Marketing Forecast from Ad-ology

Competition is heating up in the phone market which means that marketing programs are sure to follow. According to a recent USA Today report, AT&T is launching a new mobile phone that is positioned to dominate a new category called Quick Messaging Device. If AT&T succeeds with its news strategy, the company could build loyalty with users who might be tempted to defect to competing products offered by Apple or Google.

Ad-ology Research recently updated their Industry Marketing Insights report for Telecommunications Carriers. The following are the predicted Top 5 Opportunities/Challenges from the report for this industry for the upcoming 12 months:

* Improving technology continues to provide opportunity for this industry.
* Demand for wireless access continues to grow, especially among young and affluent demographics.
* Businesses in this industry are faced with high network maintenance costs.

While consumers express some interest in 3D TV they may not be running out to purchase a new TV set just yet, according to The NPD Group. NPD’s “Snapshot Report: 3D Television” found that about a third of consumers were at least “somewhat interested” in having 3D capability on their TV, but cost, content availability, and convenience of watching in 3D ranked high among concerns about adopting the technology. “Manufacturers are counting on 3D to accelerate the replacement cycle the way HD did,” said Ross Rubin, executive director of industry analysis at NPD. “Early adopters will look past significant price premiums and limited optimized content in the name of bringing home even more of the cinematic experience as they find 3D capabilities included among other premium features.”

It’s official. The new must- have toy is a personal navigation device. Recently published Forrester Research data indicates that 31% of U.S. consumers use navigation systems. The most common type of system is located in a car or on a mobile phone. Growth rates in 2008 suggested that consumers may increasingly prefer a mobile-phone application for navigation.

System management software vendors hope 2010 will be the year that more corporations begin spending to upgrade their business software. During the recent period of slow sales, several new products were introduced to the market. According to KACE, a leading systems management appliance company, several of these products may speed up purchase decisions by managers who hold the purse strings at both large and small enterprises.

Technology experts believe the next industry transformation will occur in the mobile Internet segment. Morgan Stanley analysts expect this segment to possess the transformative power that accompanied other major tech launches such as Microsoft’s Windows 3.0 or Apple’s iPhone. The business environment is a bit different this time around but large fortunes will be won and lost as giant companies battle for market share and revenue.