6 examples of mobile marketing campaigns that work

It’s always right on time.

It’s always in the right location.

And it’s always right where your ideal demographic is already engaging.

It’s mobile marketing.

Mobile marketing is one of those strategies that makes complete sense but can be hard to pull off efficiently and effectively when you don’t know where to start — which we will address today.

In this guide, you’ll learn:

• What mobile marketing means

• Why your business should focus on mobile marketing

• 6 examples of mobile marketing to learn from

• 3 mobile marketing trends that will define 2023

• How to use Sendbird to get started with mobile marketing

What is mobile marketing?

Mobile marketing is a marketing playbook used to raise awareness around your products and/or services across various mobile channels.

Popular mobile marketing channels include mobile applications, in-app marketing messaging, app-based push notifications, mobile-optimized websites, mobile paid search ads, location-based mobile ads, text message marketing, and more.

This may be a robust list of types of mobile marketing — but it’s not exhaustive. Mobile marketing happens on any avenue where your leads engage via a mobile device. So, the channels you choose to focus on as part of your mobile marketing strategy should depend fully on your own target audience’s preferences and behavior.

Why focus on mobile campaigns in your marketing?

There are three critical reasons why mobile marketing should be part of your digital marketing plan and budget in 2023 and beyond:

Usage: Worldwide, more people access the internet via mobile devices — smartphones, watches, etc. — than desktop devices. Simply put: mobile is where the majority of most markets are consuming ad campaigns, content marketing, etc. When you’re on the same channels where they are, that’s a recipe for higher brand awareness, sales, etc. It's worth noting that 90% of organizations have a content marketing strategy, emphasizing the significance of optimizing your content and ad campaigns for mobile platforms to effectively reach and engage your target audience.

Timeliness: Since it’s delivered via mobile devices, mobile marketing has the unique ability to get in front of leads at a moment’s notice. That means mobile marketing can be timely and inspire immediate action (thanks, FOMO!) in a way that other marketing tactics can’t.

Location targeting: Many of us have at least one mobile device on us every time we leave the house — a mobile device that can understand where we are. When this information is shared with brands, it can be used to personalize marketing based on the consumers’ current location as well as where they live, work, and spend the rest of their time. Why prioritize personalization? Because more than half of consumers have come to expect personalization.

6 successful mobile marketing campaigns to learn from

Ready to see it all in action?

Check out these mobile marketing and mobile advertising examples from brands worldwide.

Sephora app drove in-store visits using location-based notifications

The beauty retailer Sephora understood how to tap into one of the most powerful elements of mobile marketing: location.

Using geofencing, an in-app service that triggers an action when a mobile device enters a specific boundary, Sephora sent push notifications to app users inside airports where they had a physical location.

What really brought these notifications home was the messaging — which hinted that they were there for shoppers who may have forgotten any toiletries or lost them during the security check process.

Uber combines user location + urgency to sell more rides

Another example of location-based marketing that also mixes in another key element — timeliness — is Uber’s push notifications.

When an Uber user has both location and push notifications turned on in the app, they can receive messages about recent rate drops in their area — or warnings that rates will increase soon as demand rises.

This thoughtful strategy applies both geofencing and FOMO. It gets users to open the app and may spur them to request a ride through Uber instead of another service.

Like this strategy? Then be sure to check out our guide for more push notification examples.

Scrabble modernized its brand by trading mobile gameplay for WiFi

Scrabble partnered with French advertising agency Ogilvy Paris to set up free WiFi hotspots throughout Paris.

The only catch was that, to access the password, people had to use the Scrabble app! The higher their Scrabble score, the more time they could use the WiFi.

As people played over 6,000 words in just two weeks, this successful mobile marketing campaign helped Scrabble become a household name again.

Domino’s built market share at a pivotal point with in-app gamification

During the 2020 Super Bowl in the U.S., the pizza chain Domino’s needed a way to compete with official sponsor Pizza Hut.

