• by September 28, 2011

For consumers, media takes many forms. It's any one of a number of channels where they can go for information, news and entertainment. Mobile media fits this description, but takes us beyond all other channels in key ways.

Like television and the Web, people use mobile media by design; they see certain channels, CNN for example, as reliable resources, and open a mobile Web site or app. But, mobile means more than simply accessing traditional media sources through mobile mediums. Mobile has changed the game.

All consumer-facing brands can now become mobile media properties in order to inform and entertain consumers. Just look at what Facebook, Foursquare and Coupons.com are doing with their mobile properties. Media channels and topic threads can be created organically, as when someone hashtags a Tweet.

Mobile is not just new media. It's not just the future. Mobile is "now media."

Mobile breaks down barriers to access and defies time and space. That makes mobile the newest -- and potentially most potent -- form of engagement media. Not only do SMS, MMS, and GPS-enabled tools support this, but mobile engagement is also driven through the explosion of social networks. In a survey conducted by eMarketer, 77% of respondents identified social networking as the mobile tool or application that will be used the most in 2015.

Look at what's happening now. Foursquare's popularity is evidence of the mobile consumer's recognition of the value of sharing brand recommendations and criticism. Foursquare has become a powerful media channel. Users share information with real passion; their friends share it further, Tweeting and posting to Facebook. It's completely mobile-based; even the websites of companies that are part of the conversation are being re-imagined as mobile-focused sites, not only providing consumers with media that's highly valuable, but also in a form that keeps the experience and engagement completely satisfying within the mobile channel.

Companies recognizing the value of this engagement are changing the way they do business, taking advantage of mobile's possibilities. Cars.com's mobile-enabled version of its site takes consumer value to a new level. Users search new- and used-car listings, find dealers and get directions, and even view Kelley Blue Book values and calculate loan payments right from the dealer's lot. Cars.com is the now media for the automotive consumer.

If you needed a further validation of the value of mobile and its impact on breaking down media barriers, look at the latest news from Netfix. Netflix and DreamWorks jointly announced Monday that Netflix would be the exclusive subscription streaming provider of DeamWorks's titles. This deal signals a real shift in how content is being viewed by consumers; it's the first time a major Hollywood studio has put its money on streaming video over pay TV. Streaming is the new media (and if you were not aware of it, you can get streaming Netflix on Verizon 4G handsets now, which came in really handy last week when I was stranded on the Tulsa tarmac for two hours due to flight delays). DreamWorks studio head Jeffrey Katzenberg, quoted in yesterday's New York Times, predicted that consumers in the near future will not distinguish between the two -- "We are really starting to see a long-term road map of where the industry is headed," he said. "This is a game-changing deal."

What does this mean for media? Plenty. Media is going mobile. This spring, Sandvine recognized Netflix as the undisputed leader of streaming download apps, and Allot, in its July MobileTrends report, charted that in the first half of 2011, video streaming continued to show significant growth, with a 93% increase since the beginning of the year, and remains the single largest application taking up bandwidth, accounting for 39% overall of mobile bandwidth .

Because mobile offers marketers this kind of growth, it should be part of every seller's media plan. Because it offers users information and entertainment, immensely useful and immediate, and because it's a media resource that they can access while they're in the stream, marketers must grab the opportunities it offers. Its uses and applications are practically endless.

Michael Becker, Managing Director, North America, Mobile Marketing Association