Digital Lifescapes

If you're a marketer and you envision mobile device platforms as simply one more advertising opportunity, then you're likely going to be disappointed -- assuming that's the extent of your mobile consumer engagement strategy. According to the latest market study by eMarketer, the mobile web and apps are like parallel highways, with distinct rules and scenery and their own versions of congestion and confusion. The more effort you invest to fully understand these differences, the more you'll benefit. "The day may come when HTML5 matures to the point that the experience of using a web app differs little from a native app," said Noah Elkin, senior analyst at eMarketer . "Ultimately, however, focusing on the underlying technology in part misses the point about what makes apps popular." According to Elkin's assessment, app users are drawn to the encapsulated experience that improves content delivery and draws on the hardware features of smart d...

If you believe, as I do, that symmetrical super-fast broadband internet access is a significant catalyst for a nation's socioeconomic development, then you will likely acknowledge that the Asia-Pacific region global leadership is a key performance indicator (KPI) of future economic prosperity and growth. As a result, the balance of economic power and influence is shifting to the New East, away from the Old West. While North American and Western European policymakers talk of launching new broadband initiatives, the leading Asian nations have been busy investing in superior infrastructure. Broadband-Enabled Socioeconomic Momentum Broadband has passed a key milestone, according to the latest market study by Point Topic . The global total of broadband subscribers reached over 600 million in the first quarter of 2012, indicating a further acceleration in some nations -- resulting in growth, as over 100 million new lines were added (20 percent of the total) in less than 18 month...

According to the latest market study by DisplaySearch , television set shipments fell almost 8 percent worldwide year-on-year in the first quarter of 2012 -- that's the steepest rate of decline since the second quarter of 2009. Total TV shipments for the quarter were 51 million units. The biggest contributor to the decline was a slowdown in shipments of LCD TVs, which fell year-on-year for the first time in the history of the category -- declining just over 3 percent, to 43 million units. "Soft demand and cautious expectations about the upcoming year in many parts of the TV supply chain have led to a slowdown in shipments," noted Paul Gagnon, NPD DisplaySearch Director of North America TV Research. LCD TV shipment share fell slightly from Q4’11, but is up four percentage points from a year ago, to 84.2 percent. LCD TV is capturing market share at 40” and larger screen sizes because of a sharp decline in plasma TV demand. The average LCD TV screen size increased 5 ...

The global aftermarket of accessories and services for mobiles phones has experienced consistent growth, with the smartphone category setting new market upside targets. The other related sector to watch will be media tablet accessories. According to the latest marekt study by ABI Research, smartphones will drive $20 billion in aftermarket accessory revenues in 2012 -- accounting for more than half of the $36 billion that all aftermarket mobile handset accessories will produce. By 2017, smartphone accessories will grow to $38 billion in revenues, while feature phone accessory revenues decline to $12 billion. "The increasing penetration of smartphones is driving a shift in accessory design toward smart accessories that drive higher levels of consumer interaction, product value, and brand recognition," says Michael Morgan, senior analyst, devices, applications and content at ABI Research . For new market entrants, developing brand recognition is paramount in capturing ma...

comScore released data showing that more than 180 million U.S. Internet users watched 36.6 billion online content videos in May 2012. Moreover, online video advertising results posted another month of record-breaking gains, surpassing the 10-billion mark for the first time on record. Google Sites, driven primarily by video viewing at YouTube.com, ranked as the top online video content property in May with 151.7 million unique viewers, followed by Yahoo! Sites with 57.8 million, VEVO with 48.3 million, Microsoft Sites with 44.4 million and Facebook.com with 44.3 million. Nearly 36.6 billion video content views occurred during the month, with Google Sites generating the highest number at 17.6 billion, followed by Hulu with 888 million and Yahoo! Sites with 845 million. The average viewer watched 21.9 hours of online video content, with Google Sites (7.7 hours) and Hulu (4.2 hours) earning the highest average engagement among the top ten properties. Americans viewed an all-time h...

