This month we present Mobile @ Google - an in-depth look at what this internet giant is doing to revolutionise the humble mobile phone.
Google has always been at the forefront of innovation and open software development and things are no different in the mobile space. There has been a lot of talk in the press about Google’s recent mobile activities from potentially buying wireless spectrum in the USA to the game-changing Android mobile operating system and everything in between.
Justin Baird senior consumer product specialist of Google.
Come and talk to Justin Baird, Senior Product Specialist at Google Australia as he showcases some of Google’s latest mobile innovations from the user-friendly YouTube Java application to the Google Maps application with “my location” pinpointing your exact location at the push of a button. Justin will also showcase the Android platform and some of the applications that have already been built,as well as touching on some of Google’s mobile advertising initiatives.
mo’mojo
Also this month we are introducing a new special feature mo’mojo. Mobile Monday is not just about the top end of town showcasing their wares. Mobile Monday is also about innovation and industry development so this month we thought it was time to give something back.
If you or your company is working on something exciting in the mobile space and you want to share it with the community then this Monday is for you. Whether its content, technology or something completely left of field we want to hear about it. You’ll have 5 mins to present to the community with another 5 mins of Q&A from the floor so just remember to keep it short, sharp and sweet. If you want to present in mo’mojo email us at antony@qmcodes.com with a brief summary of your company and what you want to present.
Make sure to spread the word - Mobile Monday is open to anyone and remember it’s free to attend! Look forward to seeing you all soon.
Well folks for those of you who could make it to last month’s event, we promised you big and we certainly lived up to all expectations, 3 weeks on and we are still recovering.
The room was packed, the food was great, the drinks were free and the discussion was intense! With over 80 attendees and our most controversial evening yet The Mobile Monday Melbourne - Mobile TV event is going to go down in the Mobile history books.
Our last minute contender for the evening was Scott Taylor – head of Rich Media for Bigpond who represented the carrier’s point of view. With some very well rounded presentations from our sponsors for the evening being Mcomms and YoMo, both of which are doing some fantastic things in the mobile space we moved onto the reason why everyone was there, mobile TV, where it’s at and where it’s headed.
Opening our panellists was the charismatic Robbee Spadafora who held the floor with the view from the media networks and what they are doing to prepare for Mobile TV. Robbee gave the most engaging presentation we’ve had and even managed to throw in some audience participation. Robbee called on “that guy from Telstra” fellow guest speaker Scott Taylor to justify Telstra’s role as a “Mediacoms” company in the current climate of poor quality video and low market adoption. Bringing the audience to the stage as a human power point presentation, Robbee showcased how the Telco’s have a long way to go if they want to be a real mediacoms company. From the networks perspective the market just isn’t there yet, it is coming but until quality, price and content improve existing TV and online distribution will be the dominate platforms.
Next up was the knowledgeable Scott Taylor from Telstra who was given the right of reply to Robbee, the power point went out the window and the gloves came off! Scott highlighted that although still an early industry mobile TV is a very real and viable media channel with downloads and viewing exceeding expectations especially in the evenings. Add to this the fact that consumers are actually paying subscription fees for the content and you have a very strong business case for mobile TV.
Andrea Rule head of interactive at Mediacom showed us that the brands and agencies do in fact have a very strong understanding of the mobile channel and that this is an area of high interest. Ad-Land does in fact understand the need for compelling mobile content and advertising that is formatted for the medium, a traditional TV commercial broadcast for mobile does not make for a good user-experience. So for those content producers out there take note, brands are looking for compelling mobile content.
Mel Flanagan Producer of Street TV was our final speaker for the evening and did not disappoint. As the first made for mobile TV channel that is entirely advertising supported Mel showed us that packaged and delivered in the right way it is possible to create a compelling brand in the mobile space independent of any direct involvement a carrier may have on the content distribution. What is even more amazing is that Street TV has only been broadcasting for a year and already commands an audience of 40,000 UV’s per month and this number is growing every month,.
As always the Q&A with the audience opened up some heated debate and things carried on till the wee hours of the morning! I particular we would like to thank Robbee from 7 as even though she had an early morning flight back to Sydney she stayed to till the last and insisted that dinner was on 7, so thank you Robbee and thank you 7!
