While there is a growing enlightenment among marketers that the mobile phone is the "Third Screen" after TV and the Web, there are actually four screen networks that touch the everyday lives of many consumers: TV, Web, mobile phones and out-of-home media (e.g. internet-connected billboards). Without a strategy to "connect the dots" between these four screens, the target market for many products and services might just as well be on the dark side of the moon.
In this talk from Where 2.0 2005, Stephen Randall explains why, rather than Steven Spielberg's vision of marketing in Minority Report, where personalized interactive advertisements are pushed to the Tom Cruise character from screens in a shopping mall, there will be a less Orwellian future. The future will see the consumer take more control of what messages/offers they wish to see, and where and when they see them.
Owners of locations, especially those that attract affinity groups (for example, in movie theaters and arenas) will be best positioned to exploit their proximity to mobile consumers. Only those companies that understand the new role of locations will be able to monetize their position, ensuring they can deliver instant gratification in a simple and mobile-friendly way and without abusing the trust of their customers.
Stephen Randall is a serial entrepreneur with over 15 years experience in mobile computing. Prior to founding LocaModa™, he was a founder of Symbian, the London-based wireless joint venture between Ericsson, Nokia, Panasonic, Psion, Samsung, Siemens and Sony Ericsson.
He served on the Operational Board of Symbian from 1998 to 2002, where his roles included COO, EVP Design and Technology, and EVP Advanced Data Services. Prior to Symbian, Stephen was the architect of Psion PLC's licensing strategy. He led the restructuring of Psion to form Psion Software, where, as Joint President, he helped build it into a global licensing business. In 1998 he led its spin-out to form Symbian. He was also a founder of the pen-based computing pioneers, Eden Group, which was acquired by Geoworks.
Before venturing into mobile computing, Stephen had a career in music technology, developing the world’s first digital electronic guitar, for which he received a British Design Award from HRH Prince Phillip. He has several patents to his name, including one of the first British software patents, for his "write on screen electronic organizer".
Resources:
This free podcast is from our Where Conference series.
For The Conversations Network:
Photo: James Duncan Davidson/OReilly