INSIGHT: A powerful pairing… Social and Mobile

History is replete with examples of famous pairings, instances where chance or calculation somehow brought together elements or people to create something that was much more than just simple addition.

“The combination was inspired and inspiring,” observes Mike McGuire, research VP, Gartner. “Think about it. Keith Richards and Mick Jagger. Bill Walsh and Joe Montana.

“However, while those pairs became the public faces of their respective teams, they were supported by stellar teammates and organisations.”

As a result, McGuire believes marketers have the chance to create that same kind of inspired pairing by leveraging the power of social and mobile.

“Consumers are using their smartphones to engage with the world around them and with each other,” he explains.

“Facebook sees as many as one billion mobile visitors per month. Gartner’s consumer surveys consistently show that social media is one of the top five activities for smartphone and tablet users.

“While most companies are building solid mobile and social marketing foundations, the potential benefits of combining these two phenomenon are tantalising.”

Moreover, McGuire says marketing executives surveyed by Gartner indicate that social and mobile are going to get bigger pieces of digital marketing budgets this year.

But getting a bigger piece of the marketing budget means even more scrutiny from the c-suite and rising expectations.

“And both of these marketing disciplines have generated some pretty high expectations over the past couple of years,” he adds.

“But successfully combining these two powerful forces isn’t as simple as throwing your mobile and social teams together and saying “play nice.” There’s a bit more nuance and a lot more work involved.”