Goin’ Mo-bile.

I can pull up by the curb
I can make it on the road
Goin' mo-bile
I can stop in any street
And talk with people that we meet
Going mo-bile
Keep me moving

We have no idea whether the lyrics of The Who song from 1971 Who’s Next (a truly great album, by the way—now 40 years old!), has any direct relevance to the mobility of today. Obviously a song recorded 40 years ago could not have anticipated the mobility of today’s world.

By “mobility” we speak of communications, not transportation. Our increasingly mobile world has changed the way we communicate which has significant implications for marketers.

Here are some interesting factoids worth knowing:

1. 5 billion mobile subscribers in a world of 6.8 billion people

2. The average teen sends and receives 3339 texts per month (more than 100 per day)

3. 200 million+ YouTube mobile device views each day

4. Twitter has more than 165 Million users. 50% use Twitter mobile

 5. 85% of children own a phone, only 73% own books

6. An average American spends 2.7 hours a day socializing on their mobile device.

7. Top 5 uses for phones--Games (61%), Weather (55%), Maps/search (50%), Social networking (49%), Music (42%)

8. 90% of 18-29 year olds sleep with their cell phones, compared to 34% of those 65+

The U.S. is behind many other countries in its “mobility”, but catching up quickly. The explosion of smartphones and tablets is changing the way Americans access information and entertainment. What’s clear is that immediate information at the “moment of choice” has tremendous impact. The more mo-bile we become, the more powerful the marketing opportunity becomes.

PS We like Won’t Get Fooled Again, Behind Blue Eyes, Baba O’Riley, and Bargain a bunch as well. What was your favorite track?