In mobile, one size definitely does NOT fit all.

My first reaction to a recent research report on mobile platforms was…DUH. But, as often happens, a little more reflection made me realize there was some important learning to be had.

The Adobe Digital Index reviewed more than 100 billion website visits around the world, and came up with interesting comparisons between tablets and smartphones…more specifically, the “shopping” behaviors consumers display on each platform. The basic takeaway from the study, which you can see in more detail here, is that tablets have overtaken smartphones as the shopping device of choice. Simply put, tablet use and prominence is growing; smartphones, not so much.

The results show that users look at 70% more web pages per visit using a tablet than they do when using a smartphone. That’s the “duh” part for me. Of course they do. It’s easier to click around a site when your flabby fingers have a lot more working room to find, isolate, and click on the links and, dare I say, actually read some of the words you find once you get there! (And while youth may give you a bit more dexterity and better eyesight for that purpose, it comes with less patience, so those things tend to cancel out.)

What this finally made me realze is that “mobile” is no more a single category than “broadcast” is.  You wouldn’t (at least wisely) use the same tactics for a Super Bowl TV spot as you would in a gas-pump video or local radio remote. So today, smart marketers shouldn’t think they are ahead of the curve simply

The “Beck” story on charming AT&T kid spots.

Ever heard of Beck Bennett?  Bet you will soon.

I was originally going to make this post another tribute to excellent casting.  By now, you’ve all seen the AT&T 4G spots that feature batches of kids interacting with a dryly humorous presenter. The campaign, themed  ”It’s Not Complicated” touts the large AT&T network, and uses simplistic “even a kid knows that” kind  of logic to support the featured benefit.

It’s not a brand new idea, of course; kids saying funny things have been the basis of campaigns (and TV shows, for that matter) for many decades. To me, the beauty in the spots is the wonderfully fine line being walked by the adult.  He treats the kids with respect, and appears to earnestly be soliciting their opinions on the questions asked.

But his perfectly deadpan responses and interjections let us know that he is fully aware of the quirky,  sometimes long-winded answers the kids provide.

But as I investigated the campaign, I learned that perhaps the real beauty in this story is the way social media is at work around the edges. First, the interviewer is a fellow named  Beck Bennett, who grew up near my old home in Chicago and went to USC and studied acting, pursuing comedy activities on the side. Before getting his big break in this AT&T campaign, Bennett attracted a small following through a series of web shorts called ‘Fresh Perspectives” – a pseudo news round table in which he plays the same type of straight-man moderator to groups of

Product placement comes with a cost. Does product MISplacement?

I came across an interesting item today- a  column by Priska Neely  from the NPR website. It  addresses the issue of product placement, but includes the “down side” you don’t often see.

It is no longer a surprise to anyone that companies pay big bucks to get visual exposure for their brands in popular movies and television shows. One of the most often-cited examples is American Idol;  it started with simple Coke cups on the table in front of each judge, but has progressed to the point where the show sometimes appears to be taking place inside one big, glitzy Coke machine.

It’s certainly an interesting topic. Quick quiz – can you remember the type of candy Kramer was eating when he dropped a piece from the observation balcony over an operating room and it wound up inside the patient? (First correct response wins a package of that candy from me!)  What brand of vehicle did Jack Bauer drive during all those seasons of “24″ ?  (First correct response on THAT one will have to settle for a hearty “attaboy.”)

The reasoning is obvious; what brand wouldn’t want to be the “hero”  or at least bask in the glow of a cool scenario. But what about those scenes in which the pictured products are less than heroic? As the article points out, producers are largely free to use any branded products they wish without getting any special permission from the company.  Do you want YOUR brand to be the alcohol of choice for a drinking airline pilot?  How about a closeup of your chainsaw brand in the next slasher movie?

I find the whole topic fascinating; I have been in advertising long enough