• by January 16, 2009

What amazes me is that so few of the lessons learned from the growth of the Internet are being applied to mobile devices (and social networks for that matter). Either that or marketers didn't learn their lesson well. Did they really learn that different audiences were attracted by different types of online marketing depending on who they were, or what their online behavior was depending on the type of site they were on, time of day, etc. -- or did they learn that sticking video in a banner ad got more attention?

Just because mobile (and again, social media) is "online" doesn't mean that user engagement in those spaces is the same. Mobile is all about portable and easy to access information, social networks are all about user interaction and communication.

Some may have used Border's mobile coupons, some may not have, but are you going to eliminate a program because EVERYONE isn't using it? Personally, if I'm a big book buyer (which I am) and shop at Borders often (which is a New Year's resolution of mine), I'd personally prefer an iPhone app that gives me free book previews, recommendations based on my purchase history, the occasional free classic ebook, and a section with coupons, sales, and new book releases.

My point is, different people want to engage with brands in different ways. Mass marketing is over. Brands have to get their head around the fact that in order to reach as many people as possible, they're going to have to do it in every way possible.