NEW YORK: Brand owners like Procter & Gamble, Mondelez International and Whirlpool are adopting increasingly nuanced mobile strategies, reflecting a growing understanding of this channel among marketers.

George Felix, brand manager for eBusiness at Procter & Gamble, the FMCG group, argued the mobile phone is the "most intimate" of all devices, so "interrupting" consumers with marketing messages is not an option.

"Mobile marketing starts with understanding what your consumers are doing differently on their mobile device and then designing your brand website, social channels and marketing plans to address those insights," he told Digiday.

Mondelez International, the snacks firm, has allocated 10% of its marketing budget to mobile, partly due to the belief this channel is unique, because its influence extends right the way to the point of purchase.

"Mobile marketing enables us to better connect with the mobile shopper to win in-store and in-aisle," said Edward Kaczmarek, director of innovation and emerging technology at Mondelez.

"It is also an amazing marketing vehicle to present interactive information in a relevant manner … whether that is using contextual [marketing] or location."

Barbara Williams-Pamplin, mobile marketing global practice lead at Microsoft, the IT giant, similarly suggested that creating tailored experiences for the mobile channel was vital.

"The biggest misconception about mobile marketing is that due to the computing power of the current generation of smartphones and the tablet's screen size, mobile-first experiences are not a priority," she said.

"The misconception is based on the idea that viewing the 'normal' web is technically feasible on these devices, so there is no need to create experiences especially for these devices."

Brian Maynard, director of marketing for Whirlpool's Jenn-Air brand, also warned different target groups needed to be served with bespoke approaches to maximise mobile's potential.

"Luxury appliances are a very considered purchases, so we spend our efforts educating consumers," he said.

Jim Cuene, director of interactive marketing, General Mills, the cereal manufacturer, summed up this line of thinking by asserting that the needs of the shopper, not the nature of the device, are paramount.

"The biggest misconception about mobile marketing is that it's about phones and phone technology. It's about a mindset, a user context and need states. The phone is just a tool," he said.

Data sourced from Digiday; additional content by Warc staff