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The British are coming! The British are coming!

With their mobile coupons, that is.

A new Juniper survey reveals the impressive growth of mobile coupons in the UK with an estimated three million Britons having already redeemed coupons through their mobile phone. According to the report, the popularity of mobile coupons is the result of an aggressive mobile marketing push from British brands now reporting a six-fold increase in response rates due to mobile coupons.

Although the results of “The Mobile Coupons Consumer Survey” from Juniper come as music to the ears of mobile marketers for whom the explosion in popularity of mobile coupons simply can’t escalate fast enough, it ultimately doesn’t take field research to tangibly indicate the accepted ubiquity of mobile coupons, particularly in portions of Europe.

Between May and June of this year, Coca-Cola Great Britain (CCGB), with the assistance of digital voucher company, i-movo, executed a mobile coupon campaign in the United Kingdom that, according to i-movo, delivered an 87% redemption rate, making it the most successful British mobile coupon campaign in British history.

Despite mobile coupons not resonating with North American consumers as quickly as many advertisers would prefer, the British boom is inspiring, nonetheless, and portends favorably for the overall resurgence in coupon redemption. Better than 75% of those surveyed, in fact, said they are aware of mobile coupons and that there is also a “strong possibility” they will redeem them.

According to Howard Wilcox, Senior Analyst at Juniper Research, “The redemption rate for traditional paper coupons is typically 1% or less, but, based on our survey, mobile coupons offer 6 times these rates. This means that retailers and brands have the opportunity to exploit the mobile channel via personalized coupon offers direct to the ultimate personal device – the mobile phone.”

The findings published by Juniper this week nicely follow their previous study which forecasts that one mobile subscriber in ten in developed regions will use mobile coupons by 2014. Consequently, Juniper estimates that consumer usage of mobile coupons could potentially generate upwards of $6 billion globally in retail redemption value by that time.

“The Mobile Coupons Consumer Survey” is now freely available for download from the Juniper website.

To find out more about the power and potential of mobile coupons, check out this all-inclusive Mobile Coupons Webinar.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

For mobile marketing, a tale of two cities has emerged. And it’s a story with which many mobile marketers are already familiar. Although mobile marketing is growing by leaps and bounds as an industry, issues remain with the consistency of consumer engagement among various demographics.

A new study from BIGresearch suggests that while a vast, wide open sea of opportunity exists for the mobile marketing industry as a whole, choppy waters thrive in the short term for consumers who continue to express reluctance or outright disdain for many of mobile marketing’s most common practices.

Among the findings most unsettling to some mobile marketers is that “since June of 2008, the percentage of people who don’t like mobile marketing has increased.” That unwelcome reality is partially due to the growing number of mobile customers who have become resistant to the appeal of text ads (67% now find them unfavorable as opposed to 64% last year). Higher disapproval is also being logged for voicemail ads and video ads.

Although such findings are disturbing to those who once expected mobile marketing to become universally beloved, mobile advertising remains advertising nonetheless. And at times, mobile ads will reach those who simply have no desire or interest in the products and services being pushed.

Of course, all is not gloom and doom for mobile marketing. BIGresearch’s findings, for example, reveal that mobile marketing’s audience possesses an accelerated tendency to purchase a broad variety of consumer electronics – televisions, computers, cameras, etc. If the ultimate objective of mobile marketing is to sell a product or service to a targeted consumer group, it’s evident that mobile marketing continues to help drive consumer electronic purchases.

Taking the good with the bad is a way of life in advertising, and for that reason, its important to reject the temptation to think that any consumer resistance to mobile marketing is a deathblow to the industry as a whole. So while the tale of mobile marketing remains a tale of two cities, it may still prove a tale that ultimately yields a happy ending for all.

Rapidly fading to an antiquated era of advertising is the tireless marketing guru toiling for hours if not days to craft unforgettable jingles and eye-catching ads for print or broadcast advertising. The era of 21st century advertising is poised for dominance by mobile marketing and its many efficient and cost-effective tools.

According ABI Research, “Mobile marketing has the same potential to change the advertising and marketing space in the same way that the emergence of the Internet did a decade ago.” Yet, incredibly, a vast number of businesses continue to shy away from this emergent force in contemporary marketing. Rooted in the erroneous notion that mobile marketing is the exclusive province of bottomless budgets and mega-corporations, scores of entrepreneurs and small business owners consistently fail to harness the enormous but still cost-effective potential of mobile marketing.

In recent years, the cost of launching a mobile marketing campaign has been reduced dramatically, both in terms of the affordability of turnkey platforms involved in SMS marketing and the cost of SMS dropping from $0.15 per message two years ago to about $0.07 today, with even lower rates available for larger campaigns.

Apart from the industry-wide innovations and developments that continue to make mobile marketing more affordable, there remain innumerable steps advertisers can take to personally reduce the overall expense of an otherwise invaluable mobile marketing presence.

• K.I.S.S. (keep it simple, stupid)

Crafting a successful mobile marketing campaign doesn’t require the full time assistance of a dozen hired consultants, mobile strategists, graphic designers, etc. The tools and resources to personally but professionally plan and implement an effective, affordable mobile campaign are widely available.

