Internet World event review; Earls Court, London

Just attended the show, its impressive to see the diversity to some extent, of the operations that are developing. However what is slightly alarming is how when you dig below the surface there are so many companies with a similar offering!
CMS, email, web design… Everyone is doing it, the battle is to shout loudest.

What is differentiating all these companies?

I have seen more than 12 simply selling their unique, all conquering cms!

So how do these shows really work? At the end of the day anyone in web should have an impressive site anyway, that’s why I find them and then their content has to be good otherwise otherwise I scream deception, fraud, they are not living up to the promise, its a sham!

So what did I get out of it, well a lot of uncomfortable surreptitious badge staring, as people try to figure you out, some trumpet blowing and plenty of desperate sales guys, many just hired for the day!

However I was about to make my exit when I noticed that Scott Seaborn from Ogilvy was giving a little insight into mobile media, totally intrigued and a little naïve in this sector I had to attend!

Blimey if nothing else that was worth being there for! Far to short of course as they kept it to a mere 25 mins and how Scott managed to keep it to that I will never know, he managed to cram in such an thorough insight. I would have thought for many in that theatre it was truly mind blowing, it certainly was for me.

These guys at Ogilvy have certainly got their eyes on the ball and they have been tinkering with this stuff for a few years now.

From the Guiness Rugby Sevens tour widget to the latest Fanta teen game, its awe inspiring to see just what the mobile medium can actually achieve.

This medium really does make the current multi-channel approaches to marketing seem fractured, through deploying exciting interactive  and often useful apps (applications) from web to phone, the brand that is assigned with the app, not only gains credible exposure but actually achieves the ability to be constantly in view to the user. This ability to develop an intrinsic relationship with the user is so fundamentally powerful, not only can the brand provide a useful function, thereby promoting many integrity and added value messages, but the app can actually generate enhanced conversion to sales.

The difference as Scott put it, is moving from the typical Push marketing approach to the more appealing and effective Pull.

By understanding then utilising the vast array of features and functions a mobile phone can offer, in conjunction with every day actions such as shopping or playing games or travelling, the mobile app ‘creators’ can effectively convert the phone from a primary use tool into a complete ‘personal assistant’.

I hear you say, ‘well isnt that what the Iphone does?’ Now I know that Apples Iphone has obviously provided a relatively open platform for some incredibly innovative and pioneering mobile applications, however firstly the majority of apps currently promote the developer or Apple and secondly this access is obviously based on having an Iphone.

Its taken some time for the UK to really start noticing the possibilities of Mobile and for me today was an impressive wakeup call, keep an eye out as to what Pomegranate will do next!

Duncan Thomas