MaxxoMedia Digital Media and Entertainment Trends

From KenRadio.com
The role of mobile internet access in evolving digital lifestyles is the cornerstone of the second typology of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) users. The typology places ICT users into 10 groups and, notwithstanding variation across the groups, the groups fit into two baskets, with the groups’ collective judgments on mobility being the pivot point.

1. Motivated by Mobility: Five groups in this typology – making up 39% of the adult population – have seen the frequency of their online use grow as their reliance on mobile devices has increased. For these groups, growth in frequency of online use is linked not only to increasing broadband adoption, but to positive and improving attitudes about how mobile access makes them more available to others. Across the groups, a lot of variation exists regarding what these changes mean to users. Some find this extra connectivity a platform for self expression. Others are not entirely positive about ICTs’ impacts on their lives.

Razorfish, one of the largest digital marketing companies in the world, declared in its fifth annual Digital Outlook Report that television has morphed from a mass distribution channel to a collection of interactive and personal experiences. The report,  provides insightful industry commentary on topics such as the future of TV and Social Influence Marketing™ and examines media buying, planning and distribution trends from the past year.

Razorfish publishes the report to help marketers make smarter choices about their digital media spend and investments in digital marketing channels.

“Marketers have been talking over the past few years about the long tail of the Internet, but now we are seeing the development of a long tail of television,” said Terri Walter, vice president of emerging media at Razorfish. “TV is alive and well, but the viewing experience is moving from mass to niche in terms of both audiences and programming as consumers divide their time between computer screens, TV sets, mobile devices, gaming systems and set-top boxes. As viewership fragments, advertisers must find a way to adopt their messages to smaller, but potentially more valuable audiences.”

From KenRadio.com
In the past three years, developments in social networking and internet applications have begun providing internet users with more opportunities for sharing short updates about themselves, their lives, and their whereabouts online. Users may post messages about their status, their moods, their location and other tidbits on social networks and blogging sites, or on applications for sending out short messages to networks of friends like Twitter, Yammer and others.

Currently 15% of online American adults said they used a service like Twitter or another service that allowed them to share updates about themselves or to see the updates of others. Back in December 11% and in November 9% of internet users used Twitter or updated their status online and in May of 2008, 6% of internet users responded yes to a slightly different question, where users were asked if they used “Twitter or another ‘microblogging’ service to share updates about themselves or to see updates about others.”

As Mobile Marketer’s Outlook 2009 proves, marketers understand the need to integrate mobile into their multichannel branding, customer acquisition and customer retention plans.

Several trends are emerging as mobile matures into a medium that, while not without flaws, is a more palatable option than other marketing channels in use. The emphasis, however, should be on mobile’s complementary nature – it gives legs to other channels, including retail, online, television, print, coupons, radio, outdoor, direct mail and insert media.

Top of the trends list is the consumer’s growing comfort with consuming news and content on mobile phones, along with exchanging SMS text messages, shopping for products and services, checking email, playing games, conducting mobile banking transactions and searching for retail locations or driving directions.

Indeed, the mobile channel’s use as a location-enabling tool is quickly becoming evident to brands, ad agencies, retailers and, most importantly, consumers.

The definition of the Mobile Internet Device (MID) may be somewhat nebulous, given the category overlaps multiple products, ranging from some Ultra-Mobile PCs to certain Portable Media Players. However, there’s nothing nebulous about the MID growth opportunity, with global unit shipments expected to expand by nearly a factor of eight from 2007 to 2012. MID is projected to grow eightfold to spur to 416 million units by 2012, at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 50.6% from 53.8 million in 2007, according to iSuppli. While the exact definition of Mobile Internet Device is difficult to nail down, it’s characterizes as devices that have integrated connectivity for Wireless Local Area Network (WLANs), Wireless Metropolitan Area Networks (WMANs) or 3G-or-higher Worldwide Wide Area Networks (WWANs) and has a maximum size display of 8-inches in diagonal dimension, an instant-on function, an always-connectable capability and a full day’s worth of battery life. MID includes devices like UMPCs, netbooks, smart phones, portable navigation devices, e-book readers, portable media/MP3 players and handheld gaming devices, says the research.