Companies are realizing that the rise of mobile necessitates more than just a native app and a mobile optimized website. Between the prevalence of mobile in everyday life, the expanding world of connect devices (smartphones, tablets, wearables, TVs, cars) and the increasing complexity of operating systems (Mozilla recently added another player to the OS ranks) mobile outreach is quickly becoming a world – and job position – of its own.
And as mobile continues to grow, so does that corporate job title. Over the years we’ve seen titles like ‘VP of Mobile This’ or ‘Director of Mobile That’ crop up, and rightfully so. As Tim Carlson, Director of Mobile Product Development and Operations at USA TODAY, pus it, “Mobile is a fast-growing space, but there are surprisingly few people who specialize in the testing side of the equation.” While Tim was specifically discussing testing, the same can be said for mobile as a whole – it is a fast growing space and it takes a lot of specialized expertise.
That’s why VPs and Directors of mobile aren’t enough anymore. Mobile has become such an important part of a company’s identity and success that mobile experts and strategists are beginning to reach the executive level. And thus, a new C-O title is being born before our eyes.
As this space is still relatively new and evolving and growing at an amazingly quick pace, companies haven’t quite settled on what the job entails, or even what that middle letter should be.
In recent years, we’ve heard talk of the CMO take 2 – the Chief Mobility Officer (though I’m pretty sure Chief Marketing Officers already laid claim on that particular acronym). Last year, analyst firm Forrester released a report on the rising need for this new kind of CMO. From ComputerWorld:
The idea of having a chief mobility officer (CMO) isn’t new in the enterprise world. But as companies now scramble to establish mobile strategies, a CMO could be one key to success, according to a new Forrester Research report. …
According to Forrester, a CMO can help efforts to improve coordination of mobile initiatives. The research firm suggested setting up a 10-to-30-person task force to sit between business groups and IT.
Without that kind of coordinating body, Forrester said, companies will “waste time and money as marketing goes after a mobile loyalty app, sales builds tablet apps, the CFO implements mobile expense approvals” and so forth. One of the companies Forrester interviewed learned it was supporting 114 different versions of the BlackBerry operating system.
But without even knowing it, the Forrester report includes an idea that might actually make the whole concept of a Chief Mobility Officer passe a little more than a year later.
Smartphones and tablets are “the manifestation of a much broader shift to new systems of engagement” with customers, partners and employees, Forrester said in the 30-page report.
Read the full article at ComputerWorld >>>
“A much broader shift to new systems of engagement.” Yes, in 2012 smartphones and tablets were the manifestation of that shift. But that shift is still in full swing, and smartphones and tablets are no longer the only players in this new field of constant engagement. Connected TVs have been kicking around for years as manufacturers try to figure out how to make consumers embrace internet enabled TVs as whole-heartedly as they embrace their handhelds. Cars are increasingly entering the world of “smart device.” And the promise of wearable tech is on the verge of flooding the market. Do these other connected devices fall under the purview of