Jan 2010
Thinking about mobile
UK mobile market overview Airwide Solutions The mobile World Cup Consumed2 Walled Garden And ...
... The world’s most expensive mobile data plan Contents
3. The autoMOBILE superhighway 6. UK mobile data market overview; 10. Company feature: Airwide Solutions 12. Is this the first mobile World Cup? 13. Roadshow review 15. Get involved in the 2010 Roadshows 17. Consumed2 - the mobile Internet explosion 20. Carroll’s Quest - N900 under the spotlight 21. Walled Garden Mobility in a viral world
editorial Nick Lane, Chief researcher/writer nick@d2mobile.co.uk Tel: (44) 1483 243 382 Mob: (44) 7976 057 052 Michael Carroll, Contributor michael@mobilesquared.co.uk Tel: (44) 1483 549 840 James Cameron, contributor AKA Founder and head of strategy, Camerjam Events james@camerjam.com
How to find us: mobileSQUARED HQ 24 North Road, Guildford Surrey, GU2 9PU UK ISSN no. 1759-6483 Published in the UK 12 times per year in pdf format No part of this publication may be copied, photocopied or duplicated without prior written permission from the publisher, D2 Mobile Ltd mobileSQUARED is a trading name of D2 Mobile Ltd. The mobileSQUARED team offers unique forecasting, analysis, research and insight on the mobile market, providing highly focused reports and bespoke intelligence. We tailor our approach to the requirements of each project and use our network of global network of contacts. Our extensive market knowledge stems from years covering the mobile industry meaning that we’re in a position to respond immediately to market developments. All rights reserved. Opinions expressed by individual contributors may not personally reflect the views of D2 Mobile Ltd. Whilst reasonable efforts have been made to ensure that the information and content of this publication was correct as at the date of first publication, neither D2 Mobile Ltd nor any person engaged or employed by D2 Mobile Ltd accepts any liability for any errors, omissions or other inaccuracies. Readers should independently verify any facts and figures as no liability can be accepted in this regard. Readers assume full responsibility and risk accordingly for their use of such information and content.
We’ve spent the first few weeks of 2010 asking contacts to share with us their memorable mobile moments from 2009. Aside from some very childish and lewd responses, two words cropped up in almost every (sensible) response: ‘Google’ and ‘Admob’. This either highlights that this major acquisition is uppermost in people’s minds, or that very little else actually happened throughout 2009. This is an interesting point? What did actually happen in 2009? Other than iPhone wannabes, there were App Store wannabes also. The mobile industry became fixated on replicating the success of the App Store. More often than not, the App Store wannabes have dressed up their existing content offering in the hope of delivering a Kelly Brook only to be faced by the stark reality of a Dame Edna Everage on their hands. But trying to sidestep Apple’s unenviable influence on the mobile industry in 2009 is nigh on impossible. Apple has become the hero company in an industry accustomed to celebrating a number of “hero” announcements during the year. Perhaps we have been spoilt to date and 2009 was the exception. But let’s be honest, Google’s imminent purchase of Admob was the year’s “eye raising moment”. And while other key events did happen, of course they did, the trouble is the mobile industry’s obsession with mobile advertising is yet to subside and continues to consume everything and anything that dares cross its path. It is this obsession that reeks of irony. There is very little money in mobile advertising. So when you have Informa forecasting that the mobile industry will become a trillion dollar industry within a few years, why does a sector that is not worth more than $1.5 billion globally (and that’s being generous), dominate discussions and proceedings? After all, conversations and discussions at industry events are going over old ground again and again. Then of course the words “mobile” and “experimentation” continue to be mentioned in the same sentence despite the fact that more and more brands allegedly have allocated budget for mobile campaigns. Mobile advertising experimentation was originally expected to disappear in the 2007/2008 timeframe. And then there are the forecasts, which have continuously been amended downwards — though we believe that the actual numbers for mobile advertising revenues are finally being shared with the analyst community, which means all forecasts from 2009 will finally reflect revenue reality. So maybe the mobile industry was crying out for Google’s acquisition of Admob in 2009, in the same way Apple’s move for Quattro Wireless and Amobee’s strike for Ring Ring Media have created a frenzied start to 2010. None of this comes as a surprise: the only thing missing was the names and numbers. The industry has been expecting a period of consolidation in mobile advertising, and this is just the beginning. And that will certainly make 2010 more interesting than 2009. And we’ll be here to analyse it. Nick Lane Editor & chief analyst
©2010 D2 Mobile Ltd.
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feature
The autoMOBILE superhighway Knight Industries 2000 (KiTT) was a vision of cars of the future in the early 1982 when the hit TV series Knight Rider launched the illustrious career of David Hasselhoff. Almost 30 years on, KiTT could finally become a reality We already have Bluetooth in cars to connect to MP3 music players and our mobile phones, GPS navigation, and RFbased keyless entry, but carmakers are looking to add new technologies to turn vehicles into connected devices that can sense the environment around them and adapt to it, just like the black Trans Am in the TV show. While modern cars might not gain KiTT’s ability to turbo boost over a problem, or execute a nifty J-turn to evade the bad guys, employing networking technology means auto manufacturers can look to boost safety by letting cars talk to each other, and stop you crashing into the car ahead if it stops suddenly.
Such is the firm’s confidence in Bluetooth that it predicts the technology will account for €515.87 million of the total revenues in 2015. The revenues are based on the firm’s forecast that deployments of Bluetooth chips in cars will grow from around 10 million units in 2008 to 30 million in 2015. However, the spokeswoman said auto makers are increasingly evaluating GPRS, WiFi, and WiMAX, to satisfy growing consumer demand for in-car Internet connectivity. GPRS is a good option because there is a surplus of airtime available now networks have been upgraded to WCDMA and HSDPA, and the firm predicts it could be best employed by the car industry to transmit data. The business case for WiFi and WiMAX in cars is still being explored. Zigbee and NFC are also being evaluated by car manufacturers.
It might not turn us into lone crusaders like Michael Knight, but it has the potential to make the world less dangerous than the one Hasselhoff’s character faced.
Zigbee could be used to replace implementations of RF, the technology most used for keyless entry systems, however the research firm notes the cost of Zigbee relative to RF could limit its appeal. NFC has plenty of potential for in-car applications, but car makers are yet to be convinced of its value with clear use cases.
And it is likely to be a very lucrative market for wireless equipment vendors, according to research firm Frost & Sullivan. The company estimates revenues from automotive sales will hit €889.34 million ($1.2 billion) in 2015, compared to €279.42 million in 2008.
