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Op-Ed: Phone users want innovation, not replication
Thursday, 02 August 2007
Mobile phones have had a profound impact on the way that Australians communicate and interact with each other and their environment. But the world of communication, information, and entertainment isn't limited to that accessed through a mobile phone. Rather, it encompasses media through all channels — including the World-Wide Web, television, and print.

The challenge for mobile marketers is to leverage the unique strengths of each medium, and to understand the power of the today's mobile phone. The television has a large screen, magazines are nice and glossy, and the World-Wide Web is fairly easy to navigate... so what do today’s media consumers want out of their mobile phones?

m.Net research suggests that mobile phone subscribers are most positive and receptive to services that:

  • are practical;

  • have intrinsic value;

  • are free;

  • are easy to use;

  • are transparent — that communicate what the product or service is upfront; and

  • are immediate in terms of delivering benefit.

Underlying all of these points is the need for the service or product to complement that which can be accessed through other channels. A common assumption is that people want the ability to access on their mobiles exactly that which can be accessed via computer web-browsers; however, the reality is that people want the mobile phone to enhance their lifestyles, not change or direct their behaviours.

So, providers – when creating the next ideal mobile service, remember that the mobile phone is a powerful force in the entertainment, information and communication space – but not the sole force. So give the people want they want: innovation, not replication!