Welcome to PR Vibes™, created by Calysto Communications to provide you with key insights into the publications and events in the communications industry. Today, we’re featuring a short interview with Tim Green, the executive editor of UK-based Mobile Entertainment. Enjoy!
What is the editorial mission of Mobile Entertainment, and how has it evolved?
The original idea was to report the news and analyze developments in the mobile content sector. That’s still the case, but things have changed hugely since 2005. Back then we were concerned with ringtones and wallpapers, and trying to work out whether video, games and gambling would ever really stick. Now, it’s all about apps, location and social media. I should also mention that the digital revolution affected our own operation too. We went online-only in October 2010.
What makes the audience of Mobile Entertainment unique? Do you have any breakdowns of readership? How has your audience evolved?
We always say that we’re there for anyone working in the mobile content “ecosystem.”’ That’s a blessing and a curse. It makes for fascinating work. But it also makes it hard for us to say “this is our audience” in a simple fashion. Broadly though, we write about anything that relates to rich media on a mobile phone. We write about the global market, with no region excluded, although logically there is more coverage of English-speaking markets, because that reflects what is sent to us. Our remit is any news in the mobile content ecosystem. That can range from obvious media stuff (games, video, music) to stuff that powers it (payments, location services, advertising, content delivery platforms, search).
How does Mobile Entertainment distinguish itself from other industry publications?
We’re B2B and we’re purely mobile content. That means no consumer product reviews, no writing about prices and tariffs, no infrastructure stuff. Just “rich media” and anything that relates to it. We also try to use some dry English wit where possible.
What are some of the key topics you plan to cover in the future?
Hard to say, especially in this business. Who’d heard of Foursquare 18 months ago? But I’d guess we’ll be writing more about payments (NFC), vouchers/coupons, 3D, voice-recognition, tablets, Windows Phone, gamification…
What “value-added services” do you offer?
Like many media outlets, we’ve developed lots of extra-curricular stuff. We do an industry awards event, “Monetising Mobile” conferences, “Meet Up” networking evenings (which we’re taking overseas this year), sponsored video series, reports.
What is one thing about Mobile Entertainment that most people don’t know?
An industry contact told me that they spent ages looking for a marketing director. When they found the perfect candidate, they gave her a bunch of ME mags to take home for “revision.”’ Next day she resigned because of the obscene front cover image on one issue (a girl in a bikini). She didn’t want to be associated with that kind of filth.
What do you see as the most impacting technology/trend during 2011/2012?
Tricky (see answer 4!). Broadly, technology that connects the real world to the digital one – mobile coupons, ticketing, payments, discovery (Shazam etc), gamification – should be worth watching.
If you could interview anyone, who would it be and why?
Anssi Vanjoki, ex VP at Nokia. He’d have some very interesting stuff to say about Nokia’s appalling decline (if his PR person was out of the room).
On a personal note, can you tell us a bit about your hobbies and interests? What do you like best about your job?
I like strange jazz, cryptic Spanish films, playing bass guitar and Tottenham Hotspur. I’m a disarmingly good robotic dancer (see YouTube). My job is great because mobile, for all its annoyances, is just about as edgy and relevant as anything right now. I could be writing about accounting systems, couldn’t I?