I was very fortunate to be in Barcelona while this event was taking place. There was over 65,000 people from 200 countries who descended upon the Fira de Barcelona for the GSMA Mobile World Conference. It was at the gates of the Montjuic Palace, inside 12 huge pavillions. People who showed up were Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer, x Google’s Eric Schmidt and Twitter’s Dick Costelo. I didn’t see Apple ANYWHERE — specially since they set the standards!
Here are 3 key trends every marketer needs to know! 1) TABLETS HAVE LANDED. This is a game changer. HTC, SAMSUNG, BLACKBERRY, NOKIA…and almost all manufacturers came up with one for the event. This will replace many industries, but will also grow many new ones. Specially in education! Normally anchored by
smartphones, this year, I would say over half the buzz was about Tablets. (the other half was about 3D mobile phones and NFCs) Expect to see a barrage of new releases and exciting brands in the next 6-12 months.
2) ITS AN ANDROID WORLD Right now, Android is seeing 300K+ phone activations per day on 170 handsets from 27 device vendors – it is the world’s fastest growing mobile platform. Furthermore, Android-equipped tablets and smartphones from Sony, HTC, Motorola and Samsung were among the most sought-after devices. If there are any marketers who have questioned Android, now is the time to get over it. It’s not just about the iPhone anymore!
3) Announcing the Marriage of mobile and social: Consumers and brands finally want the exact same thing – both are looking for devices that gel all communication
channels. At this event I learnt that 16% of consumers say they WANT to interact with a brands via a social network on their mobile phone! (Yes Playboy fans, read again)
