Brands, do you have an app for that?

By the end of the year, most people will have mobile devices, says ABI Research; with the world's population at more than 7 billion, they predict 6 billion people will be 'mobile' by the end of 2011. Whether in-app or via a mobile browser, consumers are hungry for content, connection and information. I recently had the chance to chat with Harel Tayeb, Vice President of the Mobile Business Unit with Conduit about trends in the mobile space.

Kristina: As more consumers convert from feature to smartphones, and as more have access to 3-4G services, do you see app engagement lowering? Or will there always be a place for both app and browser advertising within mobile?

Harel: We see both areas continue to grow, the app and browser solutions are not competitors with each other on mobile devices. Mobile web sites have different requirements and capabilities compared to native apps. The challenge is to provide two quality solutions, which leverage both environments to support publishers' needs. A good example are bloggers that don't need a native app - they will be able to use our platform to build a mobile web site with a native user interface. Whereas artists who want to share their songs as well as include features that require native functionalities, such as the as the phone's camera, will be creating native apps. Conduit is a big believer in both browser and native solutions and we think that publishers can and should have the option to create both.

Kristina: Several forecasts have mobile commerce skyrocketing through 2012; they're also noting an increase in location-based targeted advertising. What other trends are you seeing in mobile?

Harel: A new trend that we see is the combination of personalization and functionality through mobile apps in order to create a new type of engagement between publishers and users. A good example of this is Conduit'snew feature, Live Album. The feature enables publishers to link their Facebook fan page with their mobile app while integrating the phone's camera. Users can then take photos using the phone's camera which are automatically uploaded to a shared album on the app. A dynamic interactive social experience is created by sharing photos with each other through the mobile app.

Tags: appvertising, branded apps, branded content, Conduit, mobile apps, mobile browser use, mobile marketing, mobile trends