The UKs Central Office of Information is an English governmental body, responsible for creating information campaigns for citizens. The COI has declared that the mobile channel is “vital” for Government marketing and communications.
Franco Beschizza, team head of digital marketing at the COI, was recently tasked with making sure that mobile is closely integrated into all relevant Government campaigns. The COI has also appointed it’s deputy director of interactive services to sit on the newly formed IAB Mobile Steering Group.
Source: http://www.nma.co.uk/Articles/41871/COI+assigns+mobile+role+in+accessing+the+hard-to-reach.html
From the release:
Michael Smith, deputy director of interactive services for COI Communications said “We have a duty to look at cost-effective and efficient ways to engage citizens, and we think mobile has a big role to play. It’s an increasingly important channel, and we want to help shape the way the industry matures and be at the top table with the operators to help understand how government can best use the medium.”
What we think?
This statement has come pretty late in the day, to be honest. It’s been pretty obvious for a while now how important the COI has found mobile. All you have to do is look at what it’s been up to. Amongst other things, it has released a mobile TV series, a mobile game and ads with Blyk. The BBC has been at it as well in developing markets – but that’s an area where your reach via mobile is going to be huge thanks to the prevalence of mobile internet access in those markets. Bodies in Ireland and the UK have been slower to move into mobile because of the popularity of other channels like TV and the on-line web. Statements like this one show how that point of view is starting to change.
