Mobile Behavior: an Omnicom Group Company

Having started out as the blog for Fleishman-Hillard's Youth Marketing group, we have long been tracking the youth segment here. While young people have long been arbiters of cool, they now have a very unique perspective on the world. Over the past 10 years, a revolution in personal and mobile computing took place. Young people today  never knew a world without PCs and cell phones, and they will inevitably relate to the world differently than their older counterparts.

The mobile innovation we will see coming in the next 5-10 years will be mind-boggling, and it will be fueled by people who can't even drive yet. Many older people won't be able to understand it -- not the how so much as the why. As a recent article in the  New York Times, "The Children of Cyberspace" by Brad Stone, points out:

Children my daughter’s age are also more likely to have some relaxed notions about privacy. The idea of a phone or any other device that is persistently aware of its location and screams out its geographic coordinates, even if only to friends, might seem spooky to older age groups.

But the newest batch of Internet users and cellphone owners will find these geo-intelligent tools to be entirely second nature, and may even come to expect all software and hardware to operate in this way.

Indeed, the rising generation will have different expectations from technology and the world around them. So you may show a Twitter, a Foursquare, or a DailyBooth to a 40-year-old, even a 30-year-old, and they may scratch their head and insist that people won't use it, whereas a young person understands it inherently.

Wait, what do we even mean by "young person"? Indeed, anyone who studies youth knows that there is no such catch-all term. As technology develops at an exponential pace, what we mean by "youth" is fast changing. There are now vast experience gaps between youth of all ages, and "consumer segments" are proliferating. The article points to this rise "mini-generation gaps":

Researchers... theorize that the ever-accelerating pace of technological change may be minting a series of mini-generation gaps, with each group of children uniquely influenced by the tech tools available in their formative stages of development.“People two, three or four years apart are having completely different experiences with technology,” said Lee Rainie, director of the Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life Project. “College students scratch their heads at what their high school siblings are doing, and they scratch their heads at their younger siblings. It has sped up generational differences.”

The truth is that human behavior is changing rapidly. The only way we can hope to stay relevant as agencies and brands is with open eyes and an open mind.

If you read this blog, I’m going to assume you’re tech-savvy. So, for the purposes of this post you new name is “Savvy.” Those that aren’t tech-savvy, I will call “Boss.”

I’m talking to you, Savvy. I want you to know something: Boss reads articles that mention microblogging, SNS and iPhone apps every morning in the Wall Street Journal. Every single morning. They understand the basic concept (which for some is enough) of these “new” technologies because their kids talk about them, or they request casual elevator speeches from employees. But yet, they still remain both intrigued and discomfited by how these technologies add value and profit to their company as opposed to traditional means. They also want to know what’s under the hood.

Savvy, share what you know. Don’t watch Boss retire to the Hamptons with their decades of experience and deep Rolodex (it’s a swivel thingy that holds business cards) without investing in you. They will invest in you, personally and professionally, once you showcase your ability to instruct them effectively with an approach that is void of entitlement. Now, think of Boss. What is the best way to approach him/her to create a learning environment for both parties?

In my own personal approach with Boss over the past couple years, I started jotting down all the mistakes and successes I experienced,which were enough to fill a moleskin. So, if Boss asks, “What's this Twitter business?” here are a few tips to keep in mind.

Pre-meeting:

• Learn the background of the topic at hand. If the topic is “search engines”, then know who the players are in the space, who each are owned by, who is their audience, current news and top level financial information.
• Understand these new technologies are another medium, not THE medium. Be able to explain how they fit into the entire spectrum.
• Prepare yourself to learn something new, rather than purely to instruct.

Meeting:

• They control the mouse (if at a computer) and are seated in front of the computer to drive.
• Never point at the monitor to where they should click (unless asked). Allot them enough time to find it for themselves. Their eyes don’t process information as quickly as yours on a computer screen. Your goal should be that when you leave their office they will be able to retrace every step.
• Have them set up their own log-in instead of using your account. Start them from scratch.
• Avoid acronyms and unfamiliar lingo, but introduce words after explaining the concept behind them (i.e., “tweet”).
• Ask how these new technologies would’ve changed their high school, college, dating (or as they refer to it, “courting”) and early career experience.
• Address the chief issue that Boss has: security.
• Publish their own work using new technologies (one time, I assisted a Boss to post a :30 commercial spot he created in the 80’s and you should’ve seen his eyes light up).
• If you note that the number of questions being asked by Boss has dwindled, then they are not getting it. You’re now speaking Russian, stop! You’re glazing their eyes over with your lack of listening skills and will not be invited back for another discussion.
• Record the ideas that start to flow from discussions. You’re tapping into someone who will be able to supplement these new technologies with their vast experience. Bring a pen and write everything down.

