From Disney?s Movie Anywhere mobile application that brings the Disney library of heartfelt moments onto a phone or tablet to Macy?s putting its signature letters to Santa program on the mobile Web, marketers are beginning to get the hang of delivering heartfelt moments on the small screens that hold the attention of mobile users. Given the impact that a pitch that crackles with emotion can have on consumers, the achievement points to a turning point for the industry.

?Remember that this is someone's personal device that they probably can't think of living without,? said Chris Mellow, director of digital and engagement at Grupo Gallegos, a creatively driven, independent advertising agency.  ?It's held in their hands. 

?Brands can either make tremendous connections or quickly turn off audiences if they boorishly stumble into the space without thinking about what value they're bringing by trying to connect via mobile.?

The evidence of improvement in creating a heartfelt vibe on mobile reflects marketers? realization that they need to personalize communications to better engage consumers. That need is owing to the intimate relationship people have with their phones and tablets. 

Brands have grasped that personalizing communications with relevancy can deliver a more meaningful response and depth of interaction.

Yet although an emotional bond is already baked into people?s relationships with their devices, making emotions crackle in small-screen marketing is tough to do. 

Part of the problem is generational. Younger users born at the beginning of the modern Internet age have an easier time absorbing content on mobile, just as they have an easier time doing most things on mobile.

But as more people get used to ordering books, paying for restaurant meals, viewing YouTube videos and looking at Instagram photos on their mobile devices, the small screen seems more welcoming to gladdening moments.

?This coincides with an acceptance that our increasing time spent with mobile screens, our most intimate relationship beyond any other piece of technology, means we?re just used now to a slightly smaller screen than the TV comparison,? said James Kirkham, head of social and mobile at Leo Burnett Worldwide. ?It just isn?t as difficult to see. 

?Couple with that the utter dominance of the tablets, and with Samsung and now the iPhone 6 the big-is-beautiful resurgence of the mobile screen, we now have a perfect storm where accessing content on the mobile is as comfortable and above all, normal as accessing it on anything else,? Mr. Kirkham said. 

The best campaigns for creating warm moments on mobile tap into simple feelings and ideas.

Disney Movies Anywhere, unveiled this year, gives families and parents who increasingly watch full-length movies together across multiple devices access to more than 400 films, including Disney classics. The video service includes a mobile application and Web site.

The initiative, which ties together three of Disney?s brands ? Pixar, Disney and Marvel ? is linked to an iTunes account.

Disney Movies Anywhere also includes multi-screen watching so that consumers can watch content across different devices at the same time. 

Macy?s annual holiday campaign Believe moved on to the mobile Web this year with a comprehensive site that enables children to write letters to Santa Claus with their holiday wish lists.

The campaign, to benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation, leverages mobile to raise money and help consumers get in the spirit of the holidays. 

Macy?s has been leveraging mobile to enhance the Believe campaign for several years. 

Last year, customers who posted a photo or video of themselves mailing a letter to Santa from inside a Macy?s store using the hashtag #MacysBelieve had the chance to be included in a Macy?s television commercial. 

In 2011, Macy?s enabled customers mailing their letters at in-store Believe Stations to take a picture with the campaign?s animated stars using augmented reality technology. 

The California Milk Processor Board?s (Got Milk) Bedtime Story e-book let parents read stories with their children at night on mobile devices.

The e-book was part of a campaign that promoted the idea that drinking a glass of milk before bedtime aided sleep and produced an upbeat outlook.

Besides TV spots on Univision and Telemundo, the campaign included a video tie-in with YouTube and Shazam, the music-recognition application.

Digital versions of storybooks were available on Facebook, garnering thousands of downloads. The multichannel support produced surges in fans, social media engagement and YouTube video views. 

Brands that want to bring a heartwarming campaign to mobile must pay heed to certain priorities that address the small screen?s limitations.The first is to focus on the content.

?That it's being delivered via mobile device isn't going to matter at all if the content doesn't connect with your audience,? Mr. Mellow said.

Moreover, creating a heartfelt spirit on mobile calls for treating the outreach as a chat with consumers.

?Remember, it's a dialogue and that for a conversation to work, both parties have to be interested in the content,? the Grupo Gallegos executive said.

Finally, consumers expecting a heartfelt pitch will be turned off by any campaign that is too promotional.

 

?Is the content being shared? Is it sparking conversations?? Mr. Mellow asked. ?If so, it's successful.?