• by Brenda White , January 2, 2009

In a nomadic world, go where the consumers are - and that's everywhere. And, if any medium is in a position to capitalize on mobile, it's magazines. They're a lifestyle-focused medium with tons of content that can be repackaged specifically for mobile.

You may be asking, why is a print expert talking about this? Well, consumers are looking to get what they want, where they want it and when they want it, and magazine content is what they want. It's personal, specific and engaging, and mobile is a great channel for publishers to use when it comes to delivering trusted, speedy, specific content.

Magazines are brands, not simply paper. When Starcom completed its intensive mobile research, we learned things from it that publishers can apply to what they offer marketers - we'd be foolish to turn a blind eye to these insights just because they didn't come from magazine research.

Consumers treat subjects such as entertainment, sports, travel, financial and news as need-to-know information. Publishers have access to vaults of content; all that's needed is to transition it to mobile, and that's both cost-efficient and simple to do. These repackaged assets can be delivered to consumers in a manageable, headline-style format, giving them information they want quickly and efficiently through applications such as widgets and RSS feeds.

Mobile users are more accepting of targeted ads - 56 percent of the study's consumers said the only reason they wouldn't interact with a mobile ad was because they weren't interested in the product advertised - and they're willing to trade personal information to get access to content. We also know they see their mobile device as indispensable, and many of them are accessing additional content at times they normally wouldn't, creating a 24/7 window of opportunity to deliver tailored messages. A mobile phone is one of the first items people reach for when they wake up and one of the last items they interact with before they go to sleep. These patterns of behavior in emerging media are more relevant to us than ever, as they're essential to the vitality of our brands in today's world of the nomadic consumer.

Consumers find value in a direct and immediate connection to the world. Just as accessibility, mobility and time-shifting media have influenced the way consumers interact with brands today, it should also influence the way marketers reach consumers. By continuing to diversify our channels of distribution through mobile, and by positioning our content in a space where consumers won't have to search for it, we'll place more of our brands' communication quite literally into the hands of the consumer.