According to a recent e-Marketer report, more than six out of 10 CMOs and senior marketing professionals surveyed in the US said that digital tactics (including mobile, video, e-mail etc.) accounted for more than one-quarter of their agency marketing, according to a July 2008 study by Zoomerang for Sapient.  

Respondents also said digital marketing was growing in importance. Nearly one-half (45%) of those polled had either switched agencies or planned to switch during the next 12 months to gain access to more digital expertise. Almost eight out of 10 said that agencies' interactive and digital aptitude was important or very important.  

What is digital marketing and what does it mean for marketers? 

According to Wikipedia, digital marketing is defined as the practice of promoting products and services using digital distribution channels to reach consumers in a timely, relevant, personal and cost-effective manner. By doing so, marketers realize the following benefits: 

Brand-advantage – typically in the past, marketing and any digital initiatives were handled separately or were non-existent. With the use of digital technology, marketing professionals have an opportunity to enhance messaging and bring cohesiveness to their brand. 

Larger reach – digital initiatives allow marketers to expand their campaigns beyond one single effort leveraging several channels to optimize budget dollars and reach. 

Personalization – with digital initiatives, messages are highly targeted and specific allowing marketers to not only track how many people saw their message but also specific information about each user. 

As marketers, digital tactics allow for many opportunities that can be tracked measured and refined. To learn more about digital marketing and tactics, consider accessing the following resources: 

• The McKinsey Quarterly – Digital Marketing
• NetImperative – Digital Marketing News and Events
• MarketingProfs Digital Marketing Mixer

Best

Denice MacDonald

The release of Apple’s iPhone revolutionized mobile phone technology and web browsing with its ease of use. One of the most talked-about features of the iPhone has been its ability to use Safari to browse the “real” Internet.  

However, until recently, this idea has proven to be less than rewarding because the larger pixels used by most web sites designed to display information on a full screen did not translate well to the iPhone’s different shape and size.  

Because of that, the iPhone’s ability to see and access data and pictures on most web sites was plagued by problems and content which was hard to read and interact with - until now. 

We’re beginning to see the arrival of web sites formatted specifically to fit the iPhone’s small screen and unique configuration. In addition, we’re seeing techniques developed that make iPhone compatible web sites capable of visually displaying and selling products, over secure satellite connections, and accessed by mobile phones from anywhere in the world.

Those interested in learning how to develop compatible iPhone microsites will find a full tutorial section here that includes:

1. Great examples of optimization, design and usability.
2. Steps to ensure your visitors a great mobile experience.
3. Examples, news and articles.
4. Downloadable samples of how to create content for iPhone’s MobileSafari browser.
5. Resources and links to code and source files.
6. Information on how enhancing your website will bring better experiences to your iPhone customers and increase sales. 

Resources

• Microsite Mobile
• iPhone Microsite Tutorials

Best

Denice MacDonald

Because of its portability, mobile phones are now the personal connection to a rapidly transitioning digital world. 

In the last year, mobile technology has become ‘front and center’ relative to advertising, brand messaging and raw effectiveness in campaigns and initiatives. To get our arms around this growing technology, let’s review some of the features and great resources: 

Messaging (SMS, MMS) – often referred to as ‘short messaging’ is just what it is - short text messages to a recipients mobile phone.  Similar to text e-mails, SMS allows businesses to alert, inform or engage mobile users.  Text messaging is permission-granted and therefore is communication that mobile users want/expect. For more insight into SMS gateway/provider services, consult MobileCrunch.  

WAP (Web Sites, Search and Banner Ads) – also known as wireless application protocol is technology designed to format and filter content for use in mobile devices. Basically, WAP technology brings the Internet to mobile users.  Users can search, browse and access mobile web sites and view creative advertising. For great examples, view the 2008 top mobile phone web sites by HitWise. 

Downloadable Applications (Games, Video, Music) – mobile technology allows you to download all types of applications including games, video, music and podcasts.  Mobile technology now combines voice, data and entertainment into one device. Check out this great web site for game downloads or Google/YouTube to access millions of videos.

More Resources:

Mobile Technology Weblog – convergence of gadgets, trends, communities and mobile services.

Mobile Magazine – covering news and reviews on the latest mobile technology.

TechWeb – mobile and wireless resources, white papers and articles.

MobileCrunch – a companion site to TechCrunch dedicated to Mobile Technology.

Best,

Denice MacDonald

A new eMarketer report analyzes the opportunities and challenges presented by mobile social networks. 

In summary, the report forecasts that mobile social networking will grow from 82 million users in 2007 to over 800 million worldwide by 2012.

Click here for article (you may need to register but worth the time!)

There's a lot happening in the mobile web arena.

And, as it turns out, Bango is a company that tracks this kind of stuff. Which is one reason why their "five predictions for the new year" are interesting: 

More and more people will be accessing the Internet on mobile phones. There are lots more mobile phones than there are PCs today. Over 50% of the world's population now have mobile phones, amounting to 3 billion mobile phones, while estimates peg 1.1 billion PCs (stats readily available at Pew and E-marketer). As the majority of new phones come with Internet access as standard, Bango expects that by Q3 2009, more people will access the Internet on mobiles than through a PC. (Coincidentally, ESPN announced its mobile site is seeing more visitors than its PC-Internet site and today I see that MSNBC is getting the bulk of political surfers through mobile ‘day of/morning alerts’).

Mobile advertising will surge. Get ready for ads on your phone. Mobile advertising has the potential to generate more than $10 billion in annual revenues by 2010. (Video banners anyone???)

We'll see a shift from messaging to Internet for data usage on mobile phones. Bango is already seeing more web browsing as operators introduced flat-rate charging in 2007 and moved from a portal model to a more open search-based model. The new model encourages search by including the search box prominently on the portal home page. Mobile search will become more like the PC-Internet experience but the quality of mobile search index needs to improve dramatically to achieve mass market adoption. During 2008, more brands and content providers will use the Internet instead of messaging for service delivery.

Mobile commerce of physical goods will come of age. Buying consumables via the mobile web has been common in Japan and Korea; this will soon move to the U.S. and Europe. This is possible in the Far East because the operator payout rates to content providers approach that of a credit card so people are paying for physical goods on their phone bill. For now, payout rates in Europe and the U.S. are too low but as they begin to increase so will the purchase of physical goods. Mobile commerce coupled with strategic promotions in shipping will be a big hit in 2008.

The PC and mobile will become closely linked. The two separate worlds of the PC and the mobile phone will come together. People will connect their PC life with their mobile life more easily. Anyone on Myspace, Facebook or Twitter, for example, will be able to share content and information with mobile phone users. On the B2B side, mobile technology will make it easier for remote sales staff and/or any other compliant need to communicate to leadership (hmm…..internal communication leaps daily?).

Gartner recently commented on the future of open source and this is an excellent blog in response.  As most of you know, Gartner, Like Forrester, is a renowned ‘thinktank’ for enterprise-wide commentary.

In summary, Gartner suggests that we're years away from enterprise adoption of the following open-source software categories:

• Content Management (5-10 years);
• Enterprise Service Bus (5-10 years);
• J2EE Application Servers (2-5 years); and
• IP Telephony (2-5 years).

Learn more