The current mobile phone penetration in South Africa is 83 percent of the population. This makes it a very attractive medium for marketing and advertising. But many marketers seem to assume that the market for their products and services is so small and specialised that over 10 million mobile internet users are not, and will never be, their customers.

A lot is being said about the potential of mobile phones as a mainstream content and marketing opportunity. The numbers are impressive and the potential is huge; its supporters dedicated and agencies enthusiastic. Business opportunities abound.

But without the excitement numerous issues remain. Well-known author Jacob Nielsen, described accessing content via the mobile web as “a cringeworthy experience” and compared the Mobile Web in 2009 to the Desktop Web of 1998. He notes an “abysmal success rate”, bad download times, sites not optimised for mobile browsers, and design not suited to the medium and the list goes on.

He found that regular sized phones offered horrible usability to users; even the ever-popular smartphones got the thumbs down and the iPhone and similar offered only “impoverished usability”.

Growth potential

Tracking data on mobile advertising spend in South Africa is scarce and local businesses active in this arena haven’t yet come up with a unified campaign that would educate marketers on where mobile could fit into their marketing strategies.

Yet in spite of the bad reviews, mobile is universally expected to help transform how marketers talk to customers and how customers talk back. The launch of a local chapter of the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) signifies a new level of growth and development for the sector.

Top 10 mobile sites accessed in South Africa (# of unique users)

1. facebook.com
2. google.com
3. wikipedia.org
4. gamejump.com
5. yahoo.com
6. my.opera.com
7. mxit.co.za
8. youtube.com
9. webmail.co.za
10. waptrick.com

Rick Joubert, Executive Head of the Vodacom Mobile Advertising business and Chairman of the MMA in South Africa, estimated that in South Africa R250 million is spent on mobile advertising annually. No figures exist for the amount spent on mobile marketing as a whole in this country although the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) in South Africa estimates that almost half of total direct marketing expenditure is now accounted for by mobile channels.

Mobisite marketing

The opportunities are numerous and brands need to research which are the most appropriate to their target market in order to launch into the mobile space. There are a wide range of options marketers can make use of, from mobile messaging to competitions, ‘click to receive’ email, coupons, videos, downloadable content or branded mobisites.

Mobisites have come to be hugely popular, but the number of visitors compared to the number of cellular users disappoints. Two sites doing relatively well are SuperSport, developed by Yonder Media, which in January 2009 saw nearly one million pages to 74 000 unique visitors. Another is Soccer-Laduma, which served a staggering 1.5 million pages to 85 000 unique visitors. The big operator portals, however, like that of Vodafone in South Africa, continue to serve up to three million unique users per month.

Marketers should take care to approach mobile with a firm strategy in mind and not to land on the wrong side of customer expectations. When it come to mobile marketing, no complication necessary and awareness of how your target audience engage with their phones is important. It is going to be their call after all.

Related links

Balancing Act
Way Forward for Mobile Marketing