Advertising Week covers a range of topics, but potty training may still seem like an unlikely one.
Still, toddlers and diapers were all the buzz as day two of the Mobile Marketing Association’s SM2 conference kicked off on Wednesday.
Melanie Huet of Kimberly-Clark and Dwayne Raupp of Organic discussed the implementation of and lessons learned from the Pull-Ups Time to Potty app, a mobile application that gives parents a way to reward children as they transition out of diapers.
Listening to user feedback was key to the app’s success, Raupp said. Initially, it required parents to scan a Pull-Up diaper to unlock the reward, but users complained that the additional step led to a cumbersome process. Eliminating that requirement led to a simpler app that more consumers used.
Such insights by brands that are embracing and experimenting with mobile featured big at the conference. The first day included sessions on the Internet of Things, real-time mobile marketing and case studies by companies such as Toyota Motors and Dunkin’ Brands on how they are using mobile to improve the customer experience.
The agenda also reflected MMA’s global focus, with sessions on reaching Latino mobile users and Unilever’s efforts in Brazil. The first day ended with a riveting keynote address from Frank Cooper III, chief marketing officer of PepsiCo, and Bloomberg Television’s Jeffrey Hayzlett.
Rex Briggs, founder and CEO of Marketing Evolution, urged brands to think of mobile as a part of the larger suite of tools available to advertisers. He pointed to research that shows mobile is boosting the effectiveness of broader campaigns, particularly be enabling real-time engagement.
“Mobile is a catalyst for change,” he said. “Your mastery of mobile today is going to help you be a high-demand marketer because everything needs to be operating this way in the future to achieve effectiveness.”
SmartBrief’s Ambreen Ali is providing special coverage of the MMA SM2 conference and will post live updates @SBoSM.
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