At the risk of slinging mud at a nascent industry others might argue is simply going through normal growing pains, I am disappointed at the lack of creativity in mobile marketing. It seems there is a fork in the road to mobile, with one lane veering toward dizzyingly siloed custom applications for niche devices, and the other a path toward lowest common denominator, de rigueur mobile. (Full disclosure: my company has been at the helm for both (sigh), so I feel uniquely qualified to level the accusation at the industry at large.)

We’ve collectively lost sight of what is unique about mobile. Sure mobile coupons are neat, text to win is occasionally fun, and WAP ads have their place (though, when was the last time you clicked on a WAP ad? Or, a regular banner ad for that matter?), but do any of those applications do anything but move the needle incrementally? Are there any mobile marketing campaigns you know of that actually change gears? (more…)

Have you ever seen a woman suddenly halt in front of a jewelry store window? An exquisite diamond necklace gleaming in the sunlight has caught her eye. She can’t speak it’s so breathtaking. She stands motionless. Her eyes glaze over. Her hand loosens its grip on her purse. She thinks about what she’d look like wearing it, how it would drape over her collar bone, how the diamonds would catch the light as she brushes her hair off her shoulders. In her mind she receives imaginary compliments but shrugs them off modestly. (more…)