Understanding the User – Buongiorno releases mobile browsing research results ‘Cell Surfing 2008′

Buongiorno!, the world’s top company in mobile entertainment, has recently unveiled the results of ‘Cell Surfing 2008′ (www.cellsurfing2008.com); an in-depth ethnographic research into mobile internet behavior. The study aims to see how 18-34 year olds in the UK use mobiles in their daily lives through interviews, diary keeping, and a unique ‘torture test’. The deep-dive research approach banned participants from using their PC browsers for 5 entire days forcing them to use only their mobile phone browsers.

So what did they discover?

Firstly mobile users can be split into two key groups: embracers, who ’see their phones as real beings’ (i.e. a friend, a pet or a collaborator) and pragmatists who view mobiles as tools to make life easier. They also found that users browse the internet on their mobile for 4 main reasons: searching for information, downloading content, continuing an action started on their PC/internet (i.e. gaming, email), and socializing.

The research shows that individuals’ favorite browsing activity is connecting to the various and most recognized social networks such as MySpace, Facebook and MSN. The personalization of these sites and the ability for users to instantly find out what is happening in their social group(s) makes them perfect partners for mobile browsing; users can socialize online while socializing offline. ‘Cell Surfing 2008′ also outlined the need for marketers to observe the different ‘need states’ of users. They identified four need states that are ‘diversion’ (killing time), ‘connection’ (feeling in touch), ‘now’ (alleviate feelings of helplessness) and ‘making the most of it’ (turning dead time into productive time).

Advancements in mobile technology and the maturing of mobile and tech savvy users means the mobile entertainment industry is looking to be worth $50bn by 2010, with 840 million individuals using cell phones as media players. The marketing implications of this growth are massive as long as certain considerations are taken into account. For example the study found that users who feel they do not have control over the mobile technology had mainly negative experiences, where users who feel they are in total control have a far more positive experience. Some users also feel overwhelmed and confused by the plethora of functions available and see browsing the internet on a mobile a daunting task.

Buongiorno! concluded that there is still some time to go before emerging trends can be entirely exploited by mobile marketing. The full potential of mobile marketing can be realized only when mobile technologies eventually converges with the general users requirements: permanent online access, transparent pricing structures, convergence with PC and other media , clear usability-functionality and displays, and multi task browsing options. After these requirements have been satisfied, users ‘need states’ and behavior have been understood, and mobile phone usage increases mobile marketing will ultimately become a more attractive and cost effective option for advertisers.

For more information please view the full Cell Surfing 2008 Buongiorno presentation.

post by Peter Jackson from 77Academy

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 22nd, 2008 at 10:09 am and is filed under Mobile Marketing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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