1. Analysis is an important first step in the marketing management process. The rapid advance in mobile technology poses opportunities as well as threats for marketers. Discuss both the opportunities and threats for marketers.
Mobile marketing is touted as the next “big thing,” offering the promise of connecting with consumers on the most personal medium—their cell phones. Technological advances are letting marketers send not only text messages to cell phones but also video messages. In Japan, QR Codes (quick response codes) originally developed for manufacturing purposes are now placed on outdoor, print, and other media advertisements so that consumers can snap pictures of them and be taken directly to mobile Web sites. Although not widely practiced yet, some U.S. marketers are now dabbling in mobile marketing. For example, Jaguar used a mobile campaign and sold over 1,100 XFs in one month. Visa used mobile marketing in China to encourage consumers to pass video commercials on to their friends via mobile phones. Even textbook publishers are using mobile marketing to send updated information to students and teachers. Although there are still technical roadblocks stifling rapid expansion of this marketing method, some experts claim that marketers had better jump on this bandwagon or risk being left behind.