This week we have one of our talented Designers Phillip Penny answering our questions:

How long have you worked for Wapple? Where did you work previously? Just over three glorious years! Previously I worked in print design, creating huge banners, vehicle wraps, shop signage etc.

Tell us about your day-to-day job. What does your job role involve? Maintaining and enforcing an ever evolving brand – difficult to keep on top of! I also [...]]]> It’s time for another edition of Wapple Team in the Hot Seat!

This week we have one of our talented Designers Phillip Penny answering our questions:

How long have you worked for Wapple? Where did you work previously?
Just over three glorious years! Previously I worked in print design, creating huge banners, vehicle wraps, shop signage etc.

Tell us about your day-to-day job. What does your job role involve?
Maintaining and enforcing an ever evolving brand – difficult to keep on top of! I also create initial visuals for a lot of mobile sites and apps to allow clients to visualise their needs, as well as helping to work in new features into our technology.
Also ducking out of tea-making wherever possible.

What is the most challenging aspect of your job?
Staying up to date with the latest in mobile design techniques, I do a lot of research but this is a very fast moving industry, there is always a new way of doing things.

What do you enjoy most about your job?
Being part of something new every day, there is always a challenge waiting for me when I come into work. I love learning.

Wapple is going through a strategy change- tell us some of your thoughts on it?
Moving with the times! When I started 3 years ago mobile web was just really starting to take off in a big way, since then the company has constantly changed to keep up with new ideas and technology in the mobile industry. To us, it is just a natural progression. We have superb talent here and I think we all thrive on the variety of work we do.

What three words would your colleagues use to describe you?
BIG DESIGNER MAN

Tell us something we don’t know about you…
I can do an engine swap in a classic mini in under 1 hour… on my own.. blindfolded.
(That last bit isn’t true. That would take 2 hours.)

If you were CEO what would you do?
Half-day Fridays, relocate the offices to the seaside, let people draw on the walls, double salaries, everybody gets their birthday off, install a natural spring, private medical insurance, hire a tea maker, install a pinball machine, bring back the chocolate box.

What is/are your favourite..

Superhero? My Dad, a legend.
Car? 1966 Morris Mini-Minor Super-De-Luxe / VW Type 2 Early Bay
Holiday destination? Not sure yet, haven’t finished exploring. I would have to go with the UK for now, there is so much to see in such a small space!
Mobile App? Tapatalk
Operating System? Windows 3.1 – Nice and simple!
Browser? Definitely the Bowser from Mario64 – who knew he was so big in real 3D life?
Video game? Ever? How can you answer that… I’ll give you one for each platform: Gameboy: Tetris / Gamegear: Slider / NES: Ducktales / Master System: Alex Kidd in Miracle World / SNES: Super MarioKart / N64: Turok: Dinosaur Hunter / PSX: Final Fantasy 7 / Dreamcast: Jet Set Radio / Playstation2: Shadow of the Colossus / Gamecube: Zelda – The Wind Waker / PS3: Red Dead Redemption / PC: The Curse of Monkey Island Mobile: New Star Soccer

Who should we put in the hot seat next?
Diana Westlund-soon to be-Morris

Over 80% of UK users access Twitter via their mobile devices and are 40% more likely to use it more than once a day than desktop users.

Twitter has also released it’s own #music app further fuelling it’s mobile presence. Twitter #music is not just another music application though. The app syncs all the tracks being listened by [...]]]> Being a Mobile company we love Mobile infographics. Twitter released a new one in February 2013 sharing some great insights into Twitter  in the Mobile space.

Over 80% of UK users access Twitter via their mobile devices and are 40% more likely to use it more than once a day than desktop users.

Twitter has also released it’s own #music app further fuelling it’s mobile presence. Twitter #music is not just another music application though. The app syncs all the tracks being listened by your Twitter following, making it a more of a social experience. Not forgetting the launch of Vine at the beginning of 2013: a mobile service that lets you capture and share looping videos. Vine has already been implemented in the business space in a big way. Product demo’s, user feedback, short facts and office shenanigans have been examples of how brands are using the service.

With mobile well and truly under Twitter’s belt the mobile advertising it released last year is set to really push them forward. “Mobile ads will account for roughly half of Twitter’s advertising revenue this year and will make up more than 60 percent of the company’s ad revenue by 2015 according to research firm eMarketer.” (Source)

Twitter is now a mobile-first company “We are increasingly thinking of the website as the onboarding experience – an entry ramp into Twitter – and then the native apps on mobile as the core, where the users go when they use it all the time,” Dick Costello CEO Twitter.

“Our ads are tweets, just like the content,” Mr Costolo said. “They go everywhere the tweets go, so they are perfectly suited to mobile. Companies in our space have to figure out a new revenue format for a world that’s increasingly mobile. We have an ad format that is inherently mobile.”

As interesting as all this is we’re not here just to broadcast Twitter stats, we’re here to tell you what this means to you.

