Say “Bye bye computers,” and “Hello mobile phones.”

It’s hard to imagine a world where computers are old-hat, but that may be just where things are heading. In a recent Forrester report, one market segment is already spending more time on mobile social networking than on the computer or in front of the TV.

The primary mobile social technologies driving the change are social networking, media sharing, microblogs, social mapping and tagging. The social changes that these platforms have brought about are unprecedented in their speed and reach. Seventy five percent of consumers aged 8 to 18 are sending and receiving text messages daily; 41% are sending and receiving picture messages and 40% are downloading ring tones. This group are also five times more likely to publish a blog and upload photos to a public website, and 11 times more likely to add tags to web pages. And the young are not alone. According to Ipsos Insight, over half of social networkers of all ages prefer to use mobile devices for emails, texting, sharing videos and web browsing.

This represents an unprecedented opportunity for marketers moving forward. Essentially we are witnessing a rapid departure from the mass media to more closed network communications. This is undoubtedly a reflection of the growing need for micro media based social networks. Overlay this with behavioural targeting (refer our last article on RSS technology) and an entirely new and potent marketing opportunity becomes self-evident.


Perhaps for the first time in history, it is entirely possible to offer the right ad to the right person at the right time. The opportunity to tie in marketing with consumer convenience is therefore upon us. For example a consumer may soon search for the best price for a product using their mobile device. They may subsequently receive a one-off code for a further discount, incentive or other bonus. When you add friend-get-friend incentives into the mix, the potential is very clear.


Twitter co-founder, Biz Stone, may have said it best as quoted in The Guardian: “Our future holds in store the promise of increased connectivity to a powerful social Internet which truly extends to every little spot on our Planet Earth.” And that digital mobile phone in most teenagers’ hip pocket is a good place to start.