Canton-based R2integrated has begun expanding its operations to other cities, including Seattle and St. Louis following a bang up year during which revenue increased by some 60 percent.
"We're attributing most of that growth to the fact that a lot of companies, particularly during economic down times, are seeking more creative and cost effective marketing approaches through the Internet, Internet technology and active tech services," says Matthew Pugh, R2i's director of communications .
R2i, bouyed by that trend, has seen not only a substantial increase in revenue, but also large engagement with more substantial brands such as Yamaha, Forbes, Black and Decker, Heineken, Coca-Cola, Pella, and Ford. The company was also one of 10 vendors selected for Microsoft's digital marketing campaigns.
"Though the Seattle office is not exclusively to serve Microsoft, that is why we entered the market there and it is our full intention to become engaged with the community there," explains Pugh.
Pugh credits R2i's success to the company's technology development expertise. "Even the best creative technology in the world is only as good as the technology that sits underneath it."
R2i provides the platforms that enable companies to more quickly and easily distribute critical communications, leverage social media and social networks, and implement rich internet applications. R2i technology enables companies to create and manage the dynamic media and social interactions that drive brand value and sales in the age of peer-to-peer communications. They have helped the world's largest corporations improve their customer communications and relationships, by providing them internet marketing systems that provide direct, compelling interaction with their customers.
The firm is currently hiring for its local and New York offices. "We're looking for system development people in New York and we're always looking for additional web designers, programmers and digital account execs, search specialists and positions like that locally," says Pugh.
A recent survey, conducted by R2i found that while mobile marketing is recognized as an integral component of digital marketing strategies in 2010, uncertainty looms over its return on investment. R2i conducted this survey from January 13 � January 25.
Twenty two percent of survey respondents said that mobile marketing is "very important" to their overall marketing strategy for 2010; 26 percent said "important"; and 28 percent said "somewhat important." Only 8 percent said "not important." The majority of respondents, 41 percent, said their main reason for executing a mobile marketing campaign was "company awareness," followed by "lead generation," 33 percent.
Quantifying the return on investment was considered the most critical area of improvement for planned mobile marketing campaigns among respondents at 43 percent. Forty nine percent said an increase in customers would measure a successful campaign.
"It appears that 2010 will be a year of experimentation and education on mobile marketing as marketers struggle to come to terms with its practicality and ROI," says Matt Goddard, co-founder and CEO, R2i. "This shouldn't suggest that marketers ought to table their mobile marketing plans, but that they should pay considerable attention to how they can connect the dots back to driving revenue."
The biggest impediments to executing a mobile marketing campaign were "not knowing how to develop the business case," 32 percent, and "not enough analytics to measure the ROI," 30 percent. Sixty three percent of respondents said they'd only allocate up to 15 percent of their budgets on mobile marketing.
More than half (52 percent) of respondents said that their mobile marketing campaign would focus on mobile Web site development channel, while 40 percent said they would focus on mobile application development. When asked to rate the importance of mobile platforms, 59 percent of respondents said the iPhone and 40 percent said the BlackBerry were "very important"; only seven percent thought that Android was a "very important" platform.
"I think because the technology is still working to fully prove itself, most marketers are playing it safe by focusing on the mobile browsing experience, where they can leverage existing Web assets, rather than on mobile marketing where the ROI proposition is still being evaluated," says Goddard. "The iPhone still reflects the largest base for marketers to sell into even though the Android may be the platform du jour in terms of hype.
Source: Matthew Pugh, R2integrated
Writer: Walaika Haskins