Mobile Web

Introduction

In this digital age, we are quite literally attached to our mobile devices. From children as young as five to the elderly, we are a global population that is addicted to being in constant communication. Today, estimates put the number of mobile devices worldwide at approximately 2.7B, which equates to nearly one device per 2.5 people.

At its onset, mobile devices were simply telephones and were primarily used to place and receive phone calls. Today, in response to consumer demand for constant information, mobile phones have evolved into handheld multi-functional devices that allow us to stay connected and interact in many more ways than just speaking with one another.

With the recent introduction of popular data-ready mobile telephones and the decreasing costs of wireless Internet plans, the usage of mobile devices will continue to expand at a rapid pace. From phone calls, to email, to SMS and Mobile Web, mobile devices offer the most direct and personal way for advertisers of all kinds to interact with a customer or prospective customer. This direct connection to consumers offers all businesses a new and valuable means with which to interact with potential customers. Much as the Internet has grown into a platform where business and consumers interact freely, mobile devices offer a new platform for businesses to differentiate themselves from others and to speak directly with their customers.

According to Eric Schmidt, Chief Executive of Google, “the biggest growth areas are clearly going to be in the mobile space.” As a leader in the Internet, Google’s focus on the mobile space is indicative of what is to come.

The near universality of mobile phones in the post-industrialized world, coupled with increasing reliance on the Internet for news, commerce, driving directions and information, highlight the tremendous potential that the Mobile Web embodies. In many parts of Asia and Europe, the use of the Mobile Web is already widespread.

Since the advent of the Internet, companies have gone to great lengths to manage their online footprints. Taking advantage of the power of the Internet requires companies to meet consumers where they expect to find them, to provide useful and attractive content, and to safeguard against trademark infringement. The Mobile Web, while still in its infancy, demands similar attention from marketers, who will leverage it, and corporate counsel, who may be in a position provide tools such as domain names.

In this edition of FairWinds Perspectives, we examine the Mobile Web, and why it is relevant for companies to begin thinking about how it impacts their business. While the development of a Mobile strategy for a corporation will involve many groups, it is especially important for those who are involved in the management of domain names, online consumer marketing, and the enforcement of trademark rights to be up-to-date on this emerging market. This Perspectives provides insight from Google on the Mobile Web and examines this new medium as it relates to consumer behavior and expectations, focusing on search versus Direct navigation and its impact on domain name strategy and enforcement.

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