@ CTIA: News Corp COO: Mobile The Greatest Media Vehicle Ever Created

(c) MocoNews

The first keynote was mobile content hucksterism on a scale you have never heard before. News Corp COO Peter Chernin, bullish after the latest deal buying out majority in Jamba, went on the hype offensive about mobile content. People certainly felt good about being the industry, if nothing else.
"Mobile could be the greatest media vehicle ever created, greater than even television. That's why we bought Jamba.
This JV will create the very first vertically integrated mobile entertainment company. Despite the buzz, we are still only sitting on the precipice of a consumer opportunity no one has ever seen before. We sell things that no one really needs it..it is a completely unnecessary product. But they still crave it. I know how to sell experiences that consumers crave."
Some of his thoughts:
– First, we must create an engaging consumer experience and we should be bolder in personalizing entertainment. We need to fit the needs of a wildly diverse audience.
– We need to be more interactive.
– Mobile should be its own medium. We shouldn't look at it as a marketing channel.
– Make is easy to find: it is a joke to find content on and off the deck presently.
– We need to keep it simple for consumers....choices is good, but not too many.
– We need to standardize technology...we have an urgent need for more standardized handsets.
– We need to market much more imaginatively....just promoting availability does not cut it. We need to establish an emotional connection: communicate ease of use, communicate fun, communicate experience.
– We need to entice advertisers to the largest media platform in the world.
– We must banish the word failure from our vocab, and willing to take risk and try everything.

MySpace: working with Helio and Cingular...talking to all other operators for a mobile MySpace downloadable application.

Simpsons for Jamba: exclusive deal. Perfect match for mobile, and made for mobile. Plans to launch later this year. Exclusive content, not just repurposed, in a subscription model. We'll market the hell out of it and will make customers want it.