mTrends – mobile media lifestyle trends – m-trends.org

Helen has been working in mobile since the early days; she’s one of the first women I noticed when I started mingling in online discussion groups and forums related to mobile back in 2001. I am happy to have her here in the “Women in Mobile” series.

Helen learned how consumers interact using the mobile channel along with Russell Buckley over at ZagMe in 2000/1. Early 2002, she founded BeepMarketing, one of UK’s most hands-on wireless marketing agencies. She also also runs mobile marketing training courses with the Institute of Direct Marketing, 160 Characters and New Media Knowledge and she also lectures on mobile marketing at the Universities of Westminster, Hertfordshire and Newcastle… Do you need more as an introduction? Let’s hear it from Helen herself!

BACKGROUND

- What brought you into mobile?
I have an eclectic background ranging from putting on and acting in theatrical shows, making videos, running ladies fashion stores in London’s West End to implementing major marketing projects for the likes of FirstGroup, TNT, Inter-Continental Hotels and HP. I did the obligatory term in a dotcom at the end of the 90s and my boss there was Russell Buckley (who now writes at Mobhappy). Next thing I know he’s started working at ZagMe and is looking for someone with retail experience to work with them to send text messages to shoppers at Lakeside and Bluewater shopping malls. Well, as I have 10 years retail experience, I was invited in to meet the CEO and the next thing I know I’m working out how to get which message to which phone at what time! This was positioned as ‘a bit of a spreadsheet project’. It wasn’t. It was actually a very complex thing we were trying to do, but I did work it out in the end with a little help from some friendly developers. Unfortunately, ZagMe didn’t stay the course so when it sadly went under at the end of 2001, I set up my own mobile marketing company, BeepMarketing.

- Are you more business, social or technical mobile oriented?
I’m fascinated by the social aspect and impact of mobile technology but as I run an agency, I need to focus on the business benefits for my clients balanced with a good user experience for the end customer. I’m not a programmer or developer but some of my friends now call me a geek so I guess I know something of the technical side.

WORK

- Can you explain more about your work?
BeepMarketing’s premise is very simple. In a mobile marketing world where the focus is on the technology (how big is my server, how fancy is my widget) or on ‘deals’ (I can sell sms cheaper than your sms), I decided there was a need to focus on what happens when a customer actually interacts with your brand whether that’s marketing or customer service (you see, you can take the girl out of retail but you can’t take retail out of the girl!). I also wanted to tell it like it is and offer a practical viewpoint to balance the heady vision of a mobile world.

DIGITAL LIFESTYLE

- Is technology surrounding you making your life easier?
Not really! If anything, it’s making it more complex. I’m having to juggle communications more – the phone can be ringing, clients or suppliers will be instant messaging me, email is hitting me thick and fast, comments on my blog to answer, text messages and some. There are times when I’m overwhelmed by it, but then when nobody is contacting me I feel strangely alone and unloved. The constant contact thing is very addictive and I’m just glad I can touch type really fast.

That said, having a phone with you at all times does mean, that provided you have signal, you are connected to the outside world – you can ring anyone up, you can text, you can browse the mobile internet. And it’s good to feel connected.

- Which tools you use to publish/blog/moblog your work?
I use blogger to publish my blog and I also contribute to Moblog and use flickr as a picture archive.

- Which applications and services do you use (daily) on your phone?
The alarm clock + talking and texting. I take a lot of pictures – especially now I’ve gotten into the whole moblogging thing. And I use Bluetooth to sync files with my pc.

- Would you use your device to interact with other machines?
Yes, I already sync with my pc and other phones to share and manage my pictures and video clips.

- Would you/do you download mp3 tunes on your phone?
Probably not yet. The battery life on my phone is not great so I keep my MP3s separate. I also keep my mp3 player with me in case I get a chance to do some podcasting as it’s also a recorder. I guess if I had the hard drive and better battery life, then I would download to my phone, but only if it was cheaper and I could then use the files on other devices (pc, mp3 player or whatever).

- What would you like to film with your camera phone?
Something longer than 10 seconds (I’ve worked out how to do this now…). Actually, I need a better quality lens and zoom ability and then I’d be filming antics at festivals.

- Where/When would you not carry your mobile or would you like to be disturbed by it?
I keep it turned to silent in meetings and at public events like the theatre or cinema. I can’t imagine going out without my mobile now – it’s as important as cash and keys to me.

FUTURE OF MOBILE

- The mobile trend for next year?
One of the mobile marketing trends next year will be the mobile media bandwagon – especially TV. We’re already seeing the start of it with the plethora of mobile TV projects. However, until data pricing and technical compatibility issues are sorted out for MMS, let alone video or TV, I’ll be viewing all this skeptically from the sidelines.

I think we’ll also see richer mobile media as part of marketing campaigns next year. And we’ll see lots of text and win activity and text responses to above the line advertising.

PERSONAL FAVORITES

- Who inspires you professionally?
Lots of the people I meet – creative, energetic, enthusiastic, collaborative, open-minded and bright. It makes me feel that we can really be a force for change for the better.

- Your favorite mobile technology blog?
Well I’d have to say Mobhappy of course. But seriously, even if I didn’t know Russell, I still think he and Carlo write really well. I subscribe to lots of blogs but Mobhappy is one of the few that I actually read. I also check out what Tom Hume has to say too and Mike Butcher.

- Your favorite mobile device?
My trusty Sony Ericsson K700i soon to be upgraded.

- Favorite mobile application/service?
The alarm clock on my phone – I don’t know how I used to get up in the morning.

OTHER
- Your ultimate dream scenario including mobile?
Checkout the Starsight Project by the Kolam Partnership. They’re planning to bring solar lighting and wi-fi (and in time, telecoms) to developing countries. Giving those people access to technology, and therefore markets, will be a fantastic start to tackling poverty and encouraging entrepreneurship as well as cutting crime (wherever you include street lighting, crime reduces dramatically). This dream scenario could really happen and it’s not necessarily that far away.

- Which links would you like to be included?
www.technokitten.com
www.beepmarketing.com

- Who else could you recommend to be interviewed next?
Gillian Kennedy from Emap, Angel Gambino MTV, Lisa Modisette, founder of Women in Mobile Data and mobile consultant, Jessica Sandin at Informa Telecoms and Jelly Ellie as well.

- Anything else you would like to add? Something the big players in mobile are missing?
It’s not about the technology, it’s about the experience. Yes, the technology has to work, but it’s easy to get carried away with it all. As Bill Gates says (and I paraphrase here), “we overestimate the technology change in 2 years and underestimate the change we’ll see in 10 years”. 5 years ago, we were talking about the advent of picture messaging, location based services and more besides. We’re still waiting to see picture messaging take off and location based services are barely off the starting block. That said, I think the impact of mobile and internet technologies (especially the MSN generation) in 10 years time will be enormous.

Thanks!

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