Are the times are a-changing?

Smart phones

Smart phone usage is growing rapidly and is changing the nature of our mobile phones. They are no longer principally a phone, or even a communication tool, they are a media device.

According to a new study by Burson-Marsteller and Proof Integrated Communications,

• the average iPhone user only spends 45% of on-device time making phone calls. The majority of their time in mobile is spent browsing the web or using applications.
• by 2011, 99% of mobile phones will be data-capable devices (though that number includes phones that can send and receive SMS texts, not necessarily smartphones).
• by 2012, smartphone shipments will exceed shipments of PCs.

And this is with often poor download speeds (at least for me!), a small screen and limited computing power.

iPad and tablets

A key to understanding how these new devices will affect marketing is understanding what people are using them for.

The release of the iPad has ushered in another potential change. Early signs are that users see it as an entertainment platform, rather than a work one, but that they spend a lot of time doing many things on it.

With a host of tablets imminent, with Google's Android OS featuring strongly, we can rest assured that there will be more tablet users in the near future.

Personally I can't wait. I'm looking forward to a new gadget - better start saving up!

How does this change things?

People are using more, more diverse tools, which opens up more channels for the marketer. Covering all the bases will only be possible for the big players, but if you are clever about how you manage your campaigns, you will be able to give most of the people what they want most of the time through the device of their choice.

As ever, the key thing is not to start with the tool, but to start with your marketing objective. Understand who is using the device for what and make sure your campaigns work with that in mind.

Published by: Mr Tom Barnes

Published 7th September, 2010

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