Mobile Direct Message (mDM) would be like SMS marketing if SMS could learn new tricks, like exact geo-targeting, rich branding and easy setup. Even then SMS would have to learn not to be expensive and uncool, which would be dificult given its age. Meanwhile, mDM is great because of the following green ticks:

• Rich visual branding.
• Targeting by demographic, location and more e.g. "18-25 year-olds in downtown on Friday afternoon"
• Offer automation e.g. by geo-fencing -- on arrival in Queenstown: "Get 20% off JET boat ride"
• Track both online and offline results (clicks, website visits, foot traffic, in-store revenue)

3 Reasons Why Mobile Marketing Is Exploding In 2012

1. Reach - 2 in 5 Kiwis have smartphones (Netsize/Informa).

   2 in 3 phones sold now are smartphones (NBR). We wonder if the Kiwis play Angry Birds.

2. Usage - Mobile app consumptions is overtaking Web consumption.

   Mobile app usage overtook Internet usage by Q4 2011 in the trend-setting US market. Flurry reported US average daily mobile app consumption was 30% higher than both desktop and mobile Internet consumption combined.

3. Spend Gap

   The mobile channel is currently seeing the biggest disparity in spend -- utilising only 1% of ad spend, while commanding 23% of consumer time (Flurry, comScore, KPCB). That's a couple of hours a day for every man, woman and bird in New Zealand.

Mobile Websites

The mobile website is a fundamental element of any mobile marketing strategy, ensuring the brand is presented in the best possible light, while providing the most relevant information to mobile users, who are walking around doing stuff.

• Superior reach. Mobile sites ensure maximum reach across device types, browsers and operating systems.
• Cost effective. Mobile sites are typically cheaper to build and maintain than multiple mobile apps.
• Opportunity cost. Direct marketers miss out on superior targeting technologies only available in mobile apps, such as mDM.
• User experience and conversion rate. Despite recent improvements in technology, user experience in mobile sites is typically inferior to the user experience in mobile apps due to reliance on a data connection. In parts of the South Island carrier pigeons are faster.

Mobile Apps

With mobile app usage outpacing Internet usage, the app is at the forefront of mobile mass-media and receives lots of invitations to great parties.

• Capture eyeballs. Mobile apps enjoyed 30% longer average daily consumption than the Internet in the US market by Q4 2011. That's more Angry Birds than Facebook.
• Branding & creative. Smoother user experience, sharper images and more content than mobile sites.
• Superior targeting. Game-changing new targeting technologies, such as mDM, are available only in mobile apps. Cool keeps cool company.
• Reach.Apple fanboys are fans of Apple and fandroids are fans of Android. To maximise reach, multiple apps and/or a mobile site are required. Microsoft does not have fans yet.
• Cost. Building apps for multiple platforms is typically more expensive than building a single mobile site, unless the mobile site costs more.

Analytics for Mobile

Effective marketers need to know more than just how many apps were downloaded, or the number of visits to their mobile site.

Detailed performance metrics are important for both brand and direct marketers to see which campaigns are sweet, which creative is crap, measure acronyms like CPA and track customer engagement. Our experience in marketing gives us more green ticks:

• Define and implement marketing metrics for the mobile channel.
• Select the most appropriate analytics technologies.
• Build custom tracking for complex business goals.
• Provide training in the usage of mobile analytics reporting and configuration.

Marketing Strategy for Mobile

• How do you tame the exploding 7th mass-market media? Yes, that's a dramatic way of saying 'mobile channel'.
• What business model would result in positive ROI from a mobile app?
• How is audience measurement and segmentation done in the mobile channel?
• Mobile site or mobile app?

Muli Mobile has a unique perspective on mobile-marketing-related questions, thanks to our cross-functional experience in marketing, business, mobile development, systems integration, and a dry sense of humour.

We can help your business answer specific questions, or put together a holistic strategy for the mobile channel.

iLoveQuietBooks: The Creation

iLoveQuietBooks: The Creation is a popular iPhone and iPad game for children produced by Australian studio, Eames Dog, and built by Muli Mobile. The game has received excellent reviews for its creativity and attention to detail.

The talented folks at Eames Dog asked Muli Mobile to build the game exactly to their detailed specifications, which were specified in much detail. We took the challenge in stride and quickly built a working prototype. The prototype allowed the team to evaluate creative concepts on hardware and tweak the approach for maximum impact. After a renewed brief, more development and lots of testing Muli Mobile completed the app and released it in the Apple App Store on behalf of Eames Dog. We were like a proud mum again.

Muli Mobile hybrid website (Responsive Design)

The Muli Mobile website (this site) was built by us using a hybrid desktop/mobile approach, called "responsive design", and some dry humour. This technique allows a single website to be automatically adapted to all screen sizes from widescreens to tablets and mobile devices, and keeps us entertained. All aspects of the design from image sizes and fonts, to the entire layout change depending on the size of the browser viewport. Try resizing the width and see for yourself, if you like seeing things for yourself.

The advantages of responsive design are:

• Content suited to every screen size.
• Minimum administration. Because all platforms are covered by a single website, rather than multiple separate versions.
• SEO advantages from having a single website rather than multiple separate versions.