There is a bizarre contradiction in the mobile space. In Japan, South Korea, and in many European countries, mobile phones do so much more than our iPhones and BlackBerries are able to accomplish here in the U.S.
You'd think that the country that spawned Microsoft, Amazon, Google, and Apple would be well ahead of the curve in mobile usage and technology, but that's simply not the case.
In Japan, for example, the eWallet concept is part of the norm. Consumers use their phones to buy tickets, access public transportation, as keycards that access homes and offices, and to even buy a Coke in a vending machine.
There are more than 4 billion mobile phones on this planet – more than there are computers, radios, and televisions. The future is that device in your pocket or your purse, and that's why it's never been more important for radio to be a part of this technology.
And it's about brands. Apple's ads that showcase apps "that need no introduction" (Nike, Starbucks, etc.) say it all about the need for individual radio brands to have a place on the iPhone (or BlackBerry or Droid).
Obviously, the iheartradio aggregated apps have value because they pack hundreds of stations under the same umbrella. But mobile is about individual brands, not malls. And the way that Apple and others market their phones should send a message to all brand managers and programmers.
Any product – a radio station, a music festival, a celebrity, a sports franchise – should have its own individualized app. You can only imagine how Garagantuan the App Store download statistics will look after this holiday buying season.
And mobile devices are only going to become even more prominent moving forward. That eWallet concept is coming. And soon.
A new application by Android will allow consumers to transfer funds and do some basic transactions – with their phones. In the U.S., the end of the credit card is in sight.
Jacobs Media has consistently walked the walk in the digital space, providing insights and guidance through its well-read national Techsurveys.
In 2008, jacapps was launched - a mobile apps company that has designed and built more than 1,300 apps for both the Apple and Android platforms. In 2013, the DASH Conference was created - a mashup of radio and automotive, designed to foster better understanding of the "connected car" and its impact.
Along with providing the creative and intellectual direction for the company, Fred consults many of Jacobs Media's commercial and public radio clients, in addition to media brands looking to thrive in the rapidly changing tech environment.
Fred was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2018.
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