Marketing to the iPhone

Mobile marketing has been talked about as the "next big thing" for years now, but few U.S. advertisers have figured out how to effectively market their products via mobile platforms.  Unilever, who is already well known for innovative marketing campaigns in the consumer products category, recently launched a successful new mobile campaign to support their Axe body spray brand (http://adage.com/digital/article?article_id=134331).  The full scale interactive ad campaign was designed specifically for the iPhone, and it was a hit with target consumers, resulting in 3 million impressions and a 15% increase in purchase intention.  

Interestingly, Unilever was able to work with an agency to design a campaign that replicates the functionality and interactivity of Flash, which is not currently available on the iPhone.  The campaign also involved a game, a trend which many advertisers are using to encourage engagement.  Several companies including Kraft and Nike have built their own iPhone apps, hoping that by providing useful tools that consumers use and appreciate they will increase brand awareness and eventually sales (http://adage.com/digital/article?article_id=133607).  

Although mobile marketing is still in its early days, the success of Unilever's campaign and the popularity of corporate applications for the iPhone shows that if advertisers can be creative and work around technical limitations to reach them, consumers are ready to respond.