My fourth blog on how to make Mobile Marketing successful is arguably the most important. Even the most responsive campaigns will be considered disastrous if not run in accordance with the regulatory guidelines.
Just look at ITV, GMTV and the impact the recent scandals have had. It frightens me, that even in today’s nervy climate, how many brands are still running illegal competitions. For the avoidance of any legal action I will not mention names; however I recently read a very high circulation magazine that was running what some may see as an illegal competition. One of the major problems promoters face is the sheer volume of regulations and regulatory bodies.
In the UK alone you have advice, guidance and regulation from PhonePayPlus, ISP, CAP, ASA, OFCOM, Vodafone Code of Practice, Gambling Commission, The Information Commissioner and EU legislation. All cover slightly different areas, often overlapping and often conflicting, the result is a patchwork and somewhat confusing regulatory landscape. Rules can be different in Northern Ireland and then, if like a lot of FMCG brands, you operate in both the UK and ROI you also have to consider RegTel and the various other Irish bodies.
Add this to having to meet brand guidelines and you can see the potential minefield. When running a campaign, everyone’s reputation is on the line from the brand to the brand manager, the agencies and the account directors and managers and finally service providers. I don’t intend for this blog to put you off running campaigns, far from it, all I am suggesting is that you ensure you have the appropriate experience and compliance procedures in the supply chain to ensure you don’t end up as the lead story on the Ten O’clock News. I like to compare it to scuba diving, which in principle and practice is quite easy, however get it even slightly wrong and the results can be disastrous.
Which is why most people go diving with experienced professionals!