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For the first time at a speaking event, I was encouraged to get out and use my cell phone (as opposed to silencing it immediately, or turning it off all together). Perhaps this is an indicator of the progress of mobile marketing.

Last Wednesday’s Atlanta Interactive Marketing Association (AiMA) event was a packed house, full of folks wondering “is mobile marketing poised to deliver?” The panel was moderated by Louis Gump, VP of Mobile at The Weather Channel Interactive, and consisted of four mobile experts and realistic discerners of mobile marketing:

• Bill Jones, President & CMO at Air2Web
• Brent Gaskamp, Sr. Director Business Development of Mobile at Yahoo!
• Andrew Dod, SVP of Marketing at Xosphere
• Deepak Anand, Mobile Marketing Manager at Google

All panelists cautioned that mobile marketing is not always applicable, bigger is not better, and that for now keeping it simple is the safest way to go.

Andrew Dod set the current climate of the mobile environment by comparing it to where the Internet was in 1994 – that is, ready to explode. He continued by explaining that because our phones are a direct and personal link to us – they are also becoming a portal of connectivity for marketers to reach us. He forecasted an increasing amount of rich media, but thought it was unrealistic at the present time.

Dod’s advice is to target a specific audience, at a specific time and location, in order to build a specific experience. Ultimately, this develops stronger connections between a brand and its audience. He went on to applaud the Jameson Whiskey mobile marketing campaign (a St. Patrick’s Day campaign) as an outstanding execution of these qualities. The campaign had people text in a code they got off a coaster, to which they received a reply of a traditional Irish toast.

All panelist were quick to mention that while ownership of PDAs is low, sales are out of sight – with Apples’ iPhone leading the pack. Obviously, they all agreed that design for the Web and design for Mobile are very different – with mobile presenting it’s own limitations. For this reason, it is imperative to design mobile sites as simplistically as possible.

Google’s Depak Anand plugged some of their own unarguably cool PDA applications; namely, mobile mapping, Street View, and Android, the new open source mobile operating system. Anand continued by supporting Dod’s advice: a specific audience (business class travelers, for example) at the specific time (airline check-in) is served extremely well by a deeper PDA application, as observed by Delta’s mobile check-in, a fantastic application for the business traveler, who typically sports the latest PDA and is on-the-go. Yet, while the possibilities are huge with these mobile applications, they are still widely unmarketable to the general masses who are still texting by means of “three button push.”

Classic themes in search marketing emerged with both Google and Yahoo. Each was quick to advise keeping search and phraseology short and direct. Yahoo’s Brent Gaskemp suggested buying certain typos as ad words to account for mistakes made in typing, which can occur much more frequently when using small mobile keypads.

However, neither of the search giants had amazing things to say about measurability and tracking. In fact, all panelists had to confess to limitations in this area – one that is critical for decision makers, particularly given circumstances where budgets are constrained.

MY CLOSING THOUGHTS

I must confess that while I work for a digital marketing agency, I’m probably one of the least techno-savvy people among my esteemed colleagues. Don’t get me wrong. I have heard the whimsical call of the Siren iPhone …only to be hit upside the head by my wallet when I get too close.

Even so, I admit to my increased use of texting and the excitement that rushes to me when I see I’ve received a new text message. This comes from a guy that has primarily used his cell phone as a watch and a way to check in with the wife. This all has got me thinking of our Behavioral Research department, and how useful mobile devices could be in surveying, polling and testing. People fiddle with their phone during free/ boredom time. What if we could engage them mobily and gather their thoughts “on the move?” Maybe it’s a near term possibility, maybe not.

The discussion was so prolific we didn’t get time to address other topics, such as legalities, privacy laws and, unfortunately, health concerns. One thing I know for certain is that the potential is incredible. I combine that with the fact that teenagers today rely heavily on their cell phones as a means of communicating with their friends and family, as well as expressing themselves. Catalyze that with how fast technology is advancing and possibilities are endless.