Guest columns » mobilegroove

From marketing and advertising, to media and business, the impact of the always-connected, socially networked Digital Native on our society is profound. Michelle Manafy draws from her book Dancing With Digital Natives and personal observations to argue why the rise of Millennials forces a massive rethink of all systems based on command-and-control. Timed to this must-read BBC series on the Future of Work the key message in Michelle's work comes through loud and clear: The future model for everything (including work) is coordinate-and-cultivate. In this first column Michelle connects the dots in key data points to provide organizations advice on how they can motivate Millennials to deliver their best.

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Businesses need to stay in step with Digital Natives. Yet it can be a struggle to choreograph an elegant dance when Millennials don't lead or follow in the "traditional" way.

The holiday numbers are in, the mobile user surveys are done, and the implications for brands, retailers and marketers are profound. Mobile has become an integral part of the shopping routine, with the vast majority of consumers admitting to using their mobile phones to search and purchase gifts. John Stevens examines this mobile megatrend and shares eight tips for creating and executing a successful mobile strategy.

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Shopping will never be the same. A number of reports show that people rely on mobile every step of the consumer journey. Equally mobile search continues to play a huge part in our lives. A recent Performics survey of 502 U.S, residents who use mobile phones to search the web at least once a week revealed that a whopping 75 percent of consumers report mobile search makes their lives easier. Specifically, 63 percent said access to mobile search has changed the way they gather information, and 32 percent said they use search more on their mobile devices than they do on their personal computers.

This was a week for transparency in mobile with something for everyone. For consumers, there was movement on the privacy front with the Mobile Marketing Association releasing its Mobile Application Privacy Policy. The document is hailed as a first, providing precise guidelines that addresses the core privacy issues and data processes of many mobile applications.

For industry watchers, news from RIM and Apple gave us a deeper look at company performance and clues to the capabilities that likely play a lead role in deciding the leaders from the laggards.

National Retail Federation Show, New York City: This week the old Javits Center in the New York hosted retail folk from across the U.S. and shed some light on a technology play that may define a new industry I call Retail 2.0.

Indeed, the reality of a connected shopping experience with smartphones at the center may not be far off. However, this show was proof to me that we have to get past our focus on technology (and B2B) and walk in the shoes of our customers (understanding that it's B2C that is really at the core). And, since it is about the shopper experience, it's clear that winning Retail 2.0 strategies will be the ones that bring CIOs and CMOs to the table.

This last week at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas will be remembered for innovation and limitation. The show — where approximately 3,100 companies took the wraps of more than 20,000 products — was big in more ways than one. I haven’t met a person who covered the over 1.85 million net square feet of exhibit space (more than 37 football fields), but I did glean enough from the reports I've read about the show highlights to know this year will be huge for gadgets. Innovation abounds. But, first, let’s talk about the limitation — and what's behind it.

In my view, technology won’t limit how we use, access and enjoy the world (digital and physical) on our wireless devices. The carriers and hardware and software makers will do that with closed approaches that limit what is possible.

For years, the carriers (mobile operators) have tightly controlled the services and featured available on handsets and delivered over their networks. Be it content or products, the carriers have acted as gatekeepers with a singular focus: look out for their interests first.

Amazon has been able to do what other Android tablets can only dream of – offer a highly compelling consumption device that not only undercuts the iPad on price (and admittedly features) but, in many cases, beats it on content availability. Scott Bown reveals the company's source of competitive advantage and what all this means for developers everywhere.

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The Internet ushered in the age of free content, a shift in models that had a massive impact on the worlds of publishing, music, news and entertainment. We have seen large companies stumble (and fall) as they struggled to adapt their business models to the changing world.