2015MobileTrends

Contents

Trend #1: Executing cross-channel campaigns

Trend #2: Frictionless Commerce

Trend #3: Enhancing customer experience with Beacons

Trend #4: Why you need to advertise on mobile this year

Trend #5: Nurturing “micro-moments” with mobile

Last Words (A Message for the Tentative)

I.

II.

III.

IV.

V.

VI.

2015 Mobile Trend # 1: Executing cross-channel

campaigns

This 2015, the goal will be to take it a step further and execute seamless, cross-channel advertising that will capitalize

on consumers’ multi-screen behavior. Marketers will spend more time cracking the multi-screen code this year, especially as Econsultancy’s recent Cross Channel Marketing report says that only 7% are prepared to execute cross-channel marketing. In 2015, this will be higher up in the agenda. As shifting between screens throughout the entire day becomes the norm, marketers will need to be more multi-screen savvy. Instead of creating separate marketing campaigns for each screen, cross-channel advertising is all about making one screen enhance and amplify the other.

The potential for Filipino mobile users is already there: Last year’s Nielsen South Asia Cross-Platform report reveals that 80% of Filipinos are now accessing the internet through multiple screens. According to Milward Brown’s 2014 AdReaction report, Filipinos spend the same amount of time “meshing” (looking at related content) and “stacking” (looking at unrelated content) while multi-screening. Interestingly, Filipinos “mesh” at a higher rate compared to the global average of 38%, showing that marketers have a huge advertising opportunity in the country.

02

The main priority for brands last 2014 was clear: figure out how to incorporate mobile into your strategy.

EXECUTING CROSS-CHANNEL CAMPAIGNSThere are already a host of “second screen” apps that encourage TV and mobile

Chevrolet’s “Chevy Game Time” App

interaction. Shazam, originally a music discovery app, has expanded their services to become a “TV companion app”, one that gives you content such as soundtracks, cast bios, and trivia when activated to recognize a particular show. Last year, it allowed advertisers to deliver content straight to cinema-goers who activated the app during on-screen preshow spots. Brands have also released apps that can enhance their ad experience. Notably, Coke ran a successful interactive TVC in Hong Kong called “Chok! Chok! Chok!” that let users “catch” virtual Coke caps using their mobile phone to win instant prizes. The campaign logged in 380,000 app

03

downloads in a month and the ad was seen 9 million times, making it the most successful Hong Kong Coke promotion in 35 years. Chevrolet’s “Chevy Game Time” app also used multi-screen to reinforce the presence of their TVCs during the Super Bowl. Quizzing users in real-time event scores and other trivia, 130,000 players engaged with the commercials for a chance to win big prizes from Chevrolet and partner brands like Motorola, NFL, and Papa John’s Pizza.

Adtech is stepping on the gears when it comes to delivering synchronized ads across screens. In our multi-screen world, this seems to be the holy grail. Companies such as Xaxis and Snakk Media have launched

Screenshots of Microsoft’s multiplatform campaign with Emirates

their own fully programmatic way of running coordinated ads on mobiles, tablets, laptops and TVCs.

These companies have their own respective TVC-recognition technology that detects a person’s digital device’s signal and prompts ad-serving platforms to deliver the counterpart digital ad. In a sense, this is similar to what Twitter started in 2013, albeit on a larger scale—a platform for TV advertisers that lets them run promoted Tweets targeting people who are tweeting about a specific show or content. 2015 is the time for seamless storytelling and intentional multi-screening. Be

04

consistent in your messaging, but leverage on each device’s differences: Tap TV to wow viewers and pique their interest, use mobile for direct response, and tablets and desktops for deeper discovery of your product or service.

Microsoft, for example, rolled out a series of multiscreen campaigns with brands like Lexus, Ford, and Emirates using an innovative platform that allows brands to deliver relevant, time-sensitive ads to the same user jumping from one device to another throughout the day. Storytelling is a key component to these campaigns; making sure that the narrative remains consistent and appropriate no matter what device the user is on, whether that’s his Xbox, smartphone, or desktop.

