Why do marketers still buy TV ads, launch e-mail campaigns, and send direct mail? Because the medium can reach and be received by a sustainable mass of consumers. QR Codes, Augmented Reality, Near Field Communication, and mobile applications, only reach a sliver of your potential market.

The mobile market with NFC capabilities reached 30 million in 2011 at a time when the overall mobile market approach 5 billion. According to research by Frost & Sullivan, the number of NFC enabled smart phones will pass the halfway point in 2015. For most marketing budgets, the cost of implementing a new technology that reaches less than 1% of the overall market is a waste.

Along the same mobility lines,  marketing and commerce are also a top concern for companies. Unlike NFC or AR, these applications are not dependent upon limited or unproven technology. Yet a new study from Screen Pages found that only 10% of e-commerce page visits come from mobile devices and those convert to a sale at about half the rate of other sources.

Should you be testing and formulating a strategic plan for these technology shifts? Probably. Should it cause you to abandon other proven parts of your marketing mix? Probably not.

photo: photosteve101