Great graphic that presents very well the opportunities and the Content-Context relationship.

What interesting to see are the Synaptic Web derivatives when we have a look at the Context.
Information is being filtered and recommended, based upon interests, location, subscriptions and so on. By doing so, the offered Content is more relevant and appropriate.

When looking at the amount of possibilities that are shown in the image,  understanding the -potential- power of this device is important.
Why?
First of all to understand the business environment better, secondly to adjust business strategies to these new opportunities or maybe reinforcing current strategies in order to create a better positioning and proposition.

I should at least research the impact on middle- and long term, making sure you won’t be surprised and ready to thrive or survive this mobile transformation.

(click to enlarge)

What do you think of the graphic and that what is being shown?

Great graphic by Randy Krum who created his personal infographic.

Of course, not everybody has all these devices, but it’s clear that we’re become increasingly mechanized beings and have many extensions that are belonging to the daily repertoire.
With the rise of the smartphone and other convergent devices, many activities can be completed at anytime and anywhere. This only will increase in the future due to more advanced processors/hardware and societal diffusion of technology in general.

What are your thoughts on the digitalization of society?
Do you adhere the Transhumanist view, that science and technology improve human lives and want to intertwine it as much as possible?
Or do you adhere the Modern World critics view which see an advancement in technology as an involution of the human being?
Or somewhere in between?

More news from the  Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
Yesterday I reported that Verizon Wireless and Skype are at the verge of changing the industry.

Today other news reached me, this time it’s Google, who’s new mantra “Mobile First” is being put as primary focus of the company. The latest acquisition in that space, AdMob, is a result of this new strategy.

Mr. Schmidt said that three areas are coming together on the mobile device, namely the Cloud, computing power and interconnectivity. All these three areas converge in the mobile device, making it a most powerful device where strategies need to be developed in order to thrive or at least, survive.

The signs are there, smartphone sales are growing at a 30% year-over-year rate, which will eventually surpass the personal computer sales.
Even more important, the adoption of the Mobile Web is growing annualy eight times faster than the Web adoption did a decade ago.
In countries like Indonesia and South Africa more searches are done via the mobile Web than via the desktop, it simply cannot be ignored.
For other key mobile trends, have a look at the 8 key Mobile Internet themes article.

These are all serious figures developments which cannot be ignored by companies if they want to keep up the high pace of emerging and converging opportunities.

What do you think of this ‘declaration’ by Google?

That is what Verizon Wireless and Skype have announced yesterday at the 2010 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona!
It was bound to happen at one point, but I never thought that Verizon would be the operator to initiate this.
Secondly, this is a huge milestone for Skype which is trying to get access to wireless networks for several years now.

What do you think the effect of this development will be on the mobile industry and on the current relationships?

Press release from Skype:
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Gartner predicts that mobile will overtake the PC’s as Web access device.
There will be 1.82 billion mobile devices (smartphones and browser equipped phones), and 1,78 bilion PC’s.

Three important issues are raised in the article by MediaPost on the Gartner research.

1. Most companies have not optimized their websites for the Mobile Web. To have a good presence on the Mobile Web, an adjusted website for the device must be set in place.

2. Context will be key for mobile just as search engines are for the Web. The context will be able to service the user personalized relevant content (in time).

3. Search engines were based upon pulling information to users at their request, mobile on the other hand will be able to prepopulate or push information on unique aspects as the context, the person and content wanted at that point of time.

As outlined in my article “Mobile Marketing moving to centre of the Marketing Strategy?” , companies need to start thinking about any implications the Mobile Web might have for their business and target groups. Fast consecutive occuring life-cycles will make it much more difficult to intervene when the mobile has come to its peak of importance.
A technology like Augmented Reality, which is going to grow the coming years, will even grow further by this, where it could be possible that Proximity Marketing will have a second more contextually relevant chance. Read my article “Mobile Augmented Reality boosting Proximity Marketing” on this subject.
Last but not least, this could impact media convergence as well, where TV, PC and Mobile will blend into new cross-media experiences which shall depend much on Mobile as well.

What implications do you foresee?

That is exactly what the iPhone can be called. Of course any smartphone can be a survival guide, but the combination of created apps for the iPhone and what the iPhone has caused in the mobile industry, is what it makes advanced and suitable to be the device at all times.

An article in the New York Times sums it up perfectly with eight examples for the travel industry:
* Virtual Tour Guides
* Outdoor Enthusiasts
* Money-Saving Programs
* Cool Tools
* On the Road
* Wow Factor
* Travel Booking
* Just for Fun

Read the article for all the additional information which comes along the eight examples.
The most well-known are the Virtual Tour Guides, Wow Factor and Travel Booking applications. An Augmented Reality virtual tour guide is recently released by Lonely Planet, which also falls within the Wow Factor.
Travel Booking applications are becoming a neccesity for companies, a research by eMarketer has shown that 48% of people book last minute via mobile. Being on top of mind is increased as well with a mobile application (and strategy), getting back much quicker with that brand instead of performing new searches right away.