They released their Piece of the Pie Rewards program, where users uploaded pictures of any pizza (yes, even Pizza Hut’s!) to the Domino’s app to earn points. Points = free pizza.

This effective mobile marketing tactic kept Domino’s top of mind at a time when they could have easily lost a ton of market share. Plus, it built a whole new base of app users that the brand could continue to market to well after the competition had cooled.

Ikea Place uses mobile AR to help users picture items in their homes

Ikea Place is an app from the global home furnisher Ikea that relies on one of the most cutting-edge mobile marketing techniques —augmented reality (AR).

With Ikea Place and iOS 11 or later, app users can view many of Ikea’s products in their own space. This powerful decision-making helper makes it feel as if a piece of furniture or decor is practically yours already — making it relatively easy to push that “purchase” button to add it to your place in real life.

GasBuddy app revved up downloads with geofencing

GasBuddy works with over 100,000 gas stations in the United States and Canada to connect them to drivers looking for a deal.

Its mobile marketing truly shines via its smartphone app, which collects user data such as location and how much they are paying for fuel. This info helps the app show its entire user base where the best discounts are.

By creating a mobile app with real-time geofencing functionality, GasBuddy was able to deliver the kind of helpful information people was looking for during a 2021 fuel shortage — rising to the number-one spot on the Apple App Store during that time frame!

3 mobile marketing trends to be aware of in 2023

As you start to create mobile campaigns for your business, don’t forget to consider the impact of the top mobile marketing trends we expect to see in 2023.

In-app messaging will be the key to engagement

Where exactly do mobile users devote most of their time?

Around the world, folks spend four to five hours engaging with mobile apps, specifically.

That means you must get on top of increasing app engagement.

One of the best ways to build a customer experience that keeps users in love with your app?

Adding communication features like marketing messaging, chat support, and sales concierge into your app to drive conversation.

In a world of impersonal chatbots, consumers crave dynamic, conversational interactions when engaging with marketing, support, and sales teams.

An in-app messaging platform like Sendbird puts that within your grasp via our suite of tools that help you manage everything from text chat to voice and video chat, customer support, in-app inboxes, and more.

Get your new message-based app engagement strategy off the ground in just days with Sendbird’s pre-build SDKs, APIs, webhooks, and UI kits that make installation a breeze for developers.

Social commerce may make conversions easier

Another trend we’re seeing shape the mobile marketing space in 2023 is social commerce. 

This practice uses social media platforms — Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, etc. — to both market and directly sell products to consumers via check-out pages, live streaming, and more.

Using social channels for mobile marketing used to be about increasing brand awareness, moving consumers down the funnel, and engaging in customer support. But today, many have added the capability for users to view products and make purchases within the app.

This is a big win for companies that are skilled at mobile marketing, as it means your marketing efforts may flow directly into purchases or other conversions with much less friction.

In other words, if social isn’t yet a star member of your mobile marketing roster — time to switch up the lineup.

TikTok emerging as a marketing and sales platform

TikTok has proven to be a global breakout over the past few years.

It’s such a great way for businesses to get in front of buyers that even massive brands like Nike, Pepsi, Calvin Klein, FIFA, and dozens more have paid for advertising or engaged in influencer marketing on TikTok.

And now, the platform is rolling out TikTok Shop to provide the same social commerce experience consumers have been enjoying on other channels.

Considering its widespread popularity, built-in marketing and selling capabilities, and the fact that the platform reaches most age groups now — we think TikTok marketing is a trend most businesses shouldn’t ignore moving forward.

Mobile marketing is the future — here’s where to start

With mobile devices outgrowing desktop usage, consumers spend a whopping four-plus hours every day inside mobile apps, and the power of timely and location-specific messaging — mobile is where business leaders need to focus when it comes to marketing in 2023 and beyond.

It’s easy to start when you engage Sendbird to help you build and manage a flawless mobile user experience. 

Check out our affordable pricing, see how we’ve helped our customers, and contact sales or sign up for a free trial today to learn where Sendbird can bring conversation + conversions to your mobile marketing campaigns.