From simple communication device to powerful application platforms has what technological development done to the mobile in the past few years. Mobile as emerged as a powerful application platform as result of the hungry market and effort of massive researchers constantly trying to develop and give the market something new. In this process both the developers and designer have constantly worked another continuous pressure and have worked out different application and operating system for the growing market.

While developing these application and software’s, the platform created a function of interactivity and usability in other platforms.

(Stephanidis, 2011)

In early 2000’s we got the 7th mass media and the second interactive media: The Mobile. It was capable of cannibalising its older sibling’s even devouring internet however few years ago it was internet which was the only source of information, entertainment and communication together. Just eight years ago internet was outclassed by mobile with an interface which offered consuming news, music, watching mobiles, playing games. Listening to radio in an small device. It ‘s still growing and greedily capturing the business revenues content even advertising from its older siblings and replicating all the capabilities of the all other mediums one platform. (Moore, 2007)

Tonsi Ahonen believes that the six unique benefit set apart mobile from the other six medium they are

The first personal media

The first always carried media

The first always on media

The first media with built in payment mechanism

The first media present at point of creative impuse

The first media which can measure audience accurately

(Moore, 2007)

Mobile as universal gadget

Mobile is now emerging as the 7th Mass Media, joining Print, Recording, Cinema, Radio and Television and Internet. It was fuelled when convergence culture started in 2001. (Alan More May 2007)

It is because the need to communicate is more powerful than the need to compute , to be entertained, or to be informed. (Mobile as 7th of the Mass Media August 2008)

As per statistics, at the end of 2007 there were almost three times as many cellphone subscriptions as there were total users on the internet.. There were four times as many cellphones as there are personal computers of all kinds laptops, desktops and servers combined. There were more than five times a smany cellphone subscriptions in the world as there were cars. Twice as many people had cellphones ahad credit cards. The population of cellphones was twice as big as the population of TV sets in use.There were 2.5 times as many cellphones as there were fixed landline phones. (Mobile as 7th of the Mass Media August 2008)

Mobiles are now intergral part of our lives so much that many of us cannot remember a time without them. To have a mobile has become second nature we are generally never separated from them-we eat, breathe and, yes even sleep with our t mobile phones – making them the most private and personal accessory we own today. (Mobile as 7th of the Mass Media August 2008)

Cellphone was widely adopted across the nation by 2007, anyone with job and disposable income had a cellphone .There were 6.6 billion people on planet in October 2007 ( Source United Nations). There is no other gadget that is even remotely as widely as adopted and spread across the planet as the cell phone And there were 3.3billion cellphone subscriber in October 2007( Source Informa2007). Cellphone was one of the most absorbed commodity . A global Nokia survey of cellphones users in 2006 found that 73% of cellphone owners use the clock on the phone.Not all of these have abandoned wearing a wristwatch, but an increasing portion of theworld uses the phone as the only time-keeping device. The cellphone is the only universal device. As the cellphone has become a universal gadget, it is also inducing remarkably addictive signs of behavior. Almost every cellphone user, 91% in fact, keeps the cellphone literally within arm’s reach 24 hours, seven days a week, 365 days of the year according to Morgan Stanley in 2007.(Mobile as 7th of the Mass Media August 2008)

Powerful Media Platform

Consumer behavior has made it clear that mobile phones are vastly important to our everyday lives and are the major vehicle by which we communicate with one another. Music another feature in the cellphone soon took over with 31% of all consumer dollars spent on music worldwide was already spent on cellphone music. It started with ringtones, but later followed waiting tones, welcome tones, music streaming, music videos etc.

This pattern was also observed in video games, 20% of videogames software revenue came from cellphone games by 2007.

Marketers also recognized the importance of providing relevant mobile messages that add value to the life of people. Advertising industry are used cellphone as platform to create with dialogue between the consumer and the brand and by the end 2007 advertising spend on cellphones had reached 2.2 billion dollar in value. More than half of all cellphone owners in countries as diverse as Japan, UK and Spain received ads on their phones.

