RamsayMedia has recently launched a dedicated mobile division as part of its strategy to become the new media leader within publishing. Marketers looking to develop an effective mobile campaign can now benefit from RamsayMedia’s mobile consulting, creative and development services.

The new RamsayMedia mobile division can handle all elements of a brand’s mobile marketing campaign, from strategic input and conception to implementation. In addition to providing all the services of a digital agency to clients in house, RamsayMedia Mobile has an extra drawcard, namely access to a vast database of readers of its special interest titles.

RamsayMedia managing director Stuart Lowe highlights the importance of considering mobile as part of a brand’s marketing mix. “A recent international study showed how responsive consumers are when engaging in the mobile space. While over 50% of email users expect a response within 24 hours, 84% of SMS users expect a response within five minutes. Almost all cell phone users (91%) keep the cell phone literally within arm's reach 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days of the year according to a Morgan Stanley survey in 2007. These numbers have grown in the last two years.”

Renato Balona, head of mobile at RamsayMedia, points out that the South African market differs in some aspects from the market in the USA and Europe. “While we know there is huge consumption of mobile content and advertising in this country, the mass market is not yet using top end handsets, so the format of mobile marketing needs to be kept simple to suit the phones that are being used.

“In local trends we’ve seen the success of sms-based mobile campaigns, for example competitions that can be entered via sms. Mobi-sites (websites that are formatted for use on mobile phones) are increasingly popular for people who want quick and easy access to information and may not have access to the Internet on a PC.

“Locally there is also enormous take up of rich media content on cell phones, for example the type of videos and wallpapers you can download for a small fee on Instant Messaging platform MXit. In line with this, cell phone providers are seeing the success of their multimedia portals such as MTN Loaded and Vodafone live!, where cell phone users again have access to cool mobile downloads.”

Balona says that all of these platforms – sms, mobi-sites, MXit and multimedia portals – present advertising possibilities. And while the platforms are technologically advanced, he believes that marketers can keep their campaigns fairly simple for mass appeal. RamsayMedia’s mobile division develops both mobile platforms for its own titles, and marketing opportunities across these platforms to advertisers. Balona explains the various options available to RamsayMedia clients.

“We offer advertising space on our magazines’ mobi-sites, which are growing rapidly in audience size. The obvious benefit of using an existing RamsayMedia mobi-site rather than developing one for your own brand lies in our already established audiences. CAR magazine’s mobi-site, for instance, is averaging around 70,000 page views per month and 10,000 unique users per month.

“We can use supplied material, or we can tailor a mobile campaign for the client that makes the brand relevant to one or more of our titles. A good illustration is the integrated campaign we recently did for top SA band the Parlotones. CAR teamed up with the Parlotones to record a viral video of the band's hit Push Me to the Floor, which was made available on MXit and on the CAR website. Viewers could then enter a competition in the October issue of the magazine where they had to identify the mystery driver (Sarel van der Merwe) in the video to win amazing Parlotones prizes.

“Another option is for our team to create rich media content for our clients, which can be distributed and even sold to mobile users,” Balona continues. “Our in-house production team can create branded rich media content for the client, and we have already seen the success of this type of campaign. Earlier this year, Volkswagen asked us to develop content for their Golf 6 launch campaign. We then distributed branded Golf 6 videos, ringtones and wallpapers to thousands of viewers across CAR’s mobile platforms, including the CAR mobi-site and the CAR channels on MXit, MTN Loaded, as well as the Samsung Fanclub and Nokia WAP portals. These portals have audiences of millions, which RamsayMedia also has access to.”

Balona goes on to explain that the magazine content produced by the publisher’s titles is accessed by large audiences on the magazines’ respective mobi-sites and thus presents additional branding opportunities for clients. The Getaway Accommodation Guide on mobile.getaway.co.za, for example, received more than 10 000 page views within the first month of its launch. Getaway will also launch a South African city guide on its mobi-site next year, which Balona predicts will experience high traffic during the World Cup as visitors flock into the country.

Other RamsayMedia Mobile products will soon include cell phone games, the first of which will be launched in early 2010. Balona’s team also plans to develop branded mobile applications for clients, and sms ‘coupons’ for anything from subscriptions renewals to competitions, which advertisers can sponsor.

“With the mobile space evolving all the time, our attitude is that we need to keep learning and extending our mobile capabilities and offerings,” Balona points out. “Digital agencies can seem intimidating, so by contrast we aim to be open and easy to approach. Clients can come to us wanting a mobile campaign which will be relevant for one of our special interest audiences, but with no idea of what to do or how to do it. Together we’ll brainstorm an innovative idea for one or several of our mobile platforms, and then we’ll run with the project for the client.”

Says Lowe, “We don't see mobile as a threat to our print and web offerings, but rather as an amazing opportunity to connect to a whole new market, as well as to drive sales of our print titles and eyeballs back to our websites. 2010 is going to see some exciting developments for RamsayMedia mobile and I'm very excited by the opportunities that are out there.

“As we develop new platforms and products for our own titles, we gain cutting-edge insight into what consumers want from digital campaigns – what works, and what doesn’t. Our clients are finding this valuable,” he concludes.

From its roots as a traditional print publishing house, RamsayMedia has rapidly grown its presence and knowledge on mobile, web and social media platforms and has emerged as a potent multi-platform media partner for its clients.