Netsize Guide 2009 » mobilegroove

In brief: This week we set the stage for a soon-to-be released Netsize report that reveals the business models and payments mechanisms necessary for app stores to achieve mass-market commercial success. Perfect timing to continue the Netsize Guide 2010 "Best Of" series with Patrick Mork, GetJar VP Marketing, and his sober look at the app store landscape.

With 75 app stores (and still counting) open for business it's clear that creating competitive differentiation is going to be critical in the next weeks. What will likely separate the leaders from the laggards? Choice? Ease of payment? Content discovery? Something else?

Today MSG concludes its three-part series dissecting the mobile developments impacting the mobile industry and our society at all levels, as documented in the Netsize Guide.

The focus is expansion and what it means when Web goes mobile and mobile gets real.

At one end of the spectrum, Web giants such as Facebook, Google and Amazon have advanced into mobile. At the other end, mobile is becoming the remote control of our collective lives, blurring the barriers between our virtual and physical worlds.

Who are the players to watch and what are their strategies? Why is mobile different? And what are the requirements for a good mobile experience in this age of divergence?

Just two days till the industry gathers at the fist Mobile World Congress (MWC) of the new decade. To get us in the mindset to think about the companies, developments and trends that matter most, MSG presents part 2 of the three-part series dissecting the mobile developments impacting the mobile industry and our society at all levels, as documented in the Netsize Guide.

Today we look at mobile engagement (which we defined to include mobile advertising, mobile marketing, mobile commerce and all the ways companies/brands connect with people on the move. What advertising approaches will people accept? What role do mobile operators play? What are the campaigns that set the bar? What is the future of NFC? And where does mobile fit in an effective CRM strategy?

In the run up to Mobile World Congress 2010 MSG hosts a three part series dissecting the mobile developments impacting the mobile industry and our society at all levels, as documented in the Netsize Guide. This comprehensive annual analysis of what matters in mobile - often referred to as a mobile 2.0 reference work -- combines country telecommunications data, exclusive interviews with senior executives and insights from online surveys with mobile professionals and practitioners to provide the inside track on what's happening in mobile – everywhere.

Today we look at mobile entertainment. What issues/opportunities peg the needle? What models deliver? And what past industry events/milestones shape the future?

UPDATE: DOWNLOAD LINK HAS BEEN FIXED Just two weeks after release and my new white paper (Mobile Advertising For The Masses) counts 500+ downloads. (Again, I am honored that Bango (white paper sponsor) refers to me as a "mobile guru.") I always endeavor to communicate complex ideas in a way that everyone will understand, and am told people enjoy my accessible and entertaining writing style. But the real reason behind the popularity of this hands-on analysis of campaigns across three mobile social networks (BuzzCity, itsmy.com,and Peperonity) is timing. Mobile social networks are on the rise (a recent Informa report counted 200+ of them) and open for business. Where is the money? I was fortunate to speak at Mobile Advertising & the Rise of Social Networking: What does it mean for Brands, Agencies and Service Providers?, a Knowledge & Networking Seminar organized by AIME (the Association for Interactive Media and Entertainment) last week in London. My session looked at the nuts and bolts of mobile advertising in social networks, and the real results, revenues and strategies first-mover companies such as pioneer mobile flirting service Flirtomatic and brave consumer brands (via full-service mobile marketing agency Inside Mobile), have to share. As I am currently conducting my own mobile advertising research, I was particularly interested to learn from Eric Mugnier, Inside Mobile Product and Innovation Director, that the agency has also done its homework in the form of an in-depth survey of 80 key decision makers in the global mobile advertising value chain. The report won't be released for a few weeks/months but Eric, who is also interested in my input and ideas, has promised MSG will have it first. (Thanks Eric!) In his presentation, which included video interview excerpts from a selection of interviews, Eric outlined a few clear trends/requirements for effective mobile advertising in a social network. Mobile advertising must be targeted and relevant; the industry has no shortage of good ideas, but it must address issues around scale; and finally, brands and agencies have built the proper foundations, and now the priority must be to create a toolkit approach that will allow more companies to execute on the lessons they have learned. "Killer app" Where are the brands? Further along than I thought if we consider the example of a major sporting goods and sports apparel company, an Inside Mobile client gearing up to release an iPhone app that combines creativity, communication, and community to deliver a compelling advertising experience that users can make their own.

Fresh from Mobile World Congress (MWC), and energized with ideas, insights, and a slew of exclusive interviews. I'm also inspired by the positive response to the Netsize Guide 2009, a comprehensive mobile almanac I wrote that has already been downloaded a whopping 2,000+ times since it formally launched last Tuesday during MWC. Some of you twittered that you had difficulty downloading the 360-page tome, but those issues have since been resolved. It seems that no one expected so many people to access the guide over such a short period of time. Another surprise, numerous requests during the launch party for me to autograph copies. We captured it all on film as the MSG team - coordinated by our own Stuart Willett - was on-location conducting interviews with a who's who of attendees including Blinck, Irdeto, T-Mobile Hungary, Universal McCann, Velti, YouTube, and Zed. A special treat for me: Connecting with Thomas Husson, Forrester Senior Analyst, and a colleague whom I highly respect.