Mobile Marketing in Zimbabwe

Topic: Mobile Marketing Purpose: To appreciate that mobile marketing is more than sending sms to customers Question: Most organizations in Zimbabwe have a wrong perception of what mobile marketing is. They think mobile marketing is sending their customers sms on their mobile phones. As a result not much mobile marketing activities have been happening ever since the introduction of the GPRS service. Highlight the mobile marketing activities that are currently being undertaken by the corporate world in Zimbabwe. Which opportunities have they failed to exploit? Why, what challenges are the businesses encountering, if any. You may want to highlight the number of consumers that are subscribed to the GPRS service so that we can clearly see the extent to which the opportunities are unexploited.

Interesting mobile tidbits from the presentation:
• There are 4.1 billion mobile subscribers in world; only 1 billion PCs & 1.4 billion TVs (over 4.5 million subscribers in Zimbabwe-40% of the populations owns a mobile phone)
• By 2013, 75% of all customer care calls will be initiated from a mobile phone
• In the next 5 years, more people will be accessing the Internet through mobile devices than through broadband
• Voice is no longer the primary communication method on mobile devices; its texting
• Over 4 billion text messages get sent every day in the U.S.
• In Africa; 65% are text messaging, 31% using multimedia messaging, 21% using email, 30% watching video & 21% using mobile web
• Smart phones only account for 7% of the mobile market; iPhone only accounts for 1% of this market Econet Business Development: 2009 Handset Survey
The mobile phone is fast becoming a device that enables users to communicate, connect, transact and innovate. Marketers world over, have been attracted by the promise of combining pinpoint targeting (of People, time and location) with the ability to extend a tangible brand encounter into a digital and interactive one. Zimbabwe,

References: 1. GS1 Mobile Com White Paper, February 2008 Edition Mobile Commerce: opportunities and challenges 2. Hollis, N (2006) Mobile Marketing: Making a Good Connection 3. Kelly, S(2001)Communications News, 4. Michael, A and Slater, B (2009) Mobile Marketing: Achieving Competitive Advantage through Wireless Technology 5. Mobile Marketing Association, (2007) Understanding Mobile Marketing: Technology and Reach 6. Tiwari, Rajnish; Buse, Stephan and Herstatt, Cornelius (2007): Mobile Services in Banking Sector: The Role of Innovative Business Solutions in Generating Competitive Advantage, in: Proceedings of the International Research Conference on Quality, Innovation and Knowledge Management, New Delhi, pp. 886–894. 7. The Sunday Mail (26.09.10) Business Section: Econet invests US$1bn in expansion drive www.tmcnet.com (06.09.2010) www.BulkSMS.com The Evolution of Mobile Marketing in SA, July 15, 2008 Issue www.answers.com (18.08.2010)