Author: Tom Eslinger
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Reviewer: Peter Ballard, co-founder, Foolproof
Tom Eslinger’s book Mobile Magic: The Saatchi & Saatchi guide to mobile marketing and design sets out to offer a practical how to guide to engaging customers through their mobile devices, illustrated with experience gained from Tom’s day job of being Saatchi and Saatchi’s worldwide director of digital and social.
Although some might question whether mobile can still be considered ‘new’, in a business context we’re only just beginning to understand how mobile is changing customer behaviour, and how this affects our relationship with brands.
Smartphones are now ubiquitous around the world. Over 1billion smart phones were bought globally in 2013, and 15 per cent of all e-commerce sales last year were made on mobile. And our relationship with our phones is unique, a constant companion never far from reach, keeping us connected 24/7 with a role in almost every part of our lives.
Eslinger’s book is written with marketers new to mobile in mind. It starts with an orientation to the technology, the capabilities of the device, and an explanation of mobile jargon. ‘Mobile first’ and ‘Apps vs. mobile web’ – what do these actually mean for your business? And what are the qualities of a genuinely engaging mobile experience?
Each chapter is followed by a practical ‘Five things to do right now’ to help readers put theory into action. Tom explains how to get a mobile strategy up and running, what skills you need to hire, and how to ensure your mobile project stays on track.
Overall I feel Tom is successful in laying out a blueprint for creating an effective mobile strategy, and provides some useful case studies. As an experience designer I was delighted to see the importance Tom places on using customer insight to ensure that mobile experiences meet genuine customer need. Too many mobile projects fail when this is overlooked.
If your company is getting serious about the mobile opportunity, and you are part of the team that will define the direction of this effort, Tom’s book is a reliable ‘how to’ manual to getting a successful mobile strategy off the ground.
