The Billboard That Follows You

As we unbelievably near another fourth quarter of the calendar year and the anticipated iPhone 5 launch behind us, the most lucrative advertising season is just a few weeks away. With Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and the New Year all in Q4, marketers -- especially those going mobile -- are fine tuning their arsenal for what is sure to be another record period for mobile advertising. In addition to the iPhone 5, Amazon announced it will launch a version of its Kindle in HD, with Dolby-quality radio and varying screen sizes. While the holidays are about family, friends, food and gifts, shopping lines have also become part of the tradition. And that's prompting many consumers to use their tablets and smartphones to not only catch up on email and social networking, but also to seek out deals on holiday gifts. The first few days following the acquisition of a new mobile device is when there is a noticeable increase in the volume of downloads and content consumption, as users enjoy getting familiar with their device. During this high engagement period, Rainmakers can seize the opportunity with advertising creative. And barcode reader apps on smartphones are continuing to encourage consumers to buy or seek more information and hunt for the best deals from their phones. The onslaught of political advertising for the Presidential election will add to the mobile advertising mania this 4Q. Happy Mobile Holidays!

Bricks to Clicks - The Mobile Evolution



The early Novatel HandPortable (circa 1990) wireless phone
 was later referred  to as the "Brick" phone

Mobile is forecast as the fastest-growing advertising platform in 2012, with an expected 44% growth over last year's total ad spend. With Presidential and Congressional elections and the Summer Olympics, there'll be an overall increase in advertising spending this year. Marketers are developing mobile optimized screen ads to target an ever increasing population of consumers accessing everything from their phones. Who could have thought our early "brick" wireless phones used simply to speak to one another while away from the office or home, would evolve to be the most useful personal technology gadget of the early 21st Century.