The iPhone was first released ten years ago today (Thursday June 29). To celebrate this landmark, our Global CEO James Hilton discusses the seismic impact the iPhone had on the marketing landscape and the way in which it revolutionised brand-consumer engagement back then and for the future:
In 2017, the smartphone is more important than it ever has been. It is our most personal device and in fact, many of us would rather lose our keys than our phones. We are just one click away from convenience and many of us can’t live without our smartphones – this, in no small part, is down to the iPhone.
The iPhone revolutionised the mobile phone. It was Steve Job’s vision back in 2007 of integrating the mobile phone with full colour touchscreens, full internet browsing and MP3 that really shifted the needle and provided the blueprint for the smartphones we use today.
Ten years on, mobile is our default gateway to the internet, our default camera, our default music player, it’s where we shop, bank, plan and communicate. Then there’s apps and the app store, creating even more immersive mobile experiences with lengthy dwell time, making smartphones the definitive online gateway for consumers and the brands and services they use to work, play and entertain themselves.
For consumers, Apple created something that was easy to use, beautifully designed and, most importantly, desirable. For marketers, the iPhone presented them with a rare opportunity to connect with the largest consumer audience globally, and engage with those consumers in creatively dynamic and innovative ways. Mobile (and mobile marketing as a discipline) offers a unique opportunity to target consumers, both behaviourally and contextually. The vast data capture opportunities from mobile have enabled marketers to utilise numerous unique pieces of information to adapt messaging by location, demographic and behaviour, to create unrivalled contextually relevant communications. This was reflected in digital media spend earlier this year, when mobile officially topped desktop spend in the UK and it’s been confirmed over and over by successful performance marketing campaigns.
Everything a brand does must be done through the lens of mobile. Mobile plays such a varied role in our engagement with brands from research, to purchase, payment and loyalty. The brands that don’t adopt the mobile-first mindset are at risk now more than ever to rapidly keep up with changing consumer needs and demands.
Mobile-first has been a buzz phrase for a few years now. However, it must simply become the default through which all digital channels are viewed: search, display, video, e-commerce, CRM, performance, web – everything digital – should be planned, designed and executed with the mobile consumer in mind. It should not be part of the integrated approach – it needs to lead the integrated approach.
iPhone was a game-changer and both the mobile and marketing space have evolved incredibly since 2007. Going forward, the brands that don’t put mobile front and centre of their digital marketing strategies will struggle to reach and resonate with their audience.
If you want to find out more about how we can support you with your digital marketing efforts then don’t hesitate to get in touch. Also check out our animation celebrating the iPhone’s tenth birthday over on our Instagram.