The latest industry to discover the cellphone as a delivery platform is TV. The first cellphones with digital TV tuners (i.e. built-in “set-top boxes”) went already on sale in South Korea in the Summer of 2005 an by the end of 2007 there were seven million of such advanced TV-phones in Korea, or 17% of the total cellphone subscriber base watching full broadcast TV on cellphones.

Mobile became a powerful media platform and multipurpose device for communication, entertainment and interactivity by the end on 2007.It became a smart device to reply to emails and check news updates for people before the launch of Apple Iphone’s.

Mobile Wireless media today is important economically and culturally. The idea of mobility has been powerful and important for voice telephony and to find new mediums to illustrate and express and make our life better, which is also a worldwide phenomenon.

(Jo Grobel. Eli M. Noam, 2006)

Centre of Convergence

Henry Jerkins described convergence as flow of content across multimedia content, the cooperation of multiple media industries and the migratory behaviour of media audience who will go almost anywhere in search of entertainment they want. Convergence led to technological, industrial, cultural and social changes. (Convergence Culture 2006)

Mobile was instrumental in adopting convergent technology by featuring music, videogames, television streaming internet and social networking in small pocket gadget.

It became powerful medium of convergence and a superior media channel with three important factors: reach, audience accuracy and money.

It is also very versatile capable of replicating the six media channel can do, mobile stand alone can be digital, multimedia and interactive and posses ability to deliver broad cast content.

Internet though a versatile media channel cannot replicate all that a mobile can do.

Now mobile communications has gone beyond mere voice or text communication and elevated towards much more complex territory: mass media content -text, voice, image , sound and even video. A new medium has emerged which is capable of creating new types of content, new ways of interacting with users and raising new business opportunities

Unique Benefit of Mobile

Personal : My Media

Cell phones were the first truly personal media as compared other six mass mediums.

All the content available cell phones is consumed in private as well as it gives the owner the leverage to choose whether to share the content or not.

Whereas Radio and television are often consumed with others in the room, on the other hand internet has other around for example parent keeping on their kids usage or friends peeping in your web activity. Print medium like news paper and magazine are discussed often read in loud. Almost all the content on cell phone is consumed in private by the user.

People these days are more glued and wedded to their cell phones than their wallets or any other things. It’s inevitable for a mobile user to live without phone even for a day, a Unisys survey revealed that we lose our wallet we report it in 26 hours but if we lose our mobile phone, on average we report It in 68 minutes. Also a survey conducted in 2006 by Wired found that 60% of married mobile phone owners will not share their phone with their spouses. (Moore, 2007)

A Carephone Warehouse survey found that 68% of teenager won’t let their parents see what is on their phones. It is as personal as personal mails. (Moore, 2007)

The Mobile is rapidly cannibalising our time as well as our pockets.

Personal nature of miniaturized mobile device offers space to media companies to explore and expand the content personalization that may draw media audience closer to their media brands. Moreover mobile communication, it offer s new channel for increased interaction between the media brand – hereby the media brand can be a media organization such as radio station as well as specific media content such as a soap opera – and the individual audience number .

Thus leading to deepening of customer relationship in the audience market which can be thn translated to monetary rewards from advertising clients.

B Always carried: The City in my pocket

The small communication device ‘ The Mobile’ is always within arm’s reach for every mobile owner. It ‘s easily accessible unlike other medium example television one can’t access television or radio while working in office to get any news update or read any content. Internet, newspaper and magazine need to be around or within the reach to consume content from them.

It has always proved to be the permanent media gadget which can reach within in less time than the other. It will take us a few minutes to figure out where our mobiles are ?

