Mobile Intelligence

The hype over the Apple iPhone is not yet over but there might be something happening that is beyond the public craziness about this device. Marketers get inspired of how they could use the iPhone’s high quality, rather large screen and touch pad functionality to develop applications that take advantage of it. Unfortunately Apple is famous for its closed loop systems but it will not deter innovative spirits to have highly interesting applications build over the next 6 months. One side comment: the iPhone doesn’t currently support Flash, which significantly reduces its applicability for more complex graphics. But it’s not about the Apple iPhone but about the next stage of using mobile devices as the core communication vehicle.

What does it mean for our data intelligence profession? I predict the proliferation of providing marketing intelligence on mobile devices. Wouldn’t be cool if you as a key marketing executive can get a brief daily update of your key marketing metrics in a visually interesting manner on your cellphone; all with the ability to do some simple queries to find an answer for an urgent question?

To make it happen, I believe we will have to focus on three success criteria:

• Whatever one would see on the cell phone has to be a subset of the marketing intelligence that is already in place within the organization. It can’t be a different set of metrics, or a different set of data elements but the short and meaningful synthesis of the more complex intelligence that one can access on the computer
• The solution needs to provide some basic manipulation functionality without slowing down its performance. We have to enable the user to “play” around a little bit to increase the engagement and relevance factor. That’s how this application becomes successful
• We will need to align the core metrics accessible on the cell phone with key actions or decisions that the marketing executive could take. It’s not just about being informed and being smart but about enabling the marketer to react fast and smart wherever he is.

Exciting times! I will keep you posted about progress that I see in our marketing universe.