By adam corney, business lead, minimega
In Cannes this week, actor/comedian/musician Jack Black presented a topic on the new world of online content that jumped out at a few folks on the intertubes. One comment in particular stood out:
“I often think about the way I consume content. The smaller the screen, the shorter my attention span. When I’m looking at my phone, I don’t want to be doing so for long.”
My first thought was “Jack Black is at Cannes?” followed closely by “Hasn’t this point been made before?”
I looked into it.
Six years ago, Google broke down the usage states of mobile users into three mindsets: the repetitive now, the bored now, and the urgent now.
Based on the Twittercade of acceptance that Black’s commentary has gotten, are we no closer to refining mobile behaviour half a decade on?
The simple answer is that even as technology changes, people don’t. It’s not that we’re failing to build new and more useful types of content; it’s that the core habits of our users truly are unchanged.
We all still crave feelings like creative expression, a sense of achievement, a desire to be high on social ladders, and access to information to ensure we know everything we need to know, when we need to know it.
What we’re really saying when we choose to focus on quality mobile content, be it games, apps, responsive websites, videos, Vines, or even podcasts, is “We understand our customers, how they live their lives, and what they’re trying to achieve. This use of mobile makes perfect sense for them.”
To illustrate, Smart Company just released their list of hot 30 under 30 for 2013. The successes of each of these stars could be compared to a comment from #21 on the list, 19-year-old Brandon Cowan:
“My app ideas come from real-world problems with poor or no solutions already available. First I identify a problem, and then I come up with an app idea that solves the problem.”
The problems and behaviours that people suffer from have always been around. The question for us is how can we keep using data and technology to improve on the content solutions we’re creating for them, and for ourselves?
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For more insights on mobile strategies attend ADMA Mobile Marketing Strategy course.
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Adam Corney is the Business Lead for MiniMega
