L&S Unscripted

How often do you leave the house without your phone/mobile deivce?  My bet is never, at least not intentionally.  It goes everywhere you go; to the office, the grocery store, the kids’ football games, even on vacation.  Your mobile phone is likely the most personal, and most depended-on, object you own.

In a recent study conducted by the L&S research team, adults between the ages of 18 and 34 said they would rather have a cell phone than cable television or health insurance. In 2008, the United States passed a critical mass when there were more cell phone lines than land lines in the country.

I just read a study on the effects that mobile advertising has on brand advertising (not to be confused with direct response). The impact is impressive… almost a 24% lift in brand awareness and 12% lift in message association. Part of the reason for the high impact is simply the newness of the medium; people are paying attention because they are not bombarded with messaging. But I also think it goes beyond novelty. 97% of adults carry a cell phone. More than half of all new phones sold have online capabilities (although only 26% claim they have used their phone to go online). Almost 60% of phone users have sent and received text messages.

Look at your brand and your current messaging; are you missing a golden opportunity to increase awareness and drive sales? It could be as simple as making sure your web site is WAP compatible or as complicated as a CRM campaign targeted to mobile devices. There are possibilities to market through phones that will fit into every budget, every market, and every campaign.

But make sure you proceed with caution. Mobile messaging is very personal and marketers have to be careful not to invade. Users are open to messaging that is relevant and timely. By “spamming” your messages often to broad audiences, your message will backfire creating a negative brand association. Use caution, find the right message for your audience, and work with a reputable agency and distributer.

Got to run – my phone is ringing,

Korena

The workforce is constantly changing.   Today, we represent diversity, in many aspects, and as an agency and we need to ensure that we continually support those around us who offer different perspectives because one-size doesn’t fit all in this expanding world of new clients, new technology and new challenges.

At Lawrence and Schiller, our leadership encourages us to take control over our professional lives.  We are asked to step up and to develop our own futures here — if we see a need, find a solution and move it forward.  So a few weeks ago, a few of my female colleagues met after work for drinks, dinner and conversation.  In addition to the normal gossip of shoes, new restaurants or celebrity-itus, our conversations turned toward work life. How well do we know each other and how can we support each other’s careers within our agency?

An idea was formed and a peer-networking effort has started. This is a way for us with more experience to interact, support and learn from those just beginning marketing careers.  On the flip side, we also want to stay connected to issues that matter for young women in today’s fast-paced environment.

This effort may have started as a way to support other female colleagues’ success within this company. But after some initial research on similar efforts in other companies, I’ve found that this type of networking creates an internal reflective process that creates additional benefits for the agency — efficiency, knowledge transfer, collaboration and overall improved communication across disciplines and teams.

Progress is everyone’s business and I’m looking forward to connecting with others in the building. If anyone has great books or topics to help get this launched – please post them here. I’d love to hear your successes in similar efforts.

Billie Jo