Local mobile marketing course gets global insights

According to course director Dave Duarte, the collaboration promises to make this year's Mobile Marketing programme - offered by the Executive Education unit at the UCT GSB - an invaluable resource for people looking to adopt the mobile medium in their marketing strategies.

“Both the UCT GSB and IE are widely recognised as leaders in innovation and collaboration,” said Duarte.

“The synergies between the two schools and the idea of a global collaboration made sense for this course - the world is increasingly globalised, especially through technology, and this course will now be able to provide a comprehensive international perspective on mobile marketing trends, benefits and uses,” said Duarte.

He continued, “We are combining our insights in the fields of mobile marketing, information systems, telecommunications, experiential marketing and learning processes to create a definitive mobile marketing programme that seeks to be the best on offer globally.”

Duarte further asserted that the current economic recession in the US and Europe - and the spill-over effects it will have here in SA - is all the more reason for marketers to sit up and take notice of the growing trend in mobile marketing.

“The mobile platform is constantly evolving and growing to meet user demand. South Africa is in a special position in that we are at the forefront of mobile access globally - in fact, we are currently sixth in the world in terms of mobile web access,” he said.

Professor Ricardo Perez Garrido of IE Business School added that the mobile trend was being shaped to a great degree by users, not marketers, and that understanding the new consumer was key to getting an effective mobile strategy in place.

“The programme will develop a broad understanding of the key market and technological trends of the emerging trend of mobile marketing. It will help delegates to make the connection between this competitive context and the process of social and cultural change that is moulding a new customer,” he said.

“Ultimately it is the customer who defines which revenue models are feasible now and in the not too distant future. Delegates will understand the changes in the environment and will learn how to detect business opportunities for their organisations, capitalising on this structural change.”

Lester Hein of Afrigator - South Africa's leading blog directory - who attended last year's mobile marketing course at the UCT GSB, echoed Garrido's sentiments.

“Marketers need to understand that to be successful in this arena you need to really understand mobile users. Look at Twitter, for example. It has been massively successful because it created a service that is like sending an SMS, so people are used to the behaviour and don't need to change or learn a new way of doing things. Twitter looked at the market and adapted to mobile users. Companies that create platforms that require users to change behaviours will not meet with such success,” said Hein.

The mobile marketing course will take place in Cape Town from 29 - 31 July this year, and will build on last year's programme by including more hands-on, practical elements.

Duarte said that a partnership with Cherryflava, a leading marketing company specialising in digital trends, and an exciting sponsorship arrangement with Nokia would allow delegates to interact with mobile marketing in a real world context - something that has been lacking in other courses.

“The use of case studies, empirical research and direct interaction with the medium will leave delegates with a thorough understanding of major mobile technologies, platforms and trends that cannot be rivalled elsewhere in the country.”

For more information contact Mario Pearce on 021 406 1268 or SMS ‘Mobile' and your email address to 31497.