mobile content: the return of shovelware? presented at the stc france content strategy forum 2010....

HUGE | Erin Scime | Mobile Content: The Return of Shovelware? | STC Content Strategy Forum April 16, 2010 1

Erin Scime | April 16, 2010

@erinscimewww.dopeData.com

Mobile Content:

The Return of Shovelware?

Click to edit Master title style

• Click to edit Master text styles– Second level

• Third level– Fourth level

» Fifth level

A bit about HUGE




» Fifth level

How we’re structured

Structure• 140 Employees• Headquartered in New York• Founded in 1999; owned by operating partners

and Interpublic Group


Recent mobile launches

Newsweek Flashback

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia

Reuters iPad

Readers DigestLife IQ


Why focus onmobile content strategy?


We’re not thinking strategically.

“We have $50k to burn.This iPhone thing seems cool -Let’s try something with that!”

“…and we’ll launch it in 3 weeks!”


We spent so much time optimizing content for this….


….but what about this?

*The Online Reporter, 2008 Rider Research

• Searches here take 3x longer than desktop

• Much lower usage than online

• Users are more focused on an immediate answer rather than on the breadth of information.


Digestion of content is different for each screen


Shovelware doesn’t work.

web mobileprint

Different user contextStrong hardware constraints




» Fifth level

How do we optimize for this thing?


Better define mobile content strategy


Same principles as web CS:

1. Make content meaningful

2. Increase findability

3. Optimize the way content is delivered


Same essential questions

• Identify target

• Differentiate from competition

• Resources to create and manage it

• Long-term plan

• Return on investment


More than just a hunch

User Research

• Qualitative• Discover what users love about content in the moment

• Read public reviews (often usability hints here)

• Quantitative understanding of how people digest mobile content

• Visibility of pathways through content

Analytics Case Studies

• Live mobile projects• Industry best practices


But a slight shift in approachWeb Content Strategy Mobile Content Strategy

•Major clean up of entire holdings •Subset of holdings•Long-term analysis & planning •Freedom in creativity with subset

•Content is managed •Content is pushed•Tell multiple stories with content •Tell a single, focused story•Significant editorial restructuring •Minor editorial restructuring


More often with mobile, the content defines the final product

Reader’s Digest

• Archive of facts

• Target audience = young to refresh brand

• End product = game


Sometimes the app better serves the content than the site

take the digital shopping list to the store

use it in the kitchen while cooking




» Fifth level “You are a publisher.”- Kristina Halvorson




» Fifth level

You are also a [content] designer.


1. How will you architect your content?

2. How will you position the publisher?




» Fifth level

Especially for mobile

Content Strategists must think like Designers.


Layering

Mashing

Mixing

Contextualizing


5 ways developing content for mobile is different


The regain of editorial control

1


2 entry points

Publisher in control of experience

Content makers at the mercy of search engines

vs.


Users actively choose you from a giant list of options


When they are ready, they choose to look inside


Return of the tastemaker

• Momentary undivided attention• Control over what readers see first• Position of authority (tastemaker)• Prioritization and communicating a

clear POV via a curated set of headlines

Hey reader! These are the select stories I want you to see


Traffic reveals opposing trends

Homepage

Category

Content

More time spentLower bounce rate

Less time spentHigher bounce rate

Website Mobile

Source: *HUGE study of news content sites


Mobile is always “on”

2


Mobile users live in a 360°environment

• Short attention span • Multi-tasking / “wasting time”• Sudden interruptions• Momentary social context• Connection speed

• Need to Tweet or send directly to Facebook, Digg etc.


The best content for here

May not be the same all around

• time of delivery• context• subject matter interest level• languages• local device trends

WAP site may be better for globalization

Mobile users move around a lot


Context dependent on geography

The best content for here

May not be the same all around

• time of delivery• subject matter interest level• languages• local device trends• local news needs• billing/transactions


Use is 24 hours a day…..



…7 days a week



360° explains why the top apps are:

• Communications (social networking sites)

• Weather

• Utility

• Games

Source: *Nielsen Group iPhone Diary Study, 2009


The target may be extra niche

3


A niche audience may be totally different than web


Moms use mobile as family device[especially working moms]

Source: HUGE user research, Nielsen Wire, Sept 2009 report, Razorfish Digital Mom report

Entertain Plan Share


The niche audience may not match device trends

*source: Quantcast 2009 reporting of mobile platforms

A similar market share exists for N. America.

But this doesn’t mean every product should be an iPhone app


Business folk use BlackBerries

Are Apple apps the biggest return on investment?

Harvard Business Review($2.99)

Financial Times(free)

Wall Street Journal(free)


Tourists = extreme device diversity

One good case for WAP


You have to make money differently

4


Is it premium? (hint: premium does not always mean current content)

• App cost: $2.99– previously 99¢/episode

• Unlimited streaming to past shows (all evergreen) –previously unavailable on site.

• Link to radio station in Chicago

• Helping to pay for the popular podcast ($100k to run)


Diversified apps = 3 ways to monetize

NY Times news NYTimes property search

NYTimes crossword puzzle


Increase in-store sales with contextual online content

Sephora utilized mobile voice to allow shoppers to access reviews of products they had in their hands.