The anticipation of growing enterprise demand for media tablets in the second half of 2012 has resulted in International Data Corporation ( IDC ) increasing its forecast for the worldwide market to 107.4 million units -- that's up from its previous forecast of 106.1 million units. In the their latest market assessment, IDC also revised upward its 2013 media tablet forecast -- from 137.4 million units to 142.8 million units. Moreover, by 2016 worldwide shipments of media tablets are expected to reach 222.1 million units. "Demand for media tablets remains robust, and we see an increasing interest in the category from the commercial side," said Tom Mainelli, research director, Mobile Connected Devices at IDC. IDC expects pending new products from major players, increasingly affordable mainstream media tablets, and Microsoft advertising Windows 8 to drive increased interest in the category through the end of the year. In addition to increasing the unit totals for 2012...

It seems that senior executives at big media companies are still not quite sure if Facebook and Twitter are friend or foe -- relative to their legacy advertising-centric business models. Granted, the realm of online media used to be more predictable when there wasn't much innovation and all the big players could anticipate their collective lack of creativity. But it was just a matter of time before someone would come along and disrupt their quiescence. According to the latest market assessment by eMarketer, Facebook and Twitter have taken evolutionary steps to become publishing platforms for news -- not just text, also video, photos and entertainment content. "Users are learning that the more they share, the more they discover," said Paul Verna, senior analyst at eMarketer . "And the more they discover, the more likely they are to turn first to Facebook for content they used to get elsewhere." Since late 2011, Facebook has been gradually rolling out i...

Connected TV adoption is now accelerating across the globe, and the upside opportunities for Smart TV app development will follow this trend. According to the latest market study by NPD DisplaySearch, over one-quarter of TVs shipped during the first quarter (Q1) 2012 were equipped with broadband internet connectivity. Approximately 27 percent of TV sets shipped worldwide had internet connectivity -- led by Japan, where 46 percent of sets had broadband networking capability built-in, and Western Europe with 36 percent. A good example of how online video entertainment has already evolved is to observe the results in emerging markets. China has followed closely behind Western Europe -- with 32 percent of the TV sets that shipped now have internet functionality. NPD DisplaySearch has analyzed TV sets by service type -- which further demonstrates that this trend is a global phenomenon. Basic connected TVs can access structured services from broadcasters such as Hbb.TV in Europe, BBC...

comScore and the Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement (CIMM) released the results of their latest market study, revealing several new findings about the viewing habits of consumers who engage with media brands across multiple touch-points. “While TV remains the leading media channel, once TV-centric media brands now engage with their consumers across a variety of digital touch-points. While this enhances the quality of brand engagement, it also increases the complexity of media planning and analysis by orders of magnitude,” said Joan FitzGerald, comScore VP of TV & Cross-Media Solutions. By leveraging comScore's multi-screen measurement panel, they can reduce this complexity by providing media companies with actionable insights that can be used to determine how to effectively reach their target audiences -- and optimize cross-media planning. Key insights from the market study include: Consumers are Engaging with Brands Across Platforms -- A study of 10 broadcast ...

Perhaps you've noticed the latest trend -- tech market researchers and pollsters are now asking consumers questions about their attachment to various devices and gadgets. Is this insight really useful or actionable? I'll let you decide... A majority (65%) of global citizens in 25 countries would choose to give up their mobile phone over one third (35%) who would give up their computer -- if forced to choose between the two -- according to the latest market study by Ipsos for Reuters News. Between television and social networking, most (58%) would give up social networking while four in ten (42%) would give up TV. Between mobile phones and sex, global citizens choose intimacy: eight in ten (78%) would give up their phones while two in ten (22%) would give up sex if they had to choose between it or their mobiles. In the battle between phones and computers, women in 25 countries would rather give up their computers (39%) more than men (31%) and those under the age of 35 ...

The video game industry is currently going through the next phase of its apparent ongoing evolution. That is, even since smartphones and media tablets became part of the market equation. According to the latest market study by ABI Research, over 38 million handheld gaming devices from Sony and Nintendo are expected to ship in 2013 -- that's significantly lower than the previous peak of 47 million units in 2008. Unit shipments following 2013 are expected to decline slightly, but dedicated handheld gaming devices are a sustainable niche, with forecasts relatively flat through 2017. Smartphone and media tablet use for gaming continues to expand, making the mobile gaming market an increasingly important companion to dedicated handheld gaming. "Mobile devices will compete with dedicated handheld gaming devices, but select consumer segments like core gamers and those individuals who do not want or have a smartphone or media tablet will still provide some demand," said ...

