Now Google Takes Mobile Marketing A Notch Higher
Last week one of the tech world's most anticipated spiritual events took place in the US. The Google IO is the religious equivalent of a pilgrimage. Developers and tech enthusiasts shift their attention to one of the world`s most followed businesses.
In around 72 hours, Google announces what it has been up to in the previous year and launches or announces new products. This event is followed by nearly 50,000 people on Youtube. This year one of my friends attended (and returned with a spanking new Nexus 7) while i followed tits and bits on Youtube.
Google announced the newest version of Android. Jelly bean as Google calls it has many new enhancements to some existing functions within android. Its predictive and offline typing features as well as voice recognition will impress many consumers. Google's Chrome browser will also be available for Apple devices. Chrome is the platform on which apps from Google are bought.
For the mobile marketer though, Google now a virtual personal assistant that works on information from Google's databases is possibly the one thing that stood out. Google now works as a personal assistant and learns about its user as it goes along. The system then correlates information about you and can anticipate and advise on events or activities.
Google now can for instance keep track of a calender and correlate it with live traffic data. Thus your phone could advise you that you may need to leave early for a meeting because traffic is heavy on a particular road. It may also anticipate that since you like pizza and will be near a pizza shop then you need some recommendations of what that shop specialises in. It could even help you order.
The capacity to integrate marketing information into consumers' daily activities creates a new dimension in marketing. For instance, because you use a specific road or visit a specific pub, i may in future be able to send you a voucher or a drink recommendation in advance of your trip. Behavioural targeting will get more and more refined.
Knowing consumers though, it may take them them some time before they can get comfortable with receiving instructions or marketing messages ahead of their thoughts or actions. The feeling that some one could be following may spook them and marketing will need to approach these new media opportunities cautiously.
New media entertainment devices launched at the IO 2012 will also change access to web content by consumers around the world. At less than 200 dollars the Nexus 7 will be an accessible and a robust device with which to engage with cloud based games and movies. To understand the import of this the device costs less than the average premium smartphone in Kenya. Those smart phone users will thus have options whose performance can deliver content and gaming experience not seen before.
Frank is Lead consultant at FMC and CEO at Mobile agency Sponge .