2015 Mobile Trend # 2: frictionless commerce

Today’s consumer has grown accustomed to the idea of getting what they want when they want it, and the growing ubiquity of

mobile has only reinforced this. In addition to meeting their customer right at the point of need, the challenge for brands and marketers this 2015 is to make the purchase process as painless and seamless as possible. On average, 68% of online shoppers do not follow through with their purchase due to poor user experience. The problem to solve this year is how to do away with the traditional notion of “shopping carts” and allow customers to purchase in-stream, without any need for them to switch gears and fumble for their credit card details. One platform that is expected to boost mobile

payment’s acceptance in the mainstream this year is Apple Pay, Apple’s digital wallet offering. Despite only being compatible with the iPhone 6, Apple saw more than a million activations in its first 72 hours.When it comes to mobile commerce, less is definitely better. The less time it takes for a customer to finish his order, the more likely he is to see it through to the end.

ONE-TAP COMMERCEShortening the mobile purchase process should be at the top of brands’ priorities. According to LightningBuy, the average number of clicks to make a purchase is five. Abercrombie and Fitch have streamlined their app’s process for it to take only two. But if brands can get their customers to

Convenience is the name of the game in today’s digital world.

06

commit at a single tap, magic happens. The wildly popular “Push for Pizza” app, for example, is the epitome of convenience – pizza delivered to your doorstep at literally the press of a button.

Target’s “In a Snap” app takes impulse buying to a whole new level. If a customer sees a product she likes on a Target ad or catalog, all she needs to do is scan the page through the app to purchase.

Twitter and Facebook are already testing the effectivity of one-click “Buy” buttons that will allow users to immediately purchase featured products in their news feeds or twitter streams. If there is anything the previous years has taught us about mobile commerce, it is that consumers don’t mind spending through mobile, but they want it handed to them easily. Whoever gets their customer to the checkout counter in the smoothest way possible, wins.

ASSISTIVE APPS WIN THE DAYWhen judging the success of an app, user engagement will trump downloads this 2015. While brands have been pushing their own apps for years, many have found app engagement to have dropped off after the download. To truly differentiate themselves in the mobile landscape, branded apps have

Screenshot courtesty of Target

Image courtesy of blog.performics.com

to take advantage of today’s technology by providing their customers an extra level of assistance. Dominos does this nicely with their Siri-like virtual assistant called “Dom”. Using voice-recognition technology, the app allows customer to speak their order as they would in a regular store.Neiman Marcus also stepped up their

07

Image courtesy of geek.com

mobile purchase journey by allowing customers to connect with their in-store sales associates through the app. Customers then pick up their app purchases in a store of their choosing where the associate greets them with a personalized experience.

But if convenience is the name of the game, then Starbucks was 2014’s clear winner. Already lauded as a front-runner in mobile commerce, Starbucks took it a step further in December when it allowed app users to order and pay for their coffee before even stepping inside the store. Instead of lining up, customers then only had to go straight to the bar to pick up their orders. The app is

the perfect example of a brand anticipating where their customers need them and optimizing their process to address that need.

MOBILE PAYMENT IN THE PHILIPPINESMobile commerce in the Philippines is ripe for disruption. The eCommerce boom in recent years has led to a proliferation of cashless and bankless payment solutions and most are finally starting to wake up to the potential of mobile. With one of the lowest credit card penetration rates in Asia and a growing mobile usage rate, mobile is seen as a primary means to tap into the unbanked and uncarded market.

08

According to Mastercard’s Mobile Payments Readiness Index, the Philippines is strongly willing to adopt mobile payments despite it lacking the structures and government regulation needed for it to flourish. Alternative payment platforms such as Dragonpay, AsiaPay, and Coins.ph are already heading in the right direction. These services connect merchants and consumers by partnering with banks, telecoms, and brick and mortar locations to offer online, mobile, or over-the-counter payment solutions. Early adapters of mobile commerce, Gcash (Globe Telecom) and Smart Money (Smart Communications) are now capitalizing on the unbanked market by partnering with American Express and Mastercard respectively to combine the convenience of a credit card with the expediency of mobile. To further facilitate ease-of-use, Smart e-Money, in partnership with Zalora, one of the leading eCommerce sites in the Philippines, recently launched a platform called MePay. Designed specifically to make online shopping as easy

as possible, all that MePay requires is a Smart or Sun Cellular mobile phone number to complete a transaction.