Many car makers are looking to use wireless connectivity to streamline existing GPS navigation. David Martin, managing director of motorcycle alarm firm Acumen, points out that GPS has its limitations. “If its under metal it gets no signal… Also, commercial GPS isn’t accurate,” he told mobileSQUARED.
The firm points out the bulk of the 2008 revenues came from deployments of Bluetooth in cars, and says it expects that technology to remain dominant in the automotive sector in the years ahead. “Bluetooth is clearly leading the automotive wireless pack with real-world use cases and some decent penetration numbers,” a Frost & Sullivan spokeswoman told mobileSQUARED. “The ability of Bluetooth protocol to support the seamless and automatic interfacing of vehicles and wireless products positioned inside them is expected to spawn the introduction of several innovative applications of this technology.”
While GSM or WiFi alone won’t improve the need for lineof-sight or offer more accurate readings, they could be used to link a vehicle’s GPS to a user’s e-mail, to automatically insert locations and addresses. The desired route would then calculated using real-time information from other cars on the road, which in theory means better avoidance of traffic jams. If cars can communicate traffic information to each other, they can also stop themselves colliding with one another, by sensing where other vehicles are and warning the driver of impending doom.
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feature Citroen has already introduced an out-of-lane warning system in its C5 model, and sister company Peugeot’s forthcoming 5008 will warn drivers if they’re too close to the car ahead for a given speed, on a high-tech head-up-display of the type used by fighter pilots. The 5008 will also feature an optional WiFi connection when it launches early 2010, before being rolled out on other Peugeot models. Peugeot’s set-up uses the driver’s SIM card, which is plugged into the car using a USB card reader. The firm states the benefit of this is that users can choose their own operator and price plan. The service is designed to work on 3G networks, and offer access to e-mail, instant messaging, online games, and so-called ‘practical information. All services will be accessible whether stationary or on the move. However, relying on 3G to offer WiFi access has its drawbacks – particularly in Europe. Richard Seymour, spokesman for Toyota’s Technical and Product division, told mobileSQUARED that a lack of ubiquitous 3G coverage in Europe means the market is “not fully ready for a proper deployment of various telematics services,” particularly the safety applications noted above. “There are high costs (hardware, IT, mobile communications etc) associated to deploying these kind of technologies…The technical complexities can be hurdles in achieving full benefits,” Seymour says, adding that there is a lack of consumer demand for ‘connected’ cars in Europe. The hurdles are worth overcoming though. Seymour noted that greater deployment would enable cars to automatically call emergency services in the event of an accident, while car makers could offer new convenience features, and “organise regular real-time updates of in-vehicle systems.” Other global markets are less fragmented. Toyota has already made wireless modules available on vehicles sold in Japan, the US, and China. “For Europe, there is no clear plan nor firm date for implementing those technologies yet,” Seymour told mobileSQUARED. Business Week reports that Toyota’s Japanese rival Nissan is working with Google to offer better in-car navigation. A Google delegation recently visited Nissan’s Advanced Technology Centre to evaluate new GPS modules, and a senior Google source is quoted as saying his firm is looking beyond mapping and mobile search capabilities.
The Internet search firm is also reportedly collaborating with German car-maker Volkswagen and chip maker nVidia, to launch a 3D mapping service. Porsche has taken a simpler approach, by incorporating a SIM-card reader into many of its models. In doing so, the firm has removed one of the few problems with in-car Bluetooth connections, namely that the version of Bluetooth used in your car is often incompatible with the version installed in your mobile device. BMW, Mercedes Benz, and Nissan have all incorporated technology that lets you download Google Maps from your PC. Even Formula One team McLaren could be getting in on the wireless act. Its newly formed subsidiary McLaren Automotive was widely reported to be installing WiFi in its forthcoming MP4-12C road car. Those rumours were put on hold when the car was officially unveiled mid-September. The accompanying press release states only that the model will feature an innovative centre console, or Information Centre as the firm has named it. This centre will provide “all normal telematics functions such as audio, navigation and telephony, while providing some new features never before seen in a car,” the release states. There has been talk of including wireless Internet connectivity, and could potentially include a wireless data plan. A McLaren Automotive spokesman told mobileSQUARED that no decisions have yet been taken regarding the use of WiFi. The firm will have more details regarding what will be included in the Information Centre early 2010, he said. The spokesman wasn’t being deliberately coy. McLaren, like all car makers, face a discrepancy between the leadtimes involved in designing and building a new model, and the times taken by the wireless industry. The lead time for a new car can typically be up to five years, while the wireless industry can turn out a new technology in as little as two years. That timing issue has prompted car makers including BMW, General Motors, and PSA Peugeot Citroen, to team up with leading wireless companies including Intel and Wind River to work on common standards for in-car infotainment equipment.
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feature The GENIVI Alliance was unveiled in March and already has over 21 members. Speaking at its launch, Graham Smethurst, GENIVI President and general manager of BMW Group’s Infotainment and Communication Systems division, said the Alliance would “challenge the traditional approach of proprietary solutions… [and] allow GENIVI members to focus on the development and integration of innovative customer functionality.”
platforms being used to offer car makers economies of scale.
One of the main focus areas for the non-profit group is to align the development of in-car entertainment products more closely with consumer devices, which is another way of saying mobile phones and portable MP3 players.
Timing aside, the car industry will need to heed one of the key tenets of the wireless world when introducing any new service or feature based on wireless technology: Ease-ofuse.
Smethurst recently told Frost & Sullivan that the Alliance would also seek to help ‘connect’ cars, to satisfy consumer demand to remain connected even when behind the wheel.
Adding more functionality to an already crowded screen could be a step too far for many stressed motorists. Nevertheless, the worlds of mobile and the car industry are fully-geared up for unification. And if the car starts verbally questioning your every move, like KiTT, the sight of a person beating their car with a branch like comedy character Basil Fawlty, might become all the more common.
