Features

Mobile Content: is there a World to explore, yet?

Last week I attended Mobile Content World and having had the weekend to reflect and consider I have to say that this might be a conference in search of an industry.

A few years ago the event was part of Mobile Payments and based in the Docklands Arena, when it was mainly focused on the guys behind Java Games and Smilies. This year we saw the arrival of the Broadcast sector into the event. The benefit was that these was one of the few conferences that I attend when the majority of those attending were female.

Wonder what they thought about the quality of some of those exhibiting when they were using girls in tight clothes to get customers!

The opening address was from Chuck D [above, right - co-founder of Public Enemy] who said that in both the and Europe he was confident that the mobile has an important role to play in creating a mass market for music video. He went on to say that the artists had to understand the distribution channel if they were not to be frozen out as they were with ringtones.

Then we had the head of product research for Sony Ericsson talk about what the company hoped to achieve in the next five years. Now the interesting thing was that he spoke about four simple segments, Camera, Business, Music and Games. The interesting thing is that he did not mention Mobile TV as something that Sony Ericsson are investing in at present.

The second day was when the TV on the Go theme kicked off. First up we had two executives from ABC tell us about how they viewed mobile TV. Yes; well at present it is no more than an experiment for them with Lost using snackable (new word for me and dictionary.com) clips to extend the Brand. They have also made mobile specific clips from production ideas that are not developed enough to be a "real" program.

The problem is that making TV is expensive and ABC cannot see who at present will pay for the experience!

After a panel talking about effective programming for mobile we then had what I considered to be the most disconnected from reality - talking about effectively monetising mobile.

On stage were two women from the largest independent production companies talking about how everyone can make money. This was pure fantasy from people who got lucky with text voting. When challenged about how could they attract someone who does not watch TV at home to do so on a Mobile , all they could say was do you text!

The final day was opened by Christian Lindholm from Yahoo! who outlined the issue with any content how do you get the user to do any data type services.

He said that the most likely key to the door is mobile email. Over 60% of the current handsets can do it but the mobile networks have not made it easy. Then people want a mobile photo service which will allow content to become conversations as users share with those that they know and do not know what they have been doing. Mobile Search is next on the list, at present this is a white screen. It needs to be a new navigation methodology which is about "Answers" rather than "Discovery" and needs local flavour preferably created by the community rather than search companies.

Christian is not sure about Mobile Music:  is it a feature or device, Lindholm asks; and  do you carry you iPod in your pocket or bag, and is it thus a convergent device? He also thinks that "the postage is too expensive" for full track.

Lindholm then moved onto Communities. These are a new form of social networks of which we are only seeing the first generation of start ups. He went on to talk about it being about things and content, known and unknown.

Finally he spoke on Mobile Video. He is not bullish as to this being the Killer App others spoke of; it could be successful but questions on the delivery network and timing means it could be another failed to take off.

In summary he said that the consumer buys form of function and thus you need a PhD in Consumer Behaviour to discover what the best "deal" is.

Although progress has been made from the early days of WAP the market is too fragmented, with over 200 separate devices are hitting the Yahoo! mobile site every month. Progress, he says, could be made when mobile brands build Tech Temples similar to the Apple Stores with gurus working to enlighten users.

Then we had a number of the providers talk about what they are doing to help speed the uptake of mobile. At this point I started to turn off as I was not interested in the sales pitches from Oracle, Amdocs and Infospace.

A couple of live focus groups were interesting - in that in hearing from real consumers it should have provided the epiphany needed to wake us all up to the fact that mobile is predominately about voice and all other services are supplementary.

Finally a little rant to the organisers. If you are going to stage an event on mobile it might be an excellent opportunity to make sure that you have some form of hotspot in place to give the delegates connectivity. Also- could you respect those who are attending by keeping to the timetable if not the speaker list? And if you must allow the sponsors on stage to talk, then please don't force them onto a panel that they add nothing to.