Adidas and the Mobile Marketing Association have released the Mobile Marketing Playbook to help less experienced companies get up to speed quickly by following the example of leaders in the space.

The playbook takes marketers through the process of mobile strategy development from start to finish. It provides best practices around mobile executions, ways to leverage the myriad mobile vehicles, insights into mobile creative effectiveness and how companies can effectively measure and optimize mobile.

?The large disparity I believe is between those marketers that are being aggressive about using mobile as core to their strategy to transform how they engage more closely with their consumers versus those that are employing just a single mobile vehicle, that sits outside of a real strategy,? said Sheryl Daija, chief strategy officer with the MMA.

?For example, while an app is a powerful component of mobile, it is not a mobile strategy. So just building an app in absence of an overall strategy will most likely not deliver the same results.

?The playbook talks to the importance of building a mobile strategy and then deciding on which mobile vehicles are most appropriate to leverage to meet the objectives of the strategy.

?Those marketers who create a full mobile experience for their consumers - with apps, optimized mobile sites, mobile loyalty programs, employing targeting like location, allowing sales on mobile devices etc., are really experiencing the power of mobile along the purchase funnel,? she said.

Educating the decision makers
The collaborative insight from the MMA and adidas provides a tool to aid strategic discussion, creative thinking and successful marketing campaign execution. Filled with case studies from the MMA?s over 450 case study hub as well as insights from the recently launched Mobile Creative Framework, the playbook provides a foundation for brands to build their mobile efforts and gain a competitive edge.

"With mobile being relatively new to the communications mix, winning on this platform and on the devices is still a feat to be fully understood," said Victoria Havens at adidas.

"Metrics in mobile are being established and benchmarked every day with each passing innovation introduced to the market. To win is to embrace the innovation and not to be afraid to learn from the failures. But as much as mobile is an innovation it is also an evolution.

"It is also an investment over time and must've nurtured. Finally, success in mobile depends heavily on how the team is structured to deliver mobile experiences to their audiences. Without a strong foundation internally, with key support from the management, mobile success can be challenging," she said.

In order to continue to address the ever-changing needs of and challenges faced by marketers, the document will be regularly updated to reflect shifts in consumer behavior, mobile trends as they are introduced, and innovations that are continuously being developed through and with mobile.

Some of the tips the MMA suggests for winning at mobile include starting with a real understanding of a target audience and their mobile habits. Think of mobile as a strategy, not an execution - it is critical that mobile is core to strategy development and not thought of as an ?add-on?. It is also critical that marketers insist their teams develop creative and messaging appropriate and optimized for the mobile platform. Retrofitting creative does not leverage the uniqueness of the mobile platform or the opportunity for closer engagement.

Prioritize and synchronize the needs of media, product, sales, brand management and marketing - it is important to align these needs as a way to deliver an optimized brand experience for consumers. As mobile is more global than any other medium, think about how to ensure consistent brand messaging and a brand experience around the world.

?It is not enough to just make marketing available in different formats, successful companies will know how individuals want to receive information and cater the messages to each person?s desires,? said David Naumann, director of marketing, Boston Retail Partners.

Four key tenets to also consider are: Permission - invite consumers in to engage and respect their privacy; Relevance - deliver content that truly relates to the needs of consumers; Location - mobile delivers an unprecedented opportunity to serve location relevant content and Convenience - be accessible to consumers, keep things direct and simple when desires or problems arise.

?As smartphones first became popular, successful mobile marketing was essentially displaying your Web site in a mobile-friendly manner,? Mr. Naumann said.

?Now that mobile devices are pervasive, a mobile-friendly Web site is just a minimum expectation.?

?Mobile marketing has become very complex and successful marketers are connecting to customers on their own terms by customizing campaigns to account for different devices, social media platforms, delivery mediums, customer preferences, and physical location,? he said.

Learning from the best
Adidas is active in the mobile marketing space and recognized that in order to build an effective mobile presence, it had to pivot its thinking to understand how mobile drives value beyond mobile commerce, particularly in-store sales.

This new model can help marketers better understand the return on investment they are getting from their mobile efforts. Both companies also found mobile success because they developed a holistic view of their mobile customers and created strong synergies across all marketing channels.

Last year, adidas and iProspect partnered to estimate the value of each store locator click on the brand?s mobile Web site. Based on internal benchmarks, iProspect theorized that 1 out of every 5 people who visited the mobile site store locator page went into an adidas store. In-store conversion data from adidas indicated that around 13 percent of shoppers who go into stores completed a purchase, and that their average order value is $71.

Since an active search usually demonstrates stronger intent to purchase, iProspect applied a 20 percent conversion rate and an $80 average order value. As a result, it determined that 4 percent of the people who clicked on a store locator translated into an actual sale for adidas, meaning that each store locator click is worth $3.20.

In addition, adidas? smart miCoach apparel consisting of cleats, wristbands and soccer balls, connects to their own mobile applications where it is possible to set weekly and longer term goals, while also integrating with the all-inclusive miCoach Train and Run mobile app.

?Adidas is doing what all marketers should think about which is understanding best practices, establishing clear priorities and ensuring their global approach to mobile is consistently executed,? Ms. Daija said.

?This year, mobile has overtaken PC as the primary device for Internet browsing, therefore, mobile must be a primary focus for marketers and campaigns need to be customized to not only the device but also to individual consumer preferences ? and in real-time,? Mr. Naumann said.

Final Take
Michelle is editorial assistant on Mobile Marketer, New York