The goal adds a new dimension to the wireless industry, which often cites examples of commuters on trains or other public transport when talking about new services and connectivity options. Such examples blatantly overlook the fact that many of us commute by car. GENIVI will also seek to cut the cost of implementing the latest wireless technologies in cars, with standardised
The first GENIVI platform is due to be released by end2009, so the timing of when car makers will realise its benefits is very much reliant on the speed of their product development in terms of upgrading existing models, or launching new ones.
michael@mobilesquared.co.uk
data2
UK mobile data market on the up The UK mobile market is one of the most advanced markets globally, and is often viewed as a test-bed for mobile services for the rest of Europe. Despite the global economic downturn, the mobile device has emerged not only as a utility to the consumer, but a device that they will continually invest in month-on-month. In fact, a survey of 1,000 UK mobile users, conducted by Lightspeed Research in December 2008, revealed that 53% of consumers (approximately 30 million subscribers) do not expect the economic environment to affect their monthly mobile behaviour, including spend. This is not only positive news for the mobile operators looking to safeguard their talk and text cash cows, as well as advance into the mobile data territory, but it means the mobile channel is rapidly becoming a fantastic platform for brands, businesses, educational facilities, medical centres, you name it, to communicate with their customers, students, and patients alike, using messaging and through the mobile Internet.
of commoditisation looks set to potentially take effect in the 2010-2011 timeframe, with voice revenues starting to deliver thereafter. Messaging, however, faces a different journey. mobileSQUARED predicts a second wave of growth for messaging as the mobile medium is embraced by brands and corporations over the next five years as a direct communication and promotional channel, as well as increasing machine-to-machine communication, with the revenues increasing from £3.2 billion in 2009 to £4.39 billion in 2014. Although consumer messaging is starting to become commoditised, the potential decline in revenues will be offset with this second wave of activity paying higher charges for premium and targeted messaging services, for example. But it is the explosion of mobile data and the implications for not just mobile, but related industries such as entertainment
Over the last 12 months the mobile data market has not only woken up, but erupted into life. Some might say about time too given that high-speed 3G networks (WCDMA) were commercially launched in the UK back in 2003, with the promise of delivering mass-market revenue generating data services to address the imminent decline in voice and messaging revenues. Neither of which has happened; until now. To date, mobile remains a growth market within the UK. According to figures released by industry regulator Ofcom, in it’s The Communications Market 2009 report, the UK mobile market was worth £15.3 billion in 2008, up from £9.7 billion in 2003. During that period, voice and messaging revenues have continued to grow, although the threat Source: Operators/Ofcom – The Communications Market 2009
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data2 worth £4.3 billion in 2009. By 2014, messaging will account for more than 55% of data revenues, followed by data plans at 23%, data revenue (dongles and connected devices) contributing 13%, and content and services at 8%.
Source: mobileSQUARED and service sectors, that can now finally start to become excited about the possibilities that mobile can deliver on. Between 2003 and 2008, mobile data revenues (nonmessaging) in the UK increased from £100 million to £900 million, with the uplift in revenues between 20062007 coinciding with a more acceptable mobile broadband consumer service and the uptake of flat-rate data plans. Looking towards the future, mobile data represents a tremendous opportunity. mobileSQUARED forecasts that the UK’s mobile data market (incorporating messaging, data charges, and content and services) will more than double between 2009 and 2014, with UK data market revenues
The UK market has a mobile penetration of approximately 130%, though that fails to explain the breakdown of the mobile numbers. For example, there were a little under 80 million SIMs at large across the UK at the end of 2009, in a country with a population of 61.4 million (Source: Office for National Statistics). What’s more, it is not uncommon for consumers to have multiple SIMs, which skews the number of actual users. And ! this situation will become exacerbated in the near-term as more electronic devices, such as cameras, SatNavs and fridges to name but a few, become connected. Research by mobileSQUARED has revealed that approximately 30% of the UK marketplace has more than one device, which means the “active” number of devices being used in the UK will be 59.28 million by the end of 2009 and rise to 68 million by 2014. f these users, 27 million will have 3G devices, with a UK market penetration of 46%. That figure will rise to 71% by 2014, with 48.3 million 3G devices. What’s more, the majority of device shipments in the UK are now 3G with HSPA (High Speed Packet Access). mobileSQUARED research predicts that mobile broadband will exceed fixed-line connectivity in the UK in 2011 when 42.7 million wireless connections will surpass
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Source: mobileSQUARED the approximate 38 million fixed-line broadband connections in the UK (as of mid-2009 – though growth has slowed), through the combination of 3G devices (36.3 million) and dongles/connected/embedded devices (6.4 million). By the end of 2009, there was almost 16 million mobile users in the UK accessing the Internet via their mobile, representing 27% of the total mobile population, according to mobileSQUARED. The forecasts identified frequent users, those that browse at least once per month (almost 13 million as of end-2009), and those infrequent users that browse several times a quarter. By 2014, the total number of mobile browsers will exceed 32 million (or 48% mobile user penetration).
Featurephone users dominate the mobile Internet landscape through sheer volume in 2009, but will be overtaken by smartphone users (including iPhone users) in 2011. A breakdown of users reveals that 8% will browse on a daily basis, with 25% weekly, 49% monthly and the remainder made up of infrequent users. Although daily users only account for 8%, they generate 44% of page impressions. The weekly users represent 25% of the user base and generate 52% of the page impressions. The majority of mobile browsers do so on a monthly basis (49%) but only account for 3% of the traffic. nick@mobilesquared.co.uk
Want even more data on the UK mobile market? See over ...
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Source: mobileSQUARED
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Get your hands on the definitive, straight-talking report covering the UK mobile Internet (and content) market Find out how the UK mobile Internet market will evolve, where the revenues will come from, and how the UK mobile consumers will use their mobile devices, mobileSQUARED’s Taking Internet Mobile: UK market overview is the authoritative report on the UK mobile Internet. • • • • • •
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Here are a sample of companies that assisted us with our research: T-Mobile, comScore, Fox Mobile Entertainment, Qualcomm, Bango, Airwide Solutions, LogicaCMG, Vodafone, 3, Forum Nokia, WeLoveMobile, Movenpick/Nestle, Tigerspike, Lightspeed Research, Navarro, Harris Interactive, IAB, Wapple, Acision, Newbay, Infomedia, Opera, Netbiscuits, Accumulate, Orange, ROK, WIN, ITV, Buongiorno, Peperonity, Flirtomatic, 4th Screen, Kilrush, O2, RealNetworks, 77 Agency/Facebook, m-commerce, Admob, Google, Player X, Graphico, Netsize, Blyk, YOC, Microsoft, Smaato, Rapid Mobile, Openwave, Buzzcity, ChangingWorlds, Muzicall, play123, Out There Media, Velti, AIME.
