A common dilemma emerging amongst marketers and businesses now is the decision between developing a Mobile App or a Mobile Website. So what’s the difference? And, why would you choose one over the other?

A mobile app, whether it is for the iPhone, or another Smartphone will run an application on the phone and allow the user to perform certain tasks. A mobile website on the other hand will allow users with any type of Smartphone to view a web application or website without installing anything on the phone. The main exception of course is the iPhone which will not permit Flash™ to run.

Most people are familiar with apps now because of the popularity of the iPhone and most companies still do not have a website designed for the Mobile Touch Web. Mobile search company Taptu has released a detailed report showing that the future of the Mobile Web is likely to be dominated by cross-platform browser-based mobile web sites – rather than apps built specifically for iPhone, Android, or any other platform.

What kinds of sites are more likely to be browser-based for mobile phones? According to the report, 19% of the mobile sites measured were Shopping & Services sites; compared to 3.6% in the same category in the App Store. Content in the ‘Social’ category also has a higher chance of being a browser-based mobile site, rather than an app (12.9% to 1.7%).

Conversely, just 0.8% of mobile sites were gaming, compared to 18% of apps in the App Store. There is a similar discrepency in the ‘Entertainment’ category. According to Taptu, “it’s getting easier and easier to create rich touch screen user experiences with the browser without having to create platform-specific apps.” Taptu also points to increasing usage of open standard APIs, enabling Mobile Web developers to access “deeper device functions such as geolocation.”

At Liquid Interactive we are exploring the possibilities of HTML 5 to support a media rich strategy across all platforms, wireless devices and browsers. It is still a little while away but, most commentators believe that Apple will not back down on Flash and, that because of its market share, brands and marketers wanting to reach iPhone and iPad users via rich media web experiences will need to find a viable alternative. Until then however it is still a relevant decision for most marketers considering developing an iPhone app to weigh up the benefits of developing a mobile website instead.

By now I’m sure you have heard about the latest buzzword in the world of web, Cloud Computing.  What is it? It sounds expensive? Can it benefit my Site?

Quite simply the cloud metaphor is used to describe a collection of physical computers that appear as one large computer.  Cloud computing offers many services but what we’ll be talking about today are the benefits to high traffic websites.

As part of our work with Major Brisbane Festivals we received a brief to create an invite for the Festival launch. We needed to produce a striking and aesthetically pleasing invitation, as this would be the very first piece of marketing collateral sent out with the new Brisbane Festival branding.

The invitation needed to communicate the personality of the new brand; the focus for 2010 is movement and imagery. Additionally, we need to tackle general perception, and show that Brisbane Festival is more than just Riverfire, rather, it’s about Brisbane.

Brisbane is a beautiful city and we wanted to create a presentation that conveyed the ‘special something’ about Brisbane and the festival it holds each year.

With new branding for the festival, the door was opened to experiment with different visual techniques and styles of imagery. We wanted to use recognisable images of of Brisbane, and present them in a unique and interesting way. After a few experiments we decided to reduce clarity and experiment with a “golden hour” look to the footage. The use of time-lapse and tilt shift photography gave the “special” touch we were looking for. An accompanying sound track helped create a vibe of simple pleasure and wellbeing. All of these treatments reinforce the feeling that something special is happening.

The result for this campaign was a fantastic viral video that showcased Brisbane from a different perspective. The launch invitation is closed to the public however we are allowed to show off the video to you. We believe this is a fantastic example of what’s possible with a little imagination.

Expectations of learners are changing, at an increasing pace. How can your learning program reflect changes in thinking – using new technology as an enabler? Marketers have recognized the potential of social media; can social media be used to improve learning outcomes?

With the rapid rise of Smartphones and the increasing propensity for their owners to go online with them, its only a matter of time before we will all need a mobile site to augment our website.  A new Neilsen report indicates that 43% of all mobile users are able to access the internet and 29% of those are using the internet on thir phones. Sure they may mostly be Tweeting or using Facebook, checking email or news, but if the trend persists they will soon be checking out your company on their phone.

So what are the main considerations?

‘Engagement’ is definitely the buzzword at the moment – it is the objective listed on almost every digital brief.  It seems according to Nielsen research, that Australia’s 8.8 million Facebook users are the key to it!

Last week B&T reported on some new Nielsen research about Facebook users.   They stated ‘Time spent online and levels of Internet engagement are far greater in Facebook users than non-Facebook users, according to new research from Nielsen.  Facebook users spend an average 3.26 times longer on the internet than non-Facebook users – 25.8hours a month compared to 7.91 hours respectively.”