There are more mobile phones than televisions and computers combined. With a mobile market of over 22 million in Canada it’s hard to ignore the reach of this communication tool. Both consumer’s expectations and use of their mobile phones are growing and new device capabilities allow for even richer interaction.

MyThum Interactive has been connecting brands and broadcasters with consumers through their mobile device for eight years and it’s very exciting to be on the frontier of an era with unbelievable possibilities for communication. Six years ago, there wasn’t much quantitative data to prove the concept and it was difficult to forecast future use and adoption.

However brands such as Molson Coors Canada understood we were undergoing a major shift in the norms of how society communicates in everyday life, work and play. They took a risk with an agency that wanted to prove that the emerging medium of mobile would serve as an effective tool to deliver messages with precision.

The results have arrived. Acquisition has been successful and we are tracking consumer behavior and demographics to gain insight into our mobile consumer’s values and preferences. We have collaborated on business challenges to provide strategy, tools and direct access to mobile infrastructure to support a Molson mobile Insider community that has more than doubled over the past year.

Molson Coors Canada has set an industry standard and embraced mobile as a key pillar in their overall marketing strategy.

“Molson Coors was by the far the first leading brand to successfully make the transition from tactics to strategy when it comes to leveraging the mobile channel, says Michael Carter, MyThum CEO. “They continue to push the envelope with the integration of mobile into every facet of their multi-platform, multi-channel marketing strategy. It’s exciting when you get the opportunity to collaborate with such a forward thinking company to help shape the landscape of an industry.

Weaving mobile throughout their traditional communication channels has allowed them to acquire a base of hundreds of thousands of opted in beer drinkers that want to hear from the brand. After the initial dialogue with the consumer we know if they are legal drinking age, their phone number, carrier, region, language, the brand promotion they attended and whether they just picked up a case of beer by entering a pin from in-case or if they’re sitting at a Raptor’s game, for example. Including unique calls to action across media not only allow us to deduct where the user is, but it enables location-based messaging and marketing effectiveness. After multiple interactions we can then start to define each particular consumer based on their behavior and participation patterns.

Miller Genuine Draft took this to the next level by layering on a rich mobile internet experience to a text messaging based campaign to gain additional insights into their mobile subscribers. Selected mobile Insiders who had demonstrated an affinity for MGD were given the opportunity to win an MGD experience. We honed in on these targeted consumers and found that about half responded almost immediately to get in on the experience. During the campaign we reached out to them to earn extra entries in exchange for profile information through the mobile web and over 70 per cent of consumers volunteered further profile attributes. We can now create a dialogue with these consumers not only on what they do but also based on what they say they do.

Every mobile execution MyThum undertakes has a purpose. From customer acquisition, retention and sales to building brand equity through innovation. Knowing the objective of the execution is the cornerstone to being able to continually deliver successful results. MyThum is heavily involved in the planning process, creating a yearly mobile roadmap that ultimately translates into hundreds of initiatives that are integrated into the brewery’s broader multi-platform strategy.

Collaboration with interactive, creative, media, packaging, communications and brand teams gives each team an opportunity to share their big ideas and integrate thinking from their respective disciplines. This cross-functional collaboration allows for a seamless execution that maximizes the effectiveness of the marketing campaign.

The recent Coors Light “Cold Certified campaign was brought to life through a culmination of insight from all these specialties and allowed the consumer to interact with the brand on their own terms. Coors Light invites consumers to submit potential advertising slogans for the brand beginning with the words ""Colder than..."". Consumers could submit lines online, via text messaging, mobile web or through Coors Light’s first iPhone application. As well as view and vote on other submissions to engage beer drinkers beyond the initial interaction. The campaign also included print, OOH posters across the country, online banner advertising, social media activities and email ads. The strategy for Molson in regards to the Coors Light Colder Than campaign was to provide an overall integrated 360 degree solution that would be engaging for all consumers.

The solution leverages key insights and platforms on all digital fronts. Awareness is created through the more traditional print and OOH channels while submissions options through online and mobile offer the user more interactivity. Text messaging and the iPhone application are a small but significant aspect of the overall solution. Focusing on the mobile aspect of the campaign, consumers can interact on three
different levels specific to their personal demands including text messaging, web and specialty application. Text messaging is generally the foundation for most mobile solutions and is fundamental given its
continuous growth and adoption. The industry is seeing increased usage of text messaging from previous users as well as new users adopting the technology.

The iPhone application is another step on the mobile ladder, by reaching a smaller segment of consumers but creating the ultimate optimized experience. Mobile was an effective platform for the Coors Light
Colder Than campaign because it allowed users, at the point of impulse, to enter their line, save images to their phone and socially interact by forwarding submissions to their friends.

In addition to custom pillar brand campaigns, Molson leverages MyThum’s intellectual capital, technology and execution capabilities to integrate mobile into virtually all aspects of their Relationship Marketing plans. We have empowered them with direct access to our mobile infrastructure, platforms and connectivity that allows them to execute turnkey mobile programs and communication that has the flexibility to meet the demands of a growing mobile Insider community with different preferences.

“MyThum’s platform has allowed us to extend the reach of our brands in a cost effective and efficient manner, says Ross Buchanan, Director of Digital & Relationship Marketing at Molson. “My team leverages this infrastructure to create a conversation with our mobile community and is a very big part in how we’ve successfully built one-to-one relationships between our brands and consumers.

Acquiring, fostering and knowing this community puts them in an ideal position to layer on innovative richer experiences such as mobile offers, location-based initiatives, QR code technology, augmented reality and social media opportunities.

Molson is a very aggressive leader in using mobile in their marketing campaigns and continues to challenge MyThum to stay ahead of the curve. They have successfully leveraged mobile as a conduit to building relationships and created a dialogue with their beer drinkers through an intimate and personal medium. There are a lot of communication options in mobile today, which can be a challenge for many companies trying to get mobile marketing right, but with the current data available and best practices from pioneering brands mobile is an opportunity with enormous promise in terms of driving increased acquisition, retention and profitability."

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