There is too much insight, forecasts and data in this 100+ page report on the UK market for us to list here. For the full table of contents, please visit www.mobilesquared.co.uk or contact info@mobilesquared.co.uk
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company feature: Airwide Solutions
Messaging making the most of now Operator’s focus on mobile web portals and browsers is flawed, and they should focus instead on adapting their existing infrastructure to provide tomorrow’s services. That’s the view of Airwide Solutions, a provider of next-generation mobile-messaging and –Internet infrastructure, which believes operators already possess all the key elements to allow them to offer highly targeted services ‑ such as mobile applications, location-based services, and mobile broadband across multiple devices. “Businesses and brands are looking at how to expose product or service to mobile users, but there is always this inherent limitation of no one carrier having all the subscribers,” says Airwide CMO Jay Seaton. The problem at present is that, even when a carrier gets their mobile data strategy right, populating their portals with content is difficult. There is fragmentation in the market caused by multiple handset platforms, and the content that is available can be accessed by a fraction of the global subscriber base because it is mostly designed for high-end smartphones, which comprised just 12% of all devices sold in 2008, according to figures from Portio Research. “The pipe to the consumer gets narrowed down very quickly,” Seaton explains, adding that smartphones account for just 15% of the 4 billion devices in use globally. Airwide’s solution is to encourage operators to unlock the potential of their existing infrastructure by deploying its Open Services Framework product. The product is essentially an evolution of the messaging infrastructure contained
in Airwide’s Mobile Messaging 2.0 product set, which allows carriers to turn their messaging infrastructure into a means of handling advanced data traffic. Seaton claims the Framework will help operators offer optimized mobile data services sooner rather than later. He points out carriers can already locate and authenticate users, detect which device they’re using, and bill for calls. When combined with their communication channels – SMS, MMS, WAP, Web, and IM/SIP – it puts carriers in a strong position, he argues. “The mobile operator has all the valuable assets.” While most analyst firms tip the number of smartphones in the market to grow rapidly in the coming years, a survey by YouGov in December 2008 highlights the problems operators face. It found that only 9% of subscribers that use social networking sites did so via their smartphone, while 43% of users rated their experience of mobile browsing as unsatisfactory. Despite the gloomy figures, Seaton believes there is a huge pent up demand from consumers to access mobile data services. He points to research by Decipher that shows many users want to access business services including viewing sensitive information, logging expenses, and tracking the progress of projects. Non-business services consumers would access include shopping, banking, visiting social networking sites – particularly their messaging applications – and web browsing.
One of the key elements of the Open Services Framework is its utilisation of carrier’s messaging infrastructure. Seaton says SMS, in particular, can help solve many of the problems with current data services. SMS already works on every network and handset in the world, and is already widely used – and so trusted – by consumers, Seaton notes. Those facts haven’t escaped operators, as operator surveys conducted by Airwide reveal that most carriers view SMS as the bedrock of the mobile data services they plan to roll out in the coming year. For consumers, using a stable and widely deployed technology like SMS, would offer a better experience of mobile data services. “Subscribers get more comprehensive capabilities because application providers and developers will be able to enhance their services with messaging and various other service enhancements,” Seaton says. Operators using Airwide’s solution could also use SMS to offer faster search services, Seaton claims. Rather than access a search engine like Google via a mobile browser, subscribers could request information by sending an SMS search command to the engine. The carrier could add any necessary location details automatically, and the results could be tailored according to the subscriber’s pre-determined preferences. The theory is that you get a less cumbersome search method, and more focussed results. For example, a vegetarian is unlikely to want to know where the nearest steak house is.
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company profile: Airwide Solutions OPERATOR RESOURCES Communication Channels SMS WAP MMS Web
OPEN SERVICES FRAMEWORK
Service Innovation Module Rapidly introduce high-quality service enhancements by exposing value-adding Operator assets and capabilities, independent from the delivery infrastructure
IM/SIP INNOVATION ! FLEXIBILITY ! MANAGEABILITY
Network Capabilities
Delivery Optimization Module
Location Profile Presence Authentication Device Detection
Enable high-reliability, low-latency, secure and handset- and network optimized delivery of service innovations
Transcoding Charging
RELIABILITY ! PERFORMANCE ! CONNECTIVITY
SERVICES Personalized Services Security Services Charging Services Financial Services Content Services Social Networking Mobile Marketing Interactive Media
Source: Airwide Solutions Airwide’s survey of carriers shows they plan to invest heavily in social networking applications over the next 12 months. While many of the providers of such sites have launched mobile versions throughout 2009, the applications are still mostly tailored for smartphones.
Airwide isn’t arguing that SMS alone will be the saviour of carrier’s mobile data strategies. Indeed, Seaton points out there are some inherent security flaws with the technology, resulting in more cases of spam, fake offers, and handset viruses.
Seaton says the Open Services Framework would help carriers to bring social networking to mass-market devices. He envisions a world where users could be notified by SMS when a favourite band uploads new tunes onto social networking sites like MySpace, which means the subscriber would only need to go online when they know there’s something new to look for.
Its research found that 44% of mobile users have received spam on their handset. The majority of attacks – 45% ‑ ask the user to call another number, closely followed by messages containing links to other websites (42%), and encouraging disclosure of personal information (29%).
While that might sound like a downside for carriers looking to boost mobile data revenues – surely it makes sense to encourage users to randomly browse the Web from their phones ‑ Seaton again points to the evidence that many users have been put off mobile browsing due to previous poor experiences. Under-used MMS infrastructure would also be brought into play by the Open Services Framework, Seaton claims. He says anyone browsing images or phone numbers on a desktop PC would be able to send those directly to a friend’s phone, adding that all the content sent can be stored in a separate inbox that is accessible from a PC. That would remove the need for users to own a memory-rich smartphone. “The content that subscribers want is always adapted to their device, which sounds logical, but in a world of more than 2,000 mobile phone models any service delivering device-optimized content and services represents tremendous value to end users and service providers,” Seaton explains.