Twitter’s push on mobile advertising and the fact that 80% of its users access the platform via mobile really highlights the importance that your content HAS to be mobile friendly if you are going to tweet it!  Wapple helps you understand the importance of a ‘mobile-first’ strategy and we work with you to integrate Mobile into your other marketing channels… oh, and we love doing it too so please feel free to reach out.

Make sure you are also following Wapple and Miss Mobile Web on Twitter

How long have you worked for Wapple? Where did you work previously? I’ve worked for Wapple for 5 and a half years. Before that I worked at a design agency in Warwickshire turning hand crafted designs into beautiful looking websites.

Tell us about your day-to-day job. What does your job role involve? I head up the development team at Wapple – looking [...]]]> It’s time to get to know the Wapple team! This month we have our Head of Development Rich Gubby in the Hot Seat.

How long have you worked for Wapple? Where did you work previously?
I’ve worked for Wapple for 5 and a half years. Before that I worked at a design agency in Warwickshire turning hand crafted designs into beautiful looking websites.

Tell us about your day-to-day job. What does your job role involve?
I head up the development team at Wapple – looking after everything technical. I’m involved in helping account managers scope out the more technically challenging aspects of projects, ensuring the quality of our code is kept high as well as anything and everything in between. Oh, I also make plenty of cups of tea.

What is the most challenging aspect of your job?
Getting the balance right between tea bag brew time and amount of milk. Oh – you meant .. ok, probably the most challenging aspect is ensuring servers are kept alive without breaking the bank with their costs.

What do you enjoy most about your job?
Implementing new features. On a Friday night. With no reverts.

Wapple is going through a strategy change- tell us some of your thoughts on it?
Absolutely spot on. Multiple screen solutions is where it’s at and we have some great experience doing it. From technicolour kaleidoscopes, firing remote paintballs at t-shirts in a shopping centre in Barcelona, to secretly filming chickens called Florinda and showing it on a web cam. Dónde está mi pollo!!

What three words would your colleagues use to describe you?
Technological. Thorough. Geek.

Tell us something we don’t know about you…
I make pretty incredible sandwiches.

If you were CEO what would you do?
Compulsory tea making for all staff. Including the CEO.

What is/are your favourite..
Superhero? The Green Arrow
Car? Old style VW Polo
Holiday destination? Cornwall
Mobile App? Didlr, Trello
Operating System? CentOS
Browser? Google Chrome
Video game? Knights of the Old Republic

Who should we put in the hot seat next?
Phillip David Penny

Here are a few of the stats:

Here is their latest video update:

“Antithesis of Customer Loyalty”

As always we invite you to share you insights [...]]]> AppBeat are back with another guest post. The arrival of mobile has significantly changed how consumers interact with brands-and introduced some worrisome trends. In this week’s episode of AppBeat, Phil Gault, Director of Strategy at Sponge Group, discusses why consumer experience on mobile’s essential, as well as its role in keeping consumer loyalty. Make sure you subscribe to their newsletter and follow them on Twitter.

Here is their latest video update:

“Antithesis of Customer Loyalty”

As always we invite you to share you insights in the comments below.

Apparently hundreds will now either have to relocate or quit by June. Some of the quotes from the memo mention that this new move is “to become the absolute best place to work, communication and collaboration [...]]]> Recently it came out that CEO of Yahoo Marissa Mayer is banning home working. In the article it says “Marissa Mayer has ordered an end to ‘remote’ work as all staff are told to be in the office as part of a new era of collaboration”

Apparently hundreds will now either have to relocate or quit by June. Some of the quotes from the memo mention that this new move is “to become the absolute best place to work, communication and collaboration will be important, so we need to be working side-by-side. That is why it is critical that we are all present in our offices.”

I’ve read many pieces that have been published since the story came out and I wanted to add my views on the “remote-working”  topic.

We live in a digital world: Mobiles, tablets, Skype, Google Hangouts, Go to Meeting etc. The technology is there so in theory there is no reason why people can’t work remotely. But just because we have the technology does it make it right for business?

Wapple is a mobile centric company so you’d think I would oppose Marissa’s view, BUT I wholeheartedly agree with her!!

In my opinion communication is more than just written text and brief  audial chats. It is a fact that 93% of how we understand another person is non verbal (body language man!). My experience also tells me that remote working doesn’t work. Last year we trialled remote working for some of the team at Wapple and we saw a clear negative impact to company culture, productivity and communication in those people.

We had all the means for remote communication (technically) but it became clear that our successes had always come from collaborative close working and on-the-fly ideas by the pool table, shout-outs in the office and strategy meetings involving everyone.

We only have to look at history and human evolution to understand that ideas may have come from individuals but have only been successful through close group collaboration. Would women have the right to vote today if they didn’t gather and act as a group? Why is it that sports teams are more successful with supporting fans in the crowd- look at Team GB last year. Would Columbus have reached America if he hadn’t inspired a group of people to work in collaboration with him? In my opinion a group is a powerful entity, not lots of individuals. Group thinking is great thinking

Of course I understand there are occasions where remote working is beneficial, but we would all be very sad beings sat on our own all the time hey!?

