[Reshaping Media] Mobile is the future media

The hugely popular and effective ‘Reshaping the Media’ seminars hosted by Stan Edwards’ Platypus Productions provide us all with the latest on the future of all media, from film to online and especially mobile lately.

Stan has just returned from MoCollywood, about what’s new in mobile globally, and in his report back first up at today’s seminar at the Michaelangelo in Sandton, he addressed the latest trends – some of which will be addressed in more detail by the very impressive speaker line up here today with all the usual suspects in mobile, digital and online innovation: Cerebra’s Mike Stopforth, MXit’s Paul Stemmet, MOBmix’s Alexander Gregori, MyADSL’s Rudolph Muller; as well as some digital agency hotshots: Nic Bednall from BBDO, Jade dos Stantos of Ogilvy CT, Rob Nelson of TBM Mobile, Evan Milton and Ben Wagner from Stonewall Digital, one of the most innovative agencies around, I’m looking forward to hearing from them again, it’s usually pretty radical.

The highlights from Stan’s report back from MoCollywood, MIPCOM and the Media Guardian Summit which he did the rounds of this year, was like a shot of double espresso before 9am this morning and if some of us weren’t awake yet, we are now! Really challenging stuff!

Highlights

Essentially the mobile phone is a communications tool, but we are seeing a lot of content migrating onto mobile as well, and the mobile phone is becoming an entertainment medium as well and a short circuit to the web. Then, another growing trend is social networking on mobile and how that is going to happen. This is receiving a lot of attention globally. As Stan says: mobile is a bridge to the web, especially for many people in Africa who don’t have access to reliable PC/internet connections.

Mobile in context

Chew on this:

• There are 3.25 billion mobile users globally - more than all TVs, computers and cinema screens combined.
• It took 20 years to get to the first 1 billion mobile users.
• It took 40 months to get to 2 billion users.
• …And only 12 months to reach the 3 billion mobile phone user mark.

Mega mobile trends

Stan listed some of the main trends being observed/under discussion globally. Here’s a snapshot:

• Mobile is the ultimate me, here and now medium.
• Mobile is a body medium – carried with you at all times.
• Mobile is immediate.
• Mobile platform is mature and ready.
• MOBILE DEMOCRATISES MEDIA – it can take pictures, make movies, make own content, share content, access the web.
• Research shows that people would rather lose their pet than their mobile phone (not this editor!).
• Mobile can reach the ‘out’ generation (those who can’t afford to access the internet or who don’t have easy Internet access).
• Mobile gives accessibility to the web.
• THE iPOD IS DEAD: more people are listening to music on their phones and carrying their whole music collections with them.
• Games vs reality: young people are more excited about gaming than their own lives.
• Mobile content and marketing: be useful and relevant.
• TV has become a background medium – easy to switch off, easy to skip ads.
• Marketers need to get comfortable with new media platforms.
• SOCIAL NETWORKING: create social gestures, not messages
• Mobile advertising must be based on communication.
• THE AGENCY CHALLENGE: agencies don’t own creativity – people are mashing up their own content as they want it.
• Worthy content is still king!!
• These new platforms where the consumer of content is also the broadcaster, are challenging advertisers.