The company is running the mobile commerce ads within Pandora’s iPhone application. Best Buy is enticing users to tap on the ad by offering the free data transfer – a $99 value.

“Deep linking is a powerful tool for mobile marketers, as long as the mobile commerce solution the retailer has in place supports it,” said Wilson Kerr, Boston-based mobile marketing consultant.

“Many mobile commerce platforms simply redirect to the homepage or, worse yet, some retailers will run mobile ads without mobile-optimized sites.”

Mr. Kerr is not affiliated with Best Buy. He commented based on his expertise on the subject.

Best Buy did not respond to press inquiries.

Mobile best
The Best Buy mobile ad reads “The Microsoft Premium Collection. Free Data Transfer. A $99 Value With Purchase.”

When consumers tap on the mobile banner ad they are not only redirected to Best Buy’s mobile site, but to a page where they can shop laptops, specifically.

The mobile landing page promotes the free Geek Squad data transfer when they buy a laptop from the Microsoft Premium Collection.

Users are then encouraged to shop all premium collection laptops.

The mobile landing page

Consumers can buy laptops via the mobile ad

Running a specific mobile ad campaign such as this helps target consumers.

Additionally, offering them an incentive to tap on the ad – a free data transfer – is a smart move. Consumers are more inclined to tap on a mobile ad if there is a deal attached.

Stepping up
Best Buy has been ramping up its mobile efforts.

The company is increasingly adding mobile into its marketing mix.

Last year, Best Buy ran a geotargeted ad campaign within Pandora that let consumers save money on products sold at locations closest to them (see story).

Most recently, Best Buy is used location-based mobile ads to drive consumers in-store to check out Sharp’s line of televisions.

The mobile ads used location to find the nearest Best Buy location for users (see story).

“Best Buy is putting a call to action into the mobile ad campaign that, when clicked on, sends mobile consumers to a page deep within their mobile site where the offer can most-effectively be converted into a sale,” Mr. Kerr said.

“This is smart, especially if Best Buy can track conversions and link ROI to specific banner ads,” he said. “In this way, the campaign can be tweaked in real time, to maximize effectiveness.”

Final Take
Rimma Kats is staff reporter on Mobile Commerce Daily, New York