AIMA June 29, 2011 - Half the U.S. has a smartphone: Now what?
My summary and favorite tweets of the AIMA smartphone event in Atlanta, GA.
Panel Speakers:
Josh Martin - Social Media Manager at Arby'sMatthew Hull - VP Product Mktg & Operations for AT&TPhil Barrett - Senior Director Digital Marketing for RIM/BlackberryDarin Wonn - Product Manager for Mobile Apps for IHGModerator:Marcus Startzel - SVP Sales at Millenial Media- Our moderator, Marcus, began the evening with a short presentation and few comments on smartphone usage and history.History of the Smart Mobile:2006 - Flip phones and blackberries are all the buzz. Phones were only used for calling, text messages, and some email.2007 - Enter the game changer...the iPhone2008 - App store launched2009 - Welcome Android and the "year of mobile"2010 - Launch of iPad2011 - Tablets flood the market. "42% of smartphone usage is for email, text, and calling."We not only use our phones for calling/texting/emailing, but also for our alarm clock, our flashlights, our maps, our entertainment, and much more.
Marcus concluded his presentation with a great pic of a man surrounded by ads (billboards, buses, signs, commercials), but is only looking down at his phone.
What can we expect in the next three years?
Phil from RIM shared that early mobile phones were huge, and people kept predicting that the hardware would just get smaller and faster. They did get smaller and faster, but there is a point where smaller, isn"t better. The tablet changed that view and possibly change with screen technology. "Experience will roam with you" as showcased in the YouTube video below.The real pot stirrer of the evening came when Phil from RIM adamantly expressed that apps are "bullshit"
Phil wasn't hating on apps for the obvious reasons, but more so expressing the importance of creating mobile sites vs native apps.
Mobile optimized sites are more vital these days (and less expensive) than native mobile apps. Even more so because there are now so many types of smartphones out there.As a decision maker, do you create an app for iPhone or Android or Blackberry or Windows phones? OR Do you just create a mobile optimized site? I know where I would put my budget for the biggest bang. IHG did a very basic mobile version of their site and revenue increased by 200%.BUT make sure your mobile site is not a full site. People won"t be browsing around your site on their mobile phone. Mobile sites should be tailored for people "on-the-go" and only the basic info that they would need or even want to find browsing on their phone.Now for our vocabulary lesson of the evening. Learned a few new terms from the ATL crowd (some a bit ridiculous) that are buzzing around mobile marketing professionals...
My favorite observation of the evening and oh so appropriate for this smartphone event. Days of simply listening or pen/paper note taking are becoming numbered. The audience no longer looks at the speaker if they are engaged. Instead, they are looking down at their phone.
