March 15, 2012

Written by Kelly Stickel

As we continue to look ahead, it seems as though we are running right through mobile, and smack into the era of mobility.  Our online consumer was happy to take a decade-long ride watching online evolve.  The consumer with mobility wants full functionality and there is an immediacy tied to this expectation.

The transformative thinking within the retail and mobile communities is happening quickly and Remodista believes there is a way to harness that collective knowledge. We are focused on collaborating with the retail ecosystem to strategize and begin thinking with mobility in mind.

I recently interviewed Molly Garris, Director of Digital Strategy at Leo Burnett and Arc Worldwide. She serves as her agency’s in-house mobile marketing subject matter expert, and has been instrumental in activating successful mobile marketing campaigns for P&G, McDonald’s, Kellogg’s, Sealy, Earth Hour and Purina, just to name a few. Most recently, Ad Age recognized Molly as one of their “Women to Watch” in mobile!

Molly will be presenting at our next Bricks and Mobile event on April 18^th2012.  At last year’s event, she proved to be an impactful speaker, garnering the attention of those who are new to the mobile space and those who were early adopters from the beginning. It is our pleasure to have her back to share her insight at our approaching event.

Molly is a leader who enthusiastically shares her thoughts about creating pathways for growth in retail and mobility. She offers her knowledge focused on fresh trends in mobile and ways for strategizing in order to enable tangible rewards! Molly has established tremendous success thus far, and for that, we have named Molly as our 4^th Moximoré in 2012!

In preparation for the event, Molly and I discussed the importance of understanding the new consumer, the right value propositions, the trends looking ahead, and we took a glimpse into how to think about mobility on a global scale.

Retailers have become comfortable with online commerce and they understand how to succeed online. They are just starting to execute mobile tactics and campaigns that will engage the consumer. As the shopper gets more sophisticated and technology continues to move at this frantic pace, we see consumer’s mobile needs rapidly increasing with developments in phones, tablets and other innovative mobile devices.

Whether on the couch, in the store, or on-the-go, the consumer is looking for ways to engage with their favorite brands. Retail executives see the channel commerce shift, and Bricks + Mobile is relevant and timely.  There are massive behavioral changes taking place, which presents retailers with new opportunities to engage their shoppers.

Kelly:  What is the consumer opportunity with mobile?

Molly: We are no longer printing out directions, writing grocery lists, looking in the Yellow Pages.  I don’t remember the last time I played a real board game, but I have 6 “Words with Friends” games going on as we speak.

Mobility is changing the way we live and is even starting to change human behaviors.  These behaviors are creating massive opportunity for brands and retailers on mobile phones and tablets.

While desktop sites allow marketers to collect rich data points in order to customize content, mobile devices provide even more opportunities by adding in new dimensions like GPS-enabled location data. Suddenly, marketers are putting their messages in front of consumers at the right time and right place.

It is fascinating  to study the evolution of human behavior and identify pockets of unmet mobility needs for our clients to address, whether the need is to save consumers’ time, money and / or entertain.

Kelly:  What is your favorite part of watching the solutions grow?

Molly:  For years, marketers have been creating really strong solutions and then waiting and waiting for the consumer to catch up.  In less than a year, the whole scenario completely flipped to where the consumer is eager to engage, but doesn’t really quite know how to do that. Users are becoming smarter and expect brands to have their game “ON”. It’s so exciting to see marketers reacting to this shift.

To meet the demand, brands and retailers are really taking measures to create awareness of their mobile solutions and give people a value proposition that encourages usage. In a recent cab ride to O’Hare airport, I noticed a billboard from American Airlines, encouraging flyers to download their app and check in now, saving time when they arrive in the airport. Not only are they telling people about their experience but they are also doing so at a relevant time, place and within great context.

Additionally, solutions are becoming smarter.  They are allowing you to log in via Facebook, pay with PayPal or other saved payment methods, share location rather than enter a zip code. Consumers are busy, on the go, and need quick bits of information. The more accurate the information, the more consumers pay attention and buy.

Kelly:  What are the trends looking ahead?

Molly:  Relevant Data. Now that we have an environment set up with mobile apps, Text messaging(SMS/MMS), QR codes, mobile sites…the data needs to be more relevant to the consumer having the experience.

Looking at the Aisle 411 app rolling out across the nation – it maps out your grocery shopping trip and provides over 130,000 recipes and meal ideas.  Imagine taking your digital list and organizing it according to the layout of the store.  Why would we, as the merchant, share this information with the customer?  Having this type of information drives the love.  If the shopping experience is good, shoppers return more frequently and put more in their cart.

Avoiding Duplication.  A brand or marketer’s mobile website cannot simply be ported over into an app or be useful on a tablet. Build solutions based on the platforms, meaning that each device class should be thought of differently. Mobile phones are about immediacy.  It is an emergency, I’m bored, or I am trapped and need a way out!

