Mobile Monday – End of 2007 Musing & Predictions
Mobile Monday is the grassroots powerhouse organization for those engaged in all things mobile. The very robust Los Angeles chapter, which is run by Sarah Miller of Axis Marketing & PR, asked Interactive TV Alliance CEO Allison Dollar to help put together, and to moderate a panel, reflecting back on 2007 and looking forward to 2008. Along with a group of venture capitalists and analysts, I was on that panel. I didn’t have a tape recorder, so alas, you won’t get the wisdom of the other panelists, but here’s what I had to say. Please drop me a note to let me know what your predictions are for 2008.
Coal in the Christmas Stocking – Allison asked us all which companies, features or applications deserved coal in their stockings and why.
My choices were all the carriers for doing such a miserable job of educating the public about their mobile TV offerings. You can go to a website, enter a store and still have absolutely no idea that mobile TV even exists. Apple, which exists because of its insanely loyal customers, did a bad thing when they dissed their own customer base. I know I’d think twice about my loyalty if I’d stood in line in the cold for days to be the first to buy an iPhone, only to see the price lowered a few weeks later. What’s up with that, Apple? And while I’m at it, what’s with the telcos agreeing to participate in warrantless wire-tapping? Shame on them.
What were the most useful “gifts” the mobile industry received in 2007? I’m enthused about the big breakthrough in broadband video this year. Not long ago, the idea that people would actually watch video, much less TV programs, on their PC seemed ludicrous. This year, that’s all been proven wrong. That’s good news for the mobile industry, which is following the same path to wide adoption. Ed Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz’s “quarterlife” was another gift: although it’s a broadband show, not a mobile show, these two savvy Hollywood producers showed everyone else how it’s done. High production values; guild signatories; stories that attract an audience. Listen up, mobile producers.
What were the most popular “gifts” mobile consumers received in 2007? Yes, I chastized Apple, but I also need to give them kudos. Although I was a hater, I have to say that the Apple iPhone was truly a great gift. Everyone I know who has one, loves it madly. Doesn’t that say it all? Apple has really set the bar for the competition. I think a series like “Afterworld” was another gift: made simply so it can easily conform to any handset’s requirements, this series is pretty much the “digital crack” that its creator wanted it to be. Aside from that, I would say that 2007 was a pretty sad year from the point of view of the consumer, who really got the same not-so-great level of service combined with high prices and a chaotic landscape for content offerings.
What were the newsworthy events of the year? The demise of the Disney MVNO was big news. If Disney—one of the most powerful brands in the world—can’t make an MVNO work, who can? Combined with the demise of Amp’d and ESPN’s MVNO, the Disney disconnect leaves MVNOs in a perilous position at the end of 2007. Google’s Android platform is also exciting. Although now it’s merely an SDK (software developers kit), that’s still exciting to me. SDKs bring brilliant Bulgarian math grad students out of the woodwork. This Open Handset Alliance move is a step in the right direction. Also of interest: I read that recent research shows that college students’ number-one Web destination is….social networks. Not porn, which usually drives any new media platform. Social networking it is, then. Nota bene, mobile content producers.
What’s on your wishlist for 2008? I’d like to see the carriers market their mobile content more aggressively. I’d like to see more handsets competitive with the iPhone. I’d like to see the 700 MHz spectrum auction stir things up in a way that speeds the dismantling of the walled garden. And I’d like to see more definitive research on mobile audiences, which results in more impetus for advertising-sponsored content.
Share your predictions for 2008. It’s going to be an interesting year. Verizon’s bid to create an “open” network is just one salvo in the evolution of the struggle between the closed and open networks. The 700 MHz auction will liven things up, but the carriers will work hard to maintain their position. The consumer will continue to be lost in the shuffle…for now. Although I don’t believe that at least the first half of 2008 will show any mobile TV breakthroughs, by the last quarter of 2008, we may be able to reap some of the benefits of a rocky start to the year.
Tags: 700 MHz, Afterworld, Apple, Axis Marketing, Disney MVNO, Google Android, Interactive TV Alliance, iPhone, Mobile Monday, Open Handset Alliance, quarterlife, telcos, Verizon
This entry was posted on Monday, December 3rd, 2007 at 12:20 am and is filed under Events.
