Making the Most of Mobile's Unique Personality

In part 1 of a 2-parter, Stephen Lee, Director of Marketing at Finnish mobile software company, Max Rumpus,  seen here engaging in what we can only assume is a popular Finnish pastime, examines what makes mobile different as a marketing channel. In part two, published tomorrow, his colleague, Mika Huhtamki, looks at the mobile ecosystem

We have seen so many people who want to treat mobile the same as other medium, thereby missing the great opportunities mobile has by virtue of being different. The mobile medium has a personality of its own, but the first mistake people are making with mobile is to say: Lets do the same thing, in mobile. In truth, to make the most out of mobile as a channel for marketing, we need to take advantage of the things that mobile does differently, and we need to embrace the fact that mobile has its own personality that brings the most value when it is understood and respected. Forcing mobile to perform under the same rules that all the other channels operate under limits the value and capabilities of this highly personal form of communication.

Mobile is personal
Media channels such as TV, print, and the Internet are very public forms of communication. Everyone can see them, yet in most cases, we do not feel like they are invading our private space. So far, most users and designers have been thinking of mobile in very public communication terms, but in fact, it is really one of the most individual and personal mass communication channels available.
This comes from the fact that the mobile device is a personal item, like a watch or a necklace, that you do not share with others. This personal tool is part of peoples everyday life. It goes with them everywhere, and it is customised to reflect their personal values, with things like ringtones, wallpapers and covers.
Getting a message to a mobile is like going to visit a person's home. When visiting friends, people obey the rules of the house. The same ethos should be applied when entering someones personal mobile space.
This personality trait of mobile offers great opportunities for direct dialogue, but also carries the risk of accidentally entering too deep into a persons private space, creating subsequent resistance and permanent rejection.
When creating concepts for mobile communication, the thought process should always start from the receiver's point of view and the receiver's willingness to receive the offered message. The personal nature of the medium does not allow for concepts like spamming or unsolicited messages.
Without respect for the mobile channel's unique personality, this new medium, this new opportunity, becomes unusable. In short, this means that whatever is created for the end-user in the mobile medium must provide an unprecedented amount of value to the user, while still achieving its communication goal.

Rich but simple
If we assume that the individuals consent to receive a message is there, the next personality trait of mobile to consider is simplicity. Simplicity is a key and differentiating factor from computer or desktop Web services. It must be considered from all aspects of creation, from design to delivery. Simplicity does not mean that mobile marketing communications can not have rich elements like colour, animation, interactivity and sound. But the experience must be easy for the user to take part in, while delivering a clear message.
Mobile devices are tied by the ropes of limited user interface, handset capabilities and data transfer speeds. In comparison to the desktop world, there is a lot of delay, and operations like additional requests built into the handset reduce the consumers willingness  to continue, and receive the message. So things that may sound nice, easy and feasible on paper, may end up being complicated and confusing when targeted at the consumer. Overuse or misuse of features like animation, excessive content updating or even a confusing structure, can hide the message and lead to a poor user experience.
So often, creators are blinded by what is possible with any medium. Everyone has seen  websites full of unnecessary animations and other clutter. Mobile is the same, but in the mobile environment, the problems are exacerbated by the constraints of the device and networks.  The solution is to revisit the whole process, from content creation, to delivery, to prototyping and concept development, in order to make the right choices, so that the end result is simple and enjoyable for the user, while still maintaining its richness.

Make the most of mobile's unique personality
To make the most of mobiles personality, marketers need to celebrate the things that mobile does differently, while remembering that great mobile marketing concepts can also work in harmony with, and enhance, other channels. They minimise duplication and add value at a very personal level. All of this is achieved  through well thought-out concept design and, most importantly, by understanding what is of real value to the end user.
To provide a balanced experience,  concept creators and visionaries should also have a basic non-technical understanding of the mobile ecosystem. In Part II, we look at this in more detail, examining what you need to know when designing rich marketing concepts that use the mobile channel.

Max Rumpus is a Finnish software company. It started out helping clients create content-rich mobile marketing publications using its Maxdox Mobile Publisher software. Today, it sells this software to companies in the business of creating mobile marketing content.

Read Part 2