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Ozometer by Play
The campaign was created to celebrate Foster's famous ‘No Worries’ attitude. In creating the campaign, Play searched for some of Britain’s most, and least, ‘No worries’ people, celebrities and places. More on Play's award winning campaign.Understanding the mobile user experience
Written by Marcus Siddons, media and mobile director, Graphico
Mobile isn’t so different to online or traditional media. In reality, all a consumer wants is to have information delivered to them in a way that is clear and intuitive. The main difference is that mobile devices are smaller, and the most important thing any brand or advertiser can do is recognise that a user is using a mobile device, and to cater for them accordingly.
For instance, would you try to fit a six sheet poster advert into an MPU? You could resize it or worse still, crop it and it would physically fit, but then that would be like trying to establish the floor plan of a house by looking through the letter box. It’s broadly accepted that the overall message and the majority of content of the ad would be the same within both media, but the online ad would need significant reworking to be effective.
However, in the current landscape brands rarely do this with mobile. A standard web page doesn’t work in a mobile browser, and a user on a mobile device doesn’t necessarily want reams of elaborate copy or huge dramatic images. A well-designed mobile site looks great and is easy to use. Usability should be at the heart of the mobile experience, and it is imperative to concern yourself with why a consumer is visiting your site, in order to deliver exactly what they want, in the hope that they return.
The internet (fixed line or mobile) is not about the technology, it’s about information and content. You only have to look at the big traffic sites to realise this. The BBC, Facebook and YouTube all focus on the content and the delivery of that content rather than exotic design and waffle. Each one of these major players have optimised versions of their websites, setting an example which hopefully the remainder of the UK’s brands will follow.
The best way to engage consumers through this medium is to recognize that they are using a mobile device. With Facebook, the key functionality remains the same on a mobile device but it is tailored to suit, and information (the reason for visiting) is delivered just the same as on the main website. Consumer engagement is different for every brand, so marketers should engage the consumer in the same way as they always do, but give the consumer the opportunity – and the information if necessary – to do it through mobile media.
Brands can see mobile as a separate discipline, a different technology and a different pot of budget, but a consumer just sees ‘the brand’. If the consumer wants to interact with a brand through mobile, the experience needs to be tailored accordingly.
Mobile isn’t so different to online or traditional media. In reality, all a consumer wants is to have information delivered to them in a way that is clear and intuitive. The main difference is that mobile devices are smaller, and the most important thing any brand or advertiser can do is recognise that a user is using a mobile device, and to cater for them accordingly.
For instance, would you try to fit a six sheet poster advert into an MPU? You could resize it or worse still, crop it and it would physically fit, but then that would be like trying to establish the floor plan of a house by looking through the letter box. It’s broadly accepted that the overall message and the majority of content of the ad would be the same within both media, but the online ad would need significant reworking to be effective.
However, in the current landscape brands rarely do this with mobile. A standard web page doesn’t work in a mobile browser, and a user on a mobile device doesn’t necessarily want reams of elaborate copy or huge dramatic images. A well-designed mobile site looks great and is easy to use. Usability should be at the heart of the mobile experience, and it is imperative to concern yourself with why a consumer is visiting your site, in order to deliver exactly what they want, in the hope that they return.
The internet (fixed line or mobile) is not about the technology, it’s about information and content. You only have to look at the big traffic sites to realise this. The BBC, Facebook and YouTube all focus on the content and the delivery of that content rather than exotic design and waffle. Each one of these major players have optimised versions of their websites, setting an example which hopefully the remainder of the UK’s brands will follow.
The best way to engage consumers through this medium is to recognize that they are using a mobile device. With Facebook, the key functionality remains the same on a mobile device but it is tailored to suit, and information (the reason for visiting) is delivered just the same as on the main website. Consumer engagement is different for every brand, so marketers should engage the consumer in the same way as they always do, but give the consumer the opportunity – and the information if necessary – to do it through mobile media.
Brands can see mobile as a separate discipline, a different technology and a different pot of budget, but a consumer just sees ‘the brand’. If the consumer wants to interact with a brand through mobile, the experience needs to be tailored accordingly.