Most of us don’t leave home without our phone. It’s a common habit for most mobile phone owners to sleep with mobile phones physically in the bed, a global survey conducted by BDDO in 2005 stated that same that 6 out of 10 people sleep with the phone physically in the bed with them. (Moore, 2007)

Similarly a worldwide Nokia survey in 2006 found that 72% of that population use mobile phone as their alarm clock. Mobile is one such device which can be use anywhere, the device which is very handy and pocket size is capable of browsing on web , listening radio, watching movie or news, playing games when bored . It can be accessed even restroom to even board room . (Moore, 2007)

It was quoted at Forum oxford that the bathroom is one of the most common place where a mobile Tv and Mobiles Internet is accessed most. (Moore, 2007)

There is no doubt that no other media can have this kind of intense relationship with the audience. (Moore, 2007)

C Always -On Mass media

The phone and cellular network is designed to be always on besides being personal and permantely carried. One can receive calls, text message and browse on web or stream music or video whenever they want as per battery life.

Breaking news alert , reminder of favourite rock star performing on radio, what is happening in reality shows or daily soaps on TV all can easily consumed on phones. However, iPods need to be connected similarly we need to at home or around internet or television to catch up on daily soap or sitcoms.

Only mobile becomes a one stop solution for delivering music , news and video streaming anytime and every time with permantely carried and always on benefit.

Earlier it was stated by the news published that internet could offer a rival experience to the printed newspaper also the mobile phone screen has so little space that it could not fulfil this need. This was also being proven not to be true. Though mobile has little real estate, it offers an active screen which can be far superior quality of view than to the printed paper or magazine.

It just take while for designer and application developer to develop a format or application to replicated a content to capitalize power of mobile.

D Built-in Payment Mechanism

Its not possible to pull out page of newspaper and make payment s or grab transmission of radio for payment even on internet one has to subscribe to pay pal or provide a credit card or debit card for payments.

However, on cellphones the payment ability is built in any content consumed via link , or click will be charged by the service provider or SIM service itself on the cellphone account.

This even makes it easier for students and teenager who do not qualify for credits cards.

E Available at point of Creative Impulse

Cameraphones with video sound recording has also given rise to citizen journalism. People now use internet and their phones to update their blog with post and pictures of new city they just toured.

One can easily the enjoy media experience sitting anywhere buy mere clicking on YouTube or Flicker or CNN news update. Mobile has become a critical tool to consume and add new content such as pictures, recording, visual etch. One can easily shoot an audiovisual from their phones and show it to the world by mere clicking on the tab and uploading.

However mobile content industry has been efficiently replicated the content from 6 mass mediums into mobile formats through various applications and formats. New tools and utilities present in mobile phones can ignite the creative minds. New applications illustrated innovative and inventive media format concepts. The is evident with the new widgets in mobile which are used by few mobile owners like Sim budgeter in in normal phone whereas the present Iphones and Android are far more superior in terms applications in which one can even phooshop a image or use application like Nike Gps+ for Flair Fashion Tag which can be use on both platform mobile as well as facebook.

Facebook, Youtube, Mobile blogger are few applications among few other which are common in the Mobiles available today.

G Most accurate audience measurement

So far no other media channel has been able to embellish audience information or measure audience like news papers television and even internet for that matter. With cell phone , exact composition of total audience, individually, explicitly, completely and exactly.

Audience information and measurement is very resourceful for media and advertising. With accurate data they can directly focus on target audience, also the data is helpful in improving the content and media business.

Mobile and Media Content

Music on Mobile

Almost each one of us have used have walkman at least once, when sony launched the walkman portable player it was huge rage in the beginning though the market was soon diminished due to Napster on the content side but again in 2001 when apple intelligently created IPod’s and ITunes a new space was found.

It took over the market sold 100 million Ipod’s in six years creating a billion dollar revenue for the music recording industry out of legitimate sales through Itunes.

In the later year Music phones versions were sold from Nokia, Motorola , Samsung, and Sony Ericson. This is also one of the reason why Apple had to rush the Iphone to the Market, the Ipod had lived a beautiful span in music but its reign came to an end.

Most of the mobile phone owners use their mobiles for music at some point or the other while walking or while driving using the mobile with aux cable.

Mobile not only replicated walkmans or Ipods but it also took place music players and decks and tape recorder as it not longer required a CD, USB or Casette to play music .

