Solving the content discovery dilemma

 

Content discovery--or lack of it--is a huge problem for wireless operators. Consumers are unlikely to purchase mobile content that they don't know exists or can't find.

But solving the content discovery dilemma isn't easy. Some mobile search firms have touted their services as a solution but I'm not convinced that search alone will eliminate the problem. If consumers don't know what content is available, how are they going to know to search for it?

A small startup called Digital Sidebar has an interesting solution that uses the white space that appears in your phone's screen when you receive a phone call or read a text message. In other words, when your cell phone rings, you automatically look at the screen to see the number of the caller. Likewise, when you receive a text message, you look at the screen to see the message that tells you a text has been sent. Digital Sidebar proposes to insert content into that space. According to Stephanie Grossman, founder and CEO of Digital Sidebar, that content could be any type--advertisements, promotions, or just content that an operator is trying to highlight to encourage consumers to purchase it. "We had initially thought our solution would be used for mobile advertising," Grossman said. "But now we think it will be used first for content discovery and then ad-supported content."

Of course, there is a catch. For Digital Sidebar's technology to work, consumers must download a client to their device. Currently the service works with smartphone devices that use Windows Mobile or Symbian operating systems. The service also works with BlackBerry devices and will be available for BREW devices in early 2008. Grossman says that the key to getting Digital Sidebar's technology implemented on handsets is that the company has to make sure that its client can talk to the native client on the device. Otherwise, conflicts could occur between the content Digital Sidebar provides and the calls or text messages.

Nevertheless, the startup is bullish on its future. The company is currently in a beta trial with a U.S. operator. Grossman says that carriers need to solve the content discovery solution soon because if open access networks become the norm, operators are going to face more competition from off-deck content aggregators. "With open access a user can go off deck and get whatever content they want from any number of sources," Grossman says. "It behooves the carriers to bring the content to the users and make it easier to find."

I don't know if Digital Sidebar will be a success, but I like their approach. I think this type of out-of-the-box thinking is necessary for the mobile content industry to move to the next level. -Sue