MIMA SUMMIT 2011 SPEAKER HIGHLIGHT: JASON GRIGSBY

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As part of the  2011 MIMA Summit, we are excited to announce the Thought Leadership Blog Series, this series showcases thought leaders in the interactive, database marketing, advertising, creative and marketing space.  In this series, we will pick the brains of experts from around the nation, while sharing snapshots of what’s ahead at the Summit coming this October.

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We begin this series today by featuring, Jason Grigsby (@grigs).  Jason lives and breathes mobile, much to the chagrin of his family and co-workers. He believes mobile may be the most important technology since the printing press.

1)  What is it that got you interested in working in Mobile Web Strategy?

Back in 2000, I purchased my first mobile phone (a low-end feature phone) and first PDA (a Handspring Visor) at nearly same time. It was clear to me that these two devices would eventually become one.

I became consumed with the idea of what could happen if people had information at the finger tips no matter where they were in the world. Could we make capitalism work better if we had informed consumers shopping with the world’s knowledge in their hands?
The walls of my apartment were covered with poster-sized sticky notes with grand schemes for barcode scanners and mobile data. It is still a surprise that the woman who I met at that time didn’t think I was a madman and eventually became my wife.

I soon realized that mobile technology wasn’t anywhere near ready for prime time. I went to work for a company building web applications until 2007 when the iPhone came out and it was clear the technology was finally ready.

2)  What are a few takeaways a MIMA summit attendee can plan to learn from your presentation:Get Me a Mobile Strategy or You’re Fired: Learn the Do’s and Don’ts of a Successful Mobile Strategy?

I’m focused on is what are the attributes that make mobile unique and how companies that understand those attributes make better decisions about mobile.  We’re going to take a look at what works and what doesn’t work in mobile strategy. I guarantee two things: you’ll learn something and you’ll be entertained.

3)      What is next in the digital decade?

I’m going to take some liberties here and answer the question slightly differently than it was posed. There are two factors that I think are a big deal for the coming decade.

The first is the one that many people are already aware of: the upcoming zombie apocalypse of devices. That’s the way Scott Jenson, formerly of Google Mobile and now with Frog Design, described the fact that it is no longer just mobile phones, but tablets, televisions, automobile systems, and many other devices. This transformation is accelerating.

The second is one that many people haven’t considered. Much of our infrastructure is ill-suited for our multiple device, multiple environment future. Many companies have multiple systems built on desktop web assumptions that are duct-taped together. We have massive work ahead of us to update systems to support the new device diversity.

4)     What would you say is the most unexpected developments in the last 10 years?

The success of the iPhone App Store. I always thought it would be successful, but I didn’t expect it to be as big as it has turned out to be.
First, the App Store’s approach is almost entirely the opposite of Web 2.0—the trend immediately preceding it. Web 2.0 featured:

• Web-based apps were challenging native apps (Google Docs usurping MS Office)
• Services and mashups were the hot trend
• The recurring revenue of software as a service was preferable to traditional software sales
• Cloud computing meant more and more data was moved from local clients to servers

The App Store flipped these trends on their head by emphasizing:

• Native apps are presumed to be superior to web apps
• Few if any APIs between apps. In fact, apps are more isolated due to iOS sandbox.
• No recurring revenue nor even traditional models like charging for upgrades.
• Priority on client-side storage, not on cloud systems.

And despite all of that, the App Store accomplished something else no one thought possible which is to make purchasing apps a common, discretionary expense for a significant number of people.

We take it for granted now but the iPhone App Store was truly revolutionary.

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Stay tuned for next week’s thought leader and check out more on Jason’s session at this year’s MIMA Summit.

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A special thanks to Abbey Tosic, a MIMA volunteer, for hosting this interview.  Abbey, is the eHub Design & Usability Lead at 3M. She has worked in design and online marketing for over 7 years. Abbey graduated magna cum laude from the University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point, with a BFA degree in Graphic Design.  You can view Abbey’s recent work at www.abbeytosic.com or read her Interactive marketing blog at www.thedotcomgirls.com.