MarketingProfs Articles : What Would We Do Without You?

You've probably heard a lot that the days of "push" messaging—a mythical golden age when marketers could feed passive viewers whatever rigmarole the ad department pleased—are dead.

So true. But for you, it's not a bad thing; it's a chance to develop long-term, even downright codependent relationships with users. And there are few better ways to do that than with mobile—the most intimate piece of technology we own.

The mobile phone is the most plentiful electronics device in society right now: Three billion people own one, and it'll be six billion in a few years, according to the Yankee Group. To color this picture, here are a few examples of brand-related apps that have managed to wiggle into ecstatic users' daily lives:

Charmin's Sit or Squat. This clever and cute little app helps guide bladder-squeezers to the nearest public facility. Users can rate les toilettes and add new ones to the grid. Plus the app features the little Charmin bears doing the awkward gotta-pee dance—totally ingratiating the brand to paper buyers.

ING's Netherlands-based ATM finder app. This bad-boy uses augmented reality technology to guide ING Checking users to third-party ATMs that won't charge them fees. Gotta love it.

Drinkspiration by ABSOLUT. If you've ever hovered over a bar menu too long, paralyzed by options, this fun tool recommends drinks by mood, most popular drinks ordered in your proximity and other criteria. (Not to worry: Instructions for mixing the drinks are included, so you can point unwitting mixologists to your phone if there's confusion.) Also a handy icebreaker, natch!

The Po!nt: Carpe Device! Don't let the winds of change get you down. What you've got here is a golden opportunity to create intimate user engagements that weren't even possible in the dominant days of TV advertising. Seize the mobile!

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