Apple is one of the biggest companies in the world however their success hasn’t been down to new inventions. The company has simply taken existing ideas and improved on them. The digital music player, smartphone, online music store, laptop, tablet and the mobile app store all existed in various forms before Apple became involved.

One of the most successful and innovative launches from Apple has been the App Store, last month the store hit its 10^th billion app download. Considering the store is less than 4 years old this is an incredible feat.

Now that Apple has dominated the app market and their great leaders (dictators) existence with the company has ended what is next?

Here are some of my predictions of the markets that Apple will enter and most probably dominate.

iMaps

The Google map app is a powerful piece of technology with the latest update being intuitive and can I say dependable? This app has saved me on countless occasions whether it’s finding the next client meeting or sourcing my next double cheeseburger fix. However, this app is provided by Google who happen to be one of Apple’s major competitors, I expect to see the launch of an Apple navigation app by the end of the year.

Mobile payment

Mobile has been the big buzz word for years within the marketing industry. It is only now that network speeds, software capability and user acceptability is up to speed that mobile payments will start to become common place. The launch of the next iPhone should include a NFC chip which will make jumping on the tube or paying for an early morning latte super convenient. A simple touch of the phone on a payment pad will see funds automatically deducted from a user’s account – could this mean the death of the traditional wallet?

Apple TV

TV’s have improved dramatically and the majority of people have accepted and therefore purchased flat screen TV’s which look good, are compact and deliver excellent image quality. TV hardware is great however the device software is still light years behind what we expect as the norm from computers.

I believe Apple will provide a TV solution that not only looks great and has excellent image quality but also packs a software punch. This will include gaming, entertainment, music and of course TV functionality. Furthermore integration of gesture controls will make turning up the volume as easy as a swipe of the hand or foot.

I am certain that we will see Apple technology cropping up in all types of products over the next year. This will include home entertainment systems, home appliances and maybe even a range of products specifically for children. Apple will continue to innovate and develop existing markets wherever they see scope for improvement.

I’m a bit of a stickler when it comes to customer service, so it came as no surprise to those close to me when Matt and I formed Navigate Digital in 2007, that exceptional client service was going to be a core part of our business.

In any walk of life – whether you walk into a shop, garage, restaurant or hair dresser and money changes hands, as a customer you expect a certain level of respect and service in return.

The same rule applies in the agency world – our clients are entrusting us with their digital marketing budgets so it is only right that we in turn manage this responsibly and behave (consistently) in a courteous and efficient manner.  As an agency we like to be pro-active and not just survive by doing as little as possible for our clients – it’s all about over delivering and going beyond the call of duty as often as possible.

Our business has been running for over 4 years now and whilst many things have changed about us as an agency in this time, the one thing that has (and always will) stayed consistent is the care and attention we give our clients.

An ex-colleague of mine at Universal McCann used to refer to the ‘food chain’ that exists in the media world (clients < > agency < > vendors).  Whilst it might sound a little crude to refer to media owners (vendors) as being at the ‘bottom’ of this food chain, the fact is they are.  Essentially we all need each other to survive and if one part of this chain breaks, it makes life difficult and sometimes impossible for the other parties involved to salvage something from the relationship that once existed.

This whole scenario is why I am always really interested to see the outcome of the annual IPA Online Media Owner Survey, which was released last week (http://bit.ly/ipasurvey).  Firstly I should say that Navigate Digital is not currently a member of the IPA – (the IAB and RAR yes, but not the IPA currently) so we did not participate in this year’s survey.

The survey is generally a decent gauge to how well specific media owners are managing relationships with (IPA member) agencies and it is always interesting to see how the various major players are performing (congratulations to Spotify for stealing Specific Media’s crown).

However, now I run my own agency, my main issue with the survey is that it doesn’t necessarily reflect the opinions of the smaller independent agencies (like ourselves).  Ok, so we don’t spend millions of pounds on homepage takeovers, road blocks and video advertising each year and we’re not locked in to prohibitive trading deals but I believe it is important that we have a voice.

