Mobile Fights Advertising Segregation

Don't avoid the integrated marketing model by establishing multi-channel advertising campaigns that don't link between categories. By creating more innovative materials that draw a line between traditional, digital and social media marketing assets, an ad agency may be able to achieve a higher marketing ROI, according to BtoB magazine.

Mobile technology's soaring popularity has created a seismic shift in the advertising and marketing industries, and is forcing companies to reassess their strategies for communicating with consumers who are "always connected and increasingly engaged."

The unprecedented sales of tablet computers and smartphones in 2011 transformed the way people access and use information, and changed their expectations for how brands handle promotions and customer service. As the magazine notes, marketers are starting to rise to the challenge by creating mobile applications that create value for the consumer and also enable companies to gather data on and interact with their target markets.

Content marketing is moving into the spotlight, with brands starting to focus on how they can build up their online libraries of articles, blogs and social media posts in order to draw in web-connected consumers and make their websites another promotional platform.

Social media marketing in particular has gained a higher profile in marketers' toolboxes. It's no longer just a Facebook profile or Twitter account serving as an online placeholder - it's now "an integral part of the organization, touching everything from product development to customer support," the magazine observes.

Engagement through the mobile channel is also becoming a priority for companies. In a separate interview with BtoB, Paran Johar, CMO for mobile ad network Jumptap, said organizations need to make both reach and engagement key goals in a mobile marketing initiative. He compares mobile to television, noting that they focus more on the audience than the technology required to transmit the message.