The mobile market seems to be all the rage these days, but memorable mobile campaigns are still hard to come by. But why? Some attribute it to market fragmentation or clients unprepared to go all in in the mobile market, but more likely it boils down to insufficient research. Building successful campaigns starts by finding out where the action is happening. Agencies spend countless hours researching the latest trends and tracking consumer behaviors to pinpoint it, and lately much of the action has been happening in the mobile space. Consequently, brands of all shapes and sizes, from 24-hour news networks to small local startups, have been doing their best to get in on the action. Some have been drawn in by the relatively inexpensive allure of social networks, while others have focused their sights on creating mobile-ready websites or native applications for the now ubiquitous mobile app stores. Whatever the case, most of these decisions are reactive. Research and studies have shown that people are moving to mobile, so naturally agencies and the brands they represent have followed suit.

Several quantitative studies conducted over the last few years have helped decipher the decisions consumers are making in the mobile space as technology has developed. These studies have answered a host of questions for marketers and agencies: what type of phones users purchase, what social networks they use to communicate, what applications they use, etc. They categorize consumer decisions using traditional demographics and help paint a picture of where a potential audience might be or what types of mobile platforms they’re using. What they don’t provide is insight into the motivations of consumers, and therein lies the rub. To create compelling campaigns, marketers need to understand these motivations. The struggle for agencies in the mobile space now is not determining what decisions users are making, but rather understanding why users make those decisions.

Numbers can’t provide these insights, so we as marketers look to qualitative studies to help build successful campaigns and initiatives. The Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology conducted one such study in 2009 to identify and understand the psychological factors underpinning mobile use in teens and young adults. Conducted in Australia, the study consisted of six focus groups with participants between the ages of 16 and 24. Each focus group had the participants answer and discuss questions focused on three major areas:

“…level and type of mobile phone use (e.g. What do you primarily use your mobile phone for?), outcomes of mobile phone use (e.g. What are the main benefits of using a mobile phone?) and mobile phone use amongst friendship groups (e.g. How is the mobile phone used amongst your friends?).”

After confirming the assumptions researchers had made regarding the utility of mobile phones (i.e. – teens use mobile phones to stay connected) the research was able to shine light on the psychological and sociological motives powering mobile phone use. Upon review of the participants’ responses, the study made a powerful conclusion: mobile phones play a significant role in the participants’ sense of belongingness and social identity.

“Throughout the discussions, the need to belong emerged as an important factor influencing young people’s mobile phone use. To facilitate belonging, people seek out frequent contact with others to cultivate relationships. Youth, particularly, are maintaining current relationships whilst developing new relationships and expanding social networks… Mobile phone use provided participants with a feeling of belonging and connectedness to others, consequently assisting psychological well-being.”

Herein lies the tremendous impact of mobile communication. Not only has it created a new way for individuals to develop and foster interpersonal relationships, it has made itself a necessity for the positive social development of future generations. This is the valuable information that agencies can build campaigns from. It signals a significant shift in the way people not only interact with technology, but with one another as well. Unfortunately, a relatively small amount of mobile-centered studies like this exist, but it’s a start. To do their part, agencies must recognize the importance of these studies. They must ensure that robust creative solutions, when possible, are founded less on anecdotal speculation and more on insight gained from tangible scientific conclusions.