Here is an overview of last month’s key digital stories

Google+ took the headlines in July with the beta launch of the Google+ social network. Google+ enables users to share their status + content with friends much like Facebook, but also includes video messaging and mobile elements. Friends are placed in circles providing users with more control and the ability to only share content with friends that appreciate the content most. The aim of Google+ is to provide a smarter more intuitive social network that only provides users with relevant content. Relevancy has always been paramount to all Google search activity and its social network seamlessly integrates search into the social stream with the simple click of the +1 button in search results.

In just one month the number of users using Google+ has already reached 25million, the next fastest growing social platform was MySpace which took 20 times longer to reach this volume of users.

The Apple iCloud beta service launches this autumn with the aim of making user data and media available in the cloud. The initial beta launch will see the integration of Apple mail, calendars and contacts into the cloud. The technology means users will no longer have to rely on individual devices to store data, iCloud will store content and wirelessly push data to multiple devices. For example if a user saves a contact on their iPhone these contact details will be sent to the cloud and wirelessly pushed to the user’s other apple devices. The full launch of iCloud will provide additional features including the ability to store music brought on iTunes, photos taken, books and apps.

Foursquare and Groupon working together to provide Location based deals. Foursquare users in the US and Canada will start to see Groupon daily deals in the explore tab of the application. Groupon has become Foursquare’s sixth and latest daily deals partner in the US. The mutually beneficial partnership will help Foursquare improve its stock of deals and Groupon increase exposure and reach audiences not already subscribed to its email list. The launch of this partnership confirms the rumours that Groupon and Foursquare have been in talks for some time.

The number of users searching for retail information on mobile quadrupled according to the latest Google stats. Mobile search volumes for retail in the three months to June were up 216% YoY, boosting total retail search volumes 27%. Stephen Robertson director of the UK retail consortium said “consumers are always looking for more convenient ways to shop. Retailers are making m-commerce easier all the time by offering mobile optimised websites, apps and transactional mobile platforms”.

Apple is $50 billion away from becoming the world’s most valuable company. The company announced that it has sold 20.34 million iPhones and 9.25 million iPads in the second quarter of 2011. Resulting in the company logging their best ever revenue of $28.57 billion and a record net profit of $7.31 billion. Apples shares soared 4% in after hour trading after the announcement of these results.

Twitter valued @ $8 billion as it reaches 200 million tweets a day. The company is in the process of completing an $800 million funding round that will value the company at approximately $8 billion. The deal which is due to end in the next week will mean that Twitter’s value will soar to double its January 2011 valuation of $4 billion.

Finally every month we like to highlight a campaign/marketing activity that the team at Navigate find interesting. This month I wanted to highlight Subways launch of a click and collect mobile service. The service, initially launched in the US, is available via a subway app and will eventually launch in the UK later this year. Users will be able to order meals from their nearest Subway outlet via their phone and then collect in store. This activity is an example of how a brand can utilise mobile activity to add value to the customer experience. The app is a time saver for the user meaning that they can spend more time enjoying their subway and less time waiting in line. The latest mobile activity from Subway builds on previous mobile coupon activity carried out using O2 media ‘you are here’ technology in the UK.

My husband and I were talking about how the internet has changed our lives the other day. We lived in different countries when we met on holiday in 1998 and thanks to e-mail we are here now. Just imagine what it would be like if there was no internet or e-commerce today! I am sure most of us can still remember those days. Mail order would still be ruling home shopping, the whole family would be going to the supermarket to do the weekly shop and electrical items would be compared in a shop with a sales assistant telling you what the best new gadget is.

Terrifying? Maybe. We are now all so used to the immediate access the internet has given us, many of us probably now take it for granted – but take it away and the world would stop. Could we go back to the dark ages of business directories? Without social networking sites how would we know what our friends are up to or how they are feeling that day? Probably not.

So, after a bit of reminiscing about ‘good old days’ when computer games were loaded from the tape recorder, we agreed that the internet is definitely the greatest invention of our lifetime. And digital media now plays a significant part of many companies’ marketing strategies – it is becoming increasingly vital for all businesses to embrace it and take full advantage of it. No longer is it just PPC and Display advertising that will bring you great returns – there are a plethora of social and mobile media options available to marketers.

