iPhone and Mobile Advertising: What’s Ahead For The Agency
Posted by Jay Sears on Mon, Jul 09, 2007 @ 03:30 PM
By Greg Jarboe
I’ve been asked to discuss the opportunities and challenges ahead for agencies in regard to advertising on mobile devices as we move into the iPhone era.
The opportunities are fairly obvious. As of Saturday, June 30, the term, iPhone sales, was one of the top 100 Hot Trends, according to Google Trends.Related searches included iPhone sales numbers, iPhone eBay, iPhone news, iPhone results, and iPhone reviews.
The risks are also fairly obvious. As of Monday, July 2, the term, iPhone problems, was one of the top 100 Hot Trends, according to Google Trends.Related searches included iPhone bugs, iPhone issues, iPhone problem, iPhone complaints, and iPhone battery life.
So, what should agencies do?
If history is any guide, is this like the Apple Lisa or the Apple Macintosh? Is this similar to the Apple Newton or the Apple iPod? Is this a re-run of NeXT or Pixar?
Agencies are often called upon by clients to render a verdict while the jury is still out. The optimists will say the glass is half full and seize the opportunities, the pessimists will say the glass is half empty and avoid the pitfalls, and the mugwumps will sit on the fence as long as they can, with their mugs on one side and their wumps on the other.
What would I recommend that agencies do in regard to advertising on mobile devices like the iPhone?
I recommend that agencies earmark 10% of their time, talent and treasure for tests. If they pay off, then you are ahead of the pack. If they don’t pay off, then you haven’t bet the farm. But, you have made strategic investments.
As Thomas Edison once said, “I have not failed 700 times. I have not failed once. I have succeeded in proving that those 700 ways will not work. When I have eliminated the ways that will not work, I will find the way that will work.”
Greg Jarboe is the president and co-founder of SEO-PR, a search engine optimization firm and public relations agency. He is also a frequent speaker at Search Engine Strategies, PubCon, and other industry conferences.