The MoMo Melbourne team took a trip up to Sydney for Mobile Content World in June. It was a busy 3 days, lots of talking, meeting….and perhaps a bit of drinking as well!. It was great to catch up with our National MoMo colleagues and hear about the way they go about managing MoMo in other states.
I did a wrap up of the event on my blog so I won’t repeat myself, but if you’re interested, check it out on http://mobilista.blogspot.com.
We are pleased to announce that our buddies at ACMI are seeing the mobile light and presenting the following symposium in a couple of week’s time. Great line-up of speakers and, like us, it’s free! So if you’re interested and want to learn more from those that know, head along - should be an insightful afternoon, continuing on from our successful March event.
—————————————- Australia’s leading Industry experts discuss the future of mobile games and entertainment. From humble portable communication device to a fully fledged media platform, mobile phones have come a long way.
Mobile is more than just a new platform to port existing games and entertainment to. Mobile phones have evolved into a new medium that requires new content and new ways of thinking. Business models are changing, pushing the demands of mobile delivery to the limits.
What are the challenges for designers and software developers? What’s new for mobiles? Is it all touch screens and hardware acceleration? The symposium will look at current models and production, as well as the future of technology and social trends.
Next Please. Money for mobile gems.1pm They say that big ideas come in small packages. And orginal and engaging mobile content is no exception. Quality content (at 3 minutes or less!) keeps audiences coming back for more. So, what support is there for mobile content development in Australia? How do traditional media makers retrofit their assets to the ever evolving mobile platform? Chaired by Amelia King, Head of Film Victoria’s Digital Media Fund with Steve Kearney (Ministudios) and Jim Shomos (Let’s Talk), this panel will case study their respective productions, the mobile game Ticklebum and the multi format 3 minute drama series Forget The Rules.
Audience Carrier. How mobile games connect with people.2.45pm From mobile social networks to mobile games, Australia’s home grown developers are world leaders in mobile entertainment. Creative and innovative, they are turning heads for both their content and their business models. But what good is content without an audience? And who’s audience is bigger than the carriers themselves? Join Rob Murray (Firemint), Che Metcalfe (Studio Kukan) and Michael Padden (BigPond) as they discuss mobile entertainment from both a producer and distributor perspective. With plenty of personal accounts and case studies, this is a must for any emerging mobile media maker. http://www.acmi.net.au/gameon_symposium.aspx
The next event from MoMo Melbourne is to be held on June 2nd at the Clarendon in South Melbourne, and this one is going to be huge.
Mobile TV – The 3rd Screen of Mass Media
Where it’s at, where it’s going and how it will affect you?
Mobile TV has the potential to change the way consumers engage with broadcast media forever, it is the ultimate game-changer, merging on-demand, broadcast and interaction into one always on, always connected portable platform.
This month we will discuss:
How does mobile TV impact upon the traditional business models?
Consumer vs Advertiser: Will consumers pay a subscription fee or is ad-funding the way?
What are advertisers and media networks doing to prepare for the 3rd coming?
Does mobile TV require made for mobile content or can you re-purpose existing content?
What’s happening in overseas markets and how far behind are we in Australia?
We have an amazing and entertaining panel of speakers lined up, already confirmed is:
Robbee Spadafora: Client Services & Research Director at Seven Network Ltd
Robbee is an exciting and highly engaging speaker who’s role at Seven takes her across across the group to develop multi-platform and integrated media initiatives involving Seven Media Group business including Channel Seven, Pacific Magazines, Yahoo!7, TiVo and mNet Corp (mobile).
Robbee has also held roles as director of AIMIA and closer to mobile as the director of marketing for m.Net corporation. With many years experience in the broadcast media arena Robbee is well versed on the existing and emerging business models and has some interesting opinions on the impact mobile will have.
Andrea Rule: Head of Interactive for Mediacom
Andrea’s role at Mediacom exposes her on a daily basis to emerging marketing channels and she has been involved in a number of innovative & successful campaigns over the years.
Mel Flanagan: Producer for Street TV
Mel has had an impressive career in content production spanning 14 years including associations with theatre productions such as Cats & Les Miserables, TV with BBC and film with Ned Kelly and Two Hands just to name a few.
Mel is currently working on Street TV a “made for mobile” interactive channel covering music, arts and culture with a presence on the Vodafone Live! portal.
