Alexander’s Blog

Waking up this morning came just as much as a shock to as it did for millions of people around the globe. Michael Jackson dead! I first heard it on the radio while taking the kids to school and then, browsing the internet in the office, was overwhelmed by the online media reaction: Michael Jackson everywhere.

This time however was different. When news stories break you usually find it all over the usual news sites, but Michael Jackson’s death resulted in an unprecedented web activity on sites such as Facebook and Twitter that almost collapsed the world wide web. What’s more, much of the information exchange happened on the mobile internet, which had its first serious test and came out with guns blazing.

Mobile Marketing Watch reports that “For mobile marketers and mobile content providers, however, Thursday proved a test for the mobile industry that it passed with flying colors. From making sense of the madness to handling the wild ride of rumors and reports with poise and consistency, the mobile web added some substance to its reputation built mainly on style until now.” Read the full article here.

It is sad that such a tragic event as the death of the King of Pop is being used to drive home a point about the dominance and strength of the mobile internet, technologically and in terms of the amount of its users, but it is a point which mobile marketers have been making for some time now. On a much bigger scale this is like telling a small child not to touch a hot plate because it will burn you. The child has to get burned first to accept the value of your information.

As shocking as Michael Jackson’s untimely death must be for all of us, the search for information about it and the crazy exchange of that information and comments on it between users of the mobile internet, should serve as a wake up call for any brand manager who still questions the communication value of this amazing technology.

For Michael I hope and pray that his troubled soul has finally found peace and my condolences go out to his family.