The Impact of Mobile Communication on Advertising - Research Paper Example

The Impact of Mobile Communication on Advertising Mobile communication is the use of wireless as platforms as informative media. Mobile Communication has developed in the last century to become the most influential type of communication. Countries have adopted it across various sectors because it has an added advantage over other types of communication. It is efficient in that it is fast, secure and has a wide coverage. The use of mobile communication is a welcome relief from the traditional human means of communication that the 19th and 20th century embodied. This means of communication is not discriminatory or unexplored in the developing world. In addition, it has led to reliability because people from any part of the world are able to access the information passed. Seeing as this mode of communication has only come into existence in the last approximately two decades, there has been a lot of controversy surrounding it. As with any new introduction, it has garnered both support and opposition. Those that support it cite the immense benefits and the heavy impact that it has drawn upon communication since its onset. Those that do not support it assert that the establishment of its relevance is quite hard and that it is merely a passing phase. This paper‘s focal point is to illustrate that mobile communication has had an observable and immense impact on the field of communication. The paper’s main subject is to indicate that whether negatively or positively, mobile communication has changed the face and direction of advertising on a long-term basis. One of the most popular means of mobile communication is the use of the social media platform. According to e-marketer, an online statistical site, the number of people subscribed to social media networks in the world totaled down to 1.73 billion as of 2013. This means that social media act as a means of mobile communication as it reaches about 26% of the world population. This is exclusive of other mobile communication means such as mobile texting. This illustrates that mobile communication is one of the only means of advertisement that in actuality affects over a quarter and nearly half of the world’s population. In the same site, they estimated that by 2015, 2.55 billion people would have to social media accounts. Statistically, this indicates that the growth rate for social media subscription stands at 18% annually. This statistic lays out just how relevant mobile communication is on the human populace. Eric Clemmons, an Information professor at the University of Pennsylvania, states that advertising through mobile communication is a waste of everyone’s time. He believes that this only serves to undermine the progress that advertising had made prior to the onset of mobile communication. He particularly references the internet as the, most defective of all means of mobile communication. In his view, since its onset, this means of communication has borne no good and the world is much better off focusing on traditional means of communication. He is of the opinion that mobile communication is invasive disrespectful and unethical. “Pushing a message at a potential customer when it has not been requested and when the consumer is in the midst of something else on the net, will fail as a major revenue source for most internet sites.  This is particularly true when the consumer knows that the sponsor of the ad has paid to have this information, which was verified by no one, thrust at him (Clemons 1).”  One of the fields that have felt the impact of wireless communication directly is health care. Since the onset of this means of communication, access to health care on information changes within it, has improved immensely (Katz 11). Healthcare is logically the most important of all necessities in life as it promotes its very existence. Therefore, if mobile communication had not in any way impacted fruitfully on health care, it is would be irrelevant. Remote areas of the world can now access medical treatment and informative services. In the case of emergencies, one only needs to log into the internet and check for available services, if they do not already have these contacts. Websites indicate that Nongovernmental organizations, including health- related ones, have their contacts and services listed in them. A health practitioner handles complications within very few minutes or at most hours, upon its occurrence. MobileActive.org also outlines that in Uganda, care workers have digital devices that assist them give aid to health casualties. These devices ensure the reduction of the existing gaps in medical facilitation. This occurs through the provision of details on the guidelines employed when administering medical treatment for various diseases. They also provide information on the localities and centers that people can access medical treatment. In 2012, the government of Uganda credited mobile communication as having helped curb further spread of the typhoid outbreak that occurred. Third- world countries have been for the larger part, the beneficiaries of mobile communication. This is not to say that the developed world has not benefitted from it, but that it has felt this impact in terms of healthcare more. Mobile communication has improved marketing. When using human delivery as a means of marketing, the information does not reach the specified number of people intended within the set period. Furthermore, there is a minimal response from the target audience. Mobile communication has made efforts to solve this problem. This is because through it, the advertisement reaches a very large number of people within a very short period. Therefore, even if the marketer does not achieve the number of people that they meant to bring on board with the advertisement, they get very close to it. This increases the consumers that are using the product or service in question. In the long term, companies grow more extensively than they would have if they were using a traditional means of communication (Shankar 122). Marketing is in constant improvement as the strategies, goods, and services that an organization provides occur in a much broader perspective. It is adherent to the elements of time and location. These two elements define the success of marketing strategies within an economy. This means that if a marketing program does not stick to a strict time goal and cover a specified location wholly, then success remains merely an illusion. Prior to the mobile communication era, marketing teams had to work overtime and use so much labor to ensure the achievement of two elements. However, with mobile communication, this becomes successful from the comfort of their offices and with very little effort. Mobile marketing allows for large area coverage over limited periods. The world has moved into an era where environmental conservation and protection go hand in hand with economic progress. Therefore, for mobile communication to be relevant, it has to contribute positively to this aspect. Wildlife conservation companies to track any reports made by people on invasion by animals uses mobile communication. In this way, these companies maintain goodwill in the face of the citizen. This is because they are now able to deal with the problem at hand much faster and ensure that citizens are safe. People then feel that the organizations in question have their best interests at heart and it instills their confidence in them. If these were not the case, people would not feel at ease in visiting national parks and wildlife conservation areas for their own safety. Mobile communication leads to the creation of goodwill and any advertisements made by the organizations in question receive immense positivity and support. Furthermore, people get warnings of pending danger prior to its occurrence. For instance, the responsible authority sends information on the escape of dangerous animals from a conservation site surrounding people to warn them so that they can restrict their movement. Governmental and nongovernmental organizations also use the platform to warn people of potential environmental harmful products that could be out in the market. This ensures sustainability, as it saves the human race from acts that cause environmental degradation. Mobile communication has been responsible for the increase in knowledge of environmental matters in the public. Economic progress occurs if it occurs subsequently with environmental growth. It is therefore logical to conclude that mobile communication in its contribution to advertising has affected economic progress. Analytically, if mobile communication can stand the test of time it must be in a position to replace its counterpart. Mobile communication has had a significant impact on advertisement in that it could replace traditional advertisements in more improved forms (Kleinman 24). Other forms of mobile advertisements such as liquid crystal displays have replaced traditional Billboards. This simply illustrates that mobile communication is rather an improvement of previously existing forms of advertisement. Those in opposition of it, state that it completely eradicates traditional advertising. This is a misconception as it acknowledges the benefits of these modes, but only sets out to improve them. Mobile communication embodies both the simplicity of traditional means of advertising and the efficiency of technology. Modern communication has its shortcoming. However, the benefits outweigh the shortcomings. Those in opposition prefer that the world remains stick in the traditional means of communication. However, there is no logic in seeking progress if the world is not willing to embody modernity. In this regard, modern communication has improved advertising numerously in various fields as well as in communication elements. From whatever perspective, one looks at it, advertising is a much more efficient outlet than it was prior to mobile communication. Works Cited Clemons, E. "Crunch Network." 22 March 2009. techcrunch Website. 20 January 2015 . Katz, J.E. Mobile Communications : Dimensions of social policy. New Brunswick: Transaction publishers, 2011. Kleinman, S. Displacing place: Mobile communication in the 21st century. New York: Peter Lang, 2007. Shankar, Venkatesh,Balasubramanian,S. "Mobile Marketing: A synthesis and prognosis." Journal of interactive marketing (2009): 118-129. Read More