Despite a slow start, the Philippines’ potential to successfully realize mobile solutions is vast. The past few years have already seen the country open up to the potential of NFC (Near Field Communication) technology. Back in 2011, BDO partnered with Smart Communications to launch Tap2Pay. This, however, was limited to Nokia’s C7 offering. A year later, BPI launched their BPI Mobile Wallet, another NFC solution that was only available to a handful of smartphone models. Most recently though, Smart e-Money partnered with Citi Philippines and Visa to produce the country’s first sticker-based payment solution called Charge2Pay (C2P). Mobile users are provided with a credit line via Citi and Visa, and the credit information is linked to NFC-enabled stickers. The stickers may then be placed on mobile phones, wallets, or anything handy.

09

2015 Mobile Trend # 3: Enhancing customer experience

with Beacons

If brands and advertisers were slowly just warming up to the small, low-energy Bluetooth devices in 2014, this year will see more and more

businesses embrace the technology in all kinds of ways. (Not yet familiar with Beacons? Check out our primer here!)

Beacons are by no means new at this point in the industry. Major retailer Macy’s started testing them as early as 2013 in their flagship stores in New York and San Francisco. Last fall they installed 4000 beacons in their stores, a huge investment in its potential. But beacons have become one of the industry’s buzzwords as of late. It’s not just retailers jumping on the bandwagon, facilities such as airports and

libraries are also starting to take notice. Tech publishers from all corners of the web are heralding the explosion of beacons. MediaPost reports that 54% of mobile marketers surveyed by Adobe had plans for beacons in the next 12 months.

But what’s the buzz all about?

THE PUSH TOWARDS PERSONALIZATIONThe past few years have witnessed the emerging dominance of Big Data as a major tool in marketing and advertising. The ability to track and analyze customer behavior has brought forth a marked improvement in the way campaigns are being carried out. This year though, we take things a step further by using

2015 is unmistakenly the year of Beacons.

11

this data in a smarter, hyper-contextual manner. As an industry, we are beginning to realize that customers are willing to give us their information in exchange for more meaningful experiences. Customers engage with messages that are relevant to them and beacons allow brands to give them just that through the one thing that’s on their person most of the time – their mobile phones.

Instead of blasting your digital campaigns loudly and blindly to the ether, brands may now tailor their efforts to reach their customer where and when they want them to. If prior location-based technology targeted potential customers who were in

the same area regardless of their context, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacon technology has the ability to send different messages to these same potential customers depending on factors such as their age, preferences, browsing history, and prior interaction with the store. Brands can essentially tweak their approach for different types of customers, making for a more optimal use of resources.

While many have been bemoaning the death of brick-and-mortar stores for years, Beacons is expected to be the bridge that connects physical stores to the digital space. One of the most exciting things about beacon technology

A Hillshire promo pushed via Beacons

12

is the countless ways it can aid a customer’s journey in-store. A simple mobile campaign can drive awareness and push a promo or coupon for a new product in their own stores, or like Hillshire’s foray into beacons, in groceries or department stores to differentiate themselves from the competition.

Apple, who equipped 254 of their U.S. stores with iBeacons back in 2013, used it to send targeted messages depending on the location of the customer in the store. If an iPhone user was standing in front of the iPhone display, for example, he could get a message from Apple asking if he wanted an upgrade along with information on his current update status.

ENHANCING CUSTOMERS’ EXPERIENCESMarketers should keep in mind that the goal is to create valuable experiences, not fill customers’ phones with offers. Virgin Atlantic, for example, has installed beacons in Heathrow Airport to experiment with what the technology can offer its customers. If a beacon detects a customer heading to the security checkpoint, it’ll pull up his e-boarding pass in their smartphones to prepare for inspection. If it detects a customer heading up to the airline’s clubhouse, it’ll pull up information such as the customer’s name and favorite drink so it can be waiting for him when he gets there.

The hardware also comes equipped with temperature sensors that can tell attendants if it’s getting too cold so they can offer the customer a blanket. The specificity of the information that beacons can provide can truly enhance a customer’s relationship with a brand.

Nivea ran a magazine ad last summer involving beacons that further explored the practical uses of its size and portability. The magazine ad included a bracelet cut-out that parents could let their children wear at the beach. These bracelets came equipped with beacons so parents could monitor their children’s location via the accompanying mobile app.

BEACONS IN THE PHILIPPINESBeacons aren’t just available overseas.

13

Last August, Mobext, Globe Telecom, and In-Store Digital Display International (IDDI) announced that they were finally bringing the technology to our shores. In October, Robinsons Selection at 8 Forbes Town officially became the first beacon-enabled store in the country. Using the PING mobile app that the group developed, shoppers can now receive contextual suggestions based on their location in the store (food and wine pairings, for example).

