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Earlier this week, Russell Beattie set off a discussion when he announced that his mobile start-up Mowser was ceasing operation and that he believed the mobile web was dead! Now Mowser made it easy to create stripped down mobile websites from existing websites. Michael Arrington of Techcrunch respectfully disagreed saying that the mobile web has just begun. He pointed out that new mobile technology has made it that customers want fuller experiences on their mobile phones. He called out for more developers to build exciting applications to run specifically on the mobile platform.

The Mobile Web Has Just Started

I agree with Michael that mobile web is just in its infancy, but I am not so sure about building a business around an application that directly serves the market through the mobile handset - that is a quick way to the deadpool. I think we are still many years away before the mobile web is the primary form of our web experience. The best web applications will be ones with a web foundation. It's not that I don't think that compelling exclusive mobile web experiences can be built, it is that I think the mass market is not ready for it.

"Mobile Web Apps Must Complement Our Physical and Virtual Lives"

Just as the first internet wave, we cannot view mobile web as a separate entity. The most successful mobile applications will be ones that best integrate our physical and virtual worlds. At this moment, people only view the mobile web as an enhancement to our computer internet experience (Heck, most people only view the web as an enhancement to our physical experiences). Thus the most popular applications are ones complement our online experience.

How Do We Approach Mobile Web

Here would be my rules for engaging mobile web: 1) Build a compelling web experience - Start where most people access the internet (their computers) and offer them a compelling experience 2) Engage Your Audience - Ask your customers how would they want to experience the service over the mobile web? Or would they not use it? 3) Think of the Possibilities - Sometimes your customers do not have all the answers, so you and your team should look at where the technology is going and how your service may benefit from it. Don't just start building; write up detailed descriptions, create mock ups and ask your customers what they think of the ideas.

A few weeks ago I had a great conversation with someone in Yahoo!'s Social Media Sales Strategy Group (I will keep the name confidential). During the conversation, he said something that has stuck in my head and sent shivers down my spine. We talked about how marketing is changing from pushing out controlled messages to engaging in brand shaping engagement with customers. In this world, marketers who cling to controlling the message will increasingly fail and those who are great at engaging the population and shaping popular opinion will be the successful marketers. He then made the off-hand comment that the best people he has ever seen at this skill are political campaigners.

Shivers went down my spine. Those who know me know that I am not a fan of political campaigns. I feel it is a world dedicated to skillfully avoiding any genuine discussion on any issue. Is this where new advances in technology are moving marketing towards? He may have a point. Political campaigners are incredibly skilled maintaining their candidate's brand despite engaging with voters. I am hoping that since candidates only need to engage with voters once every couple of years and they engage with their brands every day, that the population will demand a more genuine form of engagement from their brands. Is this wishful thinking? I can't get this prospect out of my head. What does everyone else think?

Today, we are discovering that the new generation is abandoning email for a more immediate form of communication

Twenty years ago, we could not imagine communication without a trip to the post office. Five years ago we all thought email was the future of communication. Today, we are discovering that the new generation is abandoning email for a more immediate form of communication (like Twitter, Instant Messaging, and Text Messaging). Have a look at Chad Lorenz's excellent overview of this phenomenon in an article for Slate. Communication is becoming less about delivering a comprehensive message and more about having a conversation!

Originally, we organized our thoughts and constructed a well drafted message designed to influence the reader. Think about how we draft an essay. Now, think about how we draft an email - a little less organized, but, generally, it is designed to deliver a message. Now consider instant messaging. There is no message designed to influence the reader; it is a conversation - a give and take.

While I doubt the well constructed and delivered message will ever disappear, there is no doubt that going forward conversations will grow in importance. Think about the implications for marketing. Traditional marketing is to design a message that will influence the consumer. Taking it to our twenty year ago example, this would be in the form of a direct mailer letter. It is also a TV commercial or print ad; a more visual message, but a message nonetheless. How does this relate to a conversation? It doesn't. There is no give and take. While I doubt marketers will ever stop constructing their message (in fact that could be disastrous), they will need to initiate a conversation if they want to reach these younger generations.

How do marketers converse with their customers? Transform corporate websites to facilitate a dialogue with consumers; go to where these groups communicate such as social networking sites and open a free dialogue with them; or build a twitter network (see a good guide here). Jeremy Owyang has been trumpeting the need for conversation and I definitely recommend that you check him out.

Now, there are real risks to a conversation. Consumers will tell you what they really think in a public forum. This inspires fear in traditional marketers, leading companies to try to control the conversation (ie, remove negative posts) which will only create distrust and hurt the brand. The companies that get it, acknowledge the negative feedback and think about how they can address it in a constructive manner. Think about it - a company actually listening to a customer in a public environment. This builds trust and loyalty among your customers.

If a company can cross that bridge of fear to initiate a conversation with its consumers, then think of the opportunities. Companies pay outrageous sums of money to market research firms to tell them about their customers. A conversation will give you insights beyond what any survey will tell you (and you can still conduct formal surveys in these conversations). A better understanding of your consumer can direct companies to improving their products and their market success. I am pretty sure there will be an immediate reaction from the "experienced" marketer that this is "bunk" and that the negative risks to a brand outweigh the upside. To them I say "talk to me in five years".