Google Mobile Content Search engine?
Rating: no brainer
By Bena Roberts
I saw several articles on Google’s plans for a new search service for mobile content.
My initial reaction was to contact Google to confirm or deny the story – the comment I got back was“Our statement is ‘we dont comment on market rumour and speculation’.
Best wishes
So I sat down, had a cuppa and thought about Google and mobile content search service and then it hit me.
There is nothing to confirm or deny because if Google didn’t create a mobile search engine for mobile content it would be political, conventional and even unquestionable suicide. With white label mobile search companies from Medio to JumpTap to even little player UpSnap all boasting mobile content search services… Google has to create one… and fast..
On top of that – Medio boasts a bigger mobile search reach in the US than Google and Yahoo! Yahoo is rubbing shoulders with mobile content companies and it’s likely that content on Go! Also uses the placement model. AOL is showing more backbone in mobile search and last time I spoke to VP Bill Schwebel he told me to get ready for a rollercoaster of AOL mobile search products and services in the next 18 months. So everyone is on the bandwagon already and its Google playing catch-up in the content space.
I am currently writing an analysis on mobile ad-inventory and it’s a tough article to write. I have spoken to Admob, Enpocket, Medio Systems, JumpTap (to name a few) and all the mobile operators and it seems to me that this mobile search for content service is actually also about mobile ad-inventory.
How?
Basically, how do we make mobile search and advertising a billion dollar industry? We create a bank of mobile content, services, adverts and general inventory that gives choice to the consumer and ensures that ad-fill is nearer to 90% than the current 30% fill rate. Every time a mobile advert is not placed on a mobile operator portal or open Internet site – money is lost.
Recently the UK mobile operator 3 announced that it was going to open up its ad-inventory in Games and TV content for advertisers and publishers for paid placements. With Google now responsible for mobile search for Vodafone – it has to manage the same partnerships and will need to do the same.
If it doesn’t then revenues again will be poor on mobile Internet services and this is unacceptable for both Vodafone and Google.
I predict that just as the Verizon portal has two search boxes – so will Vodafone live! and all the others moving forward. One search box is an ideal scenario but with the tiered way of mobile content even clustered search services can’t produce the most relevant results for individuals all the time. The advertising model is also going to piggy back off search and in the future it’s likely that parts of mobile portals or the Internet will even offer a sponsored search engine driven purely from content placements offering free, happy hour or reduced mobile content and services to consumers.
*Search engine 1 – home page (general)
*Search engine 2 – within content streams video, tv, music etc could managed by a number of mobile search providers
*Search engine 3 – paid placement engine free to consumers driven by advertising.
Anyway – I will elaborate in The Mobile Search Analyst and The ad-inventory analysis series is coming up in The Mobile Advertising and Marketing Analyst out this week.
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4 Responses to “Google Mobile Content Search engine?”
“On top of that – Medio boasts a bigger mobile search reach in the US than Google and Yahoo! ”
That is totally misleading.
Is the plan to print the boasts of all of the mobile services providers, or just those that advertise on the site?
Comment made on July 30th, 2007 at 12:41 pmhhmmmm?
If you read the post and click on the link (Medio) in the post you will see an article called Medio declares itself mobile search god - where I make my views about this very clear. The only advertiser we have on GoMo News at the moment is Decktrade… not medio?
why is it misleading? Stop barking at me and start talking… if you dare.
Comment made on July 30th, 2007 at 12:52 pmFair enough.
My concern is that claims like Medio’s can lead one to believe that the mobile services industry, and specifically, the white label mobile search industry is strong. I think the reality is far bleaker. For instance, I don’t see a revenue stream (advertising, rev sharing) in the current white label mobile search industry, and don’t see a progressive carrier out there willing to take chances to enable one (bring the web, third party content sales, etc.).
I don’t believe any of the white label search providers are making money on their offerings (dreaming of a better day); yet the carriers show no signs of understanding the need to move toward more internet / web business models with their providers. Instead, as they slowly baby step in that direction, they are bankrupting their supply chain. Last I read, Medio had received an additional $30 million in series B venture. I don’t know how much longer they can survive without a revenue stream, but I can’t imagine its more than two years. These providers need the carriers to quantum leap in their thinking
This assumes, of course, that the carriers truly want alternatives to a Google or Yahoo dominated world. If they are simply dreaming of allowing Google or Yahoo to buy their traffic / eyeballs, well then, they are on the right track.
Comment made on August 1st, 2007 at 1:47 amMobile Search Guy - thanks. I do understand your point -but not very many companies are actually making any real money from the mobile Internet at the moment - but keyword sales, recommendation do offer alternatives and means of engaging the consumer. This means increasing WAP traffic for operators and increasing the chance of getting the sale.
Operators are starting to change their views and the threat of cannibalisation of business models to branded search engines is indeed a big threat. But mobile operators are not the only channel for white label mobile search companies - entertainment providers, media companies also want and need digital content and mobile search.
With regards to Medio USD 30 million was one of the biggest funding rounds in the White Label Space and the vendor boasts some big tier 1 brand names as clients in the US market. The challenge now is extending the reach and introducing advertising as a secondary alternative to increasing sales and value.
But using search with advertising is often perceived as a better revenue model than merely triggering advertising (banners etc) on web pages as with search a more targetted response is possible (users search for answers).
Comment made on August 1st, 2007 at 7:26 amI don’t think that Medio has 2 years left to live.. or JumpTap or Infospace/ Fast etc. I think that there will be consolidation and some companies might need to revamp the agenda -
I think that Fast will finally position itself toward the enterprise market; Infospace will make a stronger inpact in the portal side of the business; JumpTap will become an advertising player and an aggregator for the WPP and similar channels moving forward and Medio will be one of the only players remaining true to the search advertising model.
Smaller companies such as MCN and Targetize will do well in niches and other companies such as directory based mobile search companies might be swallowed.
But to be honest this is just a 2 minute dump - I suggest if you want to know more - you start reading The Mobile Search Analyst.
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