IMRG released the results from a comprehensive market study of the e-commerce potential for every region in the world. Their report, the "IMRG B2C Global e-Commerce Overview 2012" also focuses on 15 of the most developed up-and-coming e-commerce countries in detail -- identifying trends, issues and opportunities in each. Total B2C e-commerce sales in 2011 are estimated to have grown to €690 billion (£599bn, $961bn), an increase of close to 20 percent. IMRG estimates that growth will continue in the coming years, passing the trillion-euro mark in 2013 -- that's a year earlier than forecast in the first edition of this report published last year. The world leader in B2C e-commerce remains the USA, followed by the UK and Japan. Asia-Pacific is continuing to power ahead in terms of growth, with China’s e-commerce market in particular rising over 130 percent in 2011. The mature markets in the world such as USA, UK and Japan will continue to grow slightly slower, but s...

From a mobile network service provider's point of view, the Apple iPad could become a disruptive device that threatens their legacy business model. Moreover, the network operators were complicit in driving this trend -- they helped shape mainstream consumer perception that 3G/4G data plans are of questionable value. Frankly, changing that perception is a daunting task. Why, you ask? Merely offering a shared data service plan is a pricing tactic, it's not the basis for a substantive and meaningful marketing strategy. Clearly, most mobile network service providers are not prepared to face the apparent market realities. The early-adopters of 3G/4G data services could provide the key forward-looking signal to how and where the market upside eventually stalls. eMarketer now predicts the number of Apple iPad users in America will rise by over 90 percent this year to 53.2 million, as current users replace older models and new adopters buy their first iPad. This year, t...

The evolution of online digital video will significantly impact the development of U.S. television advertising -- hopefully, for the better. comScore released a report entitled "Surviving the Upfronts in a Cross-Media World," an actionable guide for success in navigating the crossmedia landscape during this year's TV and digital upfronts. The report examines the maturation of the online video market as a supplement to traditional television advertising and the effectiveness of cross-media campaigns in television programming. Also featured in the report are actionable insights for advertisers, agencies and media buyers who are considering incorporating digital video formats into their media mix. "With the digital upfronts in their second year, more advertisers are considering adding digital video to their media mix in long-form TV programming and short-form video," said Judy Bahary, SVP, Marketing Solutions at comScore . According to the latest market stu...

According to the latest market study by ABI Research, the media tablet market shipped 18.2 million devices in the first quarter (1Q) 2012, which represents a 185 percent YoY gain and a -33 percent sequential loss in shipments. Apple's 11.8 million iPad shipments were spurred by the launch of a third-generation lineup and price reduction on iPad 2 models, while Samsung's 1.1 million shipments returned the vendor to the number two spot after Amazon's Kindle Fire shipments declined entering 2012. "A pattern similar to smartphones is also occurring in tablets," said Jeff Orr, group director, consumer research at ABI Research . Orr says that Apple and Samsung have demonstrated staying power -- while other tablet vendors ebb and flow like the tide. Only two leading branded tablet OEMs – RIM (233 percent) and Lenovo (107 percent) – bucked the downward first quarter shipment trends, while Taiwan’s ASUS remained flat sequentially from 4Q 2011. Several vendors -- ...

comScore released data on the key trends within the U.S. mobile phone industry during the three month average period ending April 2012. Their latest market study surveyed more than 30,000 U.S. mobile network service subscribers. They confirmed, once again, that Samsung continues to be the top handset manufacturer overall -- with 25.9 percent market share. Google Android also continued to grow its share in the U.S. smartphone market, accounting for 50.8 percent of smartphone subscribers, while Apple captured 31.4 percent. For the three-month average period ending in April, 234 million Americans age 13 and older used mobile devices. Device manufacturer Samsung ranked as the top OEM with 25.9 percent of U.S. mobile subscribers (up 0.5 percentage points), followed by LG with 19.2 percent share. Apple continued to grow its share in the OEM market, ranking third with 14.4 percent (up 1.6 percentage points), followed by Motorola with 12.5 percent and HTC with 6.0 percent. More th...

