We Love Mobile

Flash mobile is no more

Grant Kemp — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 17:14:49 +0000

Adobe is to announce controversially that they will be ceasing flash development on mobile devices going forward.

In a leaked briefing to its partners, Adobe has sensationally said that there will be no future development on its flagship product for mobile devices and will instead focus on HTML5 and creating tools to make mobile applications.
It will also continue to develop for the desktop both in and out of browser.

Apple win? I think not!

Adobe throwing in the towel on mobile is going to be seen as a victory for Apple who famously shunned the platform from its devices. In fact Steve Jobs famously recommended them to do such a think last year in his “thoughts on Flash” post where he said:

Perhaps Adobe should focus more on creating great HTML5 tools for the future, and less on criticizing Apple for leaving the past behind.

In actuality, I think this illustrates a clear pattern that any platform that fails to find its killer application, is destined to fail. At the moment there are no real games or apps which are based on mobile flash which have caught the imagination of the public at large.

Even on the Android handsets that support flash, the implementation can be fiddly with only part of the flash image visible. The key success factor that adobe failed to grasp is that any mobile product needs to be designed for mobile from the ground up, instead of porting a desktop product and trying to make it fit.

Ironically Flash’s multimedia capabilities and performance far outstrips that of any other competing technologies, in fact its because of this that its gaining great traction in the gambling, advertising, live broadcast and TV markets, where it has reduced the cost of production significantly.

Not a lot of people will mourn the loss of flash on mobile, however there is a clear gap in the market for a mobile solution that is quick to develop and will give great video overlays and 3d performance.

For those users on Android phones like Sony Ericsson and playbooks with flash, Adobe will make sure that there are security update and critical bug fixes to existing releases.

Well done to ZDNET blog for picking up the info

By Grant Kemp, Head of Delivery, We Love Mobile Ltd

This is a repost of an article I wrote on my blog androidbloke.co.uk posted last week, which I hope will be of interest to WLM readers.

Mobile Focus: QR codes

Izabela — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 16:34:20 +0000

We can see that increasingly more brands (and some bands) are using QR codes in their marketing campaigns. There are some very good examples, such as the Red Hot Chilli Peppers promotion of their new album I’m with You. By scanning the QR code on album posters you get a link to a mobile friendly website where you can pre-order the CD, listen and buy the new single, watch a YouTube video and share content on Facebook. (Scan the QR code: http://tinyurl.com/3t9l6mj)

QR codes can not only lead the user to a landing page, but also prompt them to download an app or drive traffic to a Facebook page. Tesco’s in South Korea utlised QR codes to create a virtual pop up shop in a subway station in Seoul. This enabled an easy way to do your daily shopping while commuting home. (http://tinyurl.com/3tex42d)

Despite the QR code hype we would warn anybody thinking of using them that UK penetration is still relatively low and varies across age-groups. We had a look at the latest stats from Comscore Mobilens to get a better understanding of QR code usage.

Scanning QR codes still remains a minor activity as only 5% of total UK audiences engage with them (in comparison to mobile internet usage which amounts to 44.6%). The same refers to smartphone users only – 10% of them engage with QR codes while 78.5% access the mobile internet.

Using QR codes are not the best solution if you want to assure wide reach across all age groups. Younger people, 13-34 year olds, are more likely to engage with QR codes, so using them in marketing campaigns targeting this group is more relevant (especially in the case of 18-24 year olds).

You should also think where you want to place a QR code on your marketing communications – putting it on websites, product packaging, posters or flyers seems to be most effective. The size of the QR code must be big enough so that people can scan it easily, especially when it comes to outdoor billboards or tube stations. Some campaigns risk failure because the QR code is not visible enough on the creative.

Surprisingly, people scan QR codes mainly at home, so you have to consider that they will engage with them more often when sitting on a comfy sofa then when out and about.

QR codes are useful when you want to lead consumers to product or event information, you can also consider using them when distributing mobile coupons and driving app downloads.