Post-meeting:

• Send a thank you note or email, including an overview of the discussion.
• Offer to hold regular sessions, but let them decide when and how often. If you are invited to return do not move onto a new concept or technology until the previous discussion fully understood.
• If you come across articles that pertain to your discussion, send them along (brownie points if you cut the article out and leave it on their desk).
• If Boss isn’t interested in moving forward with additional discussions, that is OK. Thank them for the opportunity and assure them you’re always available.

Stay flexible, as each individual is unique, but these tips will help. I promise you will be shocked at what comes out of this dialogue if you engage appropriately. Good luck, Savvy! Let me know how it goes, and what other tips you would add to the list.

- Mike Matthews

BMO Capital Markets Introduces 2D Barcode Ads [Daily DOOH]
The first advertisements sporting the 2D bar codes have begun running in The Wall Street Journal. Using the camera on their mobile phone, readers can use a special free application to photograph an ad’s barcode which links directly to a customized page.

Can Mobile Preserve Soc Networks As Gen Y’s Virtual Rolodex? [Ypulse]
In spite of the waning interest we've seen in social networking as a virtual hangout, Meredith believes their contact management function will hold up, perhaps in the form of a killer mobile app.

Why Handset Makers and Social Networks Need Each Other, Take Two [GigaOm]
On that note... This article talks about how cell phone makers and social networks need to partner to design devices tailored for social networking, from the camera to the address book.

What Do Cellphone Users Want Most? Cheap Service [NYTimes]
Nielsen reports that call quality and network availability are slipping down in terms of what consumers look for in a carrier. Top 3? Price, family plan, and payment options.

Facebook Takes FriendFeed To Take On Twitter [TechCrunch]
Media analysts are seeing the acquisition of Friendfeed by Facebook as an attempt to silence Twitter's rise. Facebook has also added live status search capabilities and is rolling out its new iPhone app soon.

SMS PhD: 'Pointless' Text Messages Analysed [Telegraph]
Caroline Tagg, awarded a PhD in text messaging, discovered that people text in the same way as if they were talking, using unnecessary words such as 'oh', 'erm' and often use grammatical abbreviations like 'dunno'.

Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, To Stage First Twitter Opera Made Up Of Tweets [Sky News]
The Royal Opera House is set to create the first opera entirely created by Twitter fans. Once the fans have created the story line via Twitter, the opera house will compose the music and stage the performance.

Penalties Ordered for Dirty Texting [China Daily]
The Henan province in China is banning erotic, insulting, or threatening messages. The SMS ban carries a fine of $73 and up to five days imprisonment. So much for sexting...

Mobile Marketers Must Look Past The iPhone [Silicon Alley Insider]
Thinking of the iPhone as the end-all be-all of mobile devices is a short-term play for marketers that might hurt their long-term competitiveness.

Will Smartphones Help Crack the Economy's Secrets? [Fast Company]
Flurry suggests that observing the mobile market (e.g., app creations, mobile social networking updates, SMS interactions, data plans) is similar to looking at the real estate market to get a sense of the economy.

What Parents Think Teens Are Doing on Social Networks, and What the Teens are Actually Doing [LA Times]
Common Sense Media has found that 37% of teens claim to use social networks to make fun of others, though only 18% of parents believe their own kids do so. The rest of the data illustrates parents' misguided perception of teens' social behavior.

Verizon, LG Give Jonas Bros. Fans a Kick [AdWeek]
The Jonas Brothers are holding  video contest that will allow U.S. concert attendees to create an interactive video of themselves jamming out or playing kickball with the band, via green screen technology. "Playing live in front of our fans and interacting with them in new ways is really what it's all about for us," said Kevin Jonas.

Will Barack Obama's Media Ubiquity Be the Most Significant Aspect of His Presidency? [New York Magazine]
Through Twitter, Flickr, SMS speeches, Facebook campaigns, and an iPhone app, this White House is defining itself by its use of social, digital, and mobile technology in reaching to the American people and the world.

Your "Real" Friends are Your Online Friends (or so Says Gen Y) [ReadWriteWeb]
A recent UK Myspace study amongst 16,000 14-21 year old found that 36% found it easier to talk about themselves online than offline. Compare that to  72% who felt "left-out" in their offline social interactions.

A Text Messaging Reference Service [ResourceShelf]
The Alliance Library system has partnered with 50 libraries to offer SMS reference inquiries to its users. Patrons will be able to text an actual librarian to receive info about specific books.

Apple to Stream First Live Concert to the iPhone Tonight [NewTeeVee]
Tonight Apple will produce its first-ever live event streamed to the iPhone: A concert by the electronica band Underworld. You can view the stream at iphone.akamai.com or underworldlive.com.

Think Again: Twitter [Foreign Policy]
As Twitter is being hailed as a democratic power tool, users must bear in mind that authoritarian regimes will not have too much problem tracing back to dissidents.

