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Bloomberg exec: Mobilize, not miniaturize, when designing for mobile

NEW YORK ? A Bloomberg executive at the Mobile Marketing Summit: Holiday Focus 2012 conference said although responsive design is ideal for many marketers, blindly taking modules that have been put together for a specific screen size and realigning things to fit is not a good approach.

During the ?Bloomberg: How the Media Conglomerate is Pulling Together Print, Online, Television and Radio into a Unified Mobile Experience,? keynote, the executive discussed how the company ties all of its content into a cohesive mobile message. The executive also discussed Bloomberg?s upcoming holiday plans.

?Mobilizing your business is very important and requires a lot of thought,? said Oke Okaro, global head and general manager of mobile and connected devices at Bloomberg, New York.

?I think you have to create the right experience for the device and the platform,? he said.

The Mobile Marketing Summit: Holiday Focus 2012 conference was a Mobile Marketer event.

Vision for mobile
Bloomberg?s vision for mobile is to be the first source that executives turn to on their mobile devices for business and finance news and information.

The company continually looks to be where its users are and is increasingly creating new experiences to stay on trend.

According to Mr. Okaro, Bloomberg?s goal is to also deliver the most relevant content with the least amount of taps.

When it comes to developing for mobile, the process is far different and complicated than the Web. 

For example, the Web is optimized for three or four browsers such as Google Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer and Safari.

However, mobile is optimized for 10-15 browsers including BlackBerry and Opera. Additionally there are limitations.

Another challenge for marketers is the screen size, user interface and network speed. 

Knowing your audience
Bloomberg?s audience primarily consists of affluent males ages 35-54.

Additionally, the company further segments its audience into three groups ? mobile tech-savvy influencers who need real-time access at any time on any platform, workflow-driven newshounds who need timely, 24/7 access to news because they feel it is expected as part of their job and the feature-driven media users who want content that is original, distinct and always accessible.

According to Mr. Okaro, Bloomberg?s users need business and financial news within reach throughout the day.

News headlines, market trends and breaking news dominate during the day, while analysis and commentary drive night time consumption.

Moreover, personal and professional usage tends to intertwine throughout the day. 

Bloomberg mobile
Bloomberg has several mobile applications on different devices, including iPhone, iPad, Windows Phone 7 and Android.

The company has a clear and focused objective for each of its mobile products, per Mr. Okaro.

For its Bloomberg Business Week app, the company?s wanted to reimagine the magazine for the iPad.

Furthermore, for Bloomberg TV, the company looked to create an entirely new business news video experience.

As far as Bloomberg Radio, the company looked to create an interactive and time-shifted audio experience. 

Holiday plans
Bloomberg has several plans for the upcoming holiday season.

The company is looking to offer promotional deals and gifting opportunities for Bloomberg Businessweek+.

Additionally, the company will partner with OEMs and carriers on a special holiday promotion.

Finally, Bloomberg will incorporate an aggressive mobile message across its traditional media and marketing including out-of-home and print.

?Mobile is the start of a much bigger transformation that we?re going through,? Mr. Okaro said.

?We are moving towards a connected lifestyle,? he said. 

Final Take