With the Internet in your pocket, at almost anytime in darn near any location (subways, wine caves and most airplanes be damned) you can summon information to settle a debate or sports bar argument in a moment’s notice. In those same moments, you can chase down friends’ whereabouts and monitor your finances during an office meeting. Heck, maybe you’re reading this while your spouse is telling you how much formula to give the baby…uh-oh.
All of the above you could have made happen with a computer. But now, with that “smart” device you call a “phone”, you can send a message to your wife, your boss and your friends that only they and no one else may ever have the ability to see. Your photos can solve crimes and break a national news story. Perhaps you’re among the many who pay a credit card bill without ever making a call, opening an app or using the browser. Only your mobile phone can do that.
With mobile, businesses can now better attribute sales to measure the efficacy of TV, billboards, direct mail and street team efforts. Guess what, all of those mediums still “engage” consumers. Further, a brand marketer can now “track” your interactions from an email to the store and back to your mailbox. Creepy, huh?
And, very soon, you won’t have to type or even look at the screen of your phone to do anything outlined here.
That’s the power of mobile, and we are just getting started.
(Get the details on the Power Of series, including calendar of contributors)