We are proud to be providing a valuable service to our clients and helping them navigate through the complexities of online marketing to achieve their goals. Not only do we keep on top of the latest industry innovations, but also provide superb client service. Are we different from other digital media agencies? I’d like to think so, especially after reading an article “All about … Agency/client relationships” by Andy Pearch on Brand Republic’s Showcase (http://showcase.brandrepublic.com/editorials/agencyclient-relationships/) that points out that only 56 per cent of clients believe their agency understands their business, and only 11 per cent believe their agency can help them navigate the digital landscape. Clients also indicated that they want their agencies to push them harder to take risks.

At Navigate Digital we strive to become a part of our client’s business, understanding how their business works and what their aims and aspirations are. With this insight we create client-unique digital strategies, deliver results that in most cases exceed client’s expectations, and challenge ourselves to do better next time.

So if you are thinking about taking on the online masses to better your business, do not hesitate – online media is where you want to be.  If you’re just starting out or looking to review your current position, please get in touch with us at hello@navigatedigital.com.

Here is a brief overview of last month’s key digital news stories.

Music streaming and social tie-up announced with Spotify and Facebook. The as yet unnamed service will appear as an icon on the left hand side of a user’s news feed and will let users play music simultaneously with their friends whilst they are online. The proposed service is undergoing testing and could launch within weeks.

Microsoft buys internet phone service Skype for £5.2bn – Microsoft’s largest acquisition to date. Experts have queried the price tag, questioning whether the software giant has paid over the odds for a company that has struggled to turn a profit. Many have highlighted the acquisition as a defensive strategy to stop Apple or Google gaining a competitive advantage. However, as the volume of Wi-Fi hotspots increases VOIP calls may well become the norm which may well offer Microsoft an advantage in the smart phone war for supremacy.

Brands appear to be already losing trust in mobile ad networks as mobile advertising experiences the same problems that plagued online advertising in early 2000, with major brand ads being shown against unsuitable content.  The ABC & IAB are in talks to create a joint industry body to police the mobile ad sector and allay escalating fears over ad misplacement. There has been recent confusion over ad mobile networks offering agencies little guarantee over where their ads will appear, highlighted by brands such as Wonga and Samsung appearing against inappropriate content. The mobile ad space is in desperate need of stringent monitoring as it begins to mature.

Following on from an earlier ‘Navigator’ blog post, the digital sector was relieved when the ICO announced that companies will be provided with another year’s grace to conform to the EU privacy directive. The delay was caused because of inconsistencies in the information provided from the ICO and the DCMS (Department of Culture Media and Sport). A DCMS spokesman said, “There’s no need for businesses to ensure compliance right now because it won’t be enforced. But this doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be looking for ways to be compliant.”

More exciting news from Google this month sees the launch of Google Wallet – a mobile app that uses NFS and LBS to turn smartphones into the next generation wallet. Google promises that the app will do much more than a regular wallet ever could. With the integration of multiple credit/debit cards, money off offers, loyalty cards and gift cards. Tap your phone to pay and the app will automatically redeem money off offers/coupons.

At Navigate we love Twitter and May was an especially busy month for the company as they acquired Tweet Deck for £25 million. Founder Iain Dodsworth became an overnight millionaire and he explained to Radio 5 live “It’s been a two and-a-half year ride”.  Iain will stay with Tweet Deck and its 15 strong team as they look to develop the App further. Additional announcements at Twitter are the launch of a Photo Sharing tool to compete with third party sites such as TwitPic, Flickr and Yfrog and the launch of a much needed Twitter follow button. Enabling users to subscribe to the Twitter feeds of companies and individuals directly from their website with a single click.

Finally every month we like to highlight a campaign that the team at Navigate find interesting.  This month we liked an augmented reality app developed by ‘Specialmoves’ for Manchester City FC. The app allows users to hold the FA Cup aloft as their team did on the 14^th May. In order to lift the trophy fans logon to the Man City website, print off a special FA cup emblem and hold this in front of their webcam to recreate the moment. Man City promises that this is only the beginning of augmented reality features for the fans. As digital technology progresses we are seeing a broader range of brands integrating the latest digital technology to drive customer engagement.