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When we designed and conducted the “Goin’ Mobile” ethnographic study with Arbitron back in 2010, we saw some amazing “stupid human smartphone tricks” that were precursors to major behavioral changes that have become societal in scope.

While speaking with a friend the other day who has an iPad but is still using a flip phone, she told me that she has purposely shied away from purchasing an iPhone because she thinks it will ruin her life.

That’s an interesting way to think about the smartphone phenomenon.  It is a game-changer, and while there are many positive aspects of owning an iPhone or one of the better Android handsets, the loss of attention-span and other cultural changes is undeniable.

We attempted to capture some of these usage patterns in Techsurvey8.  Overall, smartphone ownership has now passed the halfway mark, up to 52% in this new nationwide study.  And it’s interesting that both men and women are almost equally as likely to have one.

We also found that smartphone ownership tends to level the tech playing field by age.  Even those who have an iPhone or Android device in the oldest demos are using it to perform a myriad of cool and varied tasks.

The “dual pyramid” (below) speaks to the growing differences between the “haves” and the “have-nots.”  That is, those who have a smartphone, and those who are still using what is nicely called a “feature phone.”

(A friend of mine in his early ‘70s is a “have-not” and still jokes about the time I referred to his device as an AARP Phone.”)

So as you look at the pyramid, you can definitely see how smartphones aren’t just convenient, they have opened up a new world to users.

Now, the only thing that feature phone owners do more than their smartphone counterparts is talk.  In all other usage areas, it’s no contest.  When you take the dive into smartphones, a whole new world opens up to you.

Of course, that also sends a message to those of us who program and market radio stations.  Look at the capabilities and activities that our listeners now have – and of course, they run even higher in progressively younger-targeted formats.

So here are some takeaways, followed by a logical question or two:

Eight of every ten respondents receive and send email on their phones.

So how do your database emails look when listeners open them up on their smartphones?  Are you considering the UX – or user experience – in your email program?

Three in ten record videos and three-quarters take and share photos.

So how can you utilize the audience as “citizen reporters” at concerts and events?  If everyone has a camera (and a video camera), how can you use this network to create content and a real-time experience?

One-fifth use their smartphones for Twitter, while two-thirds do the same for Facebook

So are you acknowledging your audience in a timely way on these platforms and taking advantage of their real-time nature?

Nearly six in ten check out news, weather, and/or traffic info on these handheld wizards.

So how does your on-air information provide entertainment value, a local touch, and a greater degree of accuracy?  And if you’re running a news operations, how does your station’s mobile experience match up with audience usage patterns?

More than one-third check sports scores on their smartphones.

Does your app do more than stream – are you providing sports scores for the teams your audience cares most about in a mobile environment?

And six in ten regularly download and use apps.

And how does your station’s mobile app program reconcile with those big numbers?  Do you have apps, and if so, on which platforms and devices?  Do your apps provide more than just a stream – a unique, mobile experience that is reflecting of your brand’s essence?

That’s what I love about research.  It asks questions, and then generates more questions.  But these are good ones to be asking in a mobile environment that is moving at Mach 5, right before our very eyes.

What questions do you see on this pyramid, and how can you and your team answer them?

Daniel Ruby of Localytics.com writes, “The convenience of having your favorite local radio station in your pocket is resonating with listeners, according to our latest research.
Over the past 12 months, use of radio-based mobile apps grew 33%. By instantly turning any iPhone, iPad or Android device into a “radio”, users can listen virtually anytime and anywhere. The accessibility and convenience of mobile both increases listening hours and extends reach beyond traditional broadcasting ranges.”

“Our recently completed Techsurvey8 says a lot about the voracious appetite for all things mobile – especially apps,” said Fred Jacobs, President of Jacobs Media/jacAPPS. “We surveyed 57,300+ radio listeners across North America, more than half of whom now own a smartphone. Of those who download apps, over 70% download radio apps. When we asked our respondents which type of radio app they prefer, more than half opted for individually branded apps which allow for more features and customization. This is where radio is going.”

Read all of Daniel’s piece, “The convenience of radio anywhere.”

The Radio Advertising Bureau has put together a panel at the 2012 NAB Show titled “Is Mobile Marketing the Future of Advertising in Radio?”

