Mobile Ads + Tablets + Ice Cream Sandwich + Carriers Vie for Money

Mobile World Congress Professional Advertising Research Joy Liuzzo of InsightExpress — Mobile Ad Expert Joy Liuzzo of InsightExpress

Some people think mobile ads are intrusive, apps for laggards, tablets are toys and Android Ice Cream Sandwich a silly name tied to Android OS. (That’s assuming they know Android refers to a smartphone operating system and not Data on Star Trek.) These folks are technophobes.

But they’ve probably never met Joy Liuzzo, mobile researcher with InsightExpress. She calls the feature phone crowd that make “cell phone” calls and maybe text a bit, the “mobile restrained.” Joy has to try hard these days, as we approach 50% smartphone penetration in the U.S., to recruit these fine folks for her mobile ads and behavioral studies.

Canvassing MWC’s Exhibit Halls

However, Joy has most fun walking around the exhibits finding “mobile intensives,” those folks who sleep with their mobiles in case they need overnight charging. Plus you never know when important mobile ads will hit your phone.

In her charming way, Joy describes in the podcast interview (her fourth on MobileBeyond), MWC attendees sitting on the exhibit floors playing with their smartphones. Others text their co-workers in the same room during gala events. Joy proudly admits she’s one of them.

Mobile Ads, Apps, Tablets and and Ice Cream Sandwiches

Seriously, though. MWC is the place to be. It’s the largest gathering of mobolites on the planet. Like CES, the consumer electronics show, Mobile World Congress exhibitors demonstrate new products, services and technologies some of which will make it to market. Many won’t.

The Android folks had a slide and free ice cream sandwiches to celebrate the release of version OS 4. I’m sure people like me who only have the latest version of Gingerbread probably snarled at the staff as they walked by the booth. Joy tells other stories in the podcast.

Mobile Carriers Propose Charging Content Providers and Rewarding Smartphone Users

Operators and Carriers want a bigger piece of the wireless content pie, especially mobile apps. While the telecommunications pie grows larger, it’s the lemon meringue, cherry and dark chocolate toppings they really want. Application-driven services sound awfully sweet right now as mobile app developers and the media churn out innovative content and services.

Until mobile exploded, Android mobile devices, embedded applications, mHealth and other mobile products and services sat in the background collecting a measly amount of the $500 billion dollars spent yearly on worldwide advertising and billions of development funding.

Now carriers want to charge not only for the data plans that deliver content; they feel they’re entitled to part of the revenues charged by content producers, using 800 numbers. Yes, 800 numbers. AT&T feels that consumers will love downloading apps on telco lines and pay less in data fees. CNET has an excellent article that explains this inane proposal for mobile app distribution.

Here’s a shoot-from-the hip Google+ member Mike Dano (Fierce@MWC) about AT&T, Netflix, Amazon and Google:

After spending around 48 hours writing and reporting here from Mobile World Congress, here’s the main trend that I’ve notice: Wireless carriers are big crybabies.

Basically, they are lamenting the fact that “over the top” companies like Google, Facebook, Amazon and Netflix are using their networks to deliver good services to consumers, and are therefore reaping much of the revenues generated from that network transport. While operators obviously charge users for access to their networks, they are largely no longer providing the actual services that people use.

In speech after speech here, operators are complaining about OTT players taking too much revenues and causing too much network traffic. They are arguing that OTT players like Netflix and the like should shoulder some of the network maintenance costs their services require.

Of course, that’s crap. Operators are crybabies, and if they can’t provide useful services to customers, they should be relegated to the position of dumb pipe provider.”

Joy Liuzzo Podcast Interview

In her interview, Joy mentions the carrier proposal’s potential impact on mobile advertising. She also discusses a new buzz word among brands, agencies, advertisers and publishers called “The Moment.”