Mobile network operator text messaging revenue is being impacted by the adoption of alternative smartphone messaging apps -- such as WhatsApp, iMessage and others. But it's not a major concern. According to the latest market study by Informa Telecoms & Media, they now forecast that mobile operators will still generate a total of $722.7 billion in revenues from SMS between 2011 and 2016. "There will not be a uniform decline in mobile operator SMS traffic and revenues as a result of the adoption and use of over-the-top messaging services," says Pamela Clark-Dickson, senior analyst, Mobile Content & Applications, at Informa Telecoms & Media . "Factors such as the operators’ pricing strategies, and the penetration of smartphones and mobile broadband in a market will determine how quickly and to what extent substitution occurs." For example, operators offering integrated tariffs that include a balanced proportion of voice, SMS and mobile data, are ...

I wasn’t able to attend the full Digital Shoreditch Festival, just a few days from the second week of scheduled events. That being said, I’m really glad that I witnessed part of the second annual festival of creative, cultural and technological developments within this evolving East London community. I had mentioned – before my visit – I believe that London, England has some things in common with the emerging tech and digital creative clusters in Austin, Texas. But based upon what I saw and heard during the insightful Digital Shoreditch activities, I’m now thinking that there are more similarities with the New York City clusters. London has a wealth of creative talent focused on the fashion, architecture and design sectors of the global networked economy. Few places in the world can likely match this amazing combination of artistic assets and intellectual capacity. Besides, the local higher-education and professional mentoring opportunities are clearly more attuned to the app...

According to the latest market study by eMarketer, mobile phone penetration in Canada is not as pervasive or as fast-growing as in the U.S. marketplace, but the country that birthed the BlackBerry is rising rapidly when it comes to uptake of smartphones and media tablets. Canadian mobile device adoption is already inspiring more mobile internet usage as a result. Therefore, savvy marketers on both sides of the 49th parallel are taking note. The number of mobile internet users in Canada increased more than 28 percent in 2011 -- with an estimated 25 percent of the population using mobile internet access by the end of 2012. eMarketer forecasts that user penetration will continue to rise, albeit at a somewhat slower pace, through 2016 -- when nearly half of the population will be mobile internet users. "As adoption continues to increase, marketers are moving from getting their feet wet to executing more sophisticated campaigns,” said Paul Briggs, analyst at eMarketer . Ca...

Smartphones powered by the Google Android and Apple iOS mobile device operating system (OS) accounted for more than eight out of ten smartphones shipped in the first quarter of 2012 (1Q12). According to the latest market study by International Data Corporation (IDC), these mobile OS leaders held shares of 59.0 percent and 23.0 percent respectively of the 152.3 million smartphones shipped in 1Q12. During the first quarter of 2011, the two operating systems held a combined share of 54.4 percent. The share gains mean that the Android and iOS mobile ecosystems have successfully distanced themselves from previous market leaders Symbian and BlackBerry, as well as Linux and Windows Phone 7 or Windows Mobile. "The popularity of Android and iOS stems from a combination of factors that the competition has struggled to keep up with," said Ramon Llamas, senior research analyst at IDC. "Neither Android nor iOS were the first to market with some of these features, but the way they...

Infonetics Research released excerpts from its latest market study of broadband service provider Residential Gateways. These are the broadband network access devices that are provided by the operator and installed in the service subscriber's home. Their insightful report delves into the service provider strategies for deploying and pricing residential gateways, the applications driving their deployments -- and their top picks for residential gateway vendors, services, technologies, and associated features. "With residential gateway revenue dropping because of price declines and a saturated broadband subscriber base, operators are looking to new services to increase revenue per subscriber," said Jeff Heynen, directing analyst for broadband access and video at Infonetics Research . Based upon recent interviews with network operators around the world, it is clear that they see their broadband access lines (be they DSL, cable, or FTTH) as a conduit for new revenue-gener...

