Look to the Silicon Dragon to avoid the App Graveyard Mobile Marketing and more at DMEXCO18

For upon |Mobile marketing is becoming a serious section of the marketing mix and involves both looking to ‘mobile-only’ markets like China for best practice and thinking about the Appworld.

In March, Mobile Statistics to blow your mind were published by Romon Caldwell. More than half (69%) of our media time is spent on mobile devices and 80% of internet usage will be driven by mobile.  Mobile marketing is becoming a serious section of the marketing mix and involves both looking to ‘mobile-only’ markets like China for best practice and thinking about the Appworld.

Mark Wächter from the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA), a partner of DMEXCO 18 travels to the East four times a year and sees how quickly mobile propositions are turned into successful business models “In Shanghai, no one is looking at Silicon Valley’. Anyone wanting to maximize  the increasing number of Chinese consumers in Europe best get WeChat payment friendly, like retailers in Munich Airport or Camden Market, London. Last year, WeChat launched their payment services into the UK.

In 2017, the total number of mobile app downloads was estimated at 197 billion. The consumer has a massive choice but actually only tends to use a few apps on a daily basis.  App marketing is a fiercely competitive battlefield and it is easy for the app to be deleted or land in the app graveyard on the last screen of the phone. Appsflyer, an exhibitor at the DMEXCO Expo recently conducted a study of app users and found that the average lifecycle of an app amongst this user group was 28 days. To avoid an unceremonious end, Mark Wächter advises:

“Marketers need to do their homework on App-Lifecycle Management, App-UX/UI, App-Store-Optimization, App-Engagement and App-Tracking, which all costs as much money as the programming.”

A badly designed App with no compelling content is destined for the App graveyard and a disaster for ROI.  Again, planning is paramount and it may be better to invest in optimisation of the mobile website first. Socpub research reveals that 57% of mobile users will not recommend a business if the mobile website is poorly designed. But there are some great examples of how companies have maximised on the latest technologies and content marketing to create consumer friendly apps. Take Netflix, who have been leading the way in content marketing and the created the app Rateme to promote their show Black Mirror, which explores the scary possibilities of technology.

Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality, identified as key trending topics for the Congress Stage at DMEXCO, are technologies that can be harnessed for great app development. Ikea, for example, shows with its “Place app” how useful this can be. It allows the user to try out digital versions of the Swedish furniture directly in their home. A piece of furniture can be selected from the catalogue and the image moved around the user’s home with a finger scroll.  Paint specialist Dulux uses a similar technology to allow the user to see the colors on their own walls. Modiface turned the smartphone into a digital make-up mirror. Unsurprisingly, the start-up was bought by L’Oreal.  App marketing is suited to the education, retail, travel, ticket vending, sports training sectors, to name a few success areas.

As in any marketing discipline, GDPR can’t be ignored. On the subject of E-privacy issues, Mark Wächter advises companies to choose their partners and developers carefully.  Brand Safety is a global concern that will affect mobile and app marketing. The Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) have founded a Brand Safety Council, named SAVE and will be launching their strategy guide at DMEXCO.

At DMEXCO 18, over a hundred exhibitors and partners for app-development, creative creation, tracking and mobile marketing will be on site. Giants in mobile marketing such as Google or Facebook will be there alongside specialist players such as DAPP Global Limited or App Analytics. The latest technologies can all be tried and tested personally in the World of Experience. Specialist creative, full-service and media consultant agencies are available for advice in the World of Agencies. On the conference stages, there will be mobile specialists amongst the 550 industry leading speakers. DMEXCO partner, the German Digital Association (BDVW) will be helping users focus on their specialised interests with over 20 specific tours. The Mobile Marketing Association are offering seminars and master classes on topics such as the ‘Conversational Design’, incorporating voice marketing into smartphones. Innovation is key to driving the industry and young companies have their own Start-up Village at DMEXCO 18.