The Dawn of Mobile Marketing

As the dawn of the smartphone age sets in, there are more tablets and smartphones than personal computers. Mobile platforms are building at increasing speeds, and industry giants such as Facebook and Twitter are building their mobile capabilities to meet the amplified demand of this consumer trend. Marketers need to keep up with one of the fastest growing trends in marketing today, or risk being left behind. Today, smartphones and tablets are two of the fasting growing consumer products on the market. In a high-paced world, where people have less and less time to be reached and influenced by the  more traditional forms of media;  marketers have yet another tool through which to distribute their advertising. Thanks to the advancement of mobile search, apps, SMS and mobile websites; the ability to stay connected with consumers has never been so easily attainable. In the near future, mobile marketing may be poised to surpass television as the most dominant consumer access point. Mobile searches account for more than 50% of searches on the web today; which is an enormous amount of consumers that can be reached through their existing mobile devices.

In order for marketing campaigns to be successful, they must integrate mobile marketing into their campaign strategy. One of the greatest things about mobile marketing is the ability to connect with consumers on a personal level, helping them use their mobile devices to get information and to make their purchase decisions. Driving traffic to business, product or service is one of the most vital components in measuring the success of any campaign.  Running part of a campaign through mobile media is now an integral part of marketing strategies. Targeted mobile advertising is cost effective, measurable and drives conversations between consumers. Combining mobile apps, mobile websites and SMS messages can lead to success in a new campaign.

OCMC Thank You

The final class for OCMC took place this week, and for all who were lucky enough to take part in this great experience, it was a little sad to see it all end. I think I can speak for my fellow classmates and say that none of us could have imagined how much fun and how fulfilling of an experience this was.  We all walked out with so much more than just a credit from Humber; we left with some great memories, amazing new friends, more confidence, and with a greater understanding of how to prepare ourselves for what lays ahead after graduation.

For those who aren’t familiar with OCMC, it stands for Ontario College Marketing Competition, which is a marketing competition that takes place at a different college every year. This year it was hosted at Seneca College – and they did a wonderful job at doing so. The competition began with an event called the Quiz Bowl, where a panel of judges test students on their knowledge about business marketing. Humber was represented by five amazing students; Felix Carapaica, Kevin Carino, Christopher Channell, Graiden Vanderveen and Hlina Woldeselasie; they made very Humber proud by placing 1st, 2nd and 4^th in the competition.

The next day, the Case Study Competition took centre stage. This is the part of the competition where students are given a half an hour/hour (depending on which category) to read and analyze a marketing case, and prepare a PowerPoint presentation for a panel of judges. Humber was represented by some of our top students, who did a fantastic job; in Direct Marketing we had James Adams and Jonathon Norgard, Entrepreneurship Barbara Crescentini and James Adams, IMC Ashley Dann and Aidan Sykes, International Marketing Tim Brilhante and Olga Maracheva, Marketing Anthony Bailey and Cameron Downs, Marketing Research Alexander Emelyanov and Mike Pastyr, Retail Tim Brilhante and Rachel Kennedy, Job Interview Randall Baker, the Sales Presentation 4th Place Aldredge Pinto and for Sales Account Place Management 3^rd Melissa D’Alessandro Jonathon Norgard.

 The past three months of practicing early in the morning and late at night was all worth it. I want to thank all the teachers who took time out of their crazy schedules to help prepare all the students; we could not have done it without you and my most sincere ‘thank you’ goes out to you as the confidence you instilled in us over the past few months will last a lifetime. This was such a great experience for all that took part and offered us so much more than our other courses. It was a moment in our lives that will stay with us forever and the lessons we have learned will help us throughout our careers.

For all who have the opportunity to be at Humber next year, try out for OCMC it’s a memory you’ll never forget.

How Sponsors of the 100th Grey Cup are the Real Winners

            The celebration of the 100^th Grey Cup starts in Toronto, and as the players take the field around 6:30 Sunday night to battle for Grey Cup supremacy, you can bet that sponsors and local businesses will be battling as well. As fans are glued to the action on the field, major corporations and businesses are going to be keeping an eye on their wallets and the impact they are making with fans.

         The battle began a little earlier for corporations and local businesses this year, as sponsors of the Grey Cup Festival tried to find ways to stand out from the ordinary. From a 40-metre high Toronto Sun zip-line, Nissan Family Fun Zone, the Telus Street/Tailgate Festival, MBNA Adrenaline Zone, to the Scotiabank 100^th Grey Cup Gala - which featured the biggest names in the CFL; there is a little something for everyone. Local businesses geared up as well, offering giveaways of CFL merchandise and tickets, drink and food specials, local advertising on the radio and newspapers in an attempt to attract CFL fans. Even musicians are aware of how big the 100^th Grey Cup is to Canadians, with some of the biggest names in Canadian music performing during the halftime show, such as Justin Bieber, Gordon Lightfoot, Carley Rae Jepsen, and Sam Roberts.

Corporate Canada sees the importance that the CFL has on Canadians and our history. Canadians are loyal to their teams, like they are loyal to their brands. The game has been sold out for weeks and downtown Toronto is an event marketer’s dream waiting to happen. Sponsors have a chance to be part of the history that is the 100^th Grey Cup and be part of history with consumers by their side. While we all await the results, we can be sure that Canadians will be impacted by what they see in this historic night. Go Argos GO.