What Does It Mean When Most Mobile Content Execs Don't Use Their Own Services?
from the eat-your-own-dog-food dept
I vaguely recall a very similar study making waves a few years ago, but can't find any trace of it right now. However, a recent study of executives working in the mobile content space found that more than half of those surveyed don't actually use the mobile content they're pitching. Now, there can be plenty of questions about the methodology here, and it's not entirely clear from the wording if they asked specifically about the mobile content from that particular exec's company, or mobile content in general. However, when your own executives can't be convinced to use the product they're supposed to convince others to use, there's a problem. If anything, it suggests that there's been too much hype in "mobile content" and a bunch of execs have jumped on the bandwagon, not because of an interesting product, but because of the hype. That's unfortunate. Mobile content should be a big deal, but it's not as simple as some may think -- and if you have bandwagon-riding execs, a lot of time, effort and money is going to get wasted.Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
Filed Under: mobile content
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
Demographics.
I can't image it's uncommon for someone to sell a product they don't use. It's another thing to sell a product that you don't know anything about...
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
simple:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
I forget who, but something like the CTO for Sun or some company like that doesn't have a computer at home or use a mobile devise, not because they don't understand it but because they don't want to always be high tech.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
No biggie
If I am the manufacturer of a Cream to treat itching in 'sensitive places', does that mean I have to use it?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: No biggie
:P
j/k
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
What does it mean when someone posts a shocking he
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
It got cut off
"What does it mean when someone posts a shocking headline"
oh well, i lose at teh internets.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
There used to be regular surveys that pointed out that most of the executives of the Pennsylvania Railroad were chauffeured to their offices in Philadelphia's 30th Street Station despite living on the railroad's Main Line.
The punchline was always "no wonder service is lousy".
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
So What?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
too much
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Goes Deeper
That said, I usually have my share of geek chic. But it's usually the case that the people with a new Smartphone or gadget on their belt DON'T know how to use it. They use it as a phone, and perhaps the email that was configured by their IT department, but I often get negative responses to the following:
- What 3rd party apps do you recommend?
- Have you installed any 3rd party apps?
- How do you like the mapping/GPS capability of that device?
I'd say about half the people I meet are fellow geeks who have played extensively with the device, and half couldn't really care less. As for me, getting a new gadget is a bittersweet occurrence, as I'm very likely to spend the entire night playing with it. Entire meaning, "Damn is that dawn?" is how it usually ends.
That said, I'm not sure I've seen any correlation between 'ability to do job' and 'ability to use their device'. It seems that passion is beneficial for certain roles, but many management roles don't require it. Even though it would be an improvement, not every person at your company NEEDS to be passionate about the tech.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Interesting but not unexpected
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
I work with WidSets, which is a free platform for obtaining and creating widgets that expedite access to mobile content. The company execs helped create the original platform/widgets and continue to use them. We know user experience is critical to driving adoption of mobile content, so the company makes it imperative that everyone use the tools and help create new ones.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]