Marketing Pilgrim Published: “Will Verizon’s iPhone Stop Runaway Android Growth?” plus 3 more

Will Verizon’s iPhone Stop Runaway Android Growth?
Google Making Some Mobile Noise
Last FM Mobile Switches from Ad-Supported to Subscriber Based
Can You Name the Brand Behind the Little Darth Vader Ad?

Will Verizon’s iPhone Stop Runaway Android Growth?

Posted: 09 Feb 2011 06:48 AM PST

2010 was a banner year for the Android OS for mobile devices. There is no denying that. We have already taken a look at one firm's analysis of Q4 sales to establish that the Android platform is on a roll.

Today, Gartner released more data that shows just how big 2010 was for the Android OS. The report is for sale here (MP does not benefit from sale of Gartner reports).

The obvious question that many are considering is: Will the full roll out of the iPhone on Verizon set for tomorrow (February 10) signal the beginning of the end of Android's rapid ascent? Will Verizon be enough to put a dent into this growth or will Apple need to have the iPhone available to all users at all wireless providers like Android devices currently are in order to compete?

One interesting move by an online software as a service (SaaS) leader, 37signals, could make the platform issue, well, less of an issue. Rather than go the route of putting their immensely popular Basecamp service in an app for a particular platform the company instead created an HTML5 version of Basecamp that is platform agnostic and simply runs on your device when you access via the mobile web (for those using a WebKit browser). Problem solved for the most part and no platform providers were harmed in the process. Here is the announcement from the 37signals blog on February 1.

Today we launch Basecamp Mobile for phones and devices with WebKit browsers. This includes the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPad, Motorola Droid X, Motorola Droid 2, Samsung Galaxy S, HTC Incredible, HTC Evo, Palm Pre 2, BlackBerry Torch, or any other device running iOS 4+, Android 2.1+, webOS 2, or BlackBerry 6.

Basecamp Mobile is not an native app, it's a web app. All you have to do is visit http://basecamphq.com on your mobile phone. No apps and nothing to install – it just works.

Later in the post is something that would warm the little Android heart of Google when it is stated

Back in July we put up a job ad for an iOS developer. We had decided to dive into native apps for the iPhone. We contracted out the back-end development of our iPhone app for Highrise. The project went well, but we felt like we had to have someone in-house to continue the development of the Highrise app and future apps we wanted to build.

And then Android really began to make a run. Android market share increased and more and more customers were asking for Android apps for our web apps. So we stopped and thought about it for a bit. Do we want to have to hire an iOS developer and an Android developer? That's a lot of specialization, and we're usually anti-specialization when it comes to development.

Hmmmmm. Will this kind of mobile development be more the norm moving forward? If so then who is really in the driver's seat for the mobile space? If the device becomes less important to whether apps are available then what will drive consumer mobile decisions? Likely it becomes based on the wireless provider's network and pricing. Not saying that's a good thing but it is a distinct possibility. Of course, this is just a bit of speculation because what 37signals did is not the current norm but why couldn’t it be if it works?

Of course, not everyone likes this approach but thats what makes it fun, right?

Maybe the focus on which mobile OS will be the dominant player is not the real issue at hand? Maybe it's whether more companies will follow 37signals' lead and create mobile OS agnostic versions of their applications etc so they can make something one way, one time for all platforms. Then what does the mobile space look like?

Your thoughts?

Google Making Some Mobile Noise

Posted: 09 Feb 2011 05:29 AM PST

Google has been the talk of many for its push in local Internet marketing. That has been happening for good reason since it seems that's where the innovation is occurring for the search leader.

Now, some of the same attention is being turned to the mobile environment which, for the most part, plays hand-in-hand with local. From events discussing the mobile environment that feature the likes of Mary Meeker of Kleiner Perkins (February 10 at 1 pm EST and are being livestreamed) to more Google videos (see below), Google is firing up the mobile ad machine in earnest.

The mantra that is guiding the efforts is stated on the Google Mobile Ads blog in the following three points.

Seamless: We're bringing the best characteristics of desktop advertising to mobile devices. We want to help marketers and developers extend the benefits of their desktop advertising to people on mobile devices, while effectively managing their campaigns and ad space across many channels.

Inclusive: It's clear that mobile is about more than just one device, one type of ad format or one style of ad campaign. Our ad solutions span across search, text, display, video, commerce and more, on a wide variety of devices, and enable businesses and consumers to connect in newly relevant and useful ways.