The travel industry has always been a frontrunner when it comes to innovation and creative applications of new opportunities.
When we combine an industry with these characteristics and the 8 key Mobile Internet themes which shows the advancements of mobile usage, the important place that location takes within travel propositions, strategies and business models, a device like the iPhone is the perfect merger and enabler.
The travel industry is adopting mobile fast-paced and exploring what the opportunities for their brand can be. Many solutions can be classified by one of the eight aforementioned examples, which all suffice one or multiple needs for the travelers.

The new survival guide is up to date, can be real-time and social, which add extra dimensions to the applications which makes the usage of them even more handy and fun.
What do you think additional applications of the mobile device in the travel industry are?

Where Apple succeeded in disrupting the music industry, is it also possible to achieve the same in the TV industry?

According to the Wall Street Journal, Apple is creating plans which could shake up the industry.

Apple is preparing itself to be a competitor of cable and satellite TV, by wanting to offer a subscription fee to users which gives them targeted networks in return (prices vary from $2 to $4), or TV episodes can be purchased, ranging from $.99 to $2.99.
This fits into the broader scope where iTunes will transform from a pure download model to a streaming model.

What do you think, will Apple be able to be a worthy competitor, or at least shake up the industry and ignite innovation?

The MMA has ’significantly revised’ the definition of Mobile Marketing, as is written on their website, their new definition is:

Mobile Marketing is a set of practices that enables organizations to communicate and engage with their audience in an interactive and relevant manner through any mobile device or network.

They then continue elaborating on two points within the definition:

1.The “set of practices” includes “activities, institutions, processes, industry players, standards, advertising and media, direct response, promotions, relationship management, CRM, customer services, loyalty, social marketing, and all the many faces and facets of marketing.”
2.To “engage” means to “start relationships, acquire, generate activity, stimulate social interaction with organization and community members, [and] be present at time of consumers expressed need.” Furthermore, engagement can be initiated by the consumer (“Pull” in form of a click or response) or by the marketer (“Push”).

I do not understand why institutions and industry players can be practices, at the max we can say that institutions and industry players will make use of these practices as deployers.
The emphasis on engagement and interactivity is what’s the mobile device has indeed involved to.
Secondly, pointing out to relevancy (and interactivity) is according to the technological capabilities: Personalization, Customization and Collaboration, thus making clear that Mobile Marketing will transform and go towards these standards as well as the Internet and TV, this comes back in the second elaboration where it refers to “[and] be present at time of consumers expressed need.”, being present when consumers want, with the content they want where they want (Location Based Services).

Wasn’t Mobile Marketing -as term- a self-explenatory definition?

Yesterday the news was announced that Mastercard is introducing a Mobile Payments Gateway that delivers end-to-end mobile payment solutions.
This is definately a milestone for mCommerce. It will be much easier to send and receive money through the mobile device than it’s occurs currently and it will boost initiatives due to technologies like these. Anyone within the payment cycle can build quick and cost-effective customized mobile solutions which all will serve to offer a convenient and secure -mobile- payment process.

Mastercard’s mobile innovation certainly responds to the market needs and our changing lifestyles, like mr. Peirez describes:

“The Mobile Payments Gateway will help to make mobile payments a way of life for mobile phone users around the world,” said Joshua Peirez, group executive of Innovative Platforms for MasterCard Worldwide. “Through our global, integrated payment network we are efficiently connecting financial institutions, merchants and consumers together to mobilize MasterCard payment solutions in a way that truly reflects today’s on-the-go lifestyles.”

Vivo, the largest mobile operator in Brazil along with Itaú Unibanco and Redecard will be the first ones to partner up with the gateway.
Mastercard will introduce its Mobile payments solutions in select markets around the world. Adoption, usage and diffusion are important for a further development of Mobile Commerce and Marketing.

Do you think this will prosper new Mobile initiatives?

A whopping 17 entries from the Asia Pacific region are included as finalists for the Fifth Annual Global Mobile Marketing Awards. It truely shows the potential of this region for Mobile Marketing and as frontrunners of its Innovation.

Secondly, the region is the fastest growing mobile market which will put Mobile companies in the spotlights, being the carriers of intelligence and experience and offering massive opportunities for marketers in reaching and engaging with their target groups.

Below you’ll find an introduction on some of the finalists and it’s taken from the press release by the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA):
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