Venue: Clarendon Hotel, 209 Clarendon St (cnr York)
Date: Monday 2nd June, 2008
Time: 5.30 for a 6.00pm start. (Presentations finish approx 8:30)
Food & drink will be provided by our June sponsors from YoMoTV and MComms, and we hope you can stay around after the presentations to enjoy their hospitality. We’d love to meet you.
Wow what an awesome evening May was and our biggest turn out yet, over 50 people in attendance from the length and breadth of the mobile eco-system with everyone from start-ups to carriers and all the players in between, a special nod to those that came all the way from Brisbane, we’re flattered!
The Lycette Brothers offered fantastic insight into their mobile content experiences when working with aggregators or as they put it in some instances “Alligators“. Advising that content aggregators certainly have their place and can be beneficial but be always sure to read the fine print and make certain you know where your content will end up once the deal is done. In particular the Lycette Brothers have found that branded content such as their work with Nickelodeon delivered the best results to date but they do have plans to start producing more of their own brand of mobile content as the market grows.
Jim Shomos of Forget the Rules fame was definitely one of our more opinionated speakers and gave the room a look into his experiences for securing funding and working with carriers for both Forget the Rules 1 & 2. In Jim’s case much of his revenue came at the beginning of the process with support from government bodies such as Film Victoria. Jim demonstrated that carriers realise the need for compelling content and that there is an opportunity in the right environment to work alongside them, but be wary
of signing over exclusive rights and don’t expect demand to be created just because you’re on a content portal.
Martin Ince, Manager for interactive data services at Telstra showcased the ways in which carriers help to facilitate the monetisation of content through the basic premium SMS services all the way through to premium video calling on 3G handsets and the potential for Wap Billing in the future. Martin also highlighted the recent reduction in Telstra’s off deck casual browsing rates for NextG subscribers down from $15 per mb to $2 per mb, this is a fantastic reduction and should incentivise many advertisers and content producer to start seriously considering mobile as a viable channel.
Our panel discussion as always proved to be lively and informative with questions focused on the future premium billing serivces such as Wap Billing and the ways in which advertisers considering branded mobile content could expect a return on their investment.
What’s clear from this event is monetisation is on everyone’s lips but the off deck models aren’t quite there yet, content producers are still going to have to work with and alongside carriers and aggregators to get original content out there and realise a decent return. The demand for mobile content is high and there is a great opportunity for advertisers to leverage the right format to reach their target audience but in mobile at least for now content producers are going to have to work hard to get their orginal content noticed.
We would like to give a special thank-you to all of our panelists, Jim Shomos, Martin Ince and John and Mark Lycette, thanks guys, great presentations and lots of deep insight. An an extra special thankyou to our food sponsor for the evening, INA Solutions who provide comprehensive online backup services for SOHO and SME customers.
This event has cemented Mobile Monday Melbourne as the place to be if you’re in mobile and we’re only going to get bigger from here on in, boy do we have some surprises in store!
See you all June 2nd for our mobile TV extravaganza!
:: 6:00pm for a 6:30 Kick-off
:: Horse Bazaar, Little Lonsdale St
May 5th, the first Monday of May is just around the corner, and you know what that means…
That’s right it’s MoMo time again, so get your business cards out and warm up those question asking hands cause May’s topic is all about content, content, content.
It seems all the world is agog with mobile content these days, and why not it’s a booming industry, or haven’t you heard, publishers can’t get enough of it and carriers are fighting tooth and nail over it, but what does it mean to you?
These days mobile content consists of almost anything you can find online, from Audio Visual content such as movies and TV series right through to mobile games, images and premium text based content.
In this MoMo we will explore the various way of generating revenues for your hard earned work and look at the associated business models.
Specifically we will cover:
- Does mobile content pay and if so exactly how much?
- Monetisation tools such as Premium SMS, WAP billing and Off-Deck payment portals (PayPal, Bango)
- Content licencing models, working with carriers and content aggregators
- The Global mobile content opportunity
- Ad funded content
Forget the ruleswas the first comedy/drama series in the world to broadcast all episodes on TV, broadband and mobiles, and was nominated for two MIPCOM Internet and Mobile TV Awards in 2006: best original content, and best interactive format (winner)
Jim has extensive experience in mobile content licensing especially when dealing with carriers having had exclusive relationships with 3 Mobile and Optus.
