Apart from texting and calls which are considered as the main features in a cellular device, there are various social media applications which is everyone glued to. According to a UK Survey, the study carried out revealed that 45% of the time spent on the internet is on Facebook.

1. - Husain Zaidi
Mobile and Social Networks!
How excitedare we whenplanonbuyingabrand new mobile phone!People tendtodedicatealotof
time injustresearchingabouta product.Sometimeshoursand sometimesafew daysbutitsleast
surprisingwhenyougettoknowthat yourbestfriendactuallytooka couple of weeksbeforezeroingon
a particulardevice.Ihappenedtoaskhimas to what made himtookso longto take a decisionafterall it
was justa mobile phone.“Ineedtostayconnectedwhile I’monthe move,”patcame the replyfrommy
friendandthat justunderminedthe currenttrendamongthe youthwhichforma sizable partof today’s
society.
So isthat the reasonwhymobile phonesare consideredatoppriorityamongthe youngsters? A certain
YES is the answer.Apartfromtextingandcallswhichare consideredasthe mainfeatures inacellular
device,there are varioussocial mediaapplicationswhichiseveryonegluedto. AccordingtoaUK Survey,
the studycarriedout revealedthat45% of the time spentonthe internetisonFacebook. Not
surprisingly,mobile social skewstowardssmartphone users,soassmartphone penetrationcontinuesto
grow;mobile social will rise rightalongwithit. Smartphonesare projectedtomake up70% of the
Europeanmarketby 2012 – Gartner 2010. Mindyou,computersare still wayaheadwhenitcomesto
social networkingbutmobilephonesgivesyouthe flexibilityof accessingwhileyouare onthe move.

2. - Husain Zaidi
Andseeingthiscraze amongthe audience,almosteveryphonetodaycomeswithin-builtappsof
varioussocial mediaplatformsandFacebookandTwittertoppingthe list followedbyFourSquare and
others.Thisdedicationtowardsthese kindsof appsunderlinestwomainaspects.Onone side,itstates
that howimportantitis formobile manufacturingcompaniestoincludethese featuresinalmostevery
device thattheyproduce.The mainreasonforthistrendis the size of audience theycancater to and
thisiswhat that eventuallylurestheminmakingproductswithalotof social mediaappsinit.
Meanwhile,onthe otherhandandmore importantly forbrands,itgives thema veryapt andmeaningful
wayto advertise themselvesthroughmobiles. Asconsumeradoptionincreasesandmobile-specific
featuressuchas check-insare rolledout,mobile social networkingpresentssignificantmarketing
opportunitiesforbrandsseekingtoengage an audience incontextsandenvironmentspreviouslynot
possible. Adoptingthese tacticshelpthe brandsincapturinguseful informationof the consumersand
cateringto theirneedsaccordingly.
Anda lotof brands have alreadyenteredthe frayandare supposedlygettingahead-startovertheir
competitors. Designingnew strategiesandtweakingthe existingonesinordertosuitmobile social
consumersisthe trend pickingupslowlyandsteadily.
One of the keyfeaturesinmobile socialisthe ‘Location’servicesandthe feature of ‘check-in’is
particularlybasedonthat.It allowsthe consumerstobroadcasttheirlocationontheirsocial network.
The check-inisa great vehicle forbrandexposure asitusesconsumers,actingastrustedfriends,to
broadcast theirassociationwithabrandina geo-contexttotheirnetwork. These servicesalsohelpin
enablingconsumerstodrive towardsretail andthere have beenreal examplesforthat.
 Jet Blue: Customers earned rewards when they checked in at airports. Registered users received 25
TrueBlue points every time they checked in to an official JetBlue airport location on Facebook Places.

3. - Husain Zaidi
 Jimmy Choo: Organized a real-time treasure hunt around London via Foursquare, Twitter and Facebook. In
the promotion, a pair of Jimmy Choo trainers checked in at fashionable locations and sent real-time
updates about their whereabouts via Facebook and Twitter. The trainers only remained at the venue for a
few minutes – the consumers who reached the venue in time to catch the trainers won a pair in the style
and size of their choosing.
 Pepsi: Sponsored FourSquare’s home page in the name of charity. Every check-in resulted in Pepsi’s making
a donation to CampInteractive, an organization that helps empower inner-city youth through technology
skills and mentoring.
 Gap: Gap was a Facebook Deals launch partner in the US. The company gave away 10,000pairs of jeans to
the first 10,000 people who checked into stores – once those were gone, consumers who checked in were
given 40% off one item. Lines formed outside the stores before they opened and the jeans were all claimed
within a matter of hours.
 McDonalds: McDonalds randomly awarded one hundred $5 and $10 gift cards to consumers who checked
in at McDonalds using FourSquare. The campaign increased footfall by 33%.
Conclusion:
Mobile social networkingissettogetbigger and betteras digital giantsandnimble new startups
compete inthe space to bringbetterand more innovativesolutionstoconsumers.The opportunityfor
brandsis huge.Theywill have accesstoa wide range of data about consumers,canpotentiallyreach
themwhentheyare in store aboutto make a purchase and can turn the consumerintoan advocate
throughtappingintotheirsocial network.
However,brandsmustnotbe restrictedintermsof theirapproach and shoulddefinitelyavoidbeing
rigidintheirapproach. Whendevelopingmobile social networkcampaigns,brandsneedtorecognize
the difference betweenthe mindsetof people accessingtheirsocial networkviatheirmobile andtheir
PC andframe theirofferingsaccordingly.