Both the iPhone and the Nexus One have more computing power in terms of software and hardware than the entire Apollo moon mission, including all the computers on the ground and in space, according to Ogilvy head of mobile technologies Scott Seaborn.
It was within this context that Seaborn spoke of the role of apps in advertising, in 2020, at the Mobile World Congress, in Barcelona, last week.
Ogilvy has managed 36 mobile campaigns in the last 16 months, and Seaborn said the company is finally being given the budget for mobile advertising that will allow it to create campaigns of the same quality and scale as it does for television.
Seaborn asked congress delegates to pass their mobile phones to the person sitting next to them. The nervous laughter and reluctance to follow through on the instruction was used by Seaborn to illustrate the intensely personal nature of mobile phones.
“We all pretend to understand just how personal the device is, but when you're without it you feel like you've lost a limb, don't you?” asked Seaborn.
“We try to use this human understanding to create a business advantage for our clients. The power of mobile devices and social media such as Facebook and Twitter, is a power that can kill you as a brand.”
Speak up!
“So, in developing mobile marketing apps, we have to think of empowering people to do what they do. The future of mobile advertising hinges on learning to speak to individuals one-on-one, based on their unique preferences and profiles, and being able to do so en masse.”
According to Seaborn, the format of mobile advertising is defined by the unique elements of the device.
As an example, Seaborn illustrated a new iPhone application called “Can't Talk Right Now” (CTRN), which makes use of the iPhone's home button and the ability to multitask during a phone call.
CTRN provides a number of background sounds to help the user get out of any situation, ranging from the voice of a woman calling the user back to bed, sounds of hitting the jackpot in Vegas, or running away to join the circus.
A less tongue-in-cheek example of mobile applications in advertising was the IBM Seer, which was launched for use during Wimbledon.
See through walls
IBM Seer used a combination of augmented reality and live data feeds, to allow users to essentially “see-through walls” by holding up their device when in the vicinity of the tournament to get relevant live information and even video feeds.
“Today, mobile advertising focuses on branded experiences. In the future, brands will be giving valuable ideas.”
Seaborn also pointed to the potential that hyper-connectivity of both software and hardware can offer. Hyper-connected software can combine all the information from a user's social media profiles to create a filter that will stop brands from communicating, unless the brand is trusted and can offer something that is genuinely useful to that user.
“On this basis, advertising may not be judged by how many people will see that ad, but by how many products are actually sold. We think that, as you walk past a billboard, you will receive relevant information based on your profile.”
Cleaning up
Seaborn ended the presentation with a demonstration of the latest mobile app for a Coke Zero marketing campaign, called “The Cleaner”.
The Cleaner is targeted directly at men, providing a means for them to hide private content from the prying eyes of a boss, girlfriend or friends.
When activated, The Cleaner generates a fake home screen, as well as fake content, such as photos, messages, calendar and even application tabs designed specifically to please the “snooper” and to hide any incriminating evidence.
As such, if one were to set The Cleaner to “Girlfriend” mode, if one's significant other were to snoop on the user's phone, she would see text messages from friends saying how wonderful she is. Also, if she were to go into the photo gallery, she would see only cute kittens and scenery.
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