The From Line

The era of the smart phone is fully ascendant in 2013. This year Deloitte estimates that the billionth such device will be activated. However, mobile marketing success going forward will be about much more than just numbers. Anticipating how user behavior will evolve will be absolutely crucial to a well-managed mobile marketing budget.

Linear No More

For example, consider the 'second screen' phenomenon. The old paradigm, first on laptops and then on mobile devices, was linear. That is, users would move through channels in succession. Linear consumer behavior is relatively easy to track as one moves from point A to point B to point C.

Now, a new behavior pattern is emerging. For example, more and more smartphone users are active while simultaneously watching TV. Key questions arise. To what degree will smartphone usage relate to the 'second screen,' the TV? Will TV viewing and smartphone activities be related or not?

Smartphones may become popular as a means for further interaction with a television program. Should such consumer behavior proliferate, mobile marketing can respond with a more cross-channel, holistic approach. In fact, in ideal scenarios, the impact on advertising may almost be counter-intuitive. That is, the successful advertisers that truly engage such cross-channel users may gain their attention in very relevant ways.

Latest Marketing Trend to Watch:
QR codes were popularized more than five years ago in Japan and are now used globally as physical world hyperlinks. Like updated versions of traditional bar codes, QR codes are images that can be scanned to relay information. A code scanned by a smartphone instantly links a user to mobile content, fostering greater customer engagement. Big brands are adopting this strategy and you can, too.

Early adopters helped create a 'mystique' surrounding QR-led urban games because they could access exclusive content. (See fun examples here and here.) But now mainstream consumers are seeing more QR codes everywhere. U.S. companies were a bit behind in adoption of these codes until now.

Here are just some of the places people see QR codes in their daily lives:

• Catalogs, newspapers and magazines
• Events - tickets, badges, booths
• Outdoor signs - billboards, window clings
• Clothing and accessories - labels, inventory
• SMS  - coupons, contact information
• Mobile apps - coupons, contests