Gaming on Mobile

Video games, Hand video games and many more indoor games are designed and developed in Mobile format as the online gaming is already a growing market . Games such as Pong , Donkey Kong, Chess , Sudoku are more played on mobile than online. However the most played game worldwide is Snake on Nokia phones.

The gaming industry makes money through developing consoles and networked games such as Nintendo, Playstation , Xbox and multiplayer network games such has counterstrike Warcraft ,NFS etc most mobile games tend to be small quizzes or light games such has Wordpower, Poker, Angry Birds or Bounce which offer a pass time for mobile owners.

As mobile is multipurpose in many more ways these games engages mobile owners when they are bored or have nothing better to do. These games are small and entertaining.

However developer like gameloft, Disney studio have created many game series like Hercules, The Hero , Simba , The lion King,, Penguins in Mobile formats.

However with the popularity of angry birds and Snake the most addictive of the lot are now played on other platforms such as Facebook and online gaming sites.

News on Mobile

Mobile Advertising

Mobile revenue models

Business model and revenue model of mobile are composed of different forms and may vary from time to time. As Mobile devices are constantly changing and upgrading with respect to form, features and technology.

Also preparing a single revenue form is comparatively rare in the media industry Most revenue model depend and vary as per media type . Example in case of print or broadcast revenue model advertising plays an essential role so their prime focus would depend on advertising clients and audience.

Internet Revenue model are still struggling to maintain sustainability ; as most of the content available on web are free or shared on other sites . This makes it difficult at times for the media companies as well as sponsor’s to invest heavily on internet. Some internet revenue mode are slowly gaining pace making an entry limiting the content and including paid content.

Classification of business models for electronic markets the description of the revenue source is is one of three central elements in TIMMERS’ (1998). Therefore the revenue from advertising, paid content, infomediary, or subscription models are names as the dominant revenue form in Internet business model.

In mobile industry, the three models identified are platform provider, content aggregator, and infomediary.However from the perspective of media company three different revenue model are relevant for the provision of mobile media :

Subscription models

Advertising models

Paid content models

Application development

Subscription and advertising are the common traditional revenue models whereas paid content and application development are the promising prospects of new media.

Subscription model for media are dominant in 2G and 3G Networks, both for SMS-or MMS- delivered media service or access to mobile portals. The earning from subscriptions are essential source from media in offline market.

Advertising models most revenue generators are dominant in most media markets are gradually succeeding in mobile media markets initially it wasn’t as successful on mobile media markets , because ads via sms or email was perceived as spam.

Influence of Mobile Communication

Content available on mobile wireless communication is a new and rapidly growing option for the expansion and development of cross-media strategies across digital distribution platforms. Media companies and agency can now invest in Mobile industry for generation of cross media content for digital distribution. Though media companies have been hesitant with their engagements and investments in mobile media content due to fluctuating and uncertain customer demands and constant technology up gradation and regulatory developments.

However, Mobile communication may offer interesting and innovative space for media companies as it develops into a cross- media platform for distribution media content. Although mobile wireless communication and cross-media strategies have lot of potential opportunities as well as risk in media market, media companies need to analyze the incentive, potential barriers and potential drivers of their mobile media engagement.

I recall a post from Tomi’s Communities Dominate Brands blog: “Brands in today’s world need to be three things: 1) life enabling; 2) life simplifying; and 3) navigational (help me navigate my life better).” Mobile as a media can allow brands to be these three things.

Bibliography

Introduction Page 2 and 3: Convergence and Culture : Where Old and New Media Collide by Henry Jenkins

Mobile as 7th of Mass Media: Cellphone, cameraphone, iPhone, smartphone…On the other hand, you have your other cellphone. August 2008 by Tom T Anhonen.Chapter1Introduction : cellphone the only universal gadget

Mobile as 7th of Mass Media: Cellphone, cameraphone, iPhone, smartphone…On the other hand, you have your other cellphone. August 2008 by Tom T Anhonen. Foreword Page 1