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Where is freedimensional?

By Tom Saunter on June 3, 2009 // advertising, mobile

You’ve probably read about Google Latitude, and maybe even used it yourself. I’ve been using it mostly without meaning to, because I activated the service on my N95′s Google Maps and the bloody thing never turns off. Here’s where I am right now:

 

Locative technologies are a growing area of interest for me. I believe that GPS, cell-tower triangulation and even good old Bluetooth will play a large part in making cloud-computing extra-relevant to consumers.

I know that people get a bit funny with the blend of real locations and virtual space (see Google Street View debacle) but once we’re all using our next-gen pieces of UI, your networked device could begin to act as a portal to new layers of information useful to you about the city, street, or shop you are in.

I am talking about location-based advertising. An implementational nightmare, but it is foreseeable that Semantic technologies could serve geographically relevant messages, charging advertisers on a cost per impact basis. Google kind of do this with their local search results. It’s a bit shit at the moment though.

The nearest we have to the kind of next-gen solution I’m thinking of is lastminute.com’s free service NRU, available on the Android OS. It lets you scan around your environment with your phone acting as a viewfinder, where cinemas, restaurants and theatres are overlaid in a sonar-like interface. These services pay a small amount to lastminute.com on an affiliate basis, or are paid inclusions:

NRU for Android, from lastminute on the G1

There’s one locative service I’m disappointed never took off in the UK, despite being around for a while. BrightKite is a kind of location-based Twitter, and it had real promise until Google came stomping all over them with the release of Latitude.

If I were to ‘check in’ at The Queens Larder on Russell Square, BrightKite users would see my marker and message on a map of the area, as well as other people checked in nearby. The potential for social interaction is high, because through using the service one feels proximity with other users.

With all this in mind, I’d like my readers to ‘feel closer’ to me, so as well as in this post I’ll be placing my Latitude Location Badge on my Contact Page. If you’re in the vicinity, go ahead and either serve me an advert or say hello. I won’t mind which.

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Mobile Advertising Gets Clever

By Tom Saunter on December 3, 2008 // advertising, mobile, Technology
| Mobile Advertising Gets Clever | Digital Cortex

QR Code for WAP Address

The premise of online media is that it is fully accountable, a feature  that I’m sure contributes to Digital’s continued growth during the recession.
It means I can track from impression to conversion across hundreds of thousands of users.
It means I can optimise towards my best performing sites to maximise ROI.
It means any number of other benefits, which I’ll come to in a later post (heh).

For a couple of years, Mobile has been nought but a testing ground for advertisers, a place to paddle around in experimental waters, usually as a way to get the most out of any remaining budget.
It was impossible to gain true visibility over the results, because the infrastructure was constantly in flux, as the big players fought for their technologies to take precidence.

Now the Mobile space is beginning to settle down, everything is changing…

Our new mobile ad campaign will be the first in the world to run through a third party adserver. In partnership with Nokia and Eyeblaster, my agency have planned and are about to execute the first wholly trackable mobile campaign.  This means the same visibility and efficiencies can be ported to a new medium, from the better established digital cousin of Online.
This breakthrough may very well mean Mobile is a first addition to a plan, rather than a final one.

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Yamake

By Tom Saunter on November 20, 2008 // gaming, mobile


Yamake Shortfilm from Yamake on Vimeo.

Tonight I’m going to a press event for the launch of Yamake, the first user-generated social game for Mobile.

Created by Gameware Development (Cambridge), and published through N-Gage by Nokia, the game allows users to share content with others based on a simple gaming mechanic.

A full review will appear once I’ve got a copy, but in the meantime check out this promo video.

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Introducing… DVB-H

By Tom Saunter on October 28, 2008 // mobile

Problem:
9% of UK mobile subscribers accessed video on their mobile last month, but just 0.8% accessed Broadcast TV on their mobile. Although the demand exists, broadcasters can’t create an audience for Mobile TV due to technology constraints.

Solution:
DVB-H (Digital Video Broadcasting – Handheld) enabled devices have an inbuilt chip (top right) that picks up TV signals. They use the same frequency as Freeview, so images are immediate and crystal clear, effectively offering consumers a portable Digital TV.

Market Readiness:
DVB-H is a key feature of Nokia’s new N96 and N92 (bottom left), and we can expect more DVB-H enabled devices in 2009.
Uptake will be slow however, since operators will initially charge users to access the service.
Deals already in place see users spending £2/day to access their partners’ video content, so there is no incentive for operators to promote the service.

Potential for Advertisers:
Mobile TV is no threat to the dominance of ‘at home viewing’ (3.5hrs avg. usage/day) but the behaviours are very different.
The ‘Mobile Audience’ will watch most during travel times: 0800-0930 and 1630-1800, so broadcasters should schedule programming to meet viewer demands.
I predict this will result in mobile-specific variants of existing channels, where popular programs are scheduled during travel times. Advertisers should therefore consider mobile specific creative, tapping into the users’ on-the-move psyche with a firm call to action such as “go in-store now!”

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Introducing… The Pico-Projector

By Tom Saunter on October 6, 2008 // mobile

Problem:
Mobile multimedia capabilities are increasing in uptake and potential, but the small form-factor we so desire in our handsets are beginning to inhibit a rich user experience.
The typical mobile screen size is 320×240.

Solution:
If your mobile has a pico-projector, it will be able to emit high-res imagery onto any suitable surface, up to 50″ in width.
This unlocks the full immersive power of your mobile web browser, 3D games engine, DivX movie player or video conferencing.

Market Readiness:
Pico-projectors are already on sale as stand-alone units, though are yet to be implemented in mobiles, PMPs or laptops.
The first of these hardware mashups will be on sale in the East by the end of this year, but it’ll likely be another 18 months before they reach Western shores.

Potential:
Aside from the new opportunities for deeper engagement with content and software on the mobile platform, the largest socio-cultural change will occur once people begin to share their mobile experience.
Picture regular consumers using the real world as a medium for virtual interaction.
Location-aware video advertising anyone?

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