New directions in mobile October 3, 2006

Nobody likes spam especially on their mobile, nobody wants to be pestered by intrusive and uninvited scamsters. Is this the best we can hope for from our portable friend? Can the mobile be a valuable marketing channel for brands without alienating the customers they so dearly want to engage with? Where next for mobile content and services?

The development and proliferation of the mobile phone has been one of the defining technological developments of our time. There’s simply no denying the huge impact that the mobile has had on the economy, communications, entertainment and on social interactions. The development of content and services for mobile is a major growth industry.

With more and more businesses incorporating mobile into their marketing mix, is mobile the right place right time medium that marketers dream of? How can businesses stay abreast of consumer behaviour and make the most of the business opportunities that mobiles present?

This afternoon event will examine some of the key developments in mobile: how mobile and wireless technology has changed the way we do things, trends to watch and future opportuntities, and key innovations and business models.

SESSION 1: Mociology and Mocio-economics

Mociology relates to how mobile and wireless technology has changed the way we do things: downloading realtones and caller tunes to personalize our phones, using location based services to find a restaurant or find out what’s on at the local cinema, or watching the day’s goals on a Saturday afternoon. What are the business models that allow us to monetise consumers’ use of and interaction via their mobile devices. Is the growth of mobile content being hindered by both unrealistic business models and interoperability?

• Why will consumers pay more for mobile content and services (such as mobile Instant Messaging) than its online counterpart?
• Does the current range of content business models favour the mobile networks, rather than facilitate the needs of consumers and content distributors alike?
• Is the uptake of content hindered by the lack of a broadband-style model for downloading – where you get more or less unlimited usage for a flat fee?
• Are location based services - which allow mobile targeting via contextual search based on not only where you are but also what you are doing - the cash machine that will drive mobile revenues and the service that can match SMS as mobile’s killer app?
• Are the myriad platforms, formats and phones forcing consumers to side load content from the internet, rather than accessing it directly to their wireless devices?
• Is i-mode the Betamax of mobile? A great platform to deliver content, but likely to be usurped by other mobile content platforms because it’s inoperable across networks?

Mociology & The Mobile Zeitgeist: Paul Walsh - CEO, Segala
Business models for mobile content and services: Helen Keegan - MD, Beep Marketing

Further speakers will be announced shortly.

SESSION 2: Mobile & The Real World

The consumer gets what the consumer wants, as the old adage goes. But what do consumers really want from their phones and how are these requirements being met by real businesses?

Case study: John Carney – Marvellous Mobile
Jonathan Bill - Head of Category, Vodafone
Alfie Dennen - Co-founder, Moblog UK

Official Website: http://www.nmk.co.uk/event/2006/10/03/new-directions-mobile