Learn from Jim what’s it’s like to work one-on-one with a carrier and what’s around the corner for cross-platform content initiatives.
Formed in 1997, Lycette Bros. creates interactive and animated digital media. For the last three years they have been creating mobile content for the global market. Lycette Bros work continues to be commissioned, exhibited and awarded internationally. (www.lycettebros.com)
Over the years Lycette Bros. has been awarded numerous accolades.
- The Special Award (ATOM 2000)
- Best Direction (FIFI 2000)
- Best Internet Animation (I’Castelli Animati 2000)
- Best Animated Pixture (Pixie Awards 2001)
- Best Internet Animation (Anima Mundi 2001)
- Best Use of Multimedia (FIFI 2003)
- Best Minimisation (Ciberart Bilbao 2004)The Lycette brothers will discuss what the current market demands are for mobile content.
Martin Ince: Portfolio Manager, Interactive Data Services, Wireless & Mobility Products, Telstra
Martin oversees Telstra’s premium rate SMS products, InfoCall 190 and the SMS & MMS Access manager.
Martin is no stranger to mobile data and was instrumental in the recent reduction of Telstra’s mobile data pricing (from $15/Mb to $2/Mb). He was involved in the rollout of the ‘3 tab portal’ for BigPond which provides a platform for off-deck mobile sites to access Telstra’s user base.
Hear from Martin about where content monetisation is headed from the top end of town.
Posted by Antony McGregor Dey on April 28th, 2008 — in Events, Member offers
Australia’s pre-eminent mobile entertainment event only 4 weeks away!
According to the global study Anytime, Anyplace by media agency Universal McCann, one in two Australians want to access the internet over their mobile phone. Yet consumer adoption of the full suite of mobile applications remains sluggish. What does this mean for the mobile content industry? What are consumers looking for when accessing mobile entertainment services? Is the industry response adequate?
Returning for the 4th year, Mobile Content World will answer these questions and more. Featuring over 50 international and local speakers and covering the gamut of issues, MCW 2008 is a must attend event for anyone interested in making money in the mobile content arena. This is the only annual conference and networking event in Australia for the mobile content industry. If you want to hear what the global leaders are doing, network with industry peers and form important business alliances, this is one event you cannot miss.
If you are a Mobile Monday subscriber and have not already registered, you can take advantage of a special discount price of AUD$2295.00 for the two day conference. This is a saving of over AUD700.00.
This offer is only available until the 7th of May, so book your place today by calling +61 2 9021 8808 and citing the code MM0077 or register on-line at www.terrapinn.com/2008/mcw_au
Your MoMo Melbourne organisers will also be there and we can really say that this is a great event for the mobile industry, we hope to see you there!
Posted by Emily on April 24th, 2008 — in mobile, 2008, MoMo
I’ve been delighted this week to join the MoMo team in Melbourne. Our local mobile industry is really taking off, and I hope to be able to make a contribution to building our profile here in Melbourne. My background is in mobile advertising & mobile product development - check out my LinkedIn profile if you’d like to know more about me.
It’s been awesome to discover so many enthusiastic & passionate people getting involved in Melbourne. If you’re Melbourne based and in the mobile industry, or just interested in finding out more, I urge you to come along to a Mobile Monday soon and introduce yourself.
We have heaps of exciting plans for upcoming events - watch this space for details of this month’s topic, an unmissable event for anyone creating mobile content locally.
Posted by Justin on April 18th, 2008 — in Events, mega
Programmers. Content producers. Artists. Business Professionals. Entrepreneurs.
As most of the respected audience of this website will know only too well, the mobile content and applications industry is one of the fastest growing economic sectors internationally. The mega program can help you broaden your professional capacity and capabilities in this huge growth area.
At this free informative and informal session, you’ll hear from some of Australia’s leading mobile industry experts about how they’ve succeeded so far, their thoughts about future opportunities and specifics of what the mega program offers, how it is delivered, which Melbourne industry leaders are involved and how you can be part of it.
Speakers include:
·Mobile Monday Melbourne’s very own Antony McGregor-Dey (QMCODES)
·Jeff Smith (SurfKitchen)
·Simon Goodrich (Portable Content and President of AIMIA’s Vic Chapter).
