June » 2009 » mobilegroove

It has been a crazy-busy, exciting week at MSG! The Mobile Advertising Research U.K. report, which combines desk research with extensive primary research and surveys to offer invaluable insight into the attitudes of people and companies across the emerging mobile advertising business ecosystem, is ready for release after receiving the final polish. Regular readers will recall that MSG was commissioned to conduct Mobile Advertising Research UK, a project research endorsed by the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA), to expertly document the state of the mobile advertising industry in the U.K. and identify growth opportunities in the emerging mobile advertising marketplace. The report -- which combines valuable consumer insights gathered by ÆNEAS Strategy Consulting and Management (coordinated by my esteemed colleagues Tarik Fawzi and Atva van Zanten) and qualitative research based on more than 20 interviews with operators, enablers, agencies and brands contributed by MSG -- marks the first in a series of region-specific reports that will include Germany (2009) and North America (2010). During the inaugural event (Mobile Advertising Research U.K.) last week in London, Tarik and I presented an overview of key findings (documented by MSearchGroove here) and revealed the results of an online survey of over 1,000 British. consumers. Pricing is GBP 2,999 ($4,866) for the report, and a 500 GBP discount is available for MMA/IAB members, and people who attended the event. For more information, email James Cameron (james@camerjam.com) or call +44 7940 749874. And speaking of reports, I am pleased to announce that I will provide a sneak-peak at the results of a performance analysis of voice-enabled mobile search services from search giants Google, Yahoo! & ChaCha during a special Mobile Search Masterclass in London on June 30.

QUARTER OF GLOBAL USERS ACCESS MOBILE INTERNET VIA NOVARRA PLATFORM. Novarra announced its Mobile Internet Experience Update with the news that two thirds of U.S. mobile phone users and one quarter of all global users have access to some form of mobile Internet service via the Novarra platform today. A benchmark report gives a broad overview of how consumers access and use the internet via mobile phones with Novarra's Vision browser and mobile Internet platform. Among the overall findings:

• Devices don't' matter (much): Users with standard feature phones will use the Web as much or even more than a smartphone user if the mobile Internet experience is good
• There is a 'long tail' in the mobile Internet: The top website typically accounts for 5 percent of total mobile page views. The number two site accounts for less than 1 percent of traffic. And the top 500 sites account for only 25-30 percent of all page views
• Sessions vary: 40 percent of mobile internet sessions are under five minutes and 40 percent are over 15 minutes

The report further groups mobile users into 'tribes' based on their distinctive user profiles. These are:

• The Business Pro - Dependent on their mobile to be more productive and to handle all their communications
• The Mobile Millennial - Early adopters and young adults with disposable income
• The Connected Kid - Children and teenagers who have grown up with technology from a young age
• Frugal Fanatics utilise handset customisation services more than twice as much as any other group
• Connected Kids have far more page views relative to sessions than any other group, indicating they tend to surf more for entertainment purposes
• Source

Back from Mobile Advertising UK (Twitter feed: #maduk) in London with new and practical insights into mobile advertising and extremely positive feedback on my report findings. Regular readers will recall that MSG was commissioned to conduct Mobile Advertising UK, a research project research endorsed by the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA), to expertly document the state of the mobile advertising industry in the U.K. and identify growth opportunities in the emerging mobile advertising marketplace. The report - which combines valuable consumer insights gathered by ÆNEAS Strategy Consulting and Management (coordinated by my esteemed colleagues Tarik Fawzi and Atva van Zanten) and qualitative research based on 20+ interviews with operators, enablers, agencies, and brands contributed by MSG - will be formally released in July. Pricing is GBP 2,999 ($4,866) for the report. 500 GBP discount for MMA and IAB members, and people who attended the event. For more information, email James Cameron (james@camerjam.com) or call +44 7940 749874. And while we're at it: A huge around of applause for James, long-time MSG friend and supporter, whose Camerjam Events company successfully brought together 130+ professionals and pundits at this inaugural event sure to spread to other countries soon! In the meantime, allow me to share some of the key findings and data points based on an online survey of 1,000+ UK mobile users. (And please follow along in the complete presentation below via SlideShare, and listen in to this audio interview (supported by the iPhone blogging app Audio Boo) via The Really Mobile Project, where I put some of the stats into perspective.)

No matter if it's an industry conference, a round table or a simple networking around drinks; you can bet the questions will arise: What's the value chain? Where does company X fit in? And how do they relate to company Y? The newly-released second edition of the Mobile Industry Atlas, a comprehensive wallchart spanning 47 sectors and 800+ companies, goes a long way toward answering these tough questions, helping industry insiders and professionals better understand and navigate the complex mobile industry. This has been a mammoth undertaking, produced by the team at VisionMobile with the help of a network of 20+ advisors to identify and review leading companies in the industry, and literally "map" them according to their position in the value chain. I am proud to be a VisionMobile Associate and to have contributed to the Mobile Industry Atlas by helping shortlist companies in the mobile content, mobile advertising, and mobile search sectors. I encourage you to check out a sample of the Mobile Industry Atlas here. VisionMobile is offering MSG readers a special discount. (Thanks Andreas!) For this week only MSG readers (using the code MSG4696A to place the order) will receive a 25 percent discount. With 800 companies and 47 market sectors, the Atlas is twice the size of last year's wall chart and includes category definitions.

Wrapping up months of interviewing influencers/decision-makers in the emerging mobile advertising ecosystem (agencies, enablers, operators, brands - and an exciting mix of companies in-between) for Mobile Advertising Research UK . Now I'm heading off to London Monday (June 15) for Mobile Advertising UK (a one-day conference organized by Camerjam Events) where I and my esteemed colleague Tarik Fawzi will reveal some surprising findings. Regular readers will recall that MSG was commissioned to conduct the research project - endorsed by leading global mobile marketing organizations, the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB Europe), the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB UK) and the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) - to expertly document the state of the mobile advertising industry in the U.K., identify growth opportunities in the emerging mobile advertising marketplace, and benefit stakeholders, shareholders, and consumers worldwide. How can companies create value and increase ROI? Is market education the key to driving mobile advertising growth? What is the ideal ecosystem? What metrics must mobile deliver? These are just a few of questions that will address. The event brings together a who's who of the U.K. mobile advertising industry in an open and frank exchange to identify the opportunities and the obstacles. It also recognizes mobile marketing campaigns that set the bar. The EverySingleOneOfUs Mobile Campaign of the Year Award 2008/9 rewards mobile campaigns that demonstrate flair, creativity, and - above all - benefit us (through relevancy, ease of interaction, or the value to the individual). The organizers have also invited me to help judge the mobile campaign of the year, joining a panel of esteemed colleagues and industry experts including Jonathan MacDonald, founder, Every Single One Of Us; Andrew Grill, mobile advertising evangelist and blogger at London Calling; and Alfie Dennen, co-founder of Moblog, a provider of mobile blogging software.