Next Generation Wireless Applications: Creating Mobile Applications in a Web 2.0 and Mobile 2.0 World, 2nd Edition

15.2 WHY ‘EXPERIENCE’?

I hope by now that one of the key messages in this book is clear, which is the importance of the user experience. That's why our mobile ecosystem model starts from the user network and works outwards. But why talk of mobilising the media experience and not just content? The media business is about the production and distribution of content ranging from hard news to soft entertainment, although the boundaries are becoming increasingly blurred with categories such as ‘infotainment’ and ‘edutainment’. The concept of content has evolved and continues to evolve. For example, a film is no longer just a film. It is a merchandising platform, an online game, a ringtone and so on. These days, a film could include a free pizza, or a pizza could include a free film, using the mobile to link the two merchandising opportunities into one experience. The modes of engagement have also grown. Users are no longer simply watching and listening, they are playing, interacting, networking, commenting, sharing and even creating. In other words, they are clearly experiencing a media theme, not just consuming content. Thus, the bar on engaging the audience has been raised. Newer means of engaging are constantly being sought and mobile is the newest frontier in engaging the audience.

Is the media industry moving into the mobile space or are mobile companies moving into the media space? The answer is both. Thus, mobile companies and technology providers need to adapt their businesses ...