Hardly a day goes by that the Apps v. Mobile Web argument isn’t posited by a dozen blogs.

Or, where Location Based Services (LBS) are touted as the next sliced-bread killer.

Or, where the success/failure of QR and 2D Codes in the US is debated.

It’s great to find some reasoned and objective discussions.  Recently, the post:  MOBILE APPS…ALL SAUSAGE, NO SIZZLE from DIGITAL MINISTRY by David Jarvis was an example of extremely well written and considered thought on the subject with more perspective than most, concluding  with his call for:

“I strongly feel our industry groups should work towards some sort of commonality, leadership and self-regulation now to avoid another potential massive bursting bubble to the ultimate detriment of everyone.”

What I believe Jarvis is seeing, as we do, is that Brands and Agencies are already starting to realize that much of their mobile marketing efforts in the past year have been based on hype-and-circumstance.  That is, they’ve followed the “technology” and forgotten the consumer.  Below are the few points we feel are relevant and speak to how contentAI studios and interactive conversational mobile engagement will be a lasting and valuable platform:

*  LBS – There will be the emergence of private, Brand-to-Consumer LBS services that do NOT require Foursquare, Gowalla, Facebook Places, etc.   Private being the operative word.  Cutting out the middleman being another value.  A QR/2D Tag can launch a location based engagement, with some Session Management (we offer) and fun game or conversational exchange (we offer).

The Forrester Research seems overly kind is estimating that there may be 1% of the US market who are active Users of LBS Services.  Our estimates are about 1/4 of that.  Regardless, LBS services are not and may never be mainstream.  While private, direct Location based engagement between a Brand, Retailer, Restaurant may have some legs, if done well.

*  QR/2D – As above, they should be used for location based engagement in addition to brand packaging.  Their failure to date is that they are rarely used in integrated campaigns where the “story” that starts with print (a magazine ad) is then extended to the mobile engagement.  Once Tags are used as a “bridge” to extend storied engagement, Users should start seeking these out.  The current Tag-to-Push campaigns are examples of wasting people’s time.

* Mobile Web, Apps & SMS - How do people use their mobile devices for their non-marketing communication?  Voice is in decline, Text is increasing (including a 50% increase in mobile IM last year).  Mobile video chat is really voice with images, so, it may level off Voice.  But, Text is King.

We are going to see (we know, since we’re working on this), more mobile web chat.  No need for SMS or IM.  Apps will start to incorporate chat functions within them (we’re offering our platform for App integration).  SMS pricing will drop (between Twitter and Google, someone is going to get it down to near-free) and SMS will remain an effective conversational communication platform.

Brands who want to “start a conversation” with their Customers should look no further than the tools Customers use in their day-to-day conversations with friends.  Mobile is a perfect device for conversational engagement.  It’s remarkable that so little of it has been done.

We hope to be a part of very successful campaigns that point to win:win scenarios for Brands and Consumers with their mobile engagement.  We want Consumers to “want more,” not to have turned away from mobile marketing due to App-burnout, Location Based privacy invasion or lack of value, or a failure to deliver appropriate Content within context to where a Customer took their valuable time to engage with a campaign (i.e. pushing a video to someone on a street corner).