This past year has been historic for mobile, with the rise of Android, the explosion of apps and the sheer volume of people flocking to the Mobile Web. Yet the most exciting development has been watching mobile “grow up.” This is the first year that we have seen brands truly embrace the idea of mobile as a viable marketing channel. Nothing is more evident of that than the first ever Mobile Upfront, taking place next Tuesday in New York. By definition, the concept of an Upfront implies planning for the WHOLE year. In mobile? Incredible.

The industry coming together at next week’s event shows that mobile really has arrived. Smart brands from every area are paying close attention to mobile and are planning ahead for the future. I am honored to be moderating the client panel at the event, which includes marketers from a broad mix of categories including:  CPG (Coca-Cola), Consumer Electronics (Panasonic) and gaming (Atari). 

My how far we have come. In recent months, magnificent mobile devices were born, and great user experiences and faster networks collided. And the masses followed. Mobile now has a seat at the table as the overall marketing strategy is hashed out. And guess what? The mobile programs are getting better because of it. The panelists I will be sharing the stage with at this event all realize mobile cannot live in a silo, it has to be a part of a larger strategic initiative. And they’ve got some great programs to show for it.

So what can we expect for 2010? More integrated campaigns, larger mobile budgets, consolidation and a focus on cross platform development with the Mobile Web at the center. But it all starts with planning ahead. Watch this space and I will share more about what is on the marketers’ minds and how they are using mobile to reach consumers.

Editor’s note: T3 looks forward to 2010 in a series of blog posts that offer insight on marketing trends over the next year.

Will 2010 be the year that mobile comes of age? The short answer is no. But the long answer isn’t quite so definitive. In fact, I think 2010 will be a very significant year for mobile, the year of foundation and infrastructure building, strategy development and planning for mobile’s eventual coming-out party.

Intriguing breakthroughs and amazing new apps will continue to tease us with possibilities. And mobile marketers will continue to focus on reaching highly sophisticated—and demanding—customers in new ways.

I think we’ll look back on 2010 as the year of significant developments. Among those that bear watching:

• The rise of smartphones. As smartphone numbers increase, so will Web traffic. SMS, mobile video and application downloads will also continue to flourish. The consumer’s reliance on their mobile phone will amplify as the phone becomes the primary digital device.

• This way to the mobile Web. The mobile Web will influence how we shop, search and gather information on the fly. Content publishers and brands will begin to realize how critical mobile Web sites are to their brand. Mobile commerce will thrive. One-click mobile buying will challenge brick-and-mortar models–as consumers go in-store to view and handle products but then search for best pricing on their phone and buy there if the price and experience is right.

• Flash for (most) smartphones. We may not see handsets with full Flash capability until the middle of 2010, but Flash will revolutionize the mobile Internet much the way it did the wired Web. Flash 10.1 will allow smartphone users to view most wired Web sites that currently use Flash. The content and structure of sites must be altered to be relevant for consumers on the go, but Flash is a dream for developers. As access to native handset features like the accelerometer, screen orientation and multi-touch gestures become available, the need for an application is minimized. For those still in love with iPhone apps, Flash Professional CS5 will allow developers to repurpose the Web experiences they develop, submit them to the app store and, voila, an iPhone app is born.

• Mobile money.  The launch of Nokia Money, which allows for peer-to-peer transactions through the phone, means the days of “I’ll get you next time for lunch” may be over, as transferring money becomes practically a non-issue. Tapping into the “unbanked” population becomes intriguing, to say the least (there are only 1.6 billion bank accounts and over 4 billion mobile phones worldwide—you do the math). Retail payments are further off, though nearly 130,000 U.S. merchants already have the ability to accept mobile payments. Carriers and handset manufacturers are still trying to figure out how they are going to get paid, and the solution to this dilemma is still in progress.

• Retail solutions. Although retail payment will not be a reality in 2010, loyalty programs should thrive. Our JCPenney client has already launched a test allowing users to redeem coupons at retail stores through scanned barcodes. Starbucks is doing the same. As consumers redeem coupons and track their loyalty points by phone, smart retailers will use that data to their advantage. If tied back correctly to a customer record, the marketing opportunities are boundless.

We may not look back at 2010 as the year that mobile came of age, but we won’t be able to overlook its significance. There’s lots of behind-the-scenes work to be accomplished – as smart brands aim to finalize their mobile strategies, enable their sites for the incoming hordes of mobile Web users and plan for being at the forefront of our ever-evolving mobile society.

There are three questions we consistently hear from clients when it comes to planning a mobile marketing program: When do we plan? How do we plan? How much does it cost?

In an article I recently contributed to Mobile Marketer’s Classic Guide to Mobile Advertising, I tackled some of these issues and offered advice to companies interested in launching mobile initiatives.

If you look at mobile as part of a long-range plan, it can be used to build lasting dialogues with customers. Find a way to create a conversation that delivers value and moves the consumer farther down the funnel with every interaction. As with any other channel, this means planning for what happens before, during and after big campaigns. With planning and proper goal-setting comes measurable results and a more actionable view of success or failure.

The question of how much to spend on mobile marketing is perhaps the most frequently asked, and unfortunately, there is no perfect answer. The key is to budget for ongoing conversations, not just campaigns. While your first mobile push will require some heavy lifting to acquire customers, once they’ve opted in, the cost of subsequent campaign efforts will go down.

While the mobile channel is unique, the essence of mobile programs is still marketing. There are some major differences from traditional marketing, but when you get down to it, you should approach it in a very similar way. 

Plan early. Define objectives clearly. Focus on customer relationships, not campaigns. Realize that when budgeting for mobile, the focus is on maximizing impact with the dollars you have available.

When planned correctly, mobile is one of the most powerful tools we have available to us as marketers. Don’t let a few questions keep you from harnessing that power. 

For more information and guidance on mobile advertising, be sure to check out Mobile Marketer’s Classic Guide to Mobile Advertising.