On Wednesday Jesse Haines of Google came to Toronto from NYC to talk to advertisers and agencies at Advertising Week Canada about mobile. She thankfully skipped all the stats, understanding that people were finally starting to get it. Instead she talked about how Google was approaching mobile.
Jesse said that we used to live in an offline world and when the computer came the online world was born. Today you don’t need to be tethered to a cord and the distinction between online and off no longer exist and that is what she called the nonline world.
Google started an initiative to help businesses ‘go mobile’ or ‘go mo’ a website that helps businesses get their websites mobile ready. They did a test in Mobile, Alabama and in 20-30 minutes they had business websites up and running. On the ‘go mo’ site they have tools and resources to get businesses mobile now.
One of the worst things about mobile Internet is that many sites are still not optimized for the space and that often creates a poor experience for the user. You have to cover the basics, like having a site that functions for the small screen that make it easy for mobile users to find what they are looking for.
The nonline world is perfect for deepening those connections because the device is with you all the time. Jesse said that having mobile advertising that gives mobile users the most meaningful information at a glance such as distance for your location (due to GPS) and direction will increase the chances to getting that person to their front door.
The last area she recognized is that we live in a world of multiple screens. It isn’t just about television or the computer anymore but now your mobile devices and now tablets are getting in on the action.
Research Google has done has told them that tablets often stay at home but within the home it is used all over. Tablets are the fastest growing consumer electronics device in history and the second screen is allowing people to multitask when watching television which I can personally attest to.
Google found that tablet usage peaks during prime time and by creating engaging content for all screens advertisers and increase recall from 50% for one screen to 74% for many. Another thing is that for tablet computers the ads the do well are the ones that allow for people to interact with them.
Unlike a computer screen a tablet screen allows for a physical interaction that makes that can make that engagement more meaningful. Tablets combine ability of computers with tactile sensations to offer a feel a mouse and keyboard do not.
Jesse said that although “it may be to late to be early in mobile it is still early enough that you don’t have to be late.”