Need to Deposit a Check? Try Your iPhone [MarketingVOX]
This week, the USAA bank will releasing an iPhone app that allows its customers to take a picture of a check as a deposit method. After the picture is taken and sent, users can even void or destroy the check.

AR + Physics + Marbles [RubbishCorp]
Students at Columbia University's Computer Graphics and User Interfaces Lab have developed an augmented reality game that guides a virtual marble through a dynamic maze of obstacles.

Can Smartphones Save the Sex Business? [Fast Company]
The current slump in the adult entertainment industry is about more than just the recession. Like music and news, porn must compete against a raft of free content. Now the business is betting that mobile is its salvation.

Big Media Companies Navigate Free Content and Apps [NYTimes]
Media companies are rushing to offer iPhone apps, while trying to find the right revenue model, including one-time payments, in-app ads, monthly subscription, and paid content.

British Troops Encouraged to Tweet (To a Degree) [Marketing Pilgrim]
Soldiers from the UK have been officially allowed to tweet as long as the info shared is respectful of army policy. The move comes as a sharp contrast with the US army, which has banned all use of social media while on duty.

Millennials Are More Likely To Pay For Your Content [Engage: Gen-Y]
New research shows that 80% of Gen-Y would consider paying for music compared to only 52% of baby boomers. Similar results for paid TV content (Gen-Y 69%, Boomers 51%) and news content (Gen-Y 43%, Boomers 36%).

New Use for Your iPhone: Controlling Drones [Wired]
MIT has been exploring intuitive ways for the military to control unmanned robots, including an iPhone app. Not only would a iPhone-like controller make soldiers’ jobs much easier, it also opens up UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) to a whole new, non-military market. If robot control is cheap and intuitive, people might find all kinds of new uses.

Social Sites Losing Popularity with Young [Financial Times]
According to figures published by UK government agency Ofcom, some social networking websites have lost their “cool” factor with younger users (usage by British 15- to 24-year-olds fell for the first time last year from 55 to 50%), while older internet users are still flocking to the sites (usage among 35- to 54-year-olds rose by 8 percentage points to 35%). Seems like teens are moving onto what's next...

Technology 'Priority for Britons' [BBC News]
More news from the UK: In a poll of 862 people, over 40% said they would cut holidays and meals over their mobile phone (19%).

Sprint and Samsung Launch Biodegradable Phone [NYTimes]
Another eco-friendly phone: The Samsung Reclaim, offered on the Sprint network, is 80% made of corn-based material. The materials are recycled, the packaging is soy-ink based, there is no paper manual, and part of the sale goes to an eco-charity.

Savings.com Makes Coupons More Social [TechCrunch]
Savings.com is integrating social networking into its coupon offerings. Coupons can be rated, commented on, shared via Facebook and Twitter, and some can even be submitted by users.

Meet Sherpa, the Hottest Android App [GigaOm]
The Android-based app Sherpa is a location-based application that helps you find parking or restaurants and actually learns from the user, making a more customized experience.

Livestation Brings Live TV to the iPhone [ReadWriteWeb]
Livestation's new video streaming platform for the iPhone allows any broadcaster to deliver live TV through a dedicated app.

Google’s Android Is Moving Into The Digital Home [mocoNews]
MIPS technology is porting the Android platform to TV, set-top boxes, and home media player, bringing the mobile platform to home electronics. The move promises more integration between mobile and home entertainment.

Why Teens Don’t Tweet [Mashable]
Teens are shying away from Twitter for two simple reasons: It's not centered around friends, like Facebook or MySpace are, and teens have nothing to say to people they don't know.

Young Muslims Turn to Technology to Connect, Challenge Traditions [CNN]
More coverage of how young Muslims in the Middle East are using the Internet and their mobile to discuss, share, and even challenge the traditional power and religious structure of their countries.

The Partnership for a Drug-Free America Launches First Mobile Public Education Campaign [PRNews]
Partnering with Smart Reply, the PDFA is sending out texts to help parents talk about drug and alcohol use. The texts offer advice and a visual/audio link to download material for the teens.

Why Cloud Computing is the Future of Mobile [ReadWriteWeb]
Based on the ABI research paper that inspired our post the other week on "cloud computing" and what it means for mobile, this piece from RWW gives a great overview of why cloud computing will become a disruptive force in the mobile world.

Wireless Solutions for Census 2010 [CScout]
The U.S. Census Bureau is using wireless for the first time -- automating the address canvassing portion of the census--to make the 2010 Census more accurate and efficient.

Metaio's Augmented Reality Trick Lets You Metatag the Real World [Technomix]
Metaio is offering the ultimate metatagging service. Through a dedicated AR browser, users can leave tweets, images, 3D animations and even AR notes for others to see.