Seaton says such problems could put the brakes on uptake of new applications by sowing seeds of doubt in consumer’s minds, but states the Open Services Framework would help by allowing operators to build-in anti-fraud measures to their data services. “The operator can now prevent various fraud mechanisms… Billing for content and services can be made more trusted via the operator channel,” he says, adding that the Framework would also allow carriers to offer the kind of parental controls that are already common-place on many web browsers and social networking sites. “By handling billing and enabling device-appropriate content delivery these services are more context-aware, personalized, consistent, reliable, and easy-to-use,” Seaton summarises. “Subscribers benefit from an increasing level of personal control of the mobile messaging experience through things like self-provisioning, personalizing the messaging experience, and opt-in preferences.” michael@mobilesquared.co.uk
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Is this the first mobile World Cup? explores James Cameron, head of strategy at There has been a rapid increase in smartphone penetration, an explosion of apps usage as the iPhone effect grips mobile, and an unprecedented growth of mobile page impressions, all signalling that consumers are finally switching on to using their mobiles for more than just voice and text. All these factors suggest that this year’s World Cup in South Africa will be the catalyst the mobile marketing has been waiting for. Brands looking to expand their marketing strategy to include mobile, should look to the World Cup as the ideal platform from which to launch their campaigns. During the 2006 tournament, mobile data usage (non voice and SMS) increased by 25% with users accessing mobile internet content and services and a similar spike is expected at the 2010 event, according to market research firm ComScore. Sporting events have often been used as a test ground for innovation in new media, in particular on mobile. In 2008 Ogilvy created ‘Passport to Greatness’ for Guinness as part of their sponsorship of the Hong Kong Rugby Sevens. Adidas’
Use the mobileSQUARED promotion code VIPm05qu for a £120 discount runner tracking service for the London Marathon has run for both of the last two years, and IBM’s augmented reality app for Wimbledon generated much fanfare throughout the industry in the summer of 2009. The World Cup is one of the biggest global events and the 2006 final attracted over 700 million viewers on TV alone. In 2010 a vast proportion of fans will also access content via their mobile phones. Services such as sponsored text and video goal alerts, location and navigation tools to show fans the best place to watch matches and real-time mobile gambling and interactive games, will all give brands a massive opportunity to engage with their target audience. World Cup aside, the dawn of 2010 will see continued and increasing growth in mobile campaign activity. A little under 30% of UK subscribers now access the mobile Internet more than a few times a week (this figure is 70% for smartphone users who represent one fifth of the market) and average session times are now tipping the 10-minute mark. Restrictions in screen size also mean that advertising is usually limited to one brand and branded apps offer a tailored channel direct to consumers. The explosion of social networking on mobile phones offers another potentially lucrative distribution channel. Recent figures from Lightspeed Research (4Q2009) show that 7.7million users now access their social networks via mobile, generating over 15 billion page impressions. During the World Cup, these networks will buzz with pre-, during and postmatch conversations, giving innovative brands with the right strategy, the ideal chance to be part of that conversation. The mobile content and services market is now worth £32 billion according to the MEF, and the World Cup will only help accelerate growth in a market that has been slow to deliver on past expectations. Despite growth, available inventory is limited, particularly so during the World Cup and brand activity on mobile will be higher during the tournament than at any time in the past.
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Roadshow review Roadshow revels as nonmobile folk rub shoulders with industry experts On November 5th the worlds of mobile and non-mobile converged on the Institute of Physics in Central London to attend the inaugural mobileSQUARED Roadshow: UK. Just over 100 people resisted the urge to leave work early and go to Firework’s Night, and turned up for the half-day event designed to inform and educate the power of the mobile channel. Some of the leading companies driving the mobile sector rubbed shoulders with a range of sectors interested in discovering how the mobile channel can drive their business. Delegates ranged from the NHS, the higher education sector, to leading brands such as Marks & Spencers, Pepsi and Nestle. As you’d expect at our own event, we kicked off proceedings with a top-level overview of the UK market followed by our consumer research partner Lightspeed. (You’ve already had a taster of the mobileSQUARED research on data2 on pages 6-8 – and a sample of the Lightspeed’s consumer research can be found on page pages 17-19). So with the mobile market landscape covered, the scene was set to upset the applecart. Mike Godwin is the UK’s managing director of Movenpick ice cream, part of
Nestle, and he is interested in using the mobile channel to promote his brand and drive sales. “My knowledge of mobile is very limited, as are my industry peers who are also intrigued, but also bewildered by mobile’s complexity,” Godwin said. “I know that the world does not evolve around iPhones and Blackberrys. I know that WAP sites are web sites for mobile devices, and that users can access content using apps, but what no one is telling me is what does all this means for Movenpick? And before I invest in mobile, I have to understand this. And I’m afraid that means the mobile industry speaking in my language.” As if to further accentuate the language divide between the mobile industry and brands, Godwin mistakenly pronounced WAP as “WOP”. But even once a brand has made the leap into the depths of wireless, it might not prove plain sailing. Social networking phenomenon (ie they are making money) Flirtomatic has had a turbulent ride on its way to becoming one of the leading mobile social networking outfit. “The problem with the mobile industry
is that just when you think you’re making headway, something will change and you must accept that,” says Marc Curtis, CEO of Flirtomatic, told delegates. “It’s a bit like marine training: after tough training session, the bus pulls over and you have to run back 20 miles with a heavy pack on your back. They call this the ‘Dislocation of Expectation’ and dealing with the mobile industry is like that. Expect disruption and be prepared to play with it.” For Flirtomatic, success on mobile has been achieved by the perseverance of continuously addressing each component of its customer proposition, while also having its mobile platform allied with its online presence. It was this latter point that was repeatedly raised throughout the Roadshow. The reasoning for brands to “go mobile” are blatantly apparent, according to Nick Fuller, independent Who’s who: far left photo, Sponge’s Alex Meisl, Ogilvy’s Alexandra Mecklenburg, and MediaCom’s David Fieldhouse. Middle photo: Phil Eames, iome, Anil Malhotra from bango and Harald Neidhardt, Smaato. Right, Nick Fuller, independent consultant
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roadshow review digital consultant, and former founder and chair of the Direct Marketing Association Mobile Marketing Council. “Brands need to take their online strategy onto mobile because the consumers are going mobile,” he told delegates. “Most importantly, consumers are ready to use the wider array of services and applications.” Fuller said the opportunity is much bigger than just transferring a web presence onto mobile, primarily because the mobile Internet represents an unprecedented opportunity for brands to engage with consumers. Retailer M&S has used mobile to considerable effect, based on a campaign to drive online and retail traffic, with the goal of creating an optin audience of busy Mums in response
to above-the-line press activity. “Mobile works so well because you can target groups like busy Mums,” said Fuller. “A lot of people think mobile will only work if they can do something funky on, but it’s about coming up with something useful rather than just targeting 16-24 year olds.” The M&S campaign offered discounts on ‘back to school’ clothes via SMS inviting respondents to visit a mobile Internet site or to have their voucher emailed to them. The Mum was then able to browse the offer on the mobile Internet site. “The variants on the mobile site ranged from clothes such as size of trousers and jumpers, but also by age,” says Fuller. “That is enormous, and quite ambitious for a mobile Internet site.” Users can then select
items and use voucher to order online or by phone.” Fuller said the campaign had “an excellent click-through rate” of 90%, with Mums visiting several pages on the mobile Internet site and encouraged people to download vouchers. Similarly, Alastair MacMichael, Group Account Director, GraphicoDMG, explained how Pepsi had embraced mobile with considerable success. He told delegates that the strategy was to create a campaign to work across multiple delivery channels, with specific focus on digital channels, especially social media and mobile, using tried and tested channels alongside QR codes as the gateway to the content and Kelly Brook There were more than 250,000 unique visitors to the pepsi.co.uk website, with 12 million complete views of the Kelly Brook viral film and 36,000 people embedded the video or shared on social networks. And in one month, there were over 150,000 unique handsets visited to Pepsi’s mobile site, approximately 50,000 accessed via QR codes, 15,000 videos downloaded (Kelly behind the scenes’ being the most requested), and over 2,000 games downloaded.