I challenge you to question whether the human race are social animals and have evolved to perform better in groups, so comment away if you agree or even if you think Marissa and I are wrong.

In our first edition we interviewed Lauren Thomas. Next up is Ed Weaver.

How long have you worked for Wapple? Where did you work previously?

Predictions are that by 2014, mobile device use will overtake desktop computer [...]]]> Is mobile part of your marketing strategy? Now more than ever it needs to be. The question “Should I have mobile presence?” should no longer exist. Can customers effectively find your business on mobile or tablets? Can they navigate your site efficiently via a mobile device? Get the information they want and contact you effectively? Can they use your app successfully? Most importantly can they purchase your product/service via their mobile device?

Predictions are that by 2014, mobile device use will overtake desktop computer use (ComScore). So 2013 means businesses really need to get a hold on mobile…fast. In addition 2012 saw the launch of the 4G network in the UK. This is a massive step forward for mobile and is going to have a big impact on how consumers use their devices.

There are lots of mobile statistics available out there, but we’ve picked out a few key ones to show you why your focus needs to include Mobile Marketing.

*Mobile marketing will account for 15.2% of global on-line ad spend by 2016. (Source: Berg Insight 2011) Click to Tweet

*Mobile web traffic increased 27% in 2012. (Marketingland Oct 2012) Click to Tweet

*70% of mobile searches result in action within 1 hour. (Source: Mobile Marketer) Click to Tweet

*The value of mobile marketing market will grow by 37% a year to 22.4 billion in 2016 (Source: Berg Insight 2011) Click to Tweet

*9 out of 10 mobile searches lead to action, over half leading to purchase. (Source: Search Engine Land 2012) Click to Tweet

*42% of mobile users have clicked an advert on the mobile web and 37% of clicked adverts in apps (Source: Adobe 2012) Click to Tweet

*64% of smartphone users want a site to load in less than 4 seconds. (Source: Keynote 2012) Click to Tweet

*166% more people shopped via a mobile device on Black Friday 2012 than 2011 (Source: KissMetrics 2012) Click to Tweet

So take a look at how your business currently performs from a mobile point of view. Does it stack up? There are a number of tools here that you can use to see how your website performs on Mobile and Tablet devices.

If you are considering a mobile solution for your business then Wapple can help. We are able to work with our clients to provide reality-checked, streamlined, quality services to business and brands who take their mobile strategy seriously. We’re not pro-mobile-web, nor pro-app, nor pro-tablet; we’re PRO-BRAND.

So get in touch if you are ready to join the mobile revolution!

“It’s expensive to develop apps, so it’s [...]]]> Mobile World Congress madness is in full swing, and AppBeat will be at its centre. Alongside acting as media partner of Heroes of the Mobile Fringe, they’ll be offering exclusive updates from Mobile World Congress. Nick Lane, Head of Telecomms at Liberty Communications, will be blogging daily, so subscribe to their newsletter and visit their site to stay informed. You can also follow them on Twitter. In the meantime, have a look at their latest episode.

“It’s expensive to develop apps, so it’s important that they lead to monetisation.” In the quest for monetisation, mobile marketers often measure success as a high number of downloads, only to wonder why their investment in app development hasn’t led to monetisation. If downloads are your main measurement of monetisation, your goal’s likely to fall short.

The good news is that some of the most successful apps have gained traction from a small volume of highly engaged users. Sales, in-app purchasing and more often follow from having a smaller, yet more connected audience. In this week’s episode of AppBeat, Libby Robinson, Global Commercial Director of M&C Saatchi Mobile, offers her top three tips for how you can measure mobile monetisation.

As always please feel free to post any comments or insights.

Here is their latest video update:

“Will Rich Media Replace Branded Apps?”

With access to consumers’ most personal space-their mobiles-advertisers now target based on location, handsets, even handset language. For consumers, this means clicking on a banner enables audio listening, product browsing, and more [...]]]> In this weeks guest post from AppBeat we are looking at how innovation in mobile rich media can help with mobile strategy and increase engagement in a much more personalised space.   Make sure you subscribe to their newsletter and follow them on Twitter.

Here is their latest video update:

“Will Rich Media Replace Branded Apps?”

With access to consumers’ most personal space-their mobiles-advertisers now target based on location, handsets, even handset language. For consumers, this means clicking on a banner enables audio listening, product browsing, and more features that used to be exclusive to branded apps. Does this mean the two are mutually exclusive?

In this week’s episode of AppBeat, Libby Robinson, Global Commercial Director of M&C Saatchi Mobile, discusses how they must work together to base your mobile marketing strategy on each consumer’s unique story.

 

For our weekly roundup of London mobile news and upcoming events, as well as blog posts from Eagle Eye Solutions CEO Steve Rothwell, subscribe to the AppBeat newsletter here.

Please post any comments or insights you have. We’d love to hear from you.