 Cell phones have certainly evolved since 1983, both in design, and function. Thousands of models of cell phones have come to market between 1983 and today. When cell phones first appeared, they were big, bulky, and all you could do was place an expensive telephone call! Since cell phone were a sign of prestige, few people in these early days could ever have imagined cell phones becoming a way of life; let alone a way to cruise something called “the Internet” for quick information, addresses, and more. Nor could they imagine that their cell phone would one day instantly send, receive messages, or let them play games!
In the 1980’s and into the early 1990’s (where the first digital hand-size mobile phone was Motorola International 3200 in 1992, and Nokia’s 8810 “banana phone” was popularized in the first Matrix movie), business advertising was still pretty much left to ads in local newspapers and magazines; later with US Presidents Clinton’s encouragement, businesses began to take the Internet seriously as well as develop small company web sites; and the cell phone was about to lead an advertising and marketing evolution.
Changing Face of Advertising your Business
The world is rapidly changing. Small and medium businesses who have been hit hard by the recession (and who hasn’t), have a tendency to continue to do what they have always done to get more business: word of mouth advertising, referrals, and print ads – or not spending any money on any advertising in the hopes that they can survive the business down turn. This may work for a while, but not long term. The most effective way to keep businesses alive in a down economy is to discover new ways so your next new customer can find you….
Computers, Facebook, Twitter, ™ and the Mobile Internet
While lap top computers used to be the way for business people to check in on emails, web sites, and for entertainment such as music and games; the past five years has seen cell phones doing all of that and then some. The cell phone is evolving again; that means new ways of advertising your products and services has already begun. How? Why?
Mobile internet has become a daily activity for many Americans. Analytics firm, comScore, reports that the number of people in the USA who use their mobile devices to access news and information on the Internet, more than doubled from January 2008 to January 2009. That means 35 percent of the 63.2 million internet audience uses their phone to access the internet, every day! This shows that mobile consumers have and are, reliant on their mobile devices (cell phones) to access their time-sensitive and other information.
Thousands of business men and women count on their IPhones and Blackberry cell phones to review and talk about “product specials” on Facebook ™ and Twitter ™ (social networking sites who are changing the face of every businesses advertising and marketing strategy). So it seems logical to put your ads where the people are; on their mobile devices.
Ads on Phone Screens
The business of placing ads on cell phone screens is just coming into existence, but is already growing exponentially. Granted, advertisers spent $416 million on mobile ads in 2009, compared to $22 billion on Web sites, according to eMarketer; yet mobile ad spending is expected to grow to $1.6 billion by 2013 (as smart phones and other small mobile computing devices become increasingly popular). By the way, in the United States, seventeen percent of all cell phone subscribers over the age of 18 already have smart phones (this is an increase of 11 percent from 2008).
What’s happening now?
Apple, the maker of the iPhone, has recently branched into advertising; and Google (which is predominantly an advertising company), began selling its first piece of consumer hardware, the Nexus One cell phone. These two giants see the handwriting on the wall. Cell phone Advertising!
Major ads for corporations like Ford, Procter & Gamble and Visa are being served up to four billion ad impressions a month on iPhones, Google Android devices, and other smart phones. These ads range from full-blown applications or videos, to small brand ads on a group of Web sites including those of Time, CBS Interactive and Gawker Media. Cell Phone Ads are here to stay.
Watch out small business owners; the future is upon us.
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