By Spyro Kourtis

New technology is loaded with pitfalls. All of us ought to know that by now.

One of our competitors began calling itself a mobile marketing expert. It sent out a news release announcing a new website dedicated to “mobile marketing best practices and thought leadership.”

I checked it out. The site itself is not optimized for mobile viewing.

I’m a little afraid to tell that story, knowing that my team and I could easily do something just as silly.

Coca-Cola is taking a bit of ridicule from the mobile marketing community right now for running a banner ad in an iPhone app that, when you click through, lands on a Flash-based site. Of course, Flash famously does not work in the iPhone operating system.

I can see how this would happen: The marketing people at Coke learn about an opportunity to sponsor this iPhone app; they’ve already created a spectacular holiday site. Easy! Just send anyone clicking through to their beautiful, Flash-y site.

No one thought it through. No one tested it on an iPhone. No one paid attention to the details.

Everyone on the team needs to pay attention, all the time. Strategy is important. And so is execution.