IT'S NOT MOBILE STUPID

Perception and reality, at odds with one another, have crept into that which defines the growth of mobile advertising and e-commerce (or m-commerce). The problem lays in the definition and perception of the term "mobile".

Mobile, as the general population defines it, refers to a cell phone.  The term has been hijacked by the ad community and the digerati (the elite of the online communities), to include cellphones, smartphones, tablets, laptops and notebooks ... essentially any device that can move with you.

As the devices swirl around e-commerce sites, the elite have pooled both traffic and sales to imply that smartphones are the lead devices.

That's the perception.  Here's the reality.

The "mobile" (or m-commerce) shopping experience is best optimized on a tablet or laptop.  his is especially true of the baby boomer generation (the demographic with the highest disposable income).

In the m-commerce world, it is estimated that 30% of site traffic is attributed to "mobile" devices and that 80% of that traffic comes from tablets.  Not surprisingly, 90% of the tablet traffic comes from the Apple iPad alone!  These numbers leave smartphones in the dust, yet the industry spends far too much time, money and effort chasing the phone.

An eBay spokesperson suggested that consumers move from mobile to desktop and back again with some form of mobile activity touching 30% of eBay activity.

Isn't it time for marketers to reconsider how they spend their "mobile" dollars before chasing the ever-changing (and costly) mobile phone formats.  Focusing on the tablet would seem to be a no-brainer.  

FLY!!!

If you haven't heard of Flyboarding you soon will.  This amazing new ocean sport allows you to fly like a bird or swim like a dolphin.

Marketers of sports drinks and soft drinks take note. Sponsorships for this sport will be big.  Watch the video that follows for a quick six minute overview.

READ BETWEEN THE LINES

As the newspaper industry slowly moves its business model to "Digital First" in the face of declining print revenues, television should take its lesson from the digital first trend.  As production and distribution costs shift to enhance profitability it allows for better balloon trials for new programming.

"In Between Men", for lack of a better descriptor is a narrative Web TV series.  "It's a sexy new dramedy about All-American guys who feel caught between two worlds, not truly knowing where they fit in. In Between Men follows four friends in NYC who live "in between" a gay world, whose cliches they don't relate to, and a straight world they don't belong to. They are successful, professional men not defined by their sexuality. Through wild adventures, racy story-lines, joys and pains, underscored by the pulse of New York City, In Between Men examines the relationships between each other, their lovers, and the greater community."

Regardless of the show's appeal, the business story here focuses on the low cost production and audience trials that are available using the net.  A series of short ten minute episodes make up the season (season two begins this month).  

TV network and cable producers should quickly adapt the model for new program development and testing, cutting short major "TV First" releases and potential cancellations....eventually providing for a more stable TV program schedule.

OCTO-BRAND: TACO BELL

Given the demographics of the Super Bowl, it comes as a surprise that Yum Brands' Taco Bell decided to market to the 65+ retirement community.

Why?

The strategy to reach an older, baby boomer segment is a wise one given they have a higher disposable income.  But there are a few disconnects.

The players in the commercial (watch it below) are well beyond Baby Boomers. Octogenarians.

Historically viewers aged 65+ make up only 14% of Super Bowl viewers.

The song track for "We Are Young" by Fun is ...in Spanish?

A conflicting message could come across as "Taco Bell is for old folks".

Frankly, I enjoyed watching the spot and applaud Taco Bell and Deutsch for producing it (yeah I'm old too).  It's a feel good commercial. 

But spending $8 million for a :60 spot with questionable marketing ROI incurs a huge risk.

NOT YOUR FATHER'S 3D

3D Printing, or Additive Manufacturing, is on the leading edge of a massive revolution in manufacturing and distribution on a global scale.  The "cloud" that follows will provide a continuous update on news and events surrounding this disruptive technology.

THE DISRUPTER OF THE NEXT CENTURY

We are sitting on the brink of a new and huge industrial revolution that has been slowly gaining momentum over the last 25 years.

Additive Manufacturing, also known as 3D Printing, has crept along as the technology that drives it moved from a primitive stage to a more sophisticated base.

The potential applications to manufacturing, medicine, media, hobbyists and yes marketing are mind-bending.