We are confident that QR code awareness and usage will grow, so even if for the moment it is a niche tool, it will sooner or later appeal to the mainstream audience, just like in South Korea!

Best of mobile website design (part 1)

Izabela — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 07:50:27 +0000

As a mobile design agency we are focused at delivering campaigns that are easy, integrated, useful, for everyone, and above all – beautiful. That is why we think it is important to get our there and find the best examples of mobile design, and share them with you.

To be honest, we found it quite difficult to discover REALLY good mobile website design. By this we don’t mean good user experience, but the actual design of the site itself. Nevertheless there are a few mobile gems that please the eye.

This week we have found three websites that deserve to be presented because they stand out from thousands of mediocre designs that we see every day.

We love the official Colorado tourism mobile site (http://www.colorado.com/m) for it’s crisp images and a simple, user friendly navigation. It has really nicely designed, ‘super icons’ make the experience easy to read and inviting. These super icons are becoming a trend in mobile – started by the original (and sadly superceded) Midomi application and taken on to good effect by Windows Mobile. It also explores the use of vertical scrolling as a benefit – another trend that you will see is becoming more prevalent as mobile design kicks off as a discipline in it’s own right.

The Burton mobile website (http://mobile.burton.com) is another site that makes a benefit of super icons and bold, oversized buttons, combined with a simple layout that lacks in feel, but delivers in slick experience. It is arguably a bit ‘shouty’, in that the supersize fonts do take up maybe more space than necessary, but overall it really delivers. The product super icons are a real delight in pared back design.

Benthebodyguard.com is a very cool and innovative piece of web design that works perfectly on mobile. It carries the vertical scrolling experience to it’s logical conclusion, and provides a lovely piece of design without having to overdo the tech.

It is very different to the others, in that it makes a serious attempt to use the browsing experience a linear narrative – using a ‘mean streets’ illustration/render to guide the user, and literally making a hero of the viewing focus.

It also reminds me of Grand Theft Auto 2 – my fave mobile game of all time.

Next month we will come back with more mobile design loveliness. Do not hesitate to recommend us any good schizzle that we could include in our review.

Ben

We are looking for a Mobile Web Developer

andy.burgess — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 14:14:24 +0000

We are looking for a mobile web developer to lead in the development of cutting edge mobile web applications for our clients across a range of front-end technologies to ensure an optimum experience across mobile devices.

Job Description:

To provide superior service to the mobile technology unit by:

Ensuring that projects are delivered on time against detailed project requirements
Work from wireframes, design and technical documents to develop mobile websites to meet the project requirements and to assist/advice in the technical design process
Pro-actively come up with new ideas & improvements to enhance the WLM mobile tools framework
Create mobile web templates and integrate into a backend platform

Specification & Skills

An individual who has:

Expert knowledge and experience of developing in HTML5, XHTML-MP, CSS and JavaScript for mobile devices
PHP/Codeigniter skills
Motivated & a passion for mobile technology
An ability to work comfortably in a busy agency environment

If you think you fit the bill please email andy@welovemobile.co.uk

Mobile Focus: 45-54 year olds

Izabela — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 16:31:09 +0000

This is the first Mobile Focus blog entry in which we want to present mobile usage trends for chosen demographics such as age, income, region, etc.

For us and our clients getting to the core of the target audience is crucial; so we need a clear understanding of mobile habits and needs. Knowing how segments use mobile allows us to come up with better products, whether it’s an app, mobile website or SMS campaign. As ever with mobile, first think about the consumer, and then build tailored mobile solutions around their mobile technology ownership and usage patterns.

To start with, we picked the 45-55 age group which is often underestimated by digital marketers. We think that it is important to understand older consumers, as they become increasingly relevant in an ageing population. In addition, their spending power is the highest of all age groups and they are catching-up with technology such as internet and mobile faster then we may think.

