Was the video just a brand reassurance to the prospect, which in itself, is an ancillary but important nonetheless.

In another example, a person engaged in some app, encounters an in-app advertisement of a retailer offering a lucrative discount on handbags and at an impulse clicks it. A sale is made. Is the credit of the sale solely on the ad?

On the surface of it, yes, but there’s a lot more that goes in to converting interest into sale, especially online. Taking the example of the retailer again, it’s important what happens when the user clicks on the in-app ad. There are important considerations here. Should the user be taken directly to the discounted handbag section as this would save the user from unnecessary navigation or should the user be taken to the home page or the landing page where she can see that there’s discount on other products as well? Should the user be lead within the app or should be guided to the website?

Putting The Pieces Together

Apparently, there’s no absolute that can be pin pointed about an effective mobile ad strategy. It will be different from industry to industry, company to company, campaign to campaign and even customer to customer. What works for one, may be a total put-off for the other.

How do you know what works? Well, by knowing what works for whom! Information is the key to digital-age marketing. And companies who want to stay ahead in the game would have to focus on building upon customer information, enriching it at every customer touch point or contact window. Companies would need to focus on individual customer profiles more than on target groups. And the marketing strategy that would actually work, is mass personalization, mass advertising concentrating on individual needs. How to personalize mobile advertising? Read the next article – Mobile Marketing: Personalization & Engagement.


Need help with effective mobile advertising? Contact us at support@xymob.com .

5 Practical Ways to Include Personalization in Your App Marketing

5 Practical Ways to Include Personalization in Your App Marketing

Personalization and customer engagement are the key to successful marketing these days. But often marketers find it difficult to include the right amount of personalization in their marketing that positively engages customers with the brand. Generally, the problem faced by marketers is that either the message is so personal that it crosses the border from personalization to stalking, or the message is too impersonal and not engaging enough.

Here are a few practical, ready to implement ideas for push notifications to induce customer engagement.

When the order has just been delivered.

“Hi There. Your order of (order name) has just been delivered. How do you like it let us know, we do take your feedback seriously. Happy to serve you!”

• It confirms that the package has been delivered.
• It tells the customer that you look beyond just the sale.
• It reassures that you, as a company are there to help.

On arrival of new stock

“Hi There. We’ve just added fresh stock, some awesome designs in office wear collection, at unbelievable prices valid until _________. Use code XYZ. Check it out now.”

• Information about fresh stock.
• Personalization based on in-app activity.
• Induces in-app action.
• Creates urgency.

On retargeting

“Hi There. You were looking for casual footwear. We found some awesome designs from our summer specials you may have missed out on. Check them out now.”

• Personalization based on in-app activity.
• Induces action.
• Specific retargeting, very high chances of conversion.

Geofencing

“Hi There. Visit the Peter Pan store just two blocks away, show this message and get a special discount of 20% on summer apparel only for today.”

• Personalization on basis of location.
• Lucrative offer.
• Induces action.
• Time bound.

On inactivity

“Hi There. We understand you’re busy. Just wanted to tell you we’ve added new stock. And because we’ve missed you so, here’s a special 5% discount just for you. Check out our awesome new designs.”

• Personalization based on in-app activity (inactivity in this case)
• Induces action.
• Extra incentive to attract customer.

Need help with customer engagement for local business? We can help. Contact us on support@xymob.com .