Tuesday, March 20, 2007

THE MOBILE VALUE CHAIN: STRATEGIC CONSIDERATIONS(2)

THE MOBILE VALUE CHAIN: STRATEGIC CONSIDERATIONS(2)

For strategic reasons, it is important that companies interested in a cost-effective and value added participation in the mobile ecosystem understand the nature of the ecosystem and how they can, taking their traditional core competencies into account, gain a competitive advantage in this ecosystem while delivering valued and premium services.

From Michael Becker’s paper[1], four different and distinct interconnecting spheres can be derived in the mobile ecosystem where strategic considerations are of paramount importance:

Fig. 1: The mobile channel value chain.

1. The products and services sphere. This involves brands and content owners, new media and interactive and marketing agencies.

2. Application sphere. This involves discrete application providers and mobile application solution providers (MASP).

3. Connection sphere. This involves aggregators and wireless operators.

4. Media and retail sphere. This involves outdoor advertising and broadcasting media, direct marketing, on-package, internet, retail, email and print media.

A value chain analysis of the ecosystem can help companies:

1. Create organizational structures that is permeable to this new media, the mobile media.

2. Develop market niches, brand loyalty and introduce new brands by concentrating on core competencies.

3. Create a readily available and cost effective channel of data and information sharing.

4. Break down the traditional walls in mobile content delivery created implicitly from an era where wireless operators’ have to think up every resource from the horizontal and vertical spheres of the ecosystem and value chain.

Acknowledgements:

1. Michael Becker (CTO, iLoop Mobile, inc.). Unfolding of the Mobile Marketing Ecosystem: A Growing Strategic Network. The URL for this case study is: http://mmaglobal.com/modules/wfsection/article.php?articleid=74.

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