By Cassy van Eeden

Mobile is one of the most powerful channels marketers have available to them. According to Chadd Pretorius, digital marketing account manager at Channel Mobile, mobile marketing is 300 times more effective than traditional media. And at least half of South African smartphone users now have access to over 1GB of data per month, says Nicky Schermer, managing director of Strike Media.

Mobile in 2015

Mobile as a form of marketing is nothing new in South Africa, but it is now gaining traction more than ever before. So what is the current state of mobile marketing like?

“From a South African perspective, mobile is becoming more and more important in the lives of our clients,” says Schermer. “Data costs are continuing to fall and demand for data is on the rise.”
As Schermer points out, PWC has predicted that 88% of South African currently have mobile internet access.

“The technology adoption rate in South Africa is very high,” says Pretorius, “with smartphone owners constantly on the lookout for new phones.”

Harnessing the power of mobile

The foundations are in place and the audience is ready. But are we making full use of this opportunity to advertise and establish brands in consumers’ minds?

Schermer says: not yet. “We’re not getting the basics right,” she says. “Some of the most sophisticated brands online have websites that don’t render properly on mobile.”

But what are we doing right?

“Targeting has increased … as more and more users with smartphones are downloading apps at such an impressive rate that we are given information from consumers now, [more] than in the past,” says Pretorius. “Location based services (LBS) are becoming ever more popular as they offer an extraordinary point of accuracy and dependability for users.”

Pretorius adds that LBS is able to capture valuable information about user’s locations. “And with this information, marketers and advertisers can target accurately, [allowing] for greater ROI in the long term.”

And the future?

As Schermer predicts, “Although the explosive growth of the mobile phone in South Africa and Africa is set to plateau at some point, mobile marketing still feels like it’s in its infancy.”

“Short Code and USSD with remain a widely used and popular mobile tools,” predicts Pretorius. “When we look at developed countries, we notice that they are using mobile applications and mobile websites more than conventional USSD of SMS applications. It’s only a matter of time until more and more mobile applications and websites pop up.”

He adds that applications and websites will start becoming a more convenient choice for consumers as they “tend to use more data than airtime, as data is cheaper and lasts longer”.

“More pressure is going to be felt on fully understanding our customers like we never have before,” says Schermer. She adds that, more and more, marketers will be using thorough behavioural profiling to ensure that they are getting the right message to the right consumer at the right time and on the right device.

“South African brands are going to have to pay mobile marketing some attention in order to win in this emerging battleground,” concludes Schermer.

Are you a mobile marketer? What do you think the future of mobile marketing will be? Let us know in the comments below.