Author Archive
How Music Labels are Stifling Spotify
The music industry is still at it. Just when we thought the music labels were ready to accept the inevitable and start cooperating with the free music sharing services, their secret demands are revealed. In some great reporting by GigaOm, the terms that the music labels have drawn up are brought to light. Their terms will apparently never allow for music sharing sites like Spotify to turn a profit.
Technology has changed the way we consume and share music. We’ve gone from a push economy to a user-curated pull economy. But, since the days of Napster the labels have been fighting against the wants of the user and ultimately, the inevitable. We thought they had begun to surrender. But, after a closer look it appears they could still be trying to prevent the changing tide.
Read more about the push to pull user economy here.
More details on the secret demands of the music labels here.
Android Market Reaches 10 Billion App Downloads
The Google Android app market reached a huge milestone this week. 10 billion apps have been downloaded from the Android Market. GigaOm reports that people are downloading 1 billion Android apps a month. That number is huge. Read more about the race between the Apple App store and the Android Market and how developers will look to Android for better monetization in the future. We were happy to read one particular point made by GigaOm reporter Ryan Kim:
“But as more developers increasingly make their money through free-to-use apps that monetize through in-app purchase and advertising, the growth in downloads on Android Market will only entice more development on Android. The platform still needs work to become more profitable for developers, but the download momentum is clearly there.”
Signup ads by Pontiflex have been proven to be the best option for developers who really want to keep their apps free for users.
Business Insider’s Great Debate: Android vs. iPhone
Hear Pontiflex CEO and Co-Founder Zephrin Lasker weigh in on the Android vs iPhone debate in Business Insider:
THE GREAT DEBATE: Here’s What Tech Gurus, Entrepreneurs, And CEOs Think Of Android Vs. iPhone
Want to Know Where to Find Your Customers on Mobile?
Mobile Ad Strategy Adoption by Vertical
The IAB Blog recently featured an interesting guest blog post by Mack McKelvey of Millenial Media on the misconceptions brand verticals have about where to find their consumers on mobile:
Know where to find your consumers
“One of the misnomers in mobile is the idea that brands have to advertise in their own content vertical to reach consumers. For example, among mobile consumers who view auto content on their phone, sites like Edmunds.com or Car and Driver are certainly popular, but there are other places to reach these users too. Compared to the overall mobile audience, mobile auto consumers are heavy users in mobile content categories such as Tech News, Sports Info and Financial News & Stock Quotes.”
We totally agree with McKelvey about these misconceptions. We’ve found that advertisers running mobile signup ads by Pontiflex report they were surprised at which apps produced a large number of signups. For instance, the ASPCA were interested to see that many of their signups came from people using health related apps. Apparently, people who care about taking care of themselves are more likely to care for animals.
There’s really no better way to discover who your audience is and what apps they are using than to run a mobile signup ad campaign. The signups are all 100% opt-in, so they come from people who are genuinely interested in hearing more from your brand.
Cyber Monday: Mobile Redefines Holiday Shopping This Season
In honor of Cyber Monday, we are taking a look at how many people are getting their cyber deals this holiday season. According to an article today posted on Gigaom. com, it appears that mobile is boosting cyber sales this year. According to a survey conducted by Shop.org over the weekend, almost 15 % of respondents said they would shop on a smartphone or tablet on Cyber Monday, compared to 6.9 percent who did so last year.
Read more on the subject from Ryan Kim on GigaOm
Happy Shopping!
Meet us in the Pontiflex AppLeads Cybercafe at Appnation III
Appnation III is almost here. This year it takes place at the San Francisco Design Center November 30 – December 1. Thousands of developers, industry experts, carriers and investors are expected to attend this year. The tag line for Appnation is “Show Me the Money”, so if you’re a developer in search of a monetization strategy, this would be a worthwhile show for you. Pontiflex CEO and Co-Founder, Zephrin Lasker will sit on a keynote panel titled, “The Appnation CEO Roundtable: Tactical Advice On Driving Discoverability and Monetization.”
Pontiflex is also sponsoring the Cyber Café at Appnation. Stop by and recharge at the charging stations and grab a cup of coffee or tea on us!
Register for Appnation III here
Pontiflex Mobile Formula K Racing Team
Brian Long and Andy Hwang from the Pontiflex mobile team putting on their pre-race game face
As exciting as Andevcon was for us last week, the mobile team felt a “need for speed” that called for some serious Formula K go-kart racing. They even took a brave Android Developer along for the ride. Our SVP of Mobile, Brian Long was the winner with Tim Geisenheimer coming in second. Those are some serious suits, guys. Check out the pics below!
Greetings from AnDevCon II
The mobile team from Pontiflex is here at Andevcon just outside of San Francisco where about one thousand developers are gathered for a jam packed 4 days.
It has been a great show for Pontiflex so far. We hosted a breakfast on Monday where our SVP, Brian Long and one of our star developers, John Hotovy gave a presentation on AppLeads. John explained how well mobile signup ads have worked for him as a revenue stream for the past 9 months.
Overall, we’ve heard from fantastic speakers, met so many developers and are truly impressed with all of the enthusiasm for Android.
Check out a few pics from the show followed by a short clip of John Hotovy sharing his experience with Pontiflex AppLeads.
Mobile Associates Andy Hwang and Eric Gibbons chatting with a developer at the Pontiflex booth
Brian Long from Pontiflex addresses the crowd at breakfast
Join Pontiflex for Breakfast at AnDevCon II
If you’re one of the many excited Android developers gearing up for AnDevCon II in the Bay area next week, plan to join Pontiflex for breakfast on Monday, November 7 at 7:30am.
Hear from 19-year-old app developer, John Hotovy, creator of popular app TuneMe. He’ll tell the story of how he increased his revenue 8x and kept his app free with mobile signup ads.
We’re looking forward to seeing you there!
Forbes Market Share: Beyond The First Moment Of Wow
Here is a preview of the latest post on Forbes Market Share from Pontiflex CEO and Co-Founder, Zephrin Lasker:
Beyond The First Moment Of Wow
The scene from AMC’s “Mad Men” when Don Draper pitches the new campaign concept for the Kodak Carousel is widely held as one of the most powerful campaigns in the history of the series. Draper calls the picture projector the Carousel of Nostalgia. He says, “Technology is a glittering lure, but there is the rare occasion where the public can be engaged on a level beyond flash if they have a sentimental bond with the product.” The pitch was beautifully written and delivered leaving the execs from Kodak speechless with “wow” in their eyes. That moment is the stuff brands were built on. That moment is what makes Don Draper a fictional advertising legend.
After that moment, at the end of that scene, when the smoke in the conference room settled, Don Draper’s job would not be complete in today’s world. In today’s world of email and social media he would have to conceive of a comprehensive plan for how Kodak could continue the conversation beyond the first point of engagement.
Arun Krishnan
Jason Penta
zlasker
Roshan Bangera
Jordan Cohen
eadlman
Geoff Grauer
Jerrie Gullick
Jon Beardsley
Nick Herman
Stacy Huggins
Tiffany Sumner
Avantika Banerjee
Daniel Egan
Lisa Khan
tgeisenheimer
pontiflexrob
Ganesh Prabhu
