Tapping the Mobile & Mobile Social Networking Opportunity Abundance - Ralph Simon

Ralph Simon

Founder Mobile Entertainment Forum London, regarded as the Father of Ringtones and also Mobile Strategist for Lady Gaga, Ralph Simon spoke on Mobile, Mobile Social Networking and accelerating Opportunities at Kre8tif 2010.He asked the audience to determine if they are cross platform creators or thinkers and which of these are their strengths & passions - Online, OOH, TV and Print Receipt as every cross-platform creator has these opportunities.

He shared some shocking demographics of global cell phone use -

Abu Dhabi has crossed the 200% usage mark where everyone has two phones

Multi Texting - 5 billion text messages sent everyday in US

55% of all households in Malaysia have broadband

50 million new mobile subscribers added every month in India making India the fastest growing mobile market.

He says for any online or mobile product to be successful it should have the 4Cs and 4Ms.
4Cs - Content, Community, Communication and Commerce. 
Taking example of Amazon.com he explained the 4Cs

Content - Books/CDS/Magazines
Community - Datuk Lee Chong Wei/u2/ Cat Lovers and other different communities 
Communication - Reviews / Ratings/MB
Commerce - Purchase/ GiftsThe 4Ms - Movement, Management, Measurement and Monetization. In context of Apple they mean

Movement - Mobile society, life on the move 
Management - Ping, iTunes
Measurement - iTunes has over 10 Billion songs sold and it has transformed even the face of TV with episodes on sale.
Monetization - All the services are paid for

Directing his talks to Malaysian developers he said that they should focus on their best tools, one of which is Colloquial Innovation and Local Ingenuity. They should understand that people in Malaysia have different likes and dislikes than people in Indonesia or in New York.

One needs focus on Excellent graphics & UI, Memorable User Experience, Strong leading edge technology, Awareness of international trends and VC funding for their products. Talking further on funding he says it is more difficult to get funding in Silicon Valley than in Kuala Lumpur owing to competition and in that way Malaysia is a better place to be.

What content works best to get you noticed internationally? Something with Great Graphics, Contextual relevance and usability in English language, Strong UI & UE and also something path breaking like 'Angry Birds'. It is also important to find reliable overseas 'partners/mentors'.

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He concluded by sharing some of the significant Malaysian Movers and Shakers in recent past who have made a mark globally.

- KRU Founded by popular band of Norman Abdul Halim, Edry and Yusri Halim today has a live action VFX intensive theatrical feature 'The Malay Chronicles Bloodlines' which has been completely made in Malaysia and has been already sold to 60 countries around the world. 60% of the scenes are in English but the film starts with colloquial concept or context.

- Zee Avi, First Woman artist signed to Jack Johnson's Brushfire Records in the USA with 300,000 RBTS

- 6ixth Sense, a Malaysian RBT Success 95000 sold. Export sales rising for 'khatima cinta'.