The Power of Mobile (& The Importance of An Apology)

If you're one of those people who has been unconvinced about the power of mobile as it pertains to the future of marketing and communication, last week's Apple Maps apology from Tim Cook should be all you need to make you a believer.

Even though a little more than half of the U.S. population owns a smartphone, Cook's apology for the underwhelming app shows that mobile devices are a key component in our daily lives. We spend approximately two hours on our phone each day according to a study from O2, and the marketplace is competitive.  Phones utilizing the Android operating system (48%) currently outnumber Apple's iOS (32%), and Samsung recently launched the below commercial to tout the superiority of the Galaxy S III compared to the iPhone.

Cook recognizes the simple truth that customers have options, and Apple can't afford not to meet customer satisfaction. In an analysis of Cook's apology, a USA Today article observes:

All of this suggests Apple is moving quickly to compete with Google on the latest and greatest features. But it also raises questions about the purveyor of premium devices as it ages. 

Steve Jobs brought Apple from a niche company with a cult following to a mainstream giant with a new role, says Vivek Wadhwa, a fellow at Stanford University. "With this come many responsibilities-like listening to customers and taking responsibility for their satisfaction. This is exactly what Cook is doing."

Smartphone usage/ownership will only continue to grow in the coming years, and I imagine that two of the factors that will drive this surge will include cheaper access to devices through contract renewals and phone upgrades and diversified data plans to reduce cost. As a result, mobile devices will play an increasingly important role in communicating with consumers. It was noted in my internent and interactive marketing class, the mobile delivers on the promise of the right message, to the right person and at the right time. Executives like Tim Cook know this, just as Steve Jobs did before him [Jobs apologized multiple times for a variety of reasons]. Isn't it time we all recognize the current and potential power of mobile?