Forty-five to 54 year olds are the wealthiest age group; their budget allowing them to spend money on smart-phones, which they are increasingly doing – but at a slower rate than younger groups – but still a 10% growth in 2010 – 2011. The Symbian platform is, for the time being, the most popular, with around 10% of 45-54 year olds having Nokia handsets – the number hasn’t changed much in the last year. Google Android users (6.3% in April 2011) are dominating Apple users in this segment and enjoying steady growth (from 1% to 8.4% over the year). RIM handsets had the lowest growth: 1.6% over the last year (representing 5.3% by April 2011).

45-54 year olds: smart-phone penetration and smart-phone platform usage

Not surprisingly, Nokia handsets dominate our top ten handsets for this segment, with Samsung Tocco Lite being the second popular handset and HTC Desire (an Android device) the third. The top two devices are feature-phones, the first one being a low-end handset.

Application usage has steadily grown from 31 to 39% over the year. This is very similar to mobile browser usage, which grew from 24.7% (April 2010) to 33.3% (April 2011).

45-54 year olds: application and mobile web usage

Among 45 – 54 year olds social networking via mobile devices is not the most popular activity (fourth browser access subcategory and second application access category). Nevertheless, access to social networking sites has increased from 3.2% to 6.4% over the past year.

Nearly four per cent of 45-54 year olds use their mobile to check-in via social networks – a figure which grew by 0.7% in the last month.

So, in summary, don’t ignore this group when it comes to mobile web and app based services and campaigns, their adoption of smartphones is increasing rapidly (especially for Android) and their use of mobile data is also steadily growing as we approach a point where over half of the UK population (that’s everyone folks!) is using mobile apps and internet on a regular basis.

Keep taking the tablets – Who is using the iPad and who isn’t

Izabela — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 13:55:01 +0000

For a while now we’ve known that media tablets are the latest talked about product. As with any new piece of technology, the first adopters make a lot of noise, and often work in agencies! However, we now have more tangible data available for us to measure tablet reach amongst normal people. This means we can start to make informed decisions around the relevance of these devices for clients and their customers. Some of the data is presented below.

First, an update on the tablet leader – the iPad. According to Comscore Mobilens survey, which covers five European markets, more than half of iPad users are male (62.4%), compared with 58.8% of male smartphone users and a 50-50 split for all mobile users. The iPad is particularly popular with 25-44 year olds.

In the UK (also from Comscore data) the iPad is very popular among those under 24 (4.3%), while Samsung’s Galaxy tablet is used by 0.8% of teenagers mobile users. These figures correspond with smartphone penetration, which is highest among the 18-34 age group.

Smartphone and tablet penetration correlates with income, which may suggest that people see these devices as still being relatively expensive, particularly the iPad.

iPad penetration is highest in London. Northern Ireland has the highest percentage of tablets though a low percentage of them are iPads; a fact that might be explained by a very high iPod Touch ownership (10.2%).

Media tablet consumption still lags far behind smartphone ownership, but is still a significant niche product, especially considering that tablets are new to the market. We’ll be keeping an eye on growth in this sector. Right now developing web or apps solely for the iPad or tablets means catering for a London centric first adopter well off male skewed audience – a bit like the iPhone market 18 months ago.

Before we dismiss tablets as a marketing tool, we need to consider some of their unique features, namely:

1. Their big screen and interactive (touchscreen) abilities, which allows for portable highly engaging experiences

2. Their adoption by wealthy influencers

3. Their PR ability

With this in mind, we think that iPad apps are particularly relevant when:

1. You want to position yourself as cutting-edge, technology focused and innovative brand – for example, we are currently developing iPad apps for Peugeot to showcase their forward looking design

2. You want to offer enhanced experience at the point of purchase - retailers such as Burberry use iPads in-store to increase consumer engagement and facilitate the buying process

3. You want to facilitate the B2C sales process – estate agents use iPads to showcase properties, we are currently considering them for client’s B2B sales teams

4. You are looking at media and content – the iPad is a great device to create an interactive experience on a big screen, so consider using it to deliver and enhance existing book, magazine and video assets

5. You want to make the most of your app offering – for example any Android or iOS app can easily be tweaked to work well on a tablet

We are looking for a Lead iOS Developer

andy.burgess — Fri, 20 May 2011 13:02:09 +0000

We Love Mobile is a full service mobile marketing agency growing at an exceptional rate. Currently 12 persons strong we are looking for a driven Lead iOS Developer to join the team to help deliver our increasing portfolio of tier 1 clients, including Peugeot, Coke, and Molson Coors.

