The crowd was asked this question during last week’s Mobile Upfront. The purpose was quite simple – mobile is finally here to stay… but as marketers, are we ready to listen?
Nevertheless, if you examine the real essence of the question – Laptop, TV, Mobile Phone – the conversation is about more than one device; it highlights the personal wireless experience.
The mobile phone instituted a new level of personal mobility that enabled a user-device relationship unparalleled to any. But technology is continuing to advance rapidly. As more devices and technology integrations enter the market - new, deeper device relationships are being cultivated in ways perhaps unimaginable.
Now mobile has always been in a tough spot. With the industry “crying wolf” for far to long that “this is the year of mobile,” fragmentation, technology limitations, consumer data plans, etc. all contributed to the lack of advancement of with this channel. However, while the industry and mobile handset community have begun to align, mobility has also grown to be much more than just the phone.
Picture frames, in-dash auto experiences, portable TV, netbooks, tablets - each day there are more and more devices that are entering the market aimed at a unique mobile experience. Robert Calem noted that the automobile will be the next digital living room. Kevin Kelley classifies the tablet as a portable “window." Each device mandates a different user experience, because each has a unique consumer use.
Society is quickly immersing itself into a vast wireless ecosystem. “Always On” is not figure of speech – it is very much a reality. As marketers and advertisers, the real question becomes… are we ready to embrace, to advance, and to lead in this new digital revolution?