Partnering with Robinsons is only the beginning. PING will continue to bring in more merchants to deliver special deals and coupons to its users. PING users may also earn and accumulate points (or “pings”) by simply walking in to these partners’

stores. The beauty of the app is that both customers and brands benefit from using beacons. Customers get a specialized experience, while companies gain more insight about their target market.

“For many years, intelligent indoor marketing has only been a dream for retailers. With beacons, we are now making it a reality. Not only is it a great tool for attracting and engaging with customers. The bigger potential lies in the shopper insights that we can gather through the PING app. The more users use the app, the more we will know about them and their preferences. We can create smarter campaigns and re-engagement efforts from that,” said Arthur Policarpio, CEO of Mobext Philippines.

14

2015 Mobile Trend # 4: Why you need to advertise on mobile

this year

While we’ve all been talking about its potential for years, the number of mobile ad innovations that

launched last year is bringing brands an unprecedented proximity to their potential customers. From Facebook to Google to Snapchat, the landscape is changing at a dramatic pace and marketers need to keep up to speed.

Mobile has proved its relevance and effectivity time and time again. It was only three years ago when Facebook admitted that it did not “generate any meaningful revenue” from mobile. Now, mobile is expected to make up 75% of the company’s revenue by 2016 – an indication that

brands are pouring their resources where their audience’s eyes are, and all eyes are definitely on mobile.

PAID ADVERTISING EVOLVESIf you saw a drop in reach and engagement on your company’s Facebook page, you’re not the only one. The social media giant tweaked their algorithm last year to filter posts that it deemed “overly promotional” because the volume of brands on the platform were threatening to crowd users’ feed with promotional content. The days of free social media are officially ending and brands need to start investing in paid mobile advertising.

While this might sound like a bad thing to marketers and advertisers, social media has

Mobile advertising grew up in 2014.

16

responded by offering their own ad formats. Facebook is currently testing a number of new formats such as their customizable call-to-action buttons that make it easier for brands to compel their users to act in an easy and seamless way, and their premium video ads that allow brands to showcase high-quality videos that catch their audience’s attention via auto-play. Twitter’s “Buy” button also bring immediacy to another level by delivering the right offer to the right customer at the right time, tapping into the impulsive nature of mobile.

GOING NATIVEIt’s 2015 and people on the internet have done a really great job of learning to block

ads out. Marketers and advertisers need to experiment with newer ad formats because internet users are now less receptive to traditional advertising.

The priority for the year ahead is to make good use of the improved platforms and provide content that customers find useful and engaging. Red Bull and Go Pro have been doing this well for years, releasing creative, adrenalin-infused branded content regularly that their audiences love to share.Native adverting will continue to be a more effective way to engage audiences compared to banner ads. 70% of internet users want to learn about products through content rather than through traditional advertising.

17

The space for mobile native advertising is constantly growing with publishers like Gawker, Buzzfeed, the New York Times providing their own advertising units for native ad content.

Among some of the most effective platforms of native ads on mobile are Instagram, Vine, and Snapchat – photo-centric platforms that drive high engagement from its users. Levi’s sponsored campaign on Instagram saw a reach of 7 million and a 24% lift in ad recall. The benefit of these types of ad units is that they are easily

digestible and entertaining across a range of devices, thus heightening brand recall. Even Pinterest, the ultimate in aspirational content, saw a boom in mobile traffic and launched their “promoted pins” offering early last year.

THE EFFECTIVITY OF VIDEOOne of the major insights that have begun to influence advertising platforms is users’ receptivity towards video. Globally, mobile video’s share of digital views is quickly outpacing views on desktop. In the Philippines, 67% of digital users search

GoPro’s Youtube channel

18

for an item after seeing a video about it on mobile and 49% make a purchase.Video and rich media-embedded ads engage viewers longer than static banners. Because mobile is becoming an increasingly dominant platform for video, advertisers need to develop content that will suit the context of the user while he or she is watching on the device. Interestingly, mobile is popular for content that run less than ten minutes, and tablets are used for longer videos.

The big platforms are taking notice of this shift in behavior. Last year, Instagram started testing sponsored videos with companies such as Disney and Banana Republic, Facebook fully rolled out auto-play video ads on mobile news feeds, and

even Snapchat tried their hand at the mobile video advertising format.