• Target, not blanket

The growth of mobile technology allows mobile marketers to target small but critical segments of the population rather than wide swaths of consumers, most of whom will have no need for the product or service offered. If a quality campaign is effectively targeted to a niche market, a successful mobile marketing campaign can be executed without incurring exorbitant costs.

• Planning is pivotal

Have a game plan and a time frame for your mobile marketing efforts. One of the biggest contributing factors to a blown-out bottom line is failing to adequately budget time and expenses. From the leasing length of your dedicated short codes to the duration of the campaign itself, having a plan and sticking to it ensures that even a minimal budget won’t be exceeded.

• Observe and react quickly

A watchful eye on your return on investment (ROI) is critical to any mobile marketing endeavor. Guage the efficiency and effectiveness of the plan in place and be quick on the draw to make any changes necessary to avoid wasting time, money, and opportunity.

• If you build it they will come

Plain and simple, mobile marketing requires a leap of faith. Although many old-school advertisers find it difficult to embrace mobile marketing, consumers have grown exceptionally unresponsive to traditional marketing such as billboard and television adverts, print adverts, telemarketing and email spam. If marketers who are still tentative about the prospects of mobile marketing can just resist the temptation to invest in traditional media, the leap of faith could ultimately prove an enormously rewarding decision.

For more information, check out this comprehensive whitepaper on mobile marketing and how to select an SMS vendor.

More evidence of the rampant growth in mobile coupon marketing can be found in the new report from Juniper Research, a well-respected provider of analytical services to the global communications sector.

According to the report, more than one mobile subscriber in 10 in developed regions will use mobile coupons by 2014. As a result, Juniper is confidently forecasting that consumer usage of mobile coupons could potentially generate upwards of $6 billion globally in retail redemption value by 2014.

The growth can be directly attributed to the increased willingness of consumers to accept and use mobile coupons, a situation that has prompted better than 25% of all North American marketers to invest, time, resources, and treasure into some form of digital coupon marketing.

In the report titled ‘Mobile Coupons & NFC Smart Posters: Strategies, Applications & Forecasts 2009-2014’ Juniper’s findings do, however, warn of the possible obstacles born of potential “user apathy” in the general public and an unwillingness to learn a new method of making financial transactions. Optimistically, however, NFC trial results indicate “very high levels of user acceptance.”

“Marketers can use the mobile device as the ultimate personal marketing channel. It is almost permanently switched on and physically with the consumer. This makes a great opportunity for brands and marketing agencies to access clients immediately, driving footfall and encouraging an instant decision,” said Howard Wilcox, Senior Analyst at Juniper Research and lead report author.

‘The Mobile Coupons and Smart Posters’ report also published additional findings important to the mobile marketing community. They include:

• ARPU from NFC coupons and smart posters will exceed ARPU from NFC payment transactions
• The vast majority of mobile coupon redemption value will be generated by the Far East & China, Western Europe and North America in 2014

The report, released today, is now available for download from the Juniper website.

To find out more about the power and potential of mobile coupons, check out this all-inclusive Mobile Coupons Webinar.

Often mysterious but never in short supply, the digital creatures known as mobile coupons have become a presence far more profitable, formidable, and ubiquitous than most realize.

With the tangible benefits of mobile coupons beginning to resonate with consumers just as the newspaper clipping variety once did, businesses and entire industries have accepted that mobile coupons are among the best promotional tools of the trade in contemporary, cutting edge marketing.

Although many companies large and small have exhibited reluctance to hop aboard the mobile coupon bandwagon due to their lack of understanding of mobile marketing and its potential, retailers who successfully craft and implement effective mobile coupon campaigns promptly discover how the pennies they offer in savings can quickly yield enormous monetary and branding gains.

Why are mobile coupon campaigns effective?

• Rather than viewing mobile coupons as spam, most consumers who receive interesting mobile coupons actually review the offer. A sizable portion of those views consistently result in sales.
• The average cell phone user’s handset is switched on for the majority of each day. As a result, mobile coupons can reach the masses efficiently and effectively, which is important, particularly during time-sensitive marketing campaigns.
• The accessibility and eco-friendly attributes of mobile coupons provide consumers with a highly attractive purchasing opportunity.

It should come as no surprise then that the findings of a recent PROMO magazine poll indicate that better than a quarter of all North American marketers are now actively investing in some form of digital coupon marketing endeavor. And even though the look and feel of each marketer’s offering may look slightly different, the overwhelming majority of mobile coupon campaigns adhere to one of several established models. For example:

• A buy one, get one free coupon or promotional code.
• A free trial opportunity – an incentive coupon or code for first time buyers or subscribers.
• A rewards-based offer – a coupon that rewards customers of a product/service with a discount on a related product or service.

The great potential for growth in the business of mobile coupons is ultimately rooted in the nearly sixty percent of consumers who report being eager to receive a coupon on their mobile phone. The average consumer’s warm embrace of mobile coupons is the reason a new report from Juniper Research is forecasting that consumer usage of mobile coupons will likely generate close to $6 billion in global retail redemption by 2014.

When appropriately chiseled out to follow the same regulations and best practices governing the distribution of mobile messages, a mobile coupon campaign can prove a surprisingly cost-effective way for businesses and retailers to generate lasting streams of revenue.

To find out more about the power and potential of mobile coupons, check out this all-inclusive Mobile Coupons Webinar.