Over the past year we have created applications for Peugeot, Dunhill, Visit Norway and Auto Trader and our intention is to expand our in-house team of application developers with industry specialists.

Overview:

The purpose of this role is to lead in the development and maintenance of iOS applications and to innovate in our application offering.

Job Description:

To provide superior service to the mobile technology unit by:

Ensuring that projects are delivered on time against detailed project requirements
Work from wireframes, design and technical documents to develop iOS applications to meet the project requirements and to assist/advice in the technical design process
Pro-actively come up with new ideas & improvements to enhance the WLM mobile tools framework and application offerings for our clients
Review code developed by 3^rd party providers and contractors
Work with the Head of Technology to access 3^rd party providers, contractors and to build a team of iOS developers

Specification & Skills

An individual who has:

Expert iOS/Objective-C development skills and a high level of understanding of OO programming
Motivated & a passion for mobile technology
A creative mind that can work with the team to develop ideas for our clients
An ability to work comfortably in a busy agency environment
Other application platform knowledge (Android, WebOS, Symbian, Blackberry, Windows Phone) desirable though not essential
An attention to detail
A fast learner

Interested? Please e-mail info@welovemobile.co.uk in the first instance.

We Love Mobile Open Studio & Museum Tour Thursday 5 May, 2-7pm

Izabela — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 18:11:05 +0000

As a part of the Digital Shoreditch festival, on Thursday 5 May from 2 – 7pm, we will be hosting an open studio in our office in the TEA building. Anyone who is keen to find out more about our mobile work and have a drink with our lovely team is very welcome. You will also have a once in a lifetime opportunity to take a guided tour of the We Love Mobile Phone Museum!

Exclusively for Digital Shoreditch festival the WLM team has developed a unique mobile experience which reveals the rebellious street-art culture of Shoreditch. To start the experience you must come to our open studio where instructions and clues will be given. There is a worthy reward for those who complete the game…not mentioning the satisfaction from discovering the lost art of Shoreditch via the latest in location based mobile technology.

More info at: http://digitalshoreditch.com/events/

1,000!

Izabela — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 08:03:11 +0000

On 1 March 2011 We Love Mobile reached its first 1,000 Twitter followers!!

We’ve been using our Twitter account for a while now, updating you with all that’s exciting in the mobile space. Among our followers are companies, magazines & organizations that share a passion for mobile — some of them we know very well, some we’d like to know more.
Some time ago Simon and I were discussing whether using Twitter as a marketing & PR channel could bring any tangible benefits. It seems like today everyone is using Twitter to assure their presence in the cloud — even if they don’t have much to say.

For brands and service companies such as mobile operators Twitter is a useful tool to inform customers about new products, discounts and promotions. For advertising agencies it’s a little more difficult to attract followers and keep their attention, since there are many other sources of the communication, such as blogs and online magazines.

Nevertheless, Twitter remains a good way for us to present ourselves, express our opinions on mobile campaigns and interesting stats or technology.

We won’t bother you with boring Tweets. We’ll be keeping it simple, concise and exciting!

Here is a bit of insight into our Tweeting habits:

This year we will definitely Tweet more!!

Mornings are best for Tweeting

This is what’s being said on our Tweeter

So, this blog post about our twittering complete, next i’ll be tweeting this blog post…

Making the most of mobile in the pharmaceutical sector

Izabela — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 12:15:31 +0000

Our MD Simon Liss was asked to share some thoughts on the use of B2B mobile in the pharmaceutical sector. The article was published in the February 2011 issue of the Pharmaceutical Marketing. Enjoy!

Click on the image to download the full article