How to take mobile internet, music & TV mass market?
By uncovering what early customers were doing.
And then taking down the barriers:
fixing costs, new subscription plans, unlimited browsing, and launching the first Android smartphone
It seems crazy now, but customers were sceptical about using the early smartphones in the mid 2000s. But mobile operators had spent vast sums on 3G mobile network licenses and infrastructure.
So the challenge was how to unlock slow growth in new mobile service revenues - to create 1 million new data customers spending £5 extra per month?
How do we understand the habits of the early adopter customers for mobile internet, music and TV - and spread that behaviour?
Role
Proposition development for mobile broadband, wifi hotspots network, instant e-mail, music and TV services - part of the ‘Beyond Voice’ company team, tasked with expanding new revenue growth services. Bundling innovative devices with simpler ways to pay for the service. Media spokesperson for new services - tech media, live BBC international & Sky News channels. At T-Mobile, part of the £100bn Deutsche Telekom global group.
Customer / commercial design insight
”I don’t need the internet on my phone - it’s too expensive, too slow and doesn’t do much”
Delivered 2 year programme, 2007-09
Customer research identified barriers to take-up of mobile internet – unclear reasons to use, slow browsing, limited pages to browse, too expensive or unclear costs (who knows how much a kilobyte or megabyte is?)
Developed Web’n’Walk packaged propositions of fixed cost tariffs, with new smart devices, and new UI to highlight best of mobile internet.
Launched mobile music download store and early TV streaming services, including T-Mobile sponsored World Cup 2006 goal footage.
Marketing campaigns and artist selection, for exclusive mobile music download content from T-Mobile Street Gigs, Robbie Williams T-Mobile sponsored tour and Channel 4 (UK) music ‘Transmission’ Friday night show.
Packaged new smartphone devices (Nokia, HTC, Sony Walkman, Google Android) with innovative annual, monthly, pay-as-you-go and ‘pay per day’ price plans for voice, text and data.
Created experiential marketing for customers to sample products where they already were - like shopping centres.
Customer base campaigns reached 1.5 million customers. Services were featured in viral T-Mobile ‘Dance’ flashmob TV ad.
Result
Tripled UK mobile data customers - to 1.3m active / paying users, with over £100m new revenue.
Launched world’s first Android smartphone proposition, the T-Mobile G1 with Google – an open platform competitor to iPhone.
Also launched one of the world’s first mobile music download services, with results 6x above forecast.