Tablets, however, require more of a “lean back strategy”, which appeals to those on the couch who are more likely to be browsing, updating, shopping, and reviewing.

Sephora has a new iPad-specific app that leverages the tablet’s forward-facing camera. That way, the consumer sees two screens – one of their reflection and the other is a video showing them how to apply eye shadow.  That would appeal to a tablet user at home, but it’s highly unlikely that a mobile user is going to apply eye makeup with a mobile device on the go or that the consumer is going to do this on a computer.

Couponing and Loyalty. How many times have you found yourself out shopping and realized that you had forgotten your coupons or punch card? Bringing coupons and loyalty to mobile phones is a huge value proposition that many technologists are working to address with mobile wallet solutions – or apps that will store shopper offers, loyalty cards and payment options.

I remember my mom always paid for our family’s groceries by writing a check way back when.  I am sure there will be a time when I tell my kids that I used to swipe debit and credit cards to pay for groceries. There will be a time when the next generation simply taps their phone. And this time may come sooner than we think.

As brands and retailers prepare for the mobile wallet to hit stores, it’s important to consider how they will to roll it out to their customer, in order, to get them on board. It’s not just the consumer; they will also have to consider employees.  How are you going to educate your staff?  You can’t have the merchant looking confused as the customer asks to use the coupon or payment option.

CRM. The last couple of years, marketers have started to produce what I call “matching luggage”. Your TV ad looks like your print ad that looks like the email, which looks like the text message. Today, marketers have the ability to give consumers a choice as to how they want you to communicate with them. Give people a say how often and on which channels they’d like to hear from you (print, email, text messaging). From there, ensure strategies are in place for each, based on what purpose each channel serves, and where and when people engage with the message.

There needs to be both a push and a pull.  Pushing out an email blast or a text message is good, but if you forget about those customers coming to your website to look for store hours on the go or using your app to style an outfit from the fitting room, valuable pull opportunities can be missed.  It can’t be all of one or the other; it needs to be a combination of both.

Kelly:   Can you give some insight to thinking with global mobility?

Molly:  Aside from localization and language availability, mobile websites and text messaging are fairly universal global.  However, tactics like apps, QR codes and augmented reality are likely limited to countries whose mobile users have post-paid subscriptions and data plans, rather than pre-paid plan minutes and text messages.

Richer, more digitally savvy countries, whose people have been online for years, see consumer engagement with video content, games, apps and more. For other countries with less income and infrastructure, mobile may be a person’s first digital experience. It may be their first look at the internet, their first on-demand access to news and weather, or their first opportunity to communicate with other cities using social networks. Accessible solutions, like SMS and data-lite mobile websites, must be considered.

Looking at a global giant like Coca-Cola, you will see a variety of mobile tactics used across different regions. In more developed countries, the brand may invite World Cup fans to share mobile videos of how they celebrated goals. Whereas, in less developed countries, Coca-Cola has been successful with simple SMS activations like “Gimme Credit”, which encourages consumers to text an under-the-cap code for a chance to win free mobile airtime or rewards for their purchase. There is no silver bullet when it comes to delivering a brand message globally. Careful consider to a region’s language, culture and behavior is critical.

Molly Garris, Director of Digital Strategy, Leo Burnett and Arc Worldwide

Molly Garris serves as Director of Digital Strategy for Leo Burnett and Arc Worldwide and is the agency’s in-house mobile marketing subject matter expert. Since joining the agency in 2009, Molly has been instrumental in activating successful mobile marketing campaigns for P&G, McDonald’s, Kellogg’s, Sealy, Earth Hour and Purina, just to name a few.

Molly never planned to work in the mobile world, let alone one of the biggest advertising firms in the world. After graduating from Michigan State University with a degree in marketing she landed a job at MJI Interactive in New York City where she supported an early text-messaging program for radio stations. A few years later, Molly moved to the west coast and worked on a variety of mobile-centric campaigns for Land Rover, L.E.I. Jeans and Toshiba before settling in Chicago and joining Leo Burnett/Arc Worldwide.

Kelly Stickel, Founder and President of Remodista and Director of Vendor Relations, Acquity Group

Kelly has 13 years of experience building teams that execute digital agency and consulting projects. For more than 5 years, she has managed Acquity Group’s service vendors globally across all digital channels while researching new and emerging technology.

Kelly has successfully organized and created curriculum for mobile-related educational events including the first Start Up Showcase for Mobile Monday – Chicago in 2009, the first Mobile University event for the Heartland Mobile Council in 2010. Kelly founded Remodista in 2010, and executed the first 2 Bricks and Mobile events in March and October of 2011.

For the past 15 years, Kelly has taught mosaic art classes to students of all ages. Kelly has a B.A in Political Science from the University of Missouri. She is an Associate Board Member for Gilda’s Club – Chicago, a non-profit cancer treatment center for families.  Kelly is a mentor for WIM (Women Innovate Mobile), and accelerate program in NYC. She also actively mentors young women who are focused on cultivating their personal digital brand.