CLOSING REMARKSWhat differentiates this year from the past is that technology is finally able to support the kind of creativity advertisers have been yearning for on mobile. Mobile is finally top-of-mind and so the mobile ad experience has become a priority; definitely a veer away towards disruptive ads, and a move towards seamless, shareable content. The innovations from the past year all revolve around the idea that context and content are the two biggest factors that need to come together for a successful mobile campaign in the year ahead.

(Mobile Advertising in the Philippines: 5 things we want to see more of)

Ouija sponsored ad

19

2015 Mobile Trend # 5: Nurturing “micro-moments”

with mobile

O ne of the most exciting things that we saw last year is the increasing use of this massive set of information –

often referred to as “big data” – to inform campaigns. Big data allows brands to see the what, when, who, and how of customer engagement. A quick analysis of Facebook’s Insights page, for example, can yield huge results as far as meeting audiences when they are plugged in online.

Big data has been around for a while now but many brands are still struggling to utilize its full potential. The deluge of information can be overwhelming. But this year big data will give way to “smart data”. The focus will shift from condensing data to

form generalities about customers to using it in a hyper-contextual manner to reach them; using data to establish connections and new habits.

The phrase “user experience” will take on an entirely elevated meaning this year as mobile apps strive to capitalize on users’ “micro-moments” – brief engagements users have with their mobile phones throughout the day prompted by tiny activities such as checking for the time or seeing a push notification.

The “mobile moments” we were talking about a year ago is now shrinking considerably. Consumer behavior is quickly shifting from spending time with stand-

21

The shift towards digital and mobile have allowed huge chunks of information to be captured, crunched and analyzed.

alone apps to engaging with a variety of notifications a day, whether those are reminders, emails, social media, and more. The challenge for brands will be how to identify and nurture the kind of micro-moments their customers want to experience. The Yahoo Sports app, for example, does this well because it takes advantage of a behavior sports fans are already active in – checking for scores or game updates – and providing that information seamlessly via a simple alert. The predicted rise of Beacons is part and parcel to this trend. The low-energy Bluetooth devices allow one’s smartphone to receive contextual information relevant

to the user. The rise of wearables is also expected to proliferate these moments. Messages will become more and more relevant to the wearer’s direct environment – an alert warning him if rain is coming, for example, or if he’s running late for a meeting without having to open up his phone to check. Capturing micro-moments are a great way to induce a person to action. Like an alert for a flash sale on payday, all it takes is the right prompt sent to the right person at the right time.

The more time we spend on our mobile devices, the more we encourage the formation of new types of behavior. Just think of the number of times we’ve

22

quickly checked our phone to get some piece of information while we’re in line at the groceries or sitting through traffic. Now, instead of expecting users to spend more time on apps, brands can give them relevant information that will build trust and convince users to make these moments a regular part of their day.

The great thing is that micro-moments are far from reaching maturity. There is still so

much room for innovation, so many ways to tap into the accessibility of mobile and users’ readiness to receive quick bites of information to inform their decisions. The general rule is that personalization and context is key. The question to always ask is what value your presence is providing. Using contextual data and being able to visualize the consumer’s day, the tiny interactions that occur within, is integral to being present in those micro-moments without being intrusive.

23

All the pieces are in place for great work to happen in 2015. The fast-paced world of digital and mobile can often make it feel like something new is going big before we’ve even begun to implement the last development. But at the core of these trends is personalization and context. Mobile is first and foremost about the person holding the device. Solutions should revolve around the ease and convenience of the user and thankfully, more so than ever before, we are a couple steps closer to reaching that ideal. It is exciting times for mobile right now. Technology and creativity are meeting in ways we’ve only imagined before. As mobile behavior evolves and becomes integrated with our daily habits, so does the nature of

the applications, platforms, and ad formats the industry develops. Mobile transforms businesses because people’s routines have absorbed mobile and businesses are about people.

It’s 2015 and not having a mobile strategy in place means not being present in a key area of your consumers’ day. But – and we emphasize this – it’s never too late to begin.

We’ve barely scratched the surface. The potential is limitless in terms of what the technology can do to delight, engage, and ultimately aid the customer.

Now is the time to enter the fray.

Don’t know where to start?We can help you!

Set a meeting with us and lead your business to new heights with mobile.

contact us now

LAST WORDS (A MESSAGE FOR THE TENTATIVE):