It is a fact - we travel more. Not only for holidays or weekend breaks - we have also become more accustom to travel further to work. The consequence of this is that many industries adjust to this development and research new markets. One of these markets is the mobile phone industry - new features with sheer endless possibilities - listening to music, chatting and surfing on the web = skyrocketing revenues.
The logical next step for mobile operators: After the success of user generated content online with websites like Facebook, Bebo or even YouTube, they adapt this scheme and take it mobile. With the expansion of the social networking to mobile content, this could be generate about $5.74bn (£2.87bn) by 2012.
One of the most attractive elements which could be the key factor for success is that everybody would be able to keep in touch with their friends wherever they are and keep up-to-date with their online profile whatever they do. The user can type "I'm at the beach right now" or "I'm doing some Xmas shopping" directly on your mobile phone. Of course we can debate about the importance of this type of messages and the already existing overload on information.
Some facts about the power of social networking - an increase of 270% of Facebook's users for the last 2 years. We can notice an increase for MySpace (72%) as well but lower as the less saturated market of Facebook. MySpace now has more than 114 Million users world wide instead of 52 Million on Facebook. Bebo, with it's majority of users in Europe, grew 172% to more than 18 million users.
Research has shown that the user profiles of people who are using web sites like Facebook is very similar to the one's likely to be interested in using the internet on a mobile phone. (Comscore)
The results show that people who are experimenting with the internet on a mobile phone are younger than users who access the web only with a computer. In Britain, more than 25% of mobile internet users are aged 15 to 24, compared with 20% who go online using a computer; a further 41% of mobile internet users are 25 to 34 compared with less than 20% using a computer.
Different social networks are now available on some mobile operators such as Facebook in the US with Verizon or AT&T or even YouTube with an exclusive deal with Vodafone.
With this in mind it also becomes clearer why Google would want to join this profitable market with its own Gphone.
Tetridia's advice: Get your mobile marketing strategy ready!
