Control Freak Operators Hindering Mobile Ad Market?
In the battle to control mobile advertising, operators are being painted as control freaks. Bloomberg reports that web search companies Google, (NSDQ: GOOG) Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) and Yahoo (NSDQ: YHOO) are hoping to
It is hard to feel sorry for Google, Yahoo!, and Microsoft. They have the time and the brands, to figure out how to pry money out of the operators' hands. But to worry about them is to miss the point of who needs money, or as some of us call it, water, in the mobile ecosystem. Smaller, mobile search providers like InfoSpace, JumpTap, and Medio are driving much of mobile search today without the luxuries of their internet-based brethren. Equally threatened are hundreds of small content providers that make the mobile web a place worth visiting. The problem is that none of them are being given a chance to make money either. In order for the ecosystem to thrive, the gardeners need to do a little more watering. Otherwise, in time the world won't need gardners either.
It is a bit tiring to me to always here the term "mobile ad market" limited to the idea of little banners on little screens linking to little WAP sites. Text messaging plays elevate the possibilities nicely, but ultimately, we are banking that the mobile phone will always remain what it was from the beginning.. an audio device.
This opens up the discussion of mobile marketing in new ways. We can talk about it all day, and we are making it happen in 08.
:-)
Once again mocoNews and Bloomberg have delivered insightful articles on the mobile industry. With these and many other recent articles, the focus seems to be primarily on the mobile internet.
While the mobile internet is and will increasingly be critical to the future of mobile marketing, MMS messaging has recently gained interest as a marketing tool which can be used today and, perhaps, as a bridge to the future. At Cellyspace we believe MMS messaging may also increase the effectiveness of mobile marketing plans even when mobile internet advertising is broadly adopted.
Finally, it's in the best interests of all mobile companies to enhance the mobile user's experience. If we do, hopefully the carriers, web search providers and third party vendors will realize benefits to the extent they enhance that experience.