SapientNitro's Israel: Understanding Mobile Interaction

Dan-IsraelSapientNitro was recently cited as having the leading mobile practice among large U.S. digital agencies evaluated by Forrester. Online Media Daily spoke to Dan Israel, mobile strategy lead at SapientNitro, about the agency’s approach to mobile and other subjects. Prior to joining SapientNitro, Israel led consumer mobile strategy at The Home Depot. 

OMD: How is the mobile group at SapientNitro organized? 

Israel: Overall, we’re about 10,000 strong: 5,000 in India and 5,000 in 38 offices around the world. We have about 300 people devoted to mobile strategy, creative and technology domains with varied levels of industry experience. And in Atlanta, we have something called the Mobile Center of Excellence, focused on mobile and multichannel delivery for clients worldwide, which has about 50 to 60 people in it. 

What we’ve been trying to do is pepper all the offices with people that have some sort of mobile and multichannel expertise, so they can start developing some of these competencies. 

OMD: What’s the client approach?

Israel: We’re focused on what are the business objectives first, what is the right experience to overlay on that, and then figuring out what the right technology is. Then we can do one of two things: Either bring together the right people who can make that technology internally, or if the client prefers, we’ll use their resources.

Given that we don’t approach mobile as a channel or a piece of technology, the challenge is often to understand how people want to interact with the information on a particular device, and what’s the best way to present an experience that is easy to use, easy to understand, and relevant to that moment.

OMD: Do clients view mobile the same way they might social media -- as a vehicle for earned or owned media rather than paid media?

Israel: Let’s first make the statement that mobile and social media are becoming so intertwined that it’s hard to make a distinction. Today, there is a new term making the rounds that epitomizes this reality -- “solomo.” It refers to a mash-up of social media, location and mobile devices.

In the good old days of “Mad Men,” customer experiences -- good or bad -- had limited ability to affect your business in a dramatic way. Owned media shaped what people should think, and what they should buy. Today, the combination of mobile devices along with social media networks means positive or negative customer experiences can be broadcast to a huge audience rapidly.

OMD: Do you expect clients’ mobile budgets to be bigger this year than last?

Israel: Mobile budgets are going up. In particular, in the retail industry. Their customers are coming in with better information than what their own sales associates have, and you try to equalize it by providing better mobile experiences that engage consumers on their terms, and also to empower sales associates to have the same level of information.

The budgets are increasing; we are getting specific requests for mobility to be injected in everything they’re doing. It’s no longer one of these one-off things. We’re hiring a lot in the mobile space, and we would only be doing that if we anticipated more revenue.

OMD: What developments do you think might define the mobile space this year or beyond?

Israel: The next big wave is mobile wallets. It’s not going to hit tomorrow, but it’s something that’s evolving. That’s a very complicated ecosystem to set up. From an NFC (Near Field Communication) standpoint, you have to get nine pieces in alignment to offer a mobile wallet. 

Who do companies partner with, whether you’re a financial institution or a retailer? How are the business models going to change? What are technology bets you’re going to make? Those are all things -- I wish we could make this ecosystem easier to evolve.

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