Media Convergence and Mobility

Over at The Economist Media Covergence site you will find this neat little video announcing their Media Convergence Forum later this month (October 20-21, 2009 in NYC).  The video which, provided for you below, is about the pace of change…

The surge of new technologies and social media innovations in today’s environment is significantly altering the future media landscape for marketers. Consumer behaviour is changing and the way marketers reach their audience must also change. Marketers are searching for new ways to not only reach their customers, but to understand them, to peer inside their minds. As the level of consumer understanding increases, so can the knowledge of how best to reach them. However the plethora of tools at a marketers disposal is not easy to navigate and real learning comes from a real understanding of the future of media convergence.

What is amazing about this convergence (and of interest to us) is that much of it will happen on your mobile devices – smartphones, cell phones, iPods or whatever is portable enough to be with you and has the ability to connect you.  By virtue of it always being with you, the mobile phone is the most personal (dare I say intimate?) of devices.  Let us look at a few questions:

1. How many of you have personal pictures on your mobile? (It holds your precious treasures)
2. How many of you keep your personal appointments or reminders on your mobile? (Like a personal assistant)
3. Is your mobile phone your alarm? (You go to bed and wake up with it)
4. Does your mobile phone serve as your GPS? (Gives you directions – helps you get to where you need to go)
5. Oh, and lest we forget … it is also our phone.  Giving us quick and easy access to anyone.

There are many uses and most importantly many personal uses.

And because you are busy, always running around either for work or for home the mobile device has grown in importance to you and continues to do so.  Marketers know this (and so does everyone else in the world) .  They want to interact with you as close to that moment of want as possible.  That moment when you see something and you want it! Or even better for them … they want to have a hand in creating that moment for you. Marketers, merchandisers and everyone else wants to interact with you as much as possible and wherever you find yourself. The mobile phone allows the message (whatever that may be) to reach you wherever you find yourself. For many of you … where they find your mobile phone they will most likely find you! That’s why media convergence is taking place at the mobile phone. Not because of the phone. But because of you.

More and more (and this is nothing new I realize that) you will see your brands with you at all times and you will see the competition for a share of you increase.  A share of your time, a share of your mind … which ultimately leads to a share of your heart.  When your heart is in it – that speaks of brand loyalty.

I could go on but since I feel little cheese in those last words let’s jump to the video now.  We will pick this up later (maybe).

I found the video at the Social Mobilist, a place where you will find some of my writings from time to time.