New guidelines for Mobile MarketingIPA publishes
new agency guidelines for Mobile Marketing Campaigns07
February 2003 The IPA's new guidelines for mobile marketing campaigns
will be officially launched on the 20th March 2003 at a special breakfast
briefing at the IPA. The new guidelines have been created by the IPA's
Digital Marketing Group, which is dedicated to raising the digital
standard of the industry, to help ensure that IPA members utilise best
practice, are aware of regulatory requirements and avoid inadvertently
'spamming' when executing their own SMS campaigns or working with mobile
marketing agencies and mobile network service providers. The option
to 'unsubscribe' from receiving SMS messages is also covered. Kieran
Bourke, Mobile Marketing spokesperson for the IPA Digital Marketing
Group and Managing Partner at Aerodeon commented: “The IPA Guidelines
have been devised by the IPA’s Digital Marketing Group, Chaired by
John Owen of StarCom Motive, with traditional advertising and media
agencies in mind and will prove invaluable when they decide to introduce
mobile marketing into the promotional mix. Importantly, the document
is comprehensive and provides guidance on a wide range of topics from
consent, response rates, technical & media planning to utilising
third party SMS databases. This level of detail is not only essential
for ensuring the advertising industry understands the key issues surrounding
mobile marketing and how agencies can best exploit this new media to
build on brand equity, but also will ensure that SMS remains a viable
and effective media option for the long term.” The
Guidelines recommend:·Offer the target audience of
your SMS campaign the opportunity to ‘unsubscribe’ from receiving further
SMS messages from the outset of the campaign and to further remind
them in every fifth message thereafter throughout the campaign period. ·Only
send SMS messages to those mobile phones that have specifically ‘opted-in’.
Request that the target audience text a word i.e. ‘YES’ as a clear
confirmation of their 'opt-in'. ·Avoid sending unsolicited SMS
messages to your target audience. Always seek an ‘opt-in’ with your
first SMS message before sending further SMS communications. ·In
competitions and prize draws, provide clear and simple means to request
terms and conditions. Include the identity of the promoter within the
SMS competition. ·Verifiable parental consent should be obtained
before communicating via SMS with minors and expert legal advice sought
beforehand The Guidelines also highlight:·SMS
media has a successful history of generating high response rates. Large
volume on-pack promotions have produced response rates ranging from
8%-20%. Responses from ‘opted-in’ mobile number databases have averaged
at15%. ·Numerous factors worth considering when developing creative
solutions for mobile marketing campaigns, some include: ensuring sender
identity is included within the copy of the SMS message and that text
language is gauged appropriately to your target audience. ·Typical
mobile marketing reporting metrics and the category of charges associated
with SMS campaigns ·Technical planning recommendations for high
to low volume SMS campaigns ·Best practice for utilising third
party SMS databases Says Nigel Gwilliam, IPA E-Commerce and New
Media Consultant: “SMS represents one of the most powerfully intrusive
advertising media available in the marketer’s armory. However, this
very intrusiveness brings with it a major responsibility for advertisers
to use the technique sensitively and ethically. These new guidelines
are the collective work of the IPA’s Digital Marketing Group working
together to bring about better clarity to IPA member agencies who are
exploring the benefits that mobile marketing has to offer in increasing
numbers. These guidelines provide invaluable information for people
new to the medium and a framework to avoid any risk of upsetting the
consumer.” Source: IPA | 
