Anyone who claims that everything that happened in mobile in the second half of 2011 was predicted is selling you a lie. We’re smarter than falling for untruths, you say?
Yup, call me on the iPhone 5 through the T-Mobile network and give me the details.
We missed – all of us did, including the most dependable of so-called insiders. No fifth generation of the iPhone, no iPhone business at all at T-Mobile, which spent the last six months envisioning a marriage with AT&T that hasn’t made it to the alter. At least Kim and Kris got that far.
Of course, what we got from Apple was Siri, a voice recognition technology that received the fanboy buzz treatment but is already considered a fading novelty by many.
In July, we suggested that with the iPhone in more hands, we would have a repeat of the time when the CEO said, “We need an iPhone app”. That may have come to pass to some degree, but we certainly aren’t fielding request after request at Hipcricket where clients and prospects are more interested in driving leads and building databases which produce remarketing opportunities.
How did I do on my other predictions?
I forecast that the convergence of mobile... Read more
Archive for Jeff Hasen 
Mobile In Second Half of 2011 Was Hardly As Predicted
A Latte and a Squirrel. Cute But Why?
Somehow it became news that we can interact with characters in Starbucks. Haven’t we been doing that all along?
If you haven’t had your dose of reality – augmented reality, that is – let me fill you in. Beginning next Tuesday, customers who download an app for iPhone and Android devices can experience what Starbucks is calling “Cup Magic”.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWwQXi9RG0w&feature=player_embedded
Specifically by firing up the app and pointing it at a holiday cup, one can interact with five characters — an ice skater, a squirrel, a boy and a dog sledding and a fox — on your screen.
And, if you are so inclined, you can share the feature on Facebook and via email.
The object, Alexandra Wheeler, Vice President of Global Digital Marketing for Starbucks told Mashable http://mashable.com/2011/11/08/starbucks-ar-app/, is to “surprise and delight” customers during the holiday season.
My take?
It’s one more case of augmented reality showing off whiz bang technology but not delivering much value. At the risk of being a Scrooge – it wouldn’t be the first time that I’ve been so described – what’s in this for us? I am in Starbucks six days a week, looking for a jolt of Joe, not cuteness.
Sure, Starbucks created buzz with the campaign but don’t... Read more
Ready For The “Get Me An iPhone App” CEO Request?
In a whitepaper titled iPhone 5: Implications for the Operator Industry, comScore concludes that there is no clear winner if, as rumored, Apple’s new device ends up at AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint.
The way comScore sees it http://www.comscore.com/Press_Events/Presentations_Whitepapers/2011/iPhone_5_Implications_for_the_Operator_Industry, AT&T would be in good shape if it is given the opportunity to sell lower-priced iPhones as well as the new one; Verizon is in a favorable position because of the reputation and performance of its network; and Sprint would please many consumers if it sticks with its unique unlimited voice and data plans.
The implications for marketers are more interesting.
Do you remember the days when your CEO said that your company needed an iPhone app? While that direction was then often strategically unsound given Apple’s limited reach, more iPhones in the hands of more subscribers could soon make an iPhone app and mobile advertising via Apple’s iOS necessities for many brands.
Which subscribers?
According to comScore, in July 2009, a month after the iPhone 3GS was launched, 6.6 million U.S. mobile users reported having an iPhone. Over the next two years, during which the iPhone 4 was released on both AT&T’s and Verizon’s networks, that number increased 235 percent to 22.2 million mobile users.
Two years... Read more
The Latest Plethora of Mobile Data Means What?
Atop my list of mobile best practices is the need to stay current on consumer behavior and interests. This summer has brought fresh data that has ramifications for all of us conceiving and executing mobile programs.
Let’s take several of them one by one:
Stats: The average Android consumer in the U.S. spends 56 minutes per day actively interacting with the web and apps on his or her phone. Of that time, two-thirds is spent on mobile apps while one-third is spent on the mobile web (Nielsen).
Meaning What? You’ve likely heard notable analyst Mary Meeker’s prediction that more will access the web via mobile than via PC by 2015 http://mashable.com/2010/04/13/mobile-web-stats/. But this is 2011 and it would be foolish to spend exclusively on the web on Android devices. Instead, consider a mix of app and Internet. You have time to worry about 2015.
Stats: The top 10 Android apps account for 43 percent of all the time spent by Android consumers on mobile apps. The top 50 apps account for 61 percent of all time spent. With 250,000+ Android apps available, the remaining 249,950+ apps have to compete for the remaining 39 percent of the pie (Nielsen).
Meaning What? Many made noise about these... Read more
Second-Half Mobile Predictions Including The Implications of the iPhone Available Through Four Carriers
Neither rumors nor tea leaves will guide us to what’s coming in mobile in the second half of the year so as I have in the past, I’ll take a run at what could make the most impact in a six-month period.
Despite the advancements by Google via its Android efforts, no device comes close to the iPhone in terms of fascination and speculation. We’re either on the verge of a complete product makeover or will soon see relatively minor modifications in the iPhone 5. This swings back and forth via hourly reports.
Just as intriguing is whether Sprint and T-Mobile will be selling iPhones by year’s end. While rumors about distribution have run wild for the last four years, the highly reliable Boy Genius Report says a four-carrier choice for iPhone holiday shopping is likely. http://www.bgr.com/2011/07/12/iphone-5-to-land-on-sprint-and-t-mobile-analyst-says/
Of course, that scenario has many marketing implications. If it happens, get ready to revisit history by hearing from your CEO that “we need an iPhone app”. This time, with the reach and expected share, he or she would be right.
Other things I anticipate:
The convergence of mobile and social will be even more pronounced. Twitter and Facebook members are twice as active on mobile as they... Read more