Craig Johnson of Radio World has covered this upcoming panel quoting Paul Jacobs, CEO of Jacobs Media and VP/GM of jacAPPS

Jacobs says, “What you’re starting to see with mobile apps for radio is a combination of a native application and mobile-enabled Web pages,” said Jacobs.

“At the end of the day, the ability of a radio station to get their icon on the desktop of a person’s smartphone is the best branding you can have. It’s akin to having a pushbutton on a car radio.”

As to some features that a station can add through an app, Jacobs listed links to podcasts, videos, news, schedules, social media, the last-five-songs, places for listeners to post pictures from station events and more.

Some stations emphasize fun. “We did an app for one station that wanted to allow listeners to gossip. So now they’ve got a gossip section.”

He noted that a station format will dictate some of the design of a given app. For example, “News stations and sports stations provide a significantly higher level of content, written text news, so that listeners can read the news stories.”

While such features may increase the cost to create a station app, they also provide a sponsorship possibility beyond traditional radio advertising.

Speakers at the panel “Is Mobile Marketing the Future of Advertising in Radio?” include representatives of JacAPPS, Pandora, ESPN Digital Partnerships, Hipcricket and Marketron.

Here is Craig Johnson’s entire piece on “Radio Seeks To Exploit Mobile Better.”

 

Every day we are barraged by articles, blogs, and research about media and technology.  It’s easy to miss something important amidst all the new gadget releases and pundit observations.

That was the case with a recent MediaPost email I received.  Buried at the bottom was this headline: “Smartphone sales up 80%.”

The piece itself was just a few short sentences, summarizing that first quarter sales of smartphones were spiked by the rush of new models.  Overall, nearly 100 million units were sold in Q1, almost doubling the same quarter last year.

We also know that in that same quarter, Apple sold 18 million iPhones, which accounted for about one-fifth of these sales.

Holy crap!  What goes up 80% these days?  Not even gas prices.  But that speaks to the ongoing meteoric growth that is occurring in the smartphone sector.

So what does this mean to those of us who are developing mobile strategies, and for those of you who have built and developed apps for your station or company?

First, think of these new smartphone owners as new cumers moving into your market. Radio programmers know the challenge of building new listeners, but in the case of smartphones, thousands of these consumers are showing up in your metro every month.

Second, they are excited about their new purchases and, in most cases, they can’t wait to “test drive” them, download apps, and find out what their friends and family members have been talking about.

Third, they are new to these devices, and may not have previously dealt with the app store experience.  They may not totally “get” what an app is and what it does.

Fourth, they have probably forgotten that YOU have an app. That’s because you probably promoted it when the app first went live, but now you’ve likely replaced those promos with your 9-to-5 contest, your music festival, or your “Rock Girls” promotion.

jacAPPS has now designed and built more than 425 apps generating upwards of 9 million downloads in less than three years.  We track app downloads every month, and we can see the close relationship between stations that regularly market their apps on their air versus those who have moved on to talk about the morning show’s charity jello jump.

Stations that have a strategy for app promotion and marketing, connect the dots for listeners, and embrace the mobile technology have steadily rising app download metrics, which will in fact translate to better revenue generation as well as stronger engagement with listeners – most of whom appreciate that the station “gets it” by launching a mobile application.

But stations need to provide the basic A-B-C’s of how to use and when to use apps.  It’s the same for streaming.  Just because your audio is available via a stream doesn’t mean that your audience has gotten the message about all the new locations and situations in which they can now access your content.  So often, programmers take it for granted that listeners simply inherently know what to do. There is benefit in providing simple, helpful explanations.

One thing that we have learned as app developers is that not every brand has a radio station connected to it. When you think about it, radio truly has an advantage when it comes to getting the word out.  At jacAPPS, we are also building applications for non-media brands – companies and entities that do not have a built-in megaphone.  Not surprisingly, these businesses often struggle to get the word out about their apps, having only word of mouth and email marketing as promotion vehicles.  When it comes to self-marketing, radio has it pretty good – if it uses its genetic assets strategically.

Radio’s powerful cume, brand equity, and trust via personalities and shows make the medium the perfect candidate to not just participate in the mobile experience but to thrive within it.

Use it.

Paul Jacobs, VP of jacAPPS, talks with Radio Ink about the opportunity for radio stations to generate cash from mobile applications.

Full Story Here