I’ve done dozens of podcasts to date, but this one stands out as the one I can listen to again and again. In fact, rather than edit it down, I turned it into a two-part series. Why? Because Tom Huseby, Managing Partner who formed SeaPoint Ventures back in 1997, is an industry veteran who calls them as he see them.
A browse through Tom’s bio and it’s clear he’s not one to follow the crowd of lemming investors who rush to the next new thing, only to drop if when the cool factor has gone cold. To the contrary, Tom is convinced early-stage startups can pay-off big if investors stick with them for the long-term. To identify the do’s and don’ts for startups in a downturn we started off talking through the business basics, such as the best exit strategies and the opportunities for “kitchen-table startups” – as he calls them – and app developers. Tom’s answers are insightful and entertaining – all the more reason to listen in.
But the main attraction is Tom’s take on what mobile advertising really needs: Engagement. In his view, it’s all about providing and managing a one-to-one conversation between brands and people, and he’s looking for companies that “get” it. As he puts it: “There are a few agencies that appear to get it, but they und up getting slotted as a mobile agency…What you want to be is a creative advertiser [agency] that uses mobile.” Since there are so few on the horizon, the time may be right to start one yourself.
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The arrival of Android and the remarkable success of the iPhone have whet our appetite for mobile data services, but they don’t solve the usability issues that prevent mobile data services from becoming a routine part of daily life for many mobile users.
