At almost every waking moment a significant majority of us are staring deeply into a high resolution screen nestled in the palm of our hand. Absorbed. Often passionately concentrated. Connected to other people and a world of information. Think about it. Your smart phone is either in your hand, in your pocket or within arms reach as you sleep. You check it when you wake up and it’s the last thing you use as you drift off at the end of a very mobile day. If you're a brand that wants to be noticed, you need to be mobile.
The stats alone are staggering; over the past year mobile internet usage has doubled in Australia with roughly 50% of us now on online. Mobile internet access is predicted to outstrip desktop by 2014*. We're accelerating toward a fundamental tipping point in the delivery of information. The mobile window with which we will predominantly access information is smaller but, it’s always on, and always in our pockets.
Yet, only a handful of brands are playing mobile well. Most aren't even on the field. And of those that are playing only a few are smashing it; approximately 20% of Australian businesses have a presence on mobile. This reveals the "widening gap between consumer mobile usage and [the] digital capability of organisations" **
Mobile-optimised websites are proving the most popular, although this may be due to the fact that they're a first step on the evolution towards the mobile screen. Taking a website and plonking it on mobile is often counter productive, particularly if it is information heavy. Repurposing existing assets to a small screen is not the answer. Apps, on the other hand, provide the opportunity to approach the mobile space from a fresh perspective. Apps are more readily able to take advantage of the devices on which they sit; they have eyes and ears and know where they are and which way they’re facing. NFC, Augmented Reality, and mobile specific search algorithms also help to make our devices smarter. Combine this with access to the cloud - a collective, crowd-sourced wealth of information - and you have a very intelligent and powerful tool. Better than a Swiss army knife.
The brands that are doing well in the mobile space are not only using apps as a delivery mechanism for messaging, but as new products and services, content platforms and distribution networks. Often, this requires tweaking the business model. Think CommBank with Kaching, The Pizza Tracker from Dominos and Experience WA from Tourism Western Australia.
We are used to, and expect, simplicity in interaction, utility and good quality content. Some brands are starting to realise the value of trying to meet the expectation of "there's an app for that". But, where to start? There are apps for listening, recording, writing, drawing, talking, dancing, watching, reading, playing, gaming, shopping, eating and sleeping. There’s an app to check your heart rate (Instant Heart Rate), track your performance in bed (The Sex Profile), map the cosmos (Planetary) and swap your face with a friend (iSwapFaces). If you're still having trouble finding what you need, there's even an app for that (Discovr Apps)! In the search for an approach to mobile it's wise to start with "how can we help?" rather than "what can we do?" and perhaps it's not a case of doing first, but doing better. Perhaps we could start with utilities or tools, snackable content or entertainment - and then find a way for marketing to play a role. In this way the conversation is just that, two way, and will have depth and richness for both parties. That's something worth paying for.
Digital communication is no longer tethered to the desktop. The advantages of new advancements in technology can now be enjoyed by a vast majority of the planet who are mobile phone subscribers (including about a third of us who have smartphones). Mobile communication engenders a depth of experience that is lost when sitting at your desk. It is closely interwoven with our actions, with what we are doing. As Golon Levin alluded to over a decade ago “the mouse is just about the narrowest straw through which we could possibly suck all of human expression” - the smart phone goes someway towards addressing this.
It has become the key to the modern age replacing the ubiquitous wallet, keys and phone. Mobility is truly part of modern life. Let’s work to close the gap between consumer expectation and delivery and become part of the conversation that is already happening, now.