ALL WELCOME: Monday April 21st, 6-8pm (pls be punctual), Innovation@257 Collins St, Melbourne.
mega is an industry-led, hands-on program in which leading industry experts guide participants through the creation of new business for mobile products and services. Applications welcome from individuals and teams. (See: www.mega.org.au for more details and applications forms. NB: Applications for mega close May 5th).
To register for this Free Info session on this coming Monday night, go to www.mega.org.au and fill out the online registration form, or email justin@mega.org.au.
Well the re-invigorated Mobile Monday Melbourne for 2008 was a hit! We’ve had some extremely positive feedback and can confirm that MoMoMelb is definitely back for 2008! We were amazed at the turn-out with over 30 people in attendance, ranging from start-ups and carriers to those just curious about what this whole mobile industry is all about.
Many thanks to the Horse Bazaar for providing such a splendid venue for the evening, everyone had a great view of the panel and the sound quality and lighting were superb.
The panellists for the evening proved a lively lot and the topic was a trigger for some interesting debate:
We heard from Michael Padden how Big Pond is supporting the emerging mobile content industry through the introduction of a web content tab and 3rd Party approved sites in the Big Pond mobile portal. Although it’s agreed that real-estate positioning on the portal is an issue this is a great leap forward for those who have carrier relations as part of their strategy. To find out more about Big Pond’s 3rd party approved sites contact Andrew Pavlou Content Business Development manager for Big Pond.
Robert Murray showcased some of their incredible works including Mega Monster and Need for Speed he also discussed his thoughts on Next Generation gaming and how mobile devices will being to evolve incorporating new user interfaces including the rise of touch screens and that the future of mobile game concepts could be lead by these innovations. Robert also highlighted that in mobile it’s important to focus and specialise in a particular niche area of development and not try and be everything to everyone.
Che Metcalfe showcased his latest initiative PodMo, a free Bluetooth mobile content distribution network currently being trialled in South Australia. Che revealed how PodMo has been born out of his frustrations with the industry towards that of billing systems and off-deck data charging, in some instances as high as $15 per megabyte. Che also discussed the issues surrounding porting of mobile games and clients often unrealistic expectations on the associated costs with mobile gaming.
Perhaps one of the most telling highlights of the night on where the industry is headed was Anthony Mansour’s revelation that ad-funded mobile gaming is already here and recent mobile game initiatives launched by companies like Burger King involve specific mobile games build around the brand. Anthony also discussed his thoughts on how advertisers need to look at games as a way of rewarding consumers and delivering their brand message in new and innovative ways but that the mobile game should not just be considered as an add on. A brand that considers mobile gaming in its strategy will be one step ahead of the competition, but the wrong execution can lead to a bad investment and a poor brand experience.
The hot topics for the evening were that of the position of Flash Lite in the market and if it is platform for gaming, the panel thought that Flash Lite still had some way to go to prove itself but Brian Chan of Adobe argued that although Flash Lite may not be as powerful or widely spread as some development platforms overall it was still a quick and cost effective way to develop mobile content.
The iPhone also got a look in, with panellists discussing the power of the iPhone and how it has had a significant impact on the the industries perceptions but overall all a proprietary platform and only 1% market share meant that the developers it the room wouldn’t be going out of their way for the iPhone anytime soon.
For those that stuck around afterwards we all went out for a late night dinner at Supper Inn in China Town and discussed where the industry headed and ways in which we can all work together to lift the Australian mobile industry as a whole, and although we didn’t solve the worlds problems the passion and excitement at the table was inspiring, I really think we are going to see some great things coming out of Melbourne’s mobile industry in the not too distant future.
We all look forward to seeing you again next month.
Robbee is an exciting and highly engaging speaker who’s role at Seven takes her across across the group to develop multi-platform and integrated media initiatives involving Seven Media Group business including Channel Seven, Pacific Magazines, Yahoo!7, TiVo and mNet Corp (mobile).
Andrea’s role at Mediacom exposes her on a daily basis to emerging marketing channels and she has been involved in a number of innovative & successful campaigns over the years.
We would like to give a special thank-you to all of our panelists, Jim Shomos, Martin Ince and John and Mark Lycette, thanks guys, great presentations and lots of deep insight. An an extra special thankyou to our food sponsor for the evening, 
