Mobile Social Networking Blurs Lines

I just submitted a draft of new report on mobile social networking, which should be released in early November. It’s a fast-emerging space, and yet another example of consumers moving much faster than marketers. In other words, there are a lot more mobile users on social networks than there are marketers.

Part of the reason is the both mobile and social are emerging channels. Combine the two of them together, and well, you have an even less mature proposition. Not necessarily a lack of marketing opportunities, but more complications getting programs off the ground, as I learned from conversations with marketing executives. For example, here’s a snippet from my interview with Adam Broitman, co-founder of Cir.cus:

eMarketer: Where do you see responsibility for mobile social programs coming from?

Mr. Broitman: We still haven’t even fully defined who’s responsible for social, so when it comes to mobile-social, the process becomes even more complicated.

Adam’s sentiment was echoed by my friend and former eMarketer colleague, David Berkowitz, now senior director of emerging media & innovation at digital agency 360i, and steward of the excellent Inside the Marketers Studio blog. Here’s a short excerpt from that interview:

eMarketer: What kinds of challenges do marketers face, both internally in their own companies as well as externally facing the market, in getting mobile social networking programs going?

Mr. Berkowitz: Some of it, right off the bat, is just figuring out who owns mobile.

My questions to you:

• Who’s responsible for mobile, social and mobile-social marketing in your company?
• How have you successfully resolved internal ownership issues?