This paper reviews an article by Key Pousttchi and Dietmar Wiedemann titled “A Contribution to Theory Building for Mobile Marketing:  Categorizing Mobile Marketing Campaigns through Case Study Research” (2006).  In the article, the authors develop an enlightening mobile marketing framework and table highlighting key mobile marketing campaign characteristics based on their review of leading mobile marketing literature, case study analysis, and thought leader interviews.  Studies of this nature are very valuable since they help synthesize the work done by numerous players into an easily understood and action based models.

Pousttchi & Wiedemann study the description and objectives of 55 mobile marketing campaign case studies run by the likes of BMW, Coca-Cola, L’Oreal, Johnson and Johnson and others. They analyzed 30 of the 55 cases in detail and conducted over 44 interviews with leading European mobile marketing thought leaders. Out of this work, they identified four marketing campaign classifications, six common campaign objectives, and nine campaign characteristics.

Campaign Classifications, methods of adding consumer value

• Information refers to programs providing information about products, points of interest, news, weather, traffic, horoscopes and related content.
• Entertainment refers to programs that “produces value to the customers” and provide amusement and emotional triggers through videos, music, games, personalization (ringtones, wallpapers, etc.)
• Raffle refers to programs that provide prizes such as digital content or physical goods.
• Coupon refers to programs that offer monetary incentives (like discounts), trial packages, or free services.

Campaign Objectives

• Building Brand Awareness
• Changing Brand Image
• Sales Promotion
• Enhancing Brand Loyalty
• Building Customer Database
• Stimulating Mobile World-of-Mobile.

Campaign Characteristics

• Initiation method (push vs. pull)
• Medium, i.e. traditional media channels
• Campaign Classification
• Cost
• Opt-in method
• Degree of interactivity
• Mobile communication technology
• Enabling Technology
• Location elements

Combining the three views above (Campaign Classifications, Campaign Objectives and Campaign Characteristics) the authors then provide a table (see below) that organizes the reviewed cases.

Combining the three views above (Campaign Classifications, Campaign Objectives and Campaign Characteristics) the authors then provide a table (see below) that organizes the reviewed cases.

Clearly, Pousttchi & Weideman’s model does not encompass all the possible mobile marketing campaign classifications, since they only reviewed a handful of studies.  Moreover, in the last two years since their work was done the mobile marketing marketplace has matured rapidly.  More and more companies have recognized the value of mobile marketing and are extending their use of the mobile channel beyond the above four campaign classifications and into the realms of mCommerce, mobile-enhanced multi-modal customer care, mobile CRM and more.  Researchers and practitioners alike should consider the mobile marketing framework developed by Pousttchi & Weideman and extend it to encompass the new knowledge that has be generated over the last few years.

Reference

Pousttchi, K. & Wiedemann, D. (2006). A Contribution tp Theory Building for mobile Marketing: Categorizing Mobile Marketing Campaigns through Case Study Research. Proceedings of the International Conference on Mobile Business (ICMD ’06).  IEEE Computer Society.