Unlike other similar mobile commerce-enabled campaigns, Reebok is taking a different route in driving sales by taking advantage of a user’s location. The mobile ads are running on People’s mobile site.

“A commerce-enabled component is not critical because the company might be trying to reach a demographic with a different goal,” said Sandy Shanman, general manager of mobile at Exponential Interactive’s Appsnack, Emeryville, CA.

“Instead, it is more about the engagement and interaction of an ad,” he said.

Mr. Shanman is not associated with Reebok. He commented based on his expertise on the subject.

Reebok did not respond to press inquiries.

Mobile run
The Reebok ads are aimed at showing how the Reebok Ex-O-Fit high-top is an updated version of the company’s line of older shoes.

The copy for the ads feature a picture of the shoe and read, “It takes history to make a classic.” Users are then encouraged to tap to buy the shoes.

When clicked on, a mobile landing page is brought up that prompts users to either enter their ZIP code or use their location to find the nearest Reebok retailer. Consumers can then view a map of the stores.

The mobile landing page includes a photo gallery that users can swipe through to see all of the different colors and styles that the sneakers come in.

The landing page also has a section where users can enter their email address to opt-in to the company’s email program. Not only is Reebok smart to tie its digital channels together, an email sign-up feature can be used to create a longer-term relationship than Reebok might originally be able to get via a mobile advertisement otherwise.

Here is a picture of the map included in the ad

Location, location, location
This is not the first mobile effort from Reebok to drive sales.

In 2009, the company placed mobile calls-to-action on social media sites to encourage users to opt-in to the company’s database and watch a video, which the company claimed resulted in a 50 percent click-through-rate (see story).

Although Reebok does have a mobile site, the commerce portion of the site is not optimized, forcing users to pinch and zoom if they want to buy products via their handsets.

Instead of rolling out a poorly-executed campaign that would lead users to a non-mobile site, Reebok was smart with this initiative to take advantage of a mobile device’s location.

Marketers are eager to dive into mobile, however many campaigns do not factor in what the company’s goals are or who an initiative is aimed at. Location is a great way to make a campaign more tailored and specific to users.

“The overarching marketing goal is to always leverage the native capabilities, so in a mobile situation, why wouldn’t you use location?” Mr. Shanman said.

“We now have the ability to pass along more perimeters and use the data that we’ve been parsing across the Internet for years,” he said.

Final Take
Lauren Johnson is editorial assistant on Mobile Commerce Daily, New York