Mobile Groove

Personalization and all the technologies and techniques that follow our digital breadcrumb trail across the mobile Web to deliver us content, advertising and apps we are most likely to appreciate are moving to the top of the agenda.

In fact, evidence is mounting that personalization is going to be table stakes for a wide and growing range of content companies, brands and service providers. Personally, I have been convinced of the business value of personalization (and recommendation) since 2005, when I wrote the definitive industry report on the topic. (Since then other analyst firms and industry players have picked up on the pivotal role of personalization in business models and approaches sharply aimed at connecting the dots in our digital behavior, catapulting what was a niche topic into the mainstream.

InMobi — a performance-based mobile ad network that cut its teeth in Asia and Africa before taking its model to developed regions such as Europe and North America — has spent the last months building up significant targeting and “customer discovery” capabilities that help bring scale and real-time impact to mobile advertising.

Where are the growth opportunities and how will data drive the market? I caught up with James Lamberti, InMobi’s VP of Research and Marketing, to discuss the company roadmap and deep-dive (in a separate podcast) into the key findings from A Global View Of Mobile Advertising – July 2010. The comprehensive report consists of two parts. Part one (111 pages!) was released this week and draws from InMobi’s proprietary network stats to identify global mobile advertising trends across 125 countries and six regions. Part two is based on conversations with 20,000 consumers in 14 countries. The survey, done in partnership with comScore, has the goal of bringing a consumer perspective to the discussion, a view the industry needs to hear.

In-brief: An in-depth look at the pivotal role of personalization and some excerpts from a recent briefing with Sidebar, a company that combines conversation (via text), personalization (via algorithms and recommendations) and exposes the results to us (via smart menus) to help operators, content owners and media companies get the right stuff (apps, content, marketing) in front of the right people.

Personalization – being able to present individuals with mobile content, services, apps and experiences that are in tune with their profiles and preferences – is shaping up to be the factor that separates a successful sales/marketing pitch from a FAIL.

Editor’s note: Reach and frequency are what brands may think they require for effective advertising. But a raft of reports and recent articles shows that asking permission first is more than good manners; it’s business best practice. In her regular column Lisa Ciangiulli, Director of Marketing, Global Advertising Solutions, Alcatel-Lucent, examines digital youth’s increasing demand for mobile marketing with a more personal touch.

Some five years ago, Mizuko Ito, a cultural anthropologist at Keio University in Japan, burst on the scene with what was back then an amazing observation.

Editor’s note: A string of recent posts have successfully argued the case for permission marketing, driving home the point that stakeholders will benefit it they ask people their preference first in order to deliver brand messages they will appreciate. But what are the benefits to each member of the ecosystem (mobile operators, advertisers and consumers)? And why is this exchange a starting point for effective engagement marketing? This post explores why building trust increases consumer acceptance and boosts benefits for all.

For mobile operators, getting peoples’ permission before introducing a mobile advertising service is mandatory in ensuring a non-intrusive experience. Operators can’t just assume that their customers are interested in receiving ads on the most personal device that they own. Mobile operators enjoy an advantage over others in the ecosystem and that is their direct relationship with customers. These customers must be able to trust a mobile operator to protect their privacy and respect their right to determine what appears on their mobile; otherwise the risk is that they will move on to an operator they can trust. From deep insight into this mindset, we see there is an overwhelming attitude of “If you show us that we can trust you, we’ll be more inclined to share additional information with you and to be receptive to other service offers you might have”.

In brief: The Meffy awards, the 10th annual MEM Conference (the Mobile Entertainment Market), and the release of a new must-read Smart Enablers Guide outlining how everyone can/must work together to deliver a good consumer experience and streamline payment. The last weeks have seen a flurry of activity and announcements around the Mobile Entertainment Forum (MEF) – the global trade body for the mobile media and entertainment industry. I discuss the key takeaways and progress made with Rimma Perelmuter, MEF Executive Director.

A raft of announcements and events from the Mobile Entertainment Forum (MEF) signals a new level of excitement and activity in the global mobile media industry. From the advance of smartphones and app stores to the widespread recognition that service enablers (offered by mobile operators and handset makers) are essential to the health and wealth of the entire business ecosystem, the industry is in a new phase of development and mindset. As Rimma Perelmuter, MEF Executive Director, puts it: “There’s a real sense in this $36 billion global industry that we are at a new stage of innovation. We’re seeing consumers around the world using their mobile phones as their key point of access to content and media, and the industry is evolving to make that user experience one that is more engaging and more holistic.”