BI Intelligence
This story was delivered to BI Intelligence "Digital Media Industry Insider" subscribers. To learn more and subscribe, please click here.
Bitmojis have been on the rise in text messaging recently, and Snapchat just bought them all.
The social media company has purchased Bitstrips, which makes comic strips and emojis that look like the user, for approximately $100 million in cash and stock, according to Fortune. The acquisition suggests that Snapchat intends to push full steam ahead with personalized content.
Emojis help users convey emotion, tone, and humor into their conversations, and Bitstrips' personalized emojis take that experience up a level. This would fit extremely well into Snapchat CEO Evan Speigel's mission for users to "have fun."
Bitstrips started out as a service that let users create their own personalized comic strips, but it then expanded to let people create avatars that integrate into emojis that say, for example, "Good morning!" or "Be right back!" Snapchat will be able to overlay these features into its photos, which will allow both users and content creators to get more creative with their works.
Mobile marketers have also been embracing emoji use more in recent months. Appboy, a marketing automation company, analyzed almost 9,400 marketing campaigns across iOS and Android platforms and discovered that emoji usage within those messages had soared 775% year-over-year in the period ending March 2016.
The integration of Bitstrips and the expansion of emoji functionality in Snapchat could expand the app's appeal inh Asia and the Pacific region, where emojis and stickers first took off through messaging apps such as Line, WeChat, and KakaoTalk.
These companies provide an example for Snapchat to follow with regard to monetizing emojis. Spiegel has said he looks at Tencent, the parent company of WeChat, as a role model.
Snapchat's acquisition of Bitstrips provides another way for content creators to market to users in creative and innovative ways. The technologies and communication mediums inherent in mobile devices offer marketers looking to reach consumers on mobile a wide assortment of options for sending the right message to the right consumer at the right time.
Jessica Smith, a research analyst at BI Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service, has compiled a detailed report on mobile marketing that takes a close look at the different tactics being used today, spanning legacy mobile technologies like SMS to emerging capabilities like beacon-aided location-based marketing. The report also identifies some of the most useful mobile marketing technologies that mobile marketers are putting to good use as parts of larger strategies.
BI Intelligence
Here are some key takeaways from the report:
As consumers spend more time on their mobile devices, marketing campaigns are following suit. Mobile ad spend continues to lag mobile time spent, providing an opportunity for creative marketers.
Marketers should leverage different mobile tactics depending on the size and demographics of the audience they want to reach and the type of message they want to send. With all tactics, marketers need to respect the personal nature of the mobile device and pay attention to the potential for communication overload.
Mobile messaging — particularly SMS and email — has the broadest reach and highest adoption among mobile users. Messaging apps, relative newcomers but gaining fast in popularity, offer more innovative and engaging outreach options.
Emerging technology, such as dynamic creative optimization, is breathing new life into mobile browser-based ad campaigns, but marketers should keep an eye on consumer adoption of mobile ad blockers.
In-app advertising can generate high engagement rates, especially with video. Location-based apps and beacons offer additional data that can enhance targeting capabilities.
In full, the report:
Identifies the major mobile technologies being used to reach consumers.
Sizes up the potential reach and potential of each of these mobile technologies.
Presents an example of a company or brand that has successfully leveraged that mobile technology to reach consumers.
Assesses the efficacy of each approach.
Examines the potential pitfalls and other shortcomings of each mobile technology.
To get your copy of this invaluable guide to the world of mobile marketing, choose one of these options:
Subscribe to an ALL-ACCESS Membership with BI Intelligence and gain immediate access to this report AND over 100 other expertly researched deep-dive reports, subscriptions to all of our daily newsletters, and much more. >> START A MEMBERSHIP
Purchase the report and download it immediately from our research store. >> BUY THE REPORT
The choice is yours. But however you decide to acquire this report, you’ve given yourself a powerful advantage in your understanding of how mobile marketing is rapidly evolving.