And this is where messaging morphs from mobile channel to metaphor.  We’re already seeing this in China where WeChat has exploded from consumer messaging app to a multi-function app.  Metaphor? The messaging interface back-and-forth conversations, is moving into consumer service scenarios and, ultimately, I think to almost any engagement with a brand.

As chatbots have emerged as an important tool in customer service, they’ve also popped up in mobile apps, enshrining the messaging metaphor as an important interacting with a brand subscription required).  Chatbots require a natural-language-processing capability that relies on accessing rigorously structured data in able to allow the chatbot getting anywhere close to being able to respond intelligently to queries. (Check out our “Cool Vendors in Conversational Marketing” note here.)

In the coming years, we’ll start seeing messaging metaphors extending into all forms of marketing, particularly mobile marketing engagements, not just customer service.  Many obstacles remain, particularly the need for companies to invest in structured data efforts. Investing now in messaging – in all its forms – puts a marketing team in a better position to finding the right moments to engage now. It puts them in an even better position to take advantage of the opportunities to extend the messaging metaphor.