Mobile Fix: The dog days of summer edition
Simon Andrews, founder of the full service mobile agency addictive!, reviews the events of the summer in the mobile and technology markets…
It’s been a while as holidays get in the way, but we thought we’d ease back gently, with a full edition next week. Of course whilst nothing is supposed to happen over the summer, as ever the world of mobile and technology surprised us.
Google buying Motorola disrupted the Market. Steve Jobs resigning disrupted the Market. And across Places, People, Physical and Promotions we saw some significant moves. Rather than rehash old news today we’re just looking to see what meaning we can make from the summer’s events.
And we’ll point to some smart thinking that has inspired us over the last few weeks.
Devices
Google buying Motorola is all about patents. Or it’s all about Google TV and the fact Motorola is a major player in set top boxes. Or it’s all about Android?
We suspect it’s all the above. And it does demonstrate that Larry is going to be a more aggressive CEO that Eric was. The chess game is going to make interesting watching as all the players consider their next moves.
In Korea the Government is working with Samsung and LG to develop their own mobile operating system, so as to avoid being disadvantaged by relying on Android. We’d expect this to build on the relative success Samsung have had with their own Bada OS.
One company that looks likely to prosper from this move is Microsoft, who are probably finding selling Windows Phone 7 to device manufacturers a little easier now. But we suspect that the chances of Microsoft buying Nokia have receded a little.
Eric Schmidt is in the UK to speak at the Edinburgh TV festival this weekend and we can see that the focus on Google TV is growing. It seems he is being conciliatory and looking to work with the industry, rather than against it. Google already works closely with many broadcasters on YouTube but the next step is Google involvement in the delivery of TV – and the opportunity to participate in the advertising model.
In an interesting comment on Brand Republic we hear that Eric Schmidt is openly frustrated by the current lack of accountability when it came to traditional media in general, and television in particular.
“We can absolutely tell you ‘put this percentage of money in Google, this percentage in Yahoo, this percentage of money in Facebook’,” he said. “What we cannot do yet is provably use that tool for television.”
The disrupting force of technology is getting ever closer to TV – arguably, with 2screen viewing and connected TVs, it’s already happening. We’re currently pitching transmedia ideas to broadcasters preparing for connected TVs and our friends in Brazil, PontoMobi, are already developing TV apps for LG and others. And when Google get really involved the fun will start.
The poor health of Steve Jobs sadly means an anticipated change of role – remember he is still involved as Chairman – has now happened. The stock has predictably fallen, but we think the regime change is priced in. The more surprising personnel change was the departure of Apple’s head of advertising, fueling speculation that Apple is growing tired of advertising as a business. As we’ve mentioned before, a significant proportion of the mobile industry suspect Apple will pull out of iADs. New moves around how ads are tracked across iPhone apps – with Apple withdrawing the ability to use devices UDID device identifier – adds to the uncertainty.
Lastly on devices, the new messaging app from Facebook has led some – wrongly in our view – to talk of the demise of SMS. We believe that, around the world, SMS is the most exciting mobile opportunity and this article is a great round up of why SMS is so vital. It’s also highly valued in the US – the earthquake this week showed how important SMS is. And brands are starting to wake up to the potential of MMS – although we believe the cost currently prohibits it’s use as a marketing tool for anyone other than an operator.
People
Facebook have changed how they deal with privacy – and changed how they handle Places.
Good piece from My Space founder Tom Anderson on how the ubiquity of Google tools will drive the success of Google+.
Yet another infographic – with some useful Twitter stats
Places
With the Facebook changes mentioned above, the removal of Places as a separate option on mobile has prompted some to suggest that Facebook are conceding the places space to Foursquare. We’re not so sure; extending the ability to tag content with location on both PC and Mobile suggests FB continue to see places as a big deal.
But it’s clear that FourSquare are in the driving seat – with new features like events adding to its utility.
Physical
We know that many people don’t share our pragmatic view that QR codes are ready for prime time and can be used to initiate people using their mobile to make physical connections. This video is an amusing look at the challenges.
But new Comscore data show that there is an audience and we’re convinced this can be built – with education and with smart thinking about what content or experience the user is rewarded with. And as and when NFC and image recognition get mass market traction, QR users can be migrated to new tools.
We love this smart use of QR codes with one of the most undervalued media – cereal boxes.
Promotions
Not content with investing in Groupon rival Living Social, Amazon are now offering local deals with Amazon Local in New York. And TimeOut has recognised the opportunity to leverage their local focus with deals and have bought a tech start up to help deliver more relevant offers.
Inspiration
Before the world starts up again properly next week, we suggest spending some time getting some inspirational thinking around technology and marketing. These three are worth spending time on:
The video of a presentation by Elevation VC Roger McNamee is a must watch – even at 50 minutes. As an investor in Facebook, Forbes and Yelp, this guy knows his stuff and his views are very interesting – especially his belief that HTML5 and tablets are going to change the world.
McKinsey believe we’re all marketers now – good read on modern marketing.
The article by Marc Andreesson is also a must read – Why Software is eating the world.
Given how crucial technology now is, we believe two skills are becoming vital for marketing – deep understanding of technology and deep understanding of brands and storytelling. That’s what we do.
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