Mobile Fix: A truly digital event
Simon Andrews, founder of the full service mobile agency addictive!, says during the Olympics we are seeing two-screen come to life, with people expecting to see what they want, when they want, on whatever device they choose…
And we’re back. Given how addictive the Olympics are, it is good to be back in the East End, knowing the world’s attention is focused here.
No-one will be surprised that this is a truly digital event. The amazing way the BBC is using its technology to give viewers the choice of every event reminds us that new TV is here. More about that in a minute.
The BBC mobile app is equally compelling – my two boys have been glued to both; when it’s a must see event (or the weather is meh) it’s the TV. When the weather permits beach time it’s the app.
Google has shown that search from mobile and tablets during the Olympics is as much as 46% of the total in the UK and the US. Even in emerging markets like Egypt and Mexico the mobile share was 17%.
The data also shows huge spikes in search driven by what’s happening on screen; in the opening ceremony they saw a huge increase in searches for Paul McCartney (probably people trying to find out just what has happened to his face).
In Canada the main broadcaster reported that mobile viewing accounted for 60% of traffic to its various digital platforms.
And here LOCOG reported that by day five, there had been over eight million downloads of its results app. The BBC has reported 1.5 million downloads of its app.
So we are seeing two-screen come to life, with people expecting to see what they want, when they want, on whatever device they choose. That genie is out of the bottle.
BBC
An interesting report from the BBC looking at the future of TV has just been shared and is well worth a look.
Two key quotes for us:
How long before 100 million tablets and smart phones appear in front of 100 million smart TVs. Not as long as you think… 2014 most likely.
If they are using second screens to avoid commercials (and they are according to Twitter spikes during prime time viewing commercial breaks), then are brands going to try and get eyeballs back by moving more and more where the eyeballs are?
We believe that, just as attention is migrating from the first screen to the second, money will start to migrate too. And we expect every broadcaster will end up offering some form of second screen experience in a bid to keep the money, rather than let new players take it.
New research in the US suggests that 52% of all cell owners are “connected viewers” – meaning they use their phones while watching television.
While it might be the dog days of summer there is still plenty going on other than the Olympics so lets look at what’s happening with GAFA….
Apple
There seems to be little of the Olympic spirit around with Apple embroiled in a lawsuit with Samsung, claiming the company copied the iPhone designs. Given how much of the graphical user interface that made Apple (and Microsoft) so much money seemed to come from a Xerox project, this seems a little rich.
But the testament of Phil Schiller – the Apple marketing guru – is well worth reading to get an insight into how Apple launch products. The key quote for us?
When assessing sales for a new model of the iPhone, Apple used an easy shorthand: “Each new generation sold approximately equal to all previous generations combined”.
Can they really keep that going for the iPhone 5 – now probably just a few weeks away? The FT reports that sales in international markets are disappointing – especially in China. Expectation of a new product will suppress demand for current models but there could be an issue around just having a premium product in a world learning to live with austerity.
The article points out that the average selling price of an iPhone is $630 with most Android devices much cheaper. We expect Apple to use the pricing for the iPhone 3 and the iPhone 4 to compete at the budget end of the market.
The other bit of unsporting behaviour is the news that Apple are removing the YouTube app from the next version of the iPhone. Google are expected to launch a new YouTube app shortly, but losing that standard installation is a blow.
Until now every iPhone has had three key Google products; Maps, YouTube and search (through being the default option in Safari, although a user can select either Bing or Yahoo! through settings).
Now Maps and You Tube have gone. We wouldn’t bet against search being next. Bing are having huge problems getting volume in mobile search and are investing heavily on expensive computational studies, particularly a data-intensive variety of artificial intelligence known as machine learning. They must have thought about offering some of that money to Apple to become the default choice.
“We’ve been clear that search is critical to our future,” Mr. Shum [Microsoft CTO] said. “It’s the way to make all your products more powerful.”
Google has been busy too. Their Knowledge graph approach to search is rolling out to the UK, having been available in the US since May. Hailed as a quantum leap for search this extension uses 500 million people, places and things to provide additional answers to a search query.
Google is also building on its support for agencies with an initiative around agile creativity. Smart people are embracing this focus on rapid iteration and getting real data through real world testing – the nice people at Albion explain it well when describing their work for GiffGaff.
And we were fascinated to see that Google have bought WildFire – a business that helps brands use Facebook – enabling Google to offer a wider range of services to clients – and get a glimpse of Facebook data?
A really interesting new development from Google has emerged through the world of SEO. You may have heard us talk about our belief that – one day – Google will change its algorithm so sites that are not optimised for mobile won’t be shown to mobile searchers.
That’s a big step to take – especially as so few sites are currently mobile fit.
Finally
We’ve loved the Olympics. Now we are looking forward to the Paralympics. This wonderful trailer demonstrates the power of film to create real emotion: Meet the Superhumans.
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