It's hard enough being a marketer these days with all of the options and all of the things that you are supposed to already know. By the way, you are an expert in traditional offline media, all forms of online new media, all digital out of home options, every aspect of social media including all geo-location options, paid search and search engine optimization, right? If not, you are certainly a slacker and should not be part of the new world order of marketing.
Now add to the mix the real mobile landscape that is shaping up. At this time last year it is doubtful that the many would have anticipated the following chart from Nielsen (if you claim you did then congrats, you are obviously better than the rest of us). So far in 2010 Android is the leading mobile OS among recent US smartphone acquirers.
So Android is real and it is gaining speed. For all of you Android and Apple fanboys and girls this is not to say which is better or worse. It's just to say that it is. So relax if you feel like your platform of choice is being attacked in any way. It's not. What is apparent though is that RIM is in trouble while Apple and Android devices are likely to run the roost before too long. Here is a picture of the overall marketshare pattern for this year.
How does this impact marketers? Well, it certainly doesn't make it any easier. If the pattern indicated by the charts above continues then it will be critical that marketers looking to reach the most of their market will not be able to choose between Apple and Android for app development. They will need to do both. It's that simple. The bigger question is what to do about BlackBerry but we'll save that for another time.
What are you doing when it comes to app development for your mobile strategy? Are you leaning one way or the other or are you diving into both the Android and Apple pools at the same time?
Strategies developed today will definitely need to remain flexible because until Apple breaks the chains of AT&T the Android market will continue to flourish. Remember I am not saying which is better. I'm just sayin'.