The use of 3D printing takes virtual designs from computer aided design and transforms them into thin, virtual, horizontal cross-sections and then creates successive layers until the model is complete. It is a process where the virtual model and the physical model are almost identical.

Think like The Jetson’s.  The 1962 animated sit-com family popped a couple of buttons on what looked like today’s microwave oven and presto! the item they ordered appeared.  The reality of that futuristic animation has come to roost on our doorstep.

A personal 3D Printer can be had today for as little as $400 in kit form. More professional models start at about $1600.  Even Amazon sells them!

Today’s 3D printers have “printed” guitars, model planes with a 6 foot wingspan, human organs for clinical trials and are currently producing parts for jet fighters.  Limited only by our imagination, as these printers become more sophisticated and as common as a TV set in our home, you can bet that distribution and delivery channels will go through enormous upheaval.

Be prepared.  Everything in manufacturing will change as we know it today.

While the impact on marketing has yet to be determined, imagine the distribution of sampling through this new channel.

 That new toy for your child is only a few buttons away. Order the Computer Animated Design (CAD) specs for that toy online, download it to your 3D Printer and wait a few minutes.  Need a replacement part for a broken taillight on a classic 1957 Chevy?  Print it!

Investments in 3D Printing companies today will become the equivalent of Microsoft, Apple, IBM, etc. when they emerged as new businesses.

In 1439 the Gutenberg Press laid the basis for today’s knowledge-based economy and the spread of learning to the masses.  The 3D Printer is the disrupter that will revolutionize global economies through access to a world of product needs.  This will especially be the case for third world countries representing huge growth markets.

If you would like to explore the potential for 3D Printing as it relates to our marketing landscape, feel free to reach out to me at pbenjou@gmail.com.

A NEW CUP

I can't recall the last time I caught a Starbucks commercial but am not surprised I missed this one as it aired in the UK earlier in the year.  It's worth one minute of your time.  Thanks to Jack Dorsey for bringing it to my attention via Twitter @Jack.

FACEBOOK'S BAR CHART FROM HELL

I could not resist the opportunity to copy and paste this post from Bob Hoffman's Ad Contrartian blog.

Facebook has decided that it no longer wants to be in the business of selling clicks. Instead it wants to be in the business of selling reach and frequency, just like the grown-ups.

Of course, this is a cruel joke because reach and frequency mean nothing if the ads are invisible, which they are on Facebook.

This bar chart (to actual scale) does a pretty good job of explaining why they'd rather sell reach and frequency than clicks.




(C) 2012, The Ad Contrarian

For every 10,000 ads they deliver, Facebook gets 5 clicks. What would you want to sell?

THEN AND NOW

One of the remarkable things about technology is the accelerated rate of change that impacts the devices we communicate with. 

For those that remember what a mimeograph machine is and how quickly it was replaced by a variety of ensuing devices leading up to laser and 3D printers, I hope the following journey will provide a nostalgic respite from the ever-so-fast moving world we live in.

Mimeograph replaced by laser and 3D printers

Rotary phone replaced by the iPhone

Typewriter replaced by Microsoft Word

Transistor pocket radio replaced by the iPod

Car phones replaced by hands free bluetooth smartphones

Telephone operator replaced by Siri

Wang Word Processor replaced by laptops

Monroe calculator replaced by solar calculators

Telegram replaced by ... STOP! Available thru American Telegram! 

WHAT IF??

Many pieces make up the whole.

There is much buzz concerning Microsoft's intentions when it announced that IE10 would default to a Do Not Track option for advertising.  What that would do to its ad business (and that of advertiser's ability to target ads) is a concern for many marketers.

Who benefits from such a move? 

It appears that  Microsoft, if it indeed is exiting the ad business, as might also be reflected in its shrinking business staff, is looking to ultimately move users away from Google Chrome, and its tracking default, to a "friendlier" Do Not Track platform.

But let's look under the covers.

What would Microsoft do with its ad business?  The recent announcement by Yahoo's Marissa Mayer to rethink the use of cash from its Alibaba deal (about $7 Billion) leads me to assume a bigger deal is at hand. 

Reverse engineering the merger between Yahoo and Bing, Yahoo could use the cash to buy out the Microsoft ad business, bolstering display and, more importantly Search.  Given Marissa's oversight of Search while at Google, it's not a far fetched scenario.

What do you think?