as ‘the face’ of Pepsi Max’s activity to create content with value and appeal to the target demographic. To support online advertising, newspaper and blog coverage, social media takeover as well as viral videos, the content on the mobile site included: wallpapers, ringtones, videos and games; exclusive behind the scenes videos of Kelly; interview of Kelly; and, downloadable images of Kelly. Free premium games, Project Gotham Racing and Brain genius were also available on the site.
Who’s who: anti-clockwise from top right: Kelly Brook in Pepsi ad; Movenpick’s Mike Godwin, Tom Meyritz from Lightspeed Research, Illicco Elia from Reuters (right of panel), Vodafone’s Terence Eden and ComScore’s Alastair Hill. Delegates discuss mobile issues at networking break; below mobileSQUARED’s own Nick Lane
What are the mobileSQUARED Roadshows? The mobileSQUARED Roadshows are your essential guide to mobile in … well, some of the key mobile markets around the world.These are national or regionally focused events designed to maximise your ROI and your time out of the office. The mobileSQUARED Roadshow format is a series of affordable one- and two-day events around the world delivering the latest research, insight and practical know-how to companies interested in using the mobile platform to drive revenues for their business. We invite speakers from companies that are continuously making a difference, and delivering a compelling story over mobile
• The research details the mobile market of each region covered per Roadshow • The industry experts outline how your business can successfully capitalise on the mobile opportunity • The ‘How to’ sessions explain exactly how to implement effectively.
What’s the plan for 2010?
What do I get at each Roadshow?
The mobileSQUARED 2010 Roadshows will be mobileSQUARED Roadshow Asia, Singapore, March 30-31st mobileSQUARED Roadshow US, New York, June 17th mobileSQUARED Roadshow Europe, London, Sept 25-26th mobileSQUARED Roadshow South Africa, Cape Town, December 7th The mobileSQUARED Roadshow Asia, will be your essential guide to mobile in Japan, India,Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia. The mobileSQUARED Roadshow Europe, will be your essential guide to mobile across mobile markets in Western, Central and Eastern European countries.
Why are the Roadshows different to other mobile events? • You get a copy of the research report included in the delegate cost, no other event delivers this value • Our content and format attracts a unique mix of mobile and non-mobile sectors, which makes for better networking opportunities and a richer agenda • We limit each presentation to 15 minutes, keeping things focused and concise, and giving more time for delegates to ask questions directly through Q&A
• A thought provoking A-Z of that region’s mobile market, and the opportunity to meet the market-shaping companies that can help you deliver your mobile strategy • Our full strategic research report to take away — containing the latest and most comprehensive mobile market and consumer research available, plus fiveyear forecasts on each market covered • Exclusive case studies and insight on how the leading mobile companies and brands have made mobile work for them • Clear ‘how to’ sessions for successfully executing content and services over mobile • Extended networking and Q & A sessions to let you pick the brains of the mobile experts. • The chance to win a fantastic prize at our evening networking drinks – last time one lucky delegate won an Aston Martin DB9 for a long weekend.
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How do the Roadshows work? mobileSQUARED extensively researches the mobile marketplace to then deliver an insightful overview of where that market is today, and accurately predict where it will be in 5 years time. Our consumer research partner, Lightspeed Research, discovers how consumers use their mobile and the services they would like to use, in each particular market. We then invite key speakers from leading mobile companies, operators, brands, agencies and content providers to take part in our mix of keynote presentations, panel discussions and breakout sessions. Presentations are kept short and dynamic, with plenty of time for Q & A. All this is packaged into a strategic report for all delegates to take away with them.
Who should attend?
The agenda
• Novices who want to be educated - If you don’t know anything about the potential of the mobile platform for your business, we can guarantee that the presentations, the accompanying report, Roadshow will provide mobile enlightenment
Each Roadshow is structured around the three core areas of:
• Fresh insight for those already knowledgeable about mobile - you will know even more after the results of our vast mobile market and consumer research have been revealed, not to mention the insight provided by your industry peers
Go to www.mobilesquared.co.uk or www. mobilesquaredroadshow.com for the full agenda
• Or it could just be because you are interested in finding out about a particular market, and want to meet the people who are shaping it.
• Messaging and Marketing • Internet and Social Media • Content, Apps and Services
I want to be involved as a sponsor? We offer unbelievable value to our sponsors. To find out how, contact our Sponsorship Manager, Jo Lane, on +44 (0) 7870 560 143, or email jo@mobilesquared.co.uk WANT TO BE INVOLVED?
How much is a delegate pass? It costs £99 / US$150 / €120 We also offer an ‘Annual Pass’ to attend multiple events, at a cost of £299 / US$500 / €350
If your company has something uniquely compelling and you are interested in a speaking slot, bounce your idea off the Roadshow team, email Nick Lane, nick@mobilesquared.co.uk and/or James Cameron, james@camerjam.com. Or give us a call on is +44 (0) 7976 057 052.
FIND OUT MORE @ WWW.MOBILESQUARED.CO.UK 16
consumed2
UK mobile consumers ready for Internet explosion mobileSQUARED’s extensive mobile market research has already highlighted in the country profile section on the UK in this issue that mobile Internet consumption is growing at a phenomenal rate, not only as existing users spend more time browsing on their mobile, but as the number of people using the mobile Internet increases. But what are the consumers saying? As ever, we have teamed up with Lightspeed Research who have interviewed 1,407 UK citizens – a nationally representative sample of over 18s – to gauge their understanding of the mobile Internet, their behaviour, and expectations.
