It’s Not The Mobile Web, It’s The Web
I just got done reading a post on Read/Write web that has me all a twitter. The post is entitled,
“Is the Mobile Web Dead? Some Mobile Entrepreneurs Say Yes”
The post speaks of how ex-Yahoo! Mobile evangelist turned startup entrepreneur Russell Beattie announced that he is folding his company Mowser, a service that lets you view the Web on your mobile phone. Here is a quote from Beattie as to why this decision was made,
“I don’t actually believe in the ‘Mobile Web’ anymore, and therefore am less inclined to spend time and effort in a market I think is limited at best, and dying at worst. I’m talking specifically about sites that are geared 100% towards mobile phones and have little to no PC web presence. Two years ago I was convinced that the mobile web would continue to evolve in the West to mimic what was happening in countries like Japan and Korea, but it hasn’t happened, and now I’m sure it isn’t going to.
In other words, I think anyone currently developing sites using XHTML-MP markup, no Javascript, geared towards cellular connections and two inch screens are simply wasting their time, and I’m tired of wasting my time.”
A few take-aways:
- Anyone who is creating a service that is only geared for mobility is missing the boat.
- The notion of the “mobile web” is a farce.
The Experience Is the Message
To deem the web browsing experience on a mobile phone as something entirely separate from the experience on a PC is a grievous error. Sure, any service that is going to be viewed on a mobile device must be appropriated for such an experience, but those who do not take into account the fact that people want their data wherever they are, on whatever device they are on, are grossly mislead.
At the onset of the mobile computing era many believed that the handset needed its own software and standards separate from the ones created for the desktop. While it is true that there needs to be differences in presentation and experience, all data needs to reside in the same cloud. This is especially true for personal data in order to create a truly useful, transmedia experience. This is the type of experience that consumers in the next phase of the web will come to demand.
How Do We Market When The Experience Is The Message?
According to eMarketer, total mobile ad spend worldwide will hit $19 billion by the year 2012. $6.5 billion of that is projected to be spent in the US market. The important question is, how will this money be spent?
In order to get a clearer picture of percent growth year over year, I took eMarketer’s data and created the following chart.
As you can see the largest percent growth year over year (on average) will be in the search sector, followed by messaging. While this may come as no surprise to some, I feel that these numbers support the argument that mobile is an extension of the web at large, as opposed to being its own entity. Search and messaging have much greater potential to lead back to an experience where a user session is longer, and potentially more transactional. As a marketing vehicle it has always been my contention that the mobile device is best suited for extended direct response programs and CRM functions. Many advertisers today are using the mobile space for branding exercises. This is a reaction to the common (but fleeting) notion of the mobile web as an experience separate from the web at large.
When the experience is the message, marketing must become am exercise in adding value to the end user. The advertising paradigm has shifted to the point where experiences are more influential than impressions, and more easy for marketers to create.
Tags: emarketer, mobile, SMS, search
Apr 15, 2008
Well put, Adam. Nice to see stats applied to this thinking. Like we discussed, I also believe consumers are not willing to sacrifice the web experience in favor of tiny links and scaled down content. I want it all, and I want it now, and those who can provide value in that context will draw the most users to that experience.
Apr 15, 2008
interesting analysis.
I think that there is indeed a place for the mobile web within people’s lives, the catch is that people are simply not ready to have their phones turn into their computers just yet.
People don’t want to work on excel spread sheets and twenty page reports on a tiny screen with a very uncomfortable key board, but they are willing to read and send a casual email or quickly search for something on the same tiny screen.
Phones are more personal, they are kept closer, while computers are meant for work over longer periods of time.
As long as this distinction is kept in mind I believe that people can develop web products and services designed for the mobile web that will be of value to consumers.
Apr 15, 2008
thanks for the comment Angel!
Maria
I don’t think that people are ready to have their mobile devices be their computers at all. I do however think that people will ultimately their data accessible when, and from wherever they want (cloud computing).
The mobile phone is a personal device and while people will not be working on spreadsheets on their phones, if there were a mobile appropriation of of an excel doc that someone can access on the go (for quick info) it may prove to be of value
Adam
Apr 15, 2008
Wow – one guy decides that startup life isn’t for him and this is supposed to throw a whole shadow over the industry…..hmmm I don’t think so.
I like Russell, I’ve been a long time reader of his blog and an occasional user of his Mowser application.
I think the key point here is that….”Mowser was filling a temporary problem”, with the release of the iPhone and the imminent massive model variants of the Android OS on the Horizon and the sure but steady improvements in the Windows Mobile 6 OS I think Russell is throwing in the towel as handsets are getting “good enough to no longer need Mowser”.
Now do I think he threw it in too early with only 12 months operation – sure but thats because I’m a serial startup entrepreneur with 2 listed companies under my belt.
As an employee of http://www.Amethon.com one of the worlds first mobile browser specific analytics applications just for mobile content, I for one, am seeing huge growth in mobile content.
Amethon’s clients are seeing traffic build month on month, and yes I think a lot of that has to do with better quality handsets and better quality browsers and most importantly higher data speeds with somewhat more reasonable flat rate unlimited data plans.
With a better user experience more people are finding the convenience of accessing content on the move …..or standing still but getting it right where they are standing with a mobile device never far from their hand ….
The best part about this mobile content is the volume of advertising coming into the space is funding a better user experience, and with tools like Amethon Mobile Analytics users analytics information and a solid roi can be demonstrated against this advertising spend.
Am I sad to see Mowser go, yes – Will Russell bounce, for sure – one of the smartest pioneers in the mobile business, Do I think USA consumers are a little behind eastern consumer patterns in mobile content consumption – YES but that has more to do with carriers and handsets than personal desires and usage patterns.
The mobile space is just taking off, with all the fallouts and successes that there was in the desktop browser wars in the 1990’s.
Watch this space and get in early……your customers are waiting.
Regards,
Dean Collins
http://www.Amethon.com
Apr 15, 2008
Great comments Dean!
I am a little confused about your first statement though (or perhaps my post was unclear). I am a huge proponent of accessing the Web via a mobile device and in no way wish to cast a shadow over an industry. My point may seem unnecessarily pedantic, but I feel it is imperative to draw the distinction between “The Mobile Web” as a sole entity, and the mobile web as an extension of the web at large.
I completely agree,”Mowser was filling a temporary problem” and it could have potentially sustained a bit longer, but I do think that we are headed in a new direction content creators will be more strategic with how they present content in various environments.
I have to admit, iphone.facebook we an eye opener for me. Now I am waiting for, 42inchplasma.facebook so I can have a lean back experience on my home computer!
Apr 15, 2008
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Apr 15, 2008
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