Luke Armour – Digital Marketing and Public Relations Observations, Commentary, Frivolity

MarketingProf’s article Mobile Subscriptions to Surpass World Population by 2013  provides some really great insight into the world-wide mobile landscape, including:

As of early 2012, more than six billion mobile subscriptions were in use around the world (pre-paid and post-paid), providing mobile access for more than three-quarters (75%) of the world’s inhabitants.

It’s no surprise to me that mobile is so prevalent, especially where wire-based Internet infrastructure isn’t there. Mobile has the greatest potential because it’s not just a convenience in some places – it’s an information and communication necessity. Great stats here. Check it out.

Next is PR Daily’s 5 Common Mobile Myths Debunked. It’s a great read for anyone thinking about or engaging in mobile marketing. Two of my favorites here are “Your mobile audience is distracted” and “Mobile apps are much more powerful than mobile websites.” You will learn something here, even if you’ve done some mobile marketing recently. If you’re working with an agency, see if they’ve recently spouted any of these to you. If so, ask them about it or start thinking about changing agencies. 🙂

Finally, this last article has really created a maelstrom amongst my social media peers – at least the ones I respect. NextGenJournal’s eye-catching headline “Why Every Social Media Manager Should Be Under 25” written by a recent college grad. It’s a short article, but teeth-clenching, and it’s agreed that the real value of the article comes from the comments. Some of my favorites include:

• Linkbait. And a ridiculous premise.- Meg Geddes
• …you just alienated every hiring manager you’re likely to encounter by calling them old and out-of-touch. – Peggy Gartin
• When I have clients who need a community manager skilled in posting duckface photos on Facebook, tweets with text slang, Forever 21 hauling videos on YouTube and Tumblrs populated with the latest animated gifs, I know exactly who to call. – David Jones
• Forgive me if I missed it since there are a whole lot of comments/replies here, but it appears the author hasn’t responded to any of the comments. Yeah, these kids really GET social media these days. *insert eye roll* – Kelby Hartson Carr

And it goes on and on. I personally haven’t gotten through the 350+ comments, but I’ll go back and read them when I have a bad day. They are creative and uplifting. In the meantime, I hope the author – through all the sarcasm, finger wagging and lecturing – understands what the largely-over-25 community-at-large was trying to tell her. And I hope she listens. Update: I’ve not seen a response from the author, but here is a response from the site where her post lives, NextGenJournal.

What’s grabbed your attention this week?