Youth Marketing Mobile Insights

By Marc Kornberger Jul 7, 2011    0 

Student Village Research

NATIVE Presentation

Breakfast Event Pics

You're Doing it Wrong: Bluetooth

Bluetooth marketing messages. Sounds sexy in marketing material, does it not? Unfortunately students don't think so. Faced with the question of which marketing medium students would like to receive their gig guides, discounts, or competitions on, Bluetooth ranked in lowly with 18% of the respondents.

Whilst Bluetooth technology is cutting edge and every smartphone handset has a functionality based around it, the simple truth discovered in the research survey revealed that students don't know how to switch on their Bluetooth functions on their mobiles. Of those that did know how to focus group respondents admitted that trust was the second big hindrance to using Bluetooth. Security of the content was perceived as a major concern, as virus from mobile to mobile can easily be distributed using Bluetooth technology.

So before you invest in Bluetooth technology as part of your mobile strategy, consider what students believe of Bluetooth technology and content.





The death of "feature phones"

The rise of smartphones within the student market has meant that the Mobile Universe now has more platforms to engage with their targeted audiences. Bluetooth, 2D Codes, Short Code SMS, Twitter feeds, Facebook, Mobi Sites, Apps for different smartphones, are all now possible.

The startling truth however is that students still prefer SMS (64%) as their medium for you to engage them on. Why is this so? Students are instant gratification junkies. The simpler and easier the platform is for them to engage with you, the better the chances of them engaging your campaign.

SMS provides them with the ideal situation. You only have 160 Characters in which to state your case, and they have an option not to engage with you should they wish. If you follow this route, beware of SPAM. Too frequently sent marketing messages will put them off your SMS campaign.

Associated costs and simplicity of use are big hinderances to students engaging on the new platforms of Short Code sms (3%), 2D Codes (11%) and USSD (6%). Previous experience of hidden data costs that eat away at their airtime or data bundles is the major driver of this fear of new platforms.

Twitter (16%) faces a problem of a different kind. Still seen as very new in the user stakes, focus group participants revealed that Twitter is mainly used as a tool to follow celebrities. Cool kids within the market are slowly beginning to adopt Twitter as the next social media platform to engage on. But don't hedge your bets on Tiwtter just yet, as it still needs to be fully adopted in the student Market.

Long Live SMS!

SMS. By far the number one choice when it comes to receiving marketing content, competitions and discounts for students.

64% of the research survey respondents, conceded to wanting to receive SMS marketing. Of the 1 in 2 students who wanted to receive competitions from brands 84% of those students chose SMS marketing as the primary medium to engage them on.

Of the students that remember mobile marketing communication, 13% - the highest of the brands survey question - pointed to an sms marketing campaign that they remember and engaged with.

If you are looking for a full proof mobile marketing platform that you can use as a cornerstone of your mobile campaign, SMS is still the way to go.