-UPC or product name


The viewing platform triggers a conceptual shift

5


• Proximity and tactility

• Interaction = immediate response

• Hyper-personalization (dashboard of hand-picked apps)

• Situational context

• Navigation mechanism (touch, ball, stylus)

Mobile content must match intimacy of the device


Give content the right home for the right user case…..

Juxtaposed, multiple layers simultaneously

Deep dive plunge

Dedicated time to research

On the fly market decisions

E-trade for iPad E-trade for iPhone


…assuming that “home” will be around for a while!

Gartner Inc. projects by 2012:

1.Symbian 2.Android3. iPhone

*Sources: Taptu report “The State of the Mobile Touch Web” Jan 2010http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9139026/Android_to_grab_No._2_spot_by_2012_says_Gartner“Forrester 2010 Mobile Trends”, Jan 2010

Taptu projects by 2011:

1. Mobile Touch Sites2. iPhone3. Android

Forrester predicts

HTML5 will reduce need for app

Android & Symbian Series will be the next round after iPhone hype

Platform arms race


Mobile content strategists must be content designers!

platforms / operating systems

interaction best practices

technology

spatial design

carriers

amount of content per page

research

updates


[gulp]


You can do it.

Tight competition

Goal = Value Proposition:

Content worth pursuing & spending time with it

Sucky mobile search

In-the-moment use of device

Frequent technology changes

The challenge


Build in time for a discovery phase!

Upfront research & strategy are key for preventing shovelware.


Hypothetical case: recipes


Determine what you have to start with that your target wants….

• How-to & technique demonstrations

• Articles about food & cooking techniques

• Images

• Facts

• Chef profiles


…then limit and focus.

Is there such thing as too much content?

How long is content valuable?


Figure out the level of effort for repurposing it…..

Images•Rights•Dimensions•Source•Title, Bylines etc.

Video•Dimension•Platform player•Load time•Length•Source


….multiple times

If you start here…

Project content needs for these platforms

What’s the level of effort for repurposing content for multiple interfaces?• screen size & orientation• navigation: touch v. ball v. stylus• AJAX compatibility• geo-location• Load times• Caching ability


Create a plan for how content will be featured in more than 1 place

Brand X

Core Site

Newsletters Web Assets

Android app

iPhone app

Print / Broadcast assets

Mobile Assets

Micro-site / Campaign site

Mobile Touch Site

Blackberry app

Marketing

Email blasts

WAP

Social Media

Facebook

Twitter

3rd-partyplatforms

iTunesYouTube

Brand X


Then think like an UX designer


Position features/functionality to support content imperatives

• Track saved content (between site and apps)

• Integrate social media (users & branded personalities)

• Allow topic following as much-needed time shortcuts to

desired content

• Serve what you think they’ll like based on their behavior

and location


Customize content for the situation

•Break up content to match recipe pace

•Font size from avg. distance from screen

•Rules for max character count

•CMS


Others in your networks cooking

15 seconds agoClassyCook78via Twitter


Find what’s on sale & where for your shopping list

$6.99/lb

$7.89/lb

$7.69/lb

Buy one, get one!

4 on sale near you


Utilize geo position & user willingness to contribute

User submits in-the-field image, idea or commentary

Publisher gets free content!

User gets notoriety!

-sale-final image-video-rare ingredient-pairing solution


Is there an opportunity for new partnerships / revenue models?One-click e-commerce integration

From The Naked Chef cookbook. “Buy it for your Amazon Kindle app”

Coupon for this ingredient


Don’t underestimate the effort this takes

• Don’t assume you can use all content from web (often sourced from multiple places)

• Rights

• Image quantity / quality / resizing

• Hurdles to link back to live site

• Timeline constraints (this app was made in 3 weeks!)

• Consider metadata & CMS limitations for management once live


Don’t just launch it. Learn from it.


Push for better analyticsTagging is number one reason we can’t better synthesize mobile data. Push to make this a priority.


How to analyze with data:• Compare website vs. mobile site vs. applications• Watch overarching traffic patterns through content• Optimize your content & refine information architecture

based on these findings

• Overall visits, time spent, pages viewed• Where and when people spend time on the different

channels, content types or topics• What sections or page-types are the bouncing from?

What to look at:


Return on investment

Goal Metric

Increased engagement • Average time spent on content pages• Bounce rate• Downloads :: repeat visits

Enjoyment •Usability testing•Repeat visits

Brand viability Social Media measurement tools• number of external throws to social media• number of throws to brand properties

Financial • increased sales• optimized resource allocations• retrieved content production & management costs


Refine your mobile content strategy over time


Thank you!

www.hugeinc.com45 Main Street, 2nd floorBrooklyn, NY 11201

Call us.Phone: +1 718 625 4843Fax: +1 718 625 [email protected]


Appendix: Content checklist

What slice works for behavioral trends?

Different enough to make money off it?

Level of effort for repurposing for mobile platform(s)?

Can it be brought in front of a registration/log-in?

When is it most valuable to the mobile user?

How many resources to maintain it?

mobile content: the return of shovelware? presented at the stc france content strategy forum 2010....

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