Industry pioneer talks about mobile marketing in RP

After experiencing a slow start last year, mobile marketing has become a big business strategy for several leading companies to promote their products. So much so that text-based product promotions have now become a popular marketing tool.

Consider the text raffles, text games and interactive billboards you see along major thoroughfares that invite cellphone users to text their votes, all these prove that mobile marketing has established its potential as an effective instrument to promote a brand or product.

"Mobile marketing is not an experiment any more. It’s actually recognized as a mainstream marketing medium along with radio and print," said Arthur Policarpio, chief operating officer of Global Wireless Connections, Inc. (GWC), the country’s leader in mobile marketing.

"Companies have realized that it is a must for them to explore or try mobile marketing given the fact that there are about 32 mobile phone users in the country today," he shared.

Oil giant Shell, for example, has recently concluded its Shell Advance Text to Ride Promo to entice consumers to purchase either a Shell Advance VSX4 or S4 for a chance to win 11 motorcycles and Ducati watches. The promo was such a success that Shell is now ready to launch its second text-based promo called Shell Rotella X and Shell X-100 Text Trip Promo.

Aside from Shell, companies such as Motorola (BotoMoto Contest and FooFighter Promo), Splash (Maxi-peel Ur A Star and Skinwhite Ultimate Date Promo), and Unilever (Rexona First Day Funk, Vaseline Hugga Mom Attack and Bestfoods Maganang Umaga Promo), have decided to go into mobile marketing to promote their products and reach a particular target market.

GWC has done 200 percent more mobile marketing projects in 2005 vs. 2004, a four-fold increase compared to last year’s projects. Major clients of GWC include Unilever Philippines, Splash Corp., United Laboratories, Shell Philippines, JCB International and Western Union Philippines.

Raymon Cayabyab, marketing manager of GWC, said it is a logical step for companies to embark on a mobile marketing campaign because the mobile phone could be easily integrated with their existing initiatives.

"The mobile phone could be used as a platform to launch different mobile marketing concepts. It is a very potent tool waiting to be tapped by more companies," he said.

Cayabyab said that companies were initially reluctant to utilize mobile marketing because it was an untested strategy. "We had to work closely with our clients and explain that mobile marketing can actually work for them. We had to present ideas and concepts wherein they can use the mobile phone to their advantage," he added.

However, Cayabyab quickly pointed out that now, enticing companies to utilize mobile marketing has become a smooth sailing endeavor for GWC since most companies have realized the potential of the medium. "We just need to find the right concept for them," he shared.

The turning point for GWC was when it launched Unilever’s Axe Big Bike Text Promo campaign, which resulted in huge volume increase in sales for the multinational manufacturing company. Since then, GWC has conceptualized and executed numerous brand and product promotional campaigns for different companies in different industries utilizing cellphone as a medium.

As far as GWC is concerned, the mobile marketing industry still has a lot of potentials. "We haven’t scratched the surface. We’re just in the early stage and we strongly believe we can continuously craft innovative ideas for companies" mobile marketing campaigns," said Cayabyab.