However, i would really pick out Neo of TAWA’s point on Spam SMS Marketing. Most of mobile marketing is that, today. Spam E-mail almost killed E-mail marketing. If that is to be avoided here, Mobile Marketing’s first challenge will be to establish the credibility of the medium. Weeding out unsolicitied SMS-es is key. Given that this market is inundated with small & unorganized service providers, that would be a challenge – i imagine.

Good points on mobile emerging as yet another channel for DM – or indeed, to add to the marcomms mix. I guess that is the idea. Mobile does have significant strengths – it is personal & it is always on. The opportunity to get the message seen is very high. Plus, thers is the added advantage of targeted outreach (to youth, to corporate users etc).

I am not saying mobile advertising is not good. However, you need to take into account of privacy when designing the sms applications. For instance, we have seen outdoor advertisement integrated with sms. Although we have not heard huge success, we started to see more of such usages in advertisements.

In my opinion, mobile advertising has caused more impact on the traditional above-the-line media(which are the more expensive one) but less on “below-the-line”. Nonetheless, successful branding should be “through-the-line”

I do believe that mobile will only help grow the pie for the entire DM line of business with new avenues being explored with MMS and 3 G. There is no way any one medium can and will displace the other. This has not happening in the past with any other new medium, and is not the way to grow the industry as we all would like to see.

Mobile is already a communications and marketing channel though at its infancy stage. I agree that mobile marketing can be extremely targeted and measurable with a much wider reach and therefore the efficacies will build.
There is already a lot of credibility on mobile as we have seen the monies being spent on the medium by brands is growing with every passing day.

Well then again, maybe someone else thinks differently.

Good interview. I liked Rohit’s suggestion that ‘mobile is a great channel for brand building’.

I have two question to him, though. Maybe you can ask him – and write back.

With MMS & 3G catching on; what are the chances that mobile will displace other Below-The-Line marketing communications CHANNELS such as DM?

Is that the ideal intent of Mobile Communications? To become a marketing channel? Will it ever have the efficacy that a DM campaign, or an online campaign has? Will it have the credibility? Or is mobile purely a brand / product / Sale awareness building channel?

Amit