Made for mobile: Mobile devices have unique characteristics like location awareness and touch screens (and the ability to make phone calls!) that make it easy for people to engage with information conveniently, and create unique opportunities for businesses as well. Our ad solutions are built to help marketers, developers and publishers take advantage of these mobile-specific characteristics.

So it's just the same Google message in a mobile environment. Sell more ads.

We're not saying this is necessarily news but whenever Google draws attention to itself for something other than its core web search business you have to pay attention.

Couple that with what promises to be a "Is it the death of Android?" rush in the news once the iPhone hits Verizon tomorrow (oh boy, can't wait for that), and you can see why Google wants to shift the focus to something they can profit from whether it's on an Android device, an iPhone, a BlackBerry or a whatever.

Ads are platform agnostic and that's enough to justify this view from Mountain View. Whether we like it or not, if Google is paying attention then we need to as well.

Last FM Mobile Switches from Ad-Supported to Subscriber Based

Posted: 08 Feb 2011 04:15 PM PST

Starting on February 15, mobile Last FM listeners will have to pay $3.00 a month to continue their service. That’s less than most people spend on coffee or soda in a day so no big deal, right? Wrong. As expected, the response to the company’s blog post announcement has been mostly about people ready to jump to a competitor rather than pony up the bucks.

The refusal to pay for what they once got free is pretty common in the internet space and it’s becoming more and more of an issue as news outlets and video sites switch over to the paid subscription model. But what’s really interesting here is a line from Last FM’s post:

“On emerging mobile and home entertainment devices, it is not practical for us to deliver an ad supported radio experience, but instead, we will migrate to what we believe is the highest quality, lowest cost ad-free music service in the world.”

The subscription fee is only being required for those who use Last FM on Android, iPhone, or home receivers. X-Box users will still get it free as part of their monthly X-Box Live subscription and Microsoft Windows Mobile 7 users will also get a free pass. Why? Because according to a response to comments in the forum, “Windows is subsidizing that feature for the WinMob7 launch.”

When asked to clarify “not practical,” the same spokesperson noted:

Essentially because some of the devices that are part of this change just can’t support advertising, and streaming isn’t without cost.

Can’t support advertising? iPhone can’t support advertising? Granted, I’m not a Last FM user, so maybe I’m missing some fine detail here. Perhaps it’s not so much “can’t support” in the technical sense, but “can’t support” in the “there’s not enough return on investment way.” That, I understand. Mobile advertising may be growing but that doesn’t mean it’s a slam dunk. Still, $3 per person hardly seems like it will pay the bill even if all of their current users choose to pay up, which they won’t.

Oh, and if you do pay, don’t think that buys you a completely ad free experience. According to the FAQ, Last FM has a deal with video supplier VEVO that allows them to place ads on their content and they can’t be removed without removing the content, too.

It’s hard to say if Last FM can survive as a subscription service. At a quick glance, it doesn’t seem that they have anything special enough or a loyal enough audience to make it so. But is this the trend of the future? Certainly a subscription model is easier to manage than an ad-supported model but can it be just as, or even more effective?

Can You Name the Brand Behind the Little Darth Vader Ad?

Posted: 08 Feb 2011 01:39 PM PST

Probably not.

Nielsen has turned in the numbers on this year’s Super Bowl ads and what was popular and what was memorable were two very different things.

Little Darth Vader attempting to use the Force on everything from baby dolls to the dryer took the top spot as the most popular Super Bowl ad, but it didn’t even make the top ten for brand recall.

Doritos was the winner across the board with ads that were both popular and had high brand recognition. The Pug attack got the top spot for the most recalled brand ad while the licking cheese fingers and grandpa’s ashes came in fourth and fifth for popularity.

Bridgestone’s beaver saves the day ad was the second most popular but didn’t make the recall list at all. Incredibly, the E-Trade baby came in third most popular. I’m over those babies and I’m surprised it pinged at all.

On the recall end, other than Doritos, Budweiser and PepsiMax all scored in the top five.

Groupon didn’t make either list, so apparently their controversial ad wasn’t controversial enough to be remembered.

The marketing takeaway from all of this? Cute is popular but it doesn’t sell cars, expensive fantasy graphics won’t make you remembered or popular, but slapstick sells. Hit a guy with a dog or a woman with a Pepsi can and watch your sales skyrocket.

It’s a sad, sad, world.

See the full list of most popular and most recalled ads at AdAge.com

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