The phablet is a hybrid mobile device that's larger than a typical smartphone, but smaller than a media tablet -- an example is the Samsung Galaxy Note. This is exactly the type of new mobile device that would appeal to me -- primarily for video communication applications. In fact, I would welcome the opportunity to review one of the new phablet models. That being said, I've previously been unsuccessful in convincing my mobile phone service provider to loan me a review unit for a detailed application-centric assessment. More than 208 million phablets will be shipped globally in 2015. Despite the slow start for phablet smartphones in 2011, we're now witnessing the dawn of the phablet era. HTC, LG, and Huawei will each introduce phablet smartphones in 2012, joining the ranks of Samsung’s Galaxy Note and Nexus. Additionally, another phablet smartphone was released earlier this month, the Samsung Galaxy S3. "One of the chief drivers for phablets is the amount of t...

According to the latest market study by ABI Research, the cellular M2M market will increase from about 110 million cumulative connections globally in 2011 to roughly 453 million cumulative connections by 2017. That being said, a key challenge for the mobile network service provider industry remains the ecosystem complexity of developing, deploying, and managing M2M applications over the cellular network. "This is a challenge both for mobile network operators (MNOs) that are trying to offer profitable services tailored to the M2M market, as well as for application developers and service providers that are trying to reduce costs, speed time to market, and simplify robust application deployments,” says practice director, Sam Lucero at ABI Research . Two key M2M software platform markets have emerged to address these challenges: connected device platforms (CDPs) and application enablement platforms (AEPs). CDPs enable the cost-effective deployment and management of M2M connectio...

China is set to achieve another key economic metric, they're overtaking Japan as the largest spender on information technology (IT) goods and services within the region. According to the latest market study by IDC, IT spending in China is closing in on Japan. By 2013, IT spending in China will reach $173 billion, exceeding Japan's market by 4 percent. IDC attributes the IT spending growth in the China to two key areas: growing demands of consumer IT, and the IT opportunities brought about by the government's 12th Five-Year Plan. "Personal consumer electronics will become more intelligent and expand toward small and medium-sized cities. Consumption upgrade, smart home, and intelligent auto, as well as intelligent housing and property management, will fuel the rapid growth of manufacturing and retail businesses as well as the service sector in the industrial chain, resulting in strong IT demand," said Lianfeng Wu, Associate Vice President, IDC China . The pers...

  Savvy business professionals are adopting the latest smartphones, media tablets and cloudbooks at a faster rate than the mainstream American population. These early-adopters are driving a trend with huge long-term implications for all marketers. They've embraced these mobile devices with the anticipation of increased productivity. According to the latest market study by eMarketer, there will be a multitude of opportunities for creating new marketing content that's specifically targeting the business to business (B2B) decision maker. "Given the near complete penetration of smartphones and high adoption rates of tablets among this key target audience for B2B marketers, it's no surprise these devices have infiltrated the B2B purchase decision-making process. They are now used in all major phases of the buying cycle to save professional's time," said Lauren Fisher, analyst at eMarketer . By establishing a mobile web presence and optimizing that presence...

comScore released data showing that 181 million U.S. Internet users watched nearly 37 billion online content videos in April, 2012. Video ads saw another record-breaking month with nearly 9.5 billion -- that's about 1 in 5 videos viewed online in April. Google Sites, driven primarily by video viewing at YouTube.com, ranked as the top online video content property in April with 157.7 million unique viewers, followed by Yahoo! Sites with 53.6 million, VEVO with 49.5 million, Facebook.com with 44.3 million and Microsoft Sites with 42.8 million. Nearly 37 billion video views occurred during the month, with Google Sites generating the highest number at 17 billion, followed by Hulu with 901 million and Yahoo! Sites with 742 million. The average viewer watched 21.8 hours of online video content, with Google Sites (7.2 hours) and Hulu (3.8 hours) earning the highest average engagement among the top ten properties. Americans viewed 9.5 billion video ads in April, representing anoth...