March 7, 2011
Posted by Carl
Here is an interesting mobile call to action I spotted on the underground today. Taking into account the use case; with users being ‘underground’ there is no signal (not yet anyway), and therefore using an SMS shortcode, QR code or mobile web link aren’t suitable.
Well for the new movie ‘Limitless’, they have decided to promote a web link with an offer code. Not very mobile you might say. Well they have tried to cover for this. Considering 85% of mobile users in the UK have a camera phone, and of course does not require a web connection, they have included an image of a mobile device containing the words “Take a picture of this to remind yourself later”.
So its not exactly a seamless mobile experience, but what it does is offer is the opportunity to use your mobile to record details and then follow up when you are by a computer (for which almost anyone can do too).
It won’t win awards for innovation, but it gets the thumbs up from me for thinking about the user experience in this scenario. Its actually a very cool piece of creative too, so keep an eye out for it Londoners 
Update: James Whatley has written an awesome post about this ad over on his blog. READ IT.
November 22, 2010
Posted by Carl
I am rather delighted to announce that I will be delivering a presentation for the Chartered Institute of Marketing at Bournemouth University on the 26th January 2011.
The evening outline is as follows:
“The Chartered Institute of Marketing is calling on marketers to examine where digital marketing may be heading in the next few years and asks leading practitioners how they think companies can thrive in the digital marketplace, whilst making sure they get the right levels of return on investment (ROI) from their activities.”
I myself will be delivering a 15 minute presentation on the changing landscape of consumer behaviour and how businesses can use mobile technology to reach and retain new customers (working title). Hopefully it will be a really informative session, not only targeted at local businesses, but provide some relevant insights for marketing to a modern, tech-savvy audience on the whole.
The list of other speakers is great (to be revealed soon), so all in all should be a great education for newbies, and an expansion on current knowledge for a few veterans. I want to make it as relevant as possible to the local area (Dorset!), so if any businesses or agencies have mobile case studies they think would be worthwhile taking a look at, feel free to get in touch!
In the mean time, get over to the event page here and sign up to attend! Looking forward to seeing a few familiar faces.
November 10, 2010
Posted by Carl
Whilst doing some desk research at work, I was ever so fortunate to stumble across the brilliant Metrofone website. Aside from the fact its a brilliant website, it was a pleasant reminder of the sheer quality of handsets currently gracing the consumer market right now. What’s even more ironic about the Metrofone site is it stocks 3 of the handset manufacturers that I feel have made significant leaps and bounds recently.
Blackberry
Blackberry have always had a stronghold on the US market, but thanks to the increasing success of their Enterprise integration, as well as the explosive growth in the 16-24 age group thanks to Blackberry messenger (BBM), they now have a significant market share in the UK too. In fact, in the 13-24 age group, Blackberry adoption has increased by over 400% in the UK.
Whats more, not only are they exploring alternative form factors for their devices for broader appeal (e.g. The Torch is their first slider touch/keypad device), they are attempting to attract developers to harness their strengths and spread their services accordingly (e.g. BBM API set to launch Q1 2011). And to top it all off, early indications suggest their first tablet, the Playbook, is going to be a real winner.
Samsung
One thing Samsung have never struggled doing, is selling phones. They have consistently been in the top 3 manufacturers in the world, with significant presence in the US, Europe and Asia. They have always had great hardware, but their operating system selection has always been debatable. Unlike Nokia, when significant OS launches such as Android and Windows Phone 7 came along, they swallowed their pride and accepted they could increase their reach and reinforce their foothold in smartphone market share by embracing new partners.
They now have a delightful handset in the Galaxy S, which is selling phenomenal amounts globally, including almost 8 million in China alone. They have also been the second into the tablet foray with the Galaxy Tab, utilising the flexibility of Android to deliver a decent piece of kit. Samsung definitely on the ascendancy into 2011.
HTC
What can we say about HTC! Just a few years ago a relative unknown in Western markets, now, with thanks to a brilliant new brand identity and a hefty marketing strategy, its making a real splash in the smartphone market. Adopting Android appears to be the best move HTC ever made; acting as a vehicle to get their hardware into the hands of a whole new range of consumers.
The Desire HD is an object of utter beauty for example, and not only demonstrates the power of the Google OS, but the quality of hardware HTC continue to produce. Even though they don’t use their own OS, they add their own little touches with their Sense UI and services, which help establish a sense of familiarity in a world where the consumer doesn’t are about the brand of OS.
All in all, if there are 3 manufacturers to watch over the next 12 months, these are the guys!!