Whether they’re texting, calling, surfing the web or tweeting, young teenage girls are “attached” to their mobile phones. From Blackberry and Verizon to the Apple iPhone 3Gs, the amount of time and money this target spends is almost unheard of. Come to think of it, it seems as if most everyone is spending time on his or her phones; from the youth market to even seeing an increase in cell phone use of the mature generation.

Mobile marketing has been coined as “the next big thing” for quite some time. Year after year, we have seen a steady rise in SMS and MMS messaging to consumers. According to a recent survey, 40% of brands are using these types of ad campaigns.It has been projected that companies will be spending over $16 billion by 2011. That’s right around the corner folks!

Retailers are getting smarter. This proximity marketing works. Think of this group of girls on their mobile phone walking around the mall and they get a text message reading, “get 10% off at the Gap today!” right as they were walking in the mall wing where the Gap was located. Don’t you think this would encourage the group to walk into Gap and maybe even purchase something from the store? I think so.

So, next time you’re walking down the street, in the mall, down Rodeo Drive, remember that your next text message may not be from your best friend; it just might be from that retail store down the street saying hello. Don’t worry about finding the store, cause they’ll find you.