Mobile Web Europe: Jim Gregoire VP Marketing mocospace

I met with mobile social network mocospace at Mobile Web Europe last week.  I had spoken to Jim Gregoire on several occasions via email but this was our first meeting. I went in with guns blazing and I started off by asking “is there really demand for a pure mobile social networking platform; “why does mocospace only target foreigners or immigrants and what is the business model”.

To my surprise I got some really excellent responses coupled with live demos of new services and software. For the first time I could visually see how the difference of a mobile social network to an online Facebook on mobile site. What mocospace does that its rivals don’t is offer the chance of open information and self being evangelisation.
What does that mean?

Well, put really simply its very voyeuristic but not necessarily in an evil sense. The age group and targeting of the platform offers a way to gain knowledge, learn, copy or indulge in new culture. I have been taking a look around and for me – mocospace offers a youth culture experience.  I have to say, I am out of it and some things and the way people write is very unique to their personality. Self expression is vital on mocospace and actually its vital to anyone in a certain age group or for peer culture.

But anyway.  The above answered my first question and I now feel that there is a demand for a mobile social networking experience.
So the next questions. When I first tried mocospace I found that there was a large foreign following. Being an immigrant myself I didn’t think that there was anything wrong with this –but for mobile I was wondering if a social network should be cornered into catering for one social segment.
Jim talked me through the success of mocospace and said that times were changing. Early adopters were social economic backgrounds where there was no PC in the home or the PC was shared by several but now – with the sponsorship and cult movements from within the community the audience is not as specific.
So then the business model and this is where my jaw dropped. Music is a huge business on mocospace and fan and cult followings enable creativity. So this just blew me away.
Bands and artists can sponsor mocospace and have live mobile chats or interviews. But record companies can leak music on the mobile social network to get quick and honest responses to the latest sounds and tracks see: http://www.mocospace.com/streets
I have to say – what a simple and great and easy idea.  On top of that;  what you get is a hot  revenue generator. If you can get the responses for hits in the music industry and record companies are willing to use this service (that fans love) to try things before spending $$$$ on a marketing campaign.. (yikes my excitement is getting the better of me…. it rocks (which is very 80’s); it’s bad (which is very 90’s) and now youth say either “brave”, “easy” or “8” depending on what tribe you are in…. (don’t ask me! I read it on mocospace..)

But to conclude - I loved this. Compared to myGamma, itsmy.com, flirtomatic etc - (yikes I feel a bit of a competitive overview coming on..) this had a stronger business model to just advertising.

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3. Mobile Web Europe: Marcus Ladwig - Chief Operating Officer Peperoni
4. Mobile Web Europe: We are not competing with online shout ShoZu, Flirtomatic, The 3G Dating Agency, IRL
5. Mobile Web Europe: Huge Thank-you to MCN and Bango