The Web Uncovered

A new technology that could change information distribution is gaining some serious recognition.  Developed by a small team of University of Chicago business students, Bump Technologies has created a Iphone aplication called “Bump,” which exchanges basic contact information instantly, when the two Apple devices “bump” into eachother.  Currently, it only works between two Iphones or Ipod Touch’s that have the application.  However, by creating a standard and implementing it, it could be revolutionary to mobile devices.

The Takeaway: While for now this a great tool for networking, this technology could be developed to bump larger pieces of information, and also create a seamless cross-platform standard to remotely exchange information.  Imagine I could bump my Ipod into your Blackberry, and then within 15 seconds you have a copy of my favorite Bob Marley track.  There is a lot of potential to take this technology and run with it.

Thomas Freidman’s flattened world may be appear a bit fictious in certain regards, but one technology that has overshadowed the others mentioned in his book, The World is Flat, is that of mobile technologies.  Since the book has been written, the proliferation of Iphones and Blackberries are rudimentarily changing the fashion by which business is conducted.  As an example of how this effects marketing, I’d like to talk about John Mayer.

Sound a bit out there?  John Mayer has learnt about the capability of marketing to mass ammounts of people several times a day.  How does it do it?  He tweets.  John Mayer’s twitter page has over 685 THOUSAND followers, and I am one of them.  With his Blackberry, he uploads around ten updates a day to over half a million people.  It isn’t the mobile technology that makes this so effective, it is how the technology has allowed his fans to feel as if they are personally connecting with him several times a day.

The Takeaway:

While you may see mobile technology as a tool to execute your marketing plan more efficiently, think bigger.  How can your campaign be adapted in a mobile world?  Neil Postman, an American media theorist from my alma mater, taught that the same message changes on different media, often to the negative effect.  Taking the inverse, to be truly on the cutting edge, we all must explore how new technologies in media create new opportunities to adapt our message.