Fast Food Goes Mobile With GoMobo [Fast Company]
GoMobo, which partnered with Subway back in January, is now bringing their "Fandango for food" service to  franchises like Starbucks and Burger King. Read The New York magazine interview with founder Noah Glass here.

Despite Banning Twitter, 92% of China Uses Social Media [ReadWriteWeb]
Chinese netizens are twice as likely to use chat and three times more likely to micro-blog, blog and use video conference than American users.

Deaf-Blind Communication Goes Portable [BBC News]
A new portable device for deaf-blind people allows them to have face-to-face conversations, make phone calls using a text relay service, and communicate by SMS.

Stop Calling Young People Tech Addicts! [Ypulse]
Young people use the internet, their mobile, and social networks as a normal means of communication. YPulse argues that calling them "tech savvy" just illustrates how older people are clueless (were you tech savvy for using a landline in 1972?).

Making the Case for a More Open U.S. Wireless Industry [RCR Wireless]
Breaking phone exclusivity is the final step to letting consumers fully take control of their mobile experience. From the iPhone to branded phones, the model is proving archaic.

EA Mobile Holds Lead [Wirelles Week]
The mobile gaming industry is thriving with EA announcing revenue is up 14%, and Gameloft up 20%.

The Digital Age Is Stamping Out Serendipity [NYTimes]
The "group-think" of web 2.0 filters and vets information in a way that eradicates fortuitous discovery, a key ingredient of creative  inspiration. While some software developers are trying to recreate it (see StumbleUpon and UrbanSpoon), their algorithms rely in high-tech crowdsourcing that doesn't quite solve the issue.

Tweeting, Texting Render Avid Users 'Present Yet Absent' [USAToday]
Are we paying more attention to our mobile phones than the world around us? Some say that smartphones are breeding an "absent presence" that  has us disconnected from human interaction, driving us towards a "post-human world."  Psychologists worry that all this multi-tasking doesn't allow us to relieve our "cognitive load."

MSNBC Mobile Video Views Grow 207% in Four Months [FierceMobileContent]
Four months after the launch of MSNBC's mobile video platform, usage has increased by 207% and more than half of those who watched MSNBC video claimed that their handset was their primary source of news.

Nanovor, a New Game That Will Lunch on Kids Everywhere [Technomix]
Think Pokemon meets Spore, Nanover could be the next kid craze. Combining social networking and gaming elements, the game lets kids collect virtual pet/bug things (Nanovors) that live online and on a dedicated mobile device.

JetBlue and United Give Twitter a Try to Sell Airline Seats Fast [USAToday]
JetBlue has been tweeting customer service for awhile, now the airline is using Twitter to promote deals and cheap flights (called "cheeps"), along with United (called "twares"). With one tweet, airlines can sell out top deals in real-time, much faster than an inbox-cloggign email promotion.

Web Chat Cited as Preferred Query Channel for Gen Y [Travolution]
In a YouGov national survey, 20% of 18-24 year olds claimed they would use expert chat services to get info about an online transaction. The average for all other ages is 13%, showing that online trust and integration is significant for Gen-Y.

Track Home Burglers from your Mobile Handset [Mobile Industry Review]
Services like Y-cam and Peepr are transforming phones into full fledged home security devices. Users can stream video of their houses wherever they are and even receive emails when the camera detects movement.

Smartphone Sales Up, But Mobile Startup Funding Down [GigaOM]
For the first half of 2009, smartphone sales have been booming but money for mobile start ups hasn't been following. Investment is going to more companies, but the total amount is down when compared to 2008.

HPV Vaccination Reminders via Mobile [CScout]
In order to be sure that patients follow strict vaccination routines, groups like Sanofi Pasteur are sending out vaccine reminders via text.

“Big is Easy, Small is Hard”: Print is Mobile [BBH Labs]
ScrollMotion, a New York-based iPhone app developer, is creating a suite of new tools for traditional print media companies to better engage their readers via apps on mobile phones. Their reader software allows publishers to animate content, flipbook-style, and accept third party advertising.

Teens React to Online Warnings [BBC News]
The archbishop of Westminster criticized social networking sites for teaching teens an erroneous sense of friendship. Teens' reaction? Meeting someone in the streets or through friends is the same thing as meeting them through Facebook.

Where Blyk Went Wrong With Ad-Supported Mobile [AdAge]
Hopes that an ad-supported mobile phone could one day become a big business have been dealt a blow with news that Blyk, the highest-profile experiment in that model, was being rolled into the UK's Orange network. Despite positive response rates to ads, the MVNO just didn't achieve the scale to survive.

Building A Real Mobile Web [A VC]
To make the mobile web as popular as the computer web, regulators need to think of the mobile more like a PC and less like a carrier offered service.