Mobile Behavior: an Omnicom Group Company

Last week I participated on a panel for the Commonwealth Club of California on Microsoft’s Mountain View campus called The Next Big Thing in Mobile. It was moderated by the very engaging Jon Fortt, Senior Writer, Technology for Fortune and included a diverse and talented group of wireless experts:

• Glenn Lurie, President, Emerging Devices Organization, AT&T
• Tim Attinger, Global Head of Product Innovation and Development, Visa Inc.
• Arun Bhikshesvaran, SVP, Multimedia and Infrastructure Solutions, Ericsson Inc.
• Ali Diab, Vice President of Product Management, North America, AdMob
• Peter Hoddie, Co-Founder and CEO, Kinoma

The panel was one of the best attended in Commonwealth Club history and based on the enthusiasm from the audience we could have kept going for hours. My experience at the event prompted me to take a moment to organize a few of the overarching mobile trends that Allison Mooney and the team at Next Great Thing/MobileBehavior have been writing about recently:

1. Socialization
Unlike the PC, which was driven by the needs of businesses, mobile has always been first and foremost a vehicle for socialization. You can really see this coming to life recently with the rise of "prescriptive social software" applications like Booyah and Foursquare that focus so heavily on socialization to drive user behavior and turn life into one big game.

2. Real-Time Mobile Activation
The mobile phone can seamlessly function as a mouse and make any location or out-of-home media instantly actionable. For young people, mobile is the bridge for digital to real-life in real-time. It sits at the center of their world and connects them back to social media, lifestreams, and all of their media. Recently we launched a program with Locamoda for Demi Lovato’s Summer Tour that illustrated this perfectly. The Wiffitti mobile social messaging application that we are using on the tour enables concert fans everywhere to interact and be part of our digital out-of-home media in real-time regardless of their location.

3. Branded Utility
Mobile applications, especially those on the iPhone, have now become the preferred mobile path for marketers. However, a mobile presence, even if it is an application, can be useless if it is not truly integrated into a larger mobile plan. So, to stay relevant and be successful via mobile, brands must become useful. One way to do this is through branded utility--focusing on enhancing “this moment” and creating a continuous 2-way brand-to-consumer, consumer-to-brand value chain that evolves via consuming, activating, and sharing. Zagat’s new augmented reality application is a great example of this as they are effectively using AR to enhance and encourage participation with the restaurant search experience in real-time.

4. ME Advertising
Mobile is ushering in the dawn of “ME” advertising that is proximate and personal. Search is no longer fueled by code, but by like-minded users and friends who act as curators. This is creating an entirely new brand value chain, ROI and branded messaging via mobile that is rapidly becoming a real-time endorsement channel. We can already see this starting to take-off through real-time search services like BingTweets, Collecta, and OneRiot.

5. Mobile Cloud Computing

Cloud Computing is destined to become the standard for mobile phones, and while devices today are still relying on their internal memory and CPU capacity, all of this is rapidly transitioning to the web. Google’s investment into Chrome and their move onto campuses, along with Apple sales, presages a future for mobile where software will matter more than the device itself.  When applied to mobile, Cloud Computing is ushering in a new future for Internet-based computing. It will allows for increased collaboration through open APIs, and access to research, analysis, mobile marketing services, and software services without investing in IT. Going forward, this will enable a true focus on the customer and the brand, not on the technology.

• Why the Japanese Hate the iPhone [Wired] - The iPhone may be trendsetting on this side of the world, but in Japan ... meh. In fact, the phones are being given away for free with a two-year contract in order to boost popularity. Some top reasons for the discontent include video and picture capabilities and high pricing plans.
• UN study finds poor countries drive growth in global cell phone use [MSNBC] - Global cell phone use is increasing - six in ten people across the world use mobile phones and this includes developing countries which actually account for 2/3 of cell phones in use. This is a major trend we've been seeing and, so far, all signs point to its continuation!
• Smartphones Will Double Their Share of the Handset Market by 2013, According to In-Stat - According to a new study from In-Stat, smartphone use will swell to 20 percent of the market by 2013. Android-powered phones should lead the pack, with BlackBerry and Apple kicking around as well.
• Skittles.com is the worst thing to ever happen to social media branding [This is Going to be Big] - To follow up on Tuesday's post, here's one opinion on the new Skittles homepage from Charlie O'Donnell. He brings up a great point of comparison in the form of Jelly Belly - same category, totally different approach to social media.
• Land Rover, Jaguar to Spend $1.6m on Mobile Ads in '09 [Media Bistro] - 10 - 20 percent of Land Rover and Jaguar's media spend next year is projected to go towards mobile support. Both brands have been in the sphere since 2007, but even so, this bodes well for the mobile marketing industry - specifically, AdMob, who will be driving (pun intended) campaigns for both.
• comScore: Light PC Internet Users Are 30 Percent More Likely than Heavy ... - comScore reported that light PC Internet users are 30 percent more likely than heavy PC Internet users to use their mobile devices to access Internet content. While this may seem counter intuitive at first glance, it's also somewhat logical: People who are "active" aren't sitting at home in front of PCs. Rather they use the web while on-the-go and prefer the shorter, more practical mobile experience.
• Conveneer Raises $4.5 Million To Turn Cell Phones Into Servers [Tech Crunch] - Swedish mobile startup, Conveneer, is building a mobile platform called Mikz. Essentially, Mikz turns the cell phone into a web server by assigning a URL to the phone which, in turn, makes the content available on the online. They are slated to launch later this year. Godspeed, Swedes!
• Amazon launches free Kindle app for iPhone and iPod touch [Mobile Burn] - Books on phones! We love it. Amazon just launched a free Kindle app for the iPhone and iPod touch allowing users to purchase desired books off Amazon to transfer to their device. Some cool features include bookmarks, text size adjustment and highlighting.
• Emerging markets are fertile ground for mobile banking [RCRWireless] - Developing markets are ripe for mobile banking opportunities. Cellphones are more prevalent in these nations than landlines, allowing for the growth and expansion of m-banking. It is hoped that by 2012, an estimated 20 million untapped users can be reached.
• Why Imeem's Music Isn't Free on Cellphones [Bits Blog] - Gotta love Imeem. The music-oriented social network has now brought us a mobile music application. The only caveat is they want users to pay for tracks on their phone whereas music on the computer = free. Dry your eyes; the new application has a customizable Internet radio service that is free. Imeem's charm is still there. Kinda.
• Slowdown may snag smartphone newbies [RCR Wireless News] - Like cartoon coyotes that extend themselves to full height before an exaggerated pounce on prey, handset vendors have offered little this year — but portended much — before an expected lunge at the market. Analyst Takeaways: Device makers could be squeezed out of apps business; new entrants to have difficult time finding success; lower data plans would drive smartphone sales.
• Report: Mobile Music To Hit $14.6 Billion In 2013 [mocoNews] - The Mobile Music Services market is predicted to hit $14.6 Billion in 2013 - $3 Billion less than predicted one year ago. Participation from major labels in mobile ventures and improvements in technology will contribute to mobile music growth, countering the decline of ringtone revenues.
• By the numbers: Top 10 most popular U.S. handsets in December [RCR Wireless News] - AvianResearch L.L.C ranks the 10 most popular handsets in the United States in December 2008. The firm derives its ranking via  monthly survey of service representatives and store managers at retail stores of the four major U.S. wireless carriers (AT&T Mobility, Verizon Wireless, Sprint Nextel Corp. and T-Mobile USA Inc.). The iPhone is NOT #1.

The Japanese Mobile Music Difference [eMarketer]
Japanese mobile music downloads are seeing huge growth—48% from Q1 2007—with artists releasing exclusively on mobiles and customers purchasing more with their mobile phone.

Data Umbrellas, Openings For Social Interactions [PSFK]
We know when people do not want to interact—headphones in ears, sunglasses over eyes, book in face—but could mobile phones help give off signals that open us up to interaction?

Choose Your Own Adventure, Youtube Style [PSFK]
SMPFilms' “Find Sparta” on YouTube lets you choose the path the main character needs to take to find his missing cat.

What I did on my summer vacation... cosmetic surgery! [Shanghaiist]
Plastic surgery is quite popular in South Korea, and now the trend is showing up in China with Shanghai teens using their summer break to go under the knife and heal all in time for school to start!

Mobile Search Trends Show Economic Decline And Rise In Pizza [TechCrunch]
People are using mobile search more for pizza joints than "pricier" eateries like Applebee’s, Red Lobster, and Olive Garden. This could reflect the weakening economy, as well as a rise in college students using the mobile web late-night.

Why the media is on the move [The Sydney Morning Herald]
Mojos—Mobile Journalists—are on the rise with better data plans, high tech phones, and audiences that view their stories on lifecasting sites like Qik.

12 Seconds To Say 'Good Morning' [Ypulse]
New lifecasting site 12 Seconds lets others see your thoughts in quick 12 second videos, fueling what Anastasia calls "sound bite exhibitionism."
PS - Thanks for the shout out as a top youth trend site, Anastasia!

New cell phones keep you healthy [NetworkWorld]
Japanese manufacturers are trying to prove that phones can keep you healthy through applications like blood pressure monitors and run trackers.