Mobile devices as a means of brand management

Mobile devices such as smartphones open up new branding opportunities.Smartphones, tablets, wearables: mobile devices are becoming increasingly important for brand management, and new mobile devices such as smartwatches and wearables are being added. The development towards smart living will also support further expansion, as we are seeing in the mobile health sector.what is special? Users can check emails, surf the internet, compare brands and order products online anytime and anywhere. At home on the couch, the tablet is increasingly replacing the classic notebook. Users choose their end device, applications and brands depending on the situation and mood.Mobile branding is brand management on mobile end devices. The user can communicate anytime (24/7) and anywhere: Mobile devices accompany users throughout their day - on the train, in the lecture, even on the toilet. In contrast to laptops and PCs, smartphones are almost always with us in our everyday lives, usually switched on and connected to the Internet. Another special feature is that we can offer users personalized content tailored to their wishes, needs and situation.Location-based branding"Location-based branding is location-based brand management. Example: The user is in a real location where they enter and participate in a brand story. They have to do something or let something happen. This can be combined very well with augmented reality. So go ahead: let your user browse through your store as part of a story, go to certain locations and solve tasks in order to receive a discount as a reward. Tell stories in your shop window, possibly supported by an avatar, i.e. an electronic helper. At an open day, mobile stories in the foyer tell of the founding of the company, in the research laboratory of the latest product, in production of the outstanding quality of this product. With microtelling, he writes short stories in two to three sentences or 140 characters.Situation Based BrandingThe challenge for mobile branding is to gain knowledge about users in certain situations and the experiences they want to have in this particular situation. Until now, market research has relied on measurable behavior such as click numbers and dwell times in e-shops. This data provides important information about the observed behavior: Which banner is clicked more often? How long do users need to order a product? However, there is a lack of knowledge as to why people act in certain situations and whether they will do so again in the future.Problems with the selection of dataAlthough companies have often already acquired terabytes of data about their customers, they make little use of it. The main problem in evaluating and interpreting the data lies in selecting which information is important. So how do we manage to program algorithms that interact live with the user and influence their current experience and determine their future experience? qualitative, "understanding" information about the situation is required for this. Initial approaches already exist: users are recorded and evaluated via webcam: Does the user feel bored? Is he excited? In a study, Daniel Godefroid at the Berlin University of the Arts investigated the question of what influence mobile online advertising has on the purchasing situation and the behavior of consumers. We placed mobile advertising on one of the mobile websites with the highest reach in Germany and evaluated the reactions in 709,770 cases over a period of three months. We were interested in the significance of the distance of an offer in a store, the day of the week, the time of day and the remaining time of the offer. In other words, under what circumstances is a consumer prepared to take advantage of an offer in a particular situation and make a purchase in the store? in his dissertation, Godefroid uncovered the following factors that determine behavior:" Location, where the user is located: Home, business, office, etc." Social circumstances: Are there other people present who could influence the user, such as family, friends, etc.?" Time: This can be the time of day, the day of the week, the time of year and the time of communication, i.e. whether the user is currently under time pressure." Goals of the user: Is he looking for a suitable gift for a friend or is he buying for himself?" Previous condition/experiencesMany other individual factors are added at each level. Moreover, situations can be unstable over time and change continuously: When a user enters an Apple store, they may encounter another user by chance.ConclusionMobile branding and location-based branding contribute to digital branding through unlimited availability of time and place. However, we should learn to better understand how users feel in certain situations and what they want. Author: Prof. Dr. Dieter Georg Herbst