Mobile Marketing

J Vineyards & Winery has incorporated mobile barcodes onto its labels to educate consumers on the particular wine bottle they scan. The company decided to use mobile barcodes because of the growing number of smartphones in the market and to further engage its ever-changing tech-savvy consumers.

You may already know there are 5 billion mobile subscriptions worldwide. Under current trends, mobile phones will surpass PCs as the device most commonly used to access the web. You may be surprised to find out that 200 million people access Facebook through mobile devices. These people are twice as active on Facebook, so it appears that having internet access anytime, anywhere via a mobile device creates twice the engagement.

With the news that Wal-Mart will acquire mobile and social commerce firm Kosmix, the big-box retailer became the latest of several large brands last week demonstrating a healthy commitment to the mobile space by investing heavily in related acquisitions or new business.

Chief marketing officers and brand managers are increasingly aware of mobile’s importance for connecting with consumers. They're talking about mobile and diving into launch sites and apps as fast as they can. However, only a few brands are really cracking the code. The brands that are getting it right started with some basic tenets and knowledge bases: know your consumers, yourself, your strategy, your brand, your competition, your goals and objectives, and your mobile best practices.

When one thinks of the most connected, Foursquare-loving urban hipsters or text-obsessive teens spring to mind. Moms, not so much. But according to Babycenter's 2011 Mobile Mom Report, moms with smartphones like the iPhone spend more time with the mobile web (6.1 hours a day) than the PC-based web (4.1 hours).

Sears must have had some success with the QR codes in its 2010 holiday catalog, as the department store chain's new tools catalog has been populated with QR codes as well. The QR codes typically resolve to videos showing the various tools in use which is a great idea, every tool catalog should be like this.

Best Buy announced it will be partnering with open wireless broadband network provider LightSquared to enter the wireless industry by becoming a mobile virtual network operator selling mobile broadband access.

For years marketers have cited the success of 2-D barcodes overseas and eagerly waited (and waited) for them to take hold in the U.S. Thanks to prominent endorsements from Target, Best Buy, Macy's and Post Cereals, that day might finally be nearing.

Home Depot has rolled out a nationwide mobile barcode program to influence purchase intent in-store and drive consumers to its locations via digitally-enhanced direct mail pieces and print ads.

Starting out on mobile can be overwhelming. Where do you start? How do you prepare for your first campaign? These are questions that we hear every day. This is the first in a series of posts on establishing your presence on the mobile web — before you even start your first advertising campaign.