Lexington, KY WhatTheyThink, the leading news and information site for the graphic communications industry, announces the immediate availability of Printing Goes Mobile? A WhatTheyThink Primer on Mobile Marketing and its Relevance to—and Opportunities for—the Commercial Printing Industry. This 46-page report provides an easy-to-read overview of the current mobile communications landscape, from the latest smartphones, to the growing market for iPhone applications, to the creative ways that marketers in all industries are trying to get a toehold in these new technologies.

How do we define “mobile marketing”? It can be any of a wide variety of strategies designed to deliver interactive advertising or other content to users via their mobile phones. This can include, but is no means limited to:

• SMS (text) or MMS (rich media) messaging
• the mobile Web
• smartphone apps
• mobile ad networks
• mobile integration with social media networks
• quick response codes
• augmented reality
• ...or any combination of these and more

This primer report sorts out the various strategies, and provides links to third-party data on the growth of the mobile market, as well as some of the impediments to its growth. For example:

• eMarketer estimates that mobile ad spending will reach $416 million in 2009, increasing to $1.56 billion by 2013.
• JP Morgan estimates that revenue from advertising associated with search results on mobile phones is expected to rise to $129 million this year from $99 million in 2008.
• Last August, New Scientist magazine compiled some statistics on iPhone apps alone, and found that:
  • there were 1.5 billion apps downloaded in the first year of the Apple iPhone App Store
  • from July 2008 to August 2009, there were 64,500 new apps added to the iPhone App Store
  • one-third of app users say those apps have changed their lives
  • and app users spend on average 22% less time on a computer.

The report also provides our outlook of the future market for mobile communications in general and mobile marketing applications in particular, as well as general advice, cautions, and caveats for graphic communications companies and individuals looking to get involved in mobile marketing.

Printing Goes Mobile? A WhatTheyThink Primer on Mobile Marketing and its Relevance to—and Opportunities for—the Commercial Printing Industry is available for online purchase at the WhatTheyThink Store in PDF format.

Researcher's Comments

“While it’s hard not to think that a lot of what is happening in the mobile space is pure novelty, the fact remains that these devices and apps are changing the way that people search for information about—and interact with—the world. It’s an extension of the way the Internet changed our relationship with companies, businesses, and other individuals. When you can stand on a sidewalk in Anytown, launch a free iPhone app, and find out in seconds what banks, restaurants, gas stations, etc., are nearby, complete with maps to get there, as well as automatic links to call them, and read tweets about those businesses, that’s powerful. And it turns conventional marketing on its head.”

Availability

The WhatTheyThink special report, Printing Goes Mobile? A WhatTheyThink Primer on Mobile Marketing and its Relevance to—and Opportunities for—the Commercial Printing Industry is available for purchase by visiting the secure WhatTheyThink Store. The price for the 46-page report is $195. WhatTheyThink eStore customers can download this report in PDF Acrobat format immediately after purchase.

Editor’s Note

Additional information pertaining to each report is available for editorial purposes. Please make inquiries directly to Cary Sherburne at 603-430-5463 or [email protected],  or visit www.whattheythink.com).

About WhatTheyThink

WhatTheyThink is the printing and publishing industry's leading media organization; offering a wide range of publications delivering unbiased, real-time market intelligence, industry news, economic and trend analysis, peer-to-peer communication, and special reports on emerging technology and critical events. WhatTheyThink also hosts webinars and live events that are timely and relevant o today's busy industry executives along with consulting and speaker services that leverage a talented pool of writers and industry analysts.

WhatTheyThink consists of flagship site WhatTheyThink.com, discussion forum site PrintPlanet.com, and industry blog PrintCEO.com.