Pundits have declared each year to be the year of mobile since the launch of the iPhone 4. This year was no different. In fact, Forrester analysts claimed that 2014 was the true year of mobile. Not a novel proclamation by any means, but 2014 has certainly been an exciting year for mobile marketing and technology.
The iPhone 6 launched, and brought with it widespread acceptance and adoption of the phablet form factor; Google introduced a new design paradigm with its material design; and Amazon dipped a toe into the smartphone market with its Fire Phone. That’s just the second half of the year.
Below you’ll find some of my favorite bits of DMNs’ mobile coverage throughout 2014, as well as some of the year’s highlights in the mobile space.
This Really Is the Year of Mobile. Seriously.
“A lot of companies are saying mobile is taking place, but the number of companies that have it under control is very small. There are a lot of them coming to us saying, ‘We need your help.’ About 80% of the effort involved in mobile engagement is in reengineering back-end systems to connect with mobile. We project that companies will spend $189 billion in 2017 to redo their systems,” says Josh Bernoff, chief of idea development at Forrester.
Is Mobile More Than a Shiny New Toy? [Infographic]
Forty-six percent of marketers who deem mobile a critical channel measure mobile’s performance by customer loyalty and advocacy; only 27% of all other marketers do the same. Similarly, 36% of marketers who highly value mobile as a channel measure success in terms of customer lifetime value.
NFC Gets an Airing, Thanks to Apple
“This move will make the market for mobile payment explode,” says Randy Vanderhoof, executive director of the Smart Card Alliance. “And it is a great endorsement of NFC technology as the best way to secure mobile payments.”
Can Blackberry’s New Device Find a Place in Today’s Crowded Mobile Market?
Once the high king of mobile tech, the manufacturer has struggled to find a comfortable niche in a mobile world dominated by Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Samsung.
Was the Amazon Phone Ahead of Its Time?
Despite Amazon’s status as one of the most serial disruptors of modern retail, the company failed to offer customers the value we’ve come to associate with the Amazon brand.
Mobile Spend Vaults 76 Percent in First Half, IAB Reports
Mobile marketing expenditures increased by 76% to $5.3 billion in the first half of 2014, split nearly evenly between search ($2.7 billion) and display ($2.5 billion), according to a report released by the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB).
Mobile Approaches Three Quarters of Facebook’s Ad Revenue
Facebook posted second-quarter revenues of $2.9 billion, a 61% increase from last year fueled largely by mobile ads and some soccer games in Brazil. Mobile’s contribution to total ad sales at the social network only overtook desktop in the final quarter of 2013. Just six months later, it accounts for 62% of $2.7 billion in ad revenue, a 21-point increase over Q2 2013.
Mobile Attribution Is a Work in Progress
“Mobile doesn’t really have a persistent identifier like a cookie,” says Mike Fyall, VP of marketing at mobile linking company URX. “Without cookies, the focus for mobile [attribution] has been on the [mobile-app] install.”
What’s the World Cup Coming to? Mobile.
Social engagement dominated the World Cup this year, partly because everyone lives with their phones in their back pockets.
