HOOKED ON MOBILE

o everything started this last summer. My bike was basically dead and I wanted to go biking with my son, so I opened an account with “Call a Bike” the renting bike service from the Deutsche Bahn (trains) here in Germany. I used it and though – “this service needs an app to boost their business and make life easier for everyone”.

Very good and comprehensive report of the Mobile Life in Germany for the next few years. The report puts the whole German mobile market in perspective and what to expect in the years to come.

A few days ago I couldn’t help noticing a woman at Maximilianstrasse in Munich (the street with expensive fashion labels) using her mobile phone. The device was covered in pink leather, flashing a GUCCI logo on the back of it. My first reaction was: “Oh, GUCCI has also a phone just like PRADA… Of course!…” Later I realized it was just a leather case for a regular mobile phone. However, that kept me thinking about how we tend to turn simple electronic devices into symbols of status or simply customize them so tat they can somehow reflect our personalities.

If you have a smartphone, video is certainly nothing new. Most smartphones offer the possibility to play local video or over the internet. The promise of faster connections seems to be around the corner, but we know already than in places like Japan (the mobile test bed of the world) superfast connections have made possible TV Channels on the mobile phones. It is not surprise that advertisers are eager to recycle their Ad spots and get them mobile, but that is not the answer for a medium that is so personal, intimate, contextual and with a high level of expectancy of relevant content. We’ve learned our lessons from the internet and we know that the 30 sec spot will not work.

Click-to-Call or CTC is a model that started first on the internet and then evolved into a more literal use of its name, meaning click to make a call. While browsing the net on your mobile phone you can see how phone numbers are higlighted (like a link), upon clicking the number will be automatically dialed.

In an industry dominated by SMS campaigns, MMS, shrunken banners mimicking the ones on internet, ring tones and some other primitive forms of marketing gave the mobile phone the reputation of been the underachiever of the media world. Undeniably, the introduction of the iPhone changed the way we think about mobile phones, the way we interact with them and what we expect from our devices. We are now living what is been called by some the “Post iPhone era” and every new smartphone that comes out in the market is expected to be better or at least have the same functionalities. While innovative and cool, advertisers are worried that an offer that can’t be streamlined and sold by the pound is unlikely to happen with this current innovative climate. Just like the early days of the internet a lot of experimenting is going on, but defined formats are not well established yet.

The MMA (Mobile Marketing Association) is about to release their updated set of best practice guidelines.