The survey results are representative of the 48.28 million citizens in the UK aged 18 years and over, based on a total population at the end of 2008 of 61.4 million, according to the Office for National Statistics. For the record, the survey does not include the 13.12 million children/youths aged 17 and under. From the results, there were 527 people, or 37% of total respondents that said they cannot access the mobile Internet using their device, or choose not to use the service. Nevertheless, this figure is still considerably lower than expected. mobileSQUARED forecasts that there
are almost 13 million users frequently (at least once per month) accessing the mobile Internet in the UK at present, representing approximately 18% of the active mobile users in the UK. One explanation could be that there remains a considerable amount of confusion within the mobile consumer population regarding their understanding of the mobile Internet definition. Consumers are often not aware that checking a football score on a Saturday afternoon is using the mobile web. Conversely, consumers could believe that receiving a picture
! Source: mobileSQUARED / Lightspeed Research 17
consumed2
! Source: Lightspeed Research message or video message could be conceived as a mobile Internet service, and this could skew results upwards. Nevertheless, for the remainder of this research article we will focus on the 63% of respondents (these users now become our base of 100%, i.e. from here on in, all references to “total respondents” will be based on these 63% of users) and provide analysis and insight based on those users that said “yes” to using the mobile Internet, or were aware that their device was “mobile Internet-enabled” - as these users represent the next wave of users.
basis – as highlighted by the exponential trendline in the above graph. The number of users spending less than an hour dropped over the 12-month period as more users migrate up the usage curve. As the percentage of users spending more time using the mobile device on a daily bases increases, this is a clear indication that there are more people spending more time on their phone. While this statement appears somewhat obvious, this shows that those users spending less than an hour on their device will move higher up the
usage curve. And mobileSQUARED predicts this trend to continue into 2010, with 66% of users spending more than one hour on their mobile device on a daily basis, and 9% of users spending more than five hours per day on their mobile device. There is a rapid increase in usage over the 12-month period on all devices, but especially among smartphone users. As of mid-2008, 47.7% of smartphone users spend more than one hour on their device per day. By mid-2009, the number of smartphone users spending
Of those respondents that use the mobile Internet, mobile daily usage has experienced reasonable growth over the 12 last months. Between mid-2008 and mid-2009, the percentage of mobile phone users using their device in excess of one hour has increased from 42% to 54% of respondents, with the number of users using their device for between 4-5 hours per day increasing by 25%, and the number of users spending over five hours doubling. Interestingly, males dominate the usage of less than one hour per day, however, usage over one hour is dominated by females. Clearly, more users are spending more time using their mobile device on a daily Source: Lightspeed Research
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consumed2 more than one hour using their device was up to 62.4%. That equates to 15% of UK smartphone users increasing the time they spend using their device on a daily. Though not as significant, nonsmartphone users are also spending more time per day using their mobile device. The percentage of users spending more than one hour on their device per day has increased from 37% mid-2008 to 47.5% up 10.5%.
expected to have the highest percentage for all of the categories, given the fact that infrequent users generally represent the mass market – especially when it comes to non-messaging services like mobile data. But because this is not the case, it could mean that those mobile Internet users that do use the service rapidly become more frequent users. By focusing on the daily and weekly users only, the largest percentage of users in both of these categories are the heaviest users. This trend suggests that the mobile Internet is becoming an increasingly sticky service, and that the entry level for the service as a new user represents only a short window before that user becomes more active and increases their browsing consumption.
How often do you use your mobile to access the Internet? A staggering 86% of respondents said they use the mobile Internet at least once per month, which leaves only 14% of mobile users aware of the service but yet to activate a mobile browsing session. A breakdown of the users that use the mobile Internet reveals that 7% of all respondents use mobile as When split out by gender, more females their primary Internet access point, while use the mobile Internet compared to males. Research reveals that 81% a further 17% will access the mobile . of females use the mobile Internet Internet several times per day. However, compared to 19% that are aware of the number of user accessing once a their device’s functionality but are yet day (8%) dips considerably, especially to use the service. Similarly, 79% of when those users that access the mobile males use the mobile Internet, but it is Internet several times a week (20%) is the males that are the heaviest users, higher than those users that only use the while infrequent usage is higher among service once a week (12%). females. For example, almost 35% of males claim to use the mobile Internet at The intriguing analysis of these results least once per day, compared to a little is that there are no clear trends in the over 30% of females. However, 55.6% responses. For instance, the infrequent of females will use the mobile Internet users (the” once a monthers”) would be
between “a few times a week” and “once a month” compared to 52.3% of males. Surprisingly, the demographic most active across all usage levels of the mobile Internet is the 35-44 year olds, with 24%, followed by 55 years and over on 23%. However, the 18-24 year olds were the heaviest extreme mobile Internet users, followed by the 25-34 year olds. A clear trend from the demographic data is that users aggregate towards frequent usage on a daily or weekly basis. Data pricing will no doubt play a significant role in determining 35-44 year olds as the most active mobile Internet users, not only because this demographic can, on the whole, afford the additional data pricing, but because a large proportion of this usage group will have a business phone. The fact the 18-24 year olds are the heaviest extreme years is expected because of the sticky appeal of mobile social networking, which is now dominating mobile Internet usage. Some 18% of mobile Internet users across the UK are in Scotland, 5% in Northern Ireland, and the remaining 77% throughout England. Of those English users, the most popular location was the Midlands (17%), followed by Lancashire and London each on 10%. nick@mobilesquared.co.uk
! Source: Lightspeed Research
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Carroll’s Quest
Our resident handset expert Michael Carroll, steadfastly refuses to use the iPhone. But his resistance is waning. So we at mobileSQUARED have set Michael the challenge of uncovering a handset that rivals the iPhone. Here, he puts the Nokia N900 through its paces. The iPhone to me is like macaroni with cheese. I don’t like either of the core components, despite overwhelming evidence from others that both are excellent. So, I’ve embarked on a mission to prove that the latest devices from established vendors are easily as good, if not better, than the iPhone for the consumption of content and services. Top of the list is Nokia’s forthcoming N900, the vendor’s first handset running its new Maemo operating system. It has a touchscreen that can be operated using your finger or a built-in stylus, while a slide out QWERTY keyboard can be used to handle most text input. Perhaps worryingly, this keyboard proved easier to use than the optional virtual keyboard, which highlights a few problems with the touch interface, namely that it’s a little slower and more vague than the iPhone’s. However the difference is marginal, and wasn’t enough to prompt me to play around with the screen’s sensitivity settings. And it certainly wasn’t enough to detract from some excellent sessions on the Internet, using the N900’s WiFi connection. The handset automatically searches for WiFi, and the large screen offers a browsing experience on par with the
latest notebook and laptop PCs. Checking e-mail and social networking sites was easy – the pages loaded up quickly and are oriented to fit the display regardless of which way you hold the phone.
you just need to swipe your finger across the screen to scroll around. Applications downloaded fast, and weren’t saved to some obscure folder hidden deep in the phone’s menu structure.
Again, though, that automatic orientation can prove troublesome. You sometimes need to be patient and let the phone catch up with your movements, but only if you’ve been putting it through its paces by spinning the device round on the kitchen worktop (our thanks to my nephews for finding that one out).
In that regard, the N900 is likely to encourage more use of data applications. OK, so the touch UI might be slightly slower than the iPhone’s, but if you’ve never used an Apple device you won’t care. Nokia’s smartphone also has a 5 megapixel Carl Zeiss camera module, which offers highly detailed snaps even in low-light conditions. That means the potential for sending picture messages is higher than on the iPhone, which has only a 2 megapixel camera module.
By far the biggest thrill was the chance to try out Nokia’s Ovi store for myself. I’ve researched Nokia’s answer to the Apple Apps Store for mobileSQUARED’s forthcoming App Store report, but this was my first experience of the store in action. To gain access you need to set up an account, which was easy to do from the device itself. Ovi doesn’t require users to enter credit card details – something that has helped make Apple’s store a success, but that just adds to the ease of use. The store offered a good mix of free and paid-for content, and scrolling through the applications on offer was easy. They are all presented in list format, meaning
If you sat the N900 next to the iPhone, chances are most people would still pick the iPhone. And – though it pains me to say so – those people would probably be right to pick Apple’s device if judging by looks and user interface alone. However, the N900 is a great option for anyone who still needs some basic business functionality, and who values a real keyboard over anything virtual. Time to go grate some cheese and boil some pasta. michael@mobilesquared.co.uk
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walled garden
Mobility: A critical amplifier in the new dynamics of word of mouth The ironic thing about social media is that it suddenly boosts the importance of the oldest marketing medium of all – word of mouth. There has been a dramatic shift in market dynamics leading to the critical role now being played by mobile applications.
needed and the growth becomes self-sustaining. Note also, that even without a “tipping point” being reached, net positive feedback reducing the amount of money needing to be spent on market communications, and the converse is also true.
The book, “The Tipping Point” by Malcolm Gladwell, struck a chord with many marketers who have long been aware of a discontinuity in cause and effect, where certain products or ideas suddenly just take off and lead a life of their own. Gladwell says that when word of mouth marketing is sufficiently powerful there is an uptake epidemic in which every sale generates on the average more than one additional sale. “Epidemic” is exactly the effect here, and it is right to talk about “viral marketing”. The result is that the uptake surges exponentially without the need for additional marketing input – the “tipping point”.
Social media changes dynamics The power of social media is to amplify the feedback – good or bad – from product experience. A single satisfied customer may not be telling two or three of his friends, but instead two or three thousand. The same is true of dissatisfied customers. This tends to drive the dynamics of the product marketing very quickly in one of two directions – up or down.
A simple dynamic model – which holds with or without social media is shown below. We can see that as prospective purchasers we are influenced by what vendors tell us and also the stories that derive from customer experiences.
It is interesting to consider that this model has the effect of making perceived product quality relatively more important, and market communications less important. Market communications are still relevant, and will continue to be so for some time to come because by no means is everyone plugging in to the social media world, but there is an important shift in emphasis going on.
The Tipping Point effect is clear – if the net positive feedback is sufficiently great, no market communication is
But still, there is a more fundamental reason why the market communications will continue to
play a vital role: it will have growing importance as a part of the product experience. The new marketers rightly propose a modification to the dynamic diagram that we saw earlier, with market communication becoming a part of the feedback process. Traditionally we have called this “customer care” or “post sales communication”. This aspect becomes more important and needs to be approached with finesse to be effective in the somewhat less stable, less predictable world of social marketing. The thing that post purchase communication does so effectively is to introduce a dialogue into the discussion of product experience. It not only involves the vendor, but is begging to be led by the vendor. After all, credibility of speaker is the main factor in establishing the effectiveness of message delivery and the vendor has an enormous initial advantage here. One hopes that vendors will understand the importance of retaining their credibility. The possibility of building on the default starting position as thought leader is a huge opportunity and is not lost on modern and forward-looking organisations such as Southwest Airlines. Mobile social media amplifies the feedback further. Mobility in a social
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media context drives the accessibility of applications. Whereas a user might access social media from a fixed terminal once to a few times daily, there are really no limits as to how often he or she will look at their mobile phone. Hard data quoted by Facebook indicate that, since the beginning of the year, the number of fixed terminal users on Facebook has increased about 80% while the number of mobile users has increased by 200%. The implication is that mobility amplifies the power of the market feedback generated by the model we discussed earlier. While today’s growth of social media marketing is being driven by the accessibility of mobile applications, in future, context will have a growing role. Two strong drivers are about to converge. The first is location-based services (LBS), with its most recent incarnation appearing in an exciting new tranche of augmented reality (AR) applications. These are driven by the capabilities of devices such as the iPhone and represent a dynamic
combination of camera, display, computation and communications capabilities, together with powerful web-based resources. The second driver is social media, with its engaging person-to-person dynamic and its fast emerging presentation of by-the-minute images and video clips relating to “what I am doing now”. We can anticipate a convergence of these two strong groups of services into some social-augmented reality. This will create a powerful context for the presentation of future services that will be more relevant, more tightly targeted than those of today – social media connectivity that is directly related to where we are and what we are doing. What this means to the mobile industry and to the marketer The thing that has changed is that the social media dynamic of the marketing of pretty well any product now comes into play. In most instances, success in marketing will equate to successful use
of new media. That is not to throw the baby out with the bath water – most of the tried and tested methods of message formulation, focus groups, PR and media management still apply. What has changed is that the scope is now broader. The shift in focus of the mobile industry towards app development and as vehicle for brand management and ad placement and so is set to continue and accelerate, especially as contextdependent social medial applications hit the road. Remember the idea of location-based advertising? Watch out for ubiquitous location-based product reviews, and an endless stream of advice from your friends about what to do and where to go! Martin W Greenwood is a freelance managerial and technical consultant, specializing in new market initiatives and change management in mobile telecoms. Visit www.mwgreenwood.com or contact Martin at martin@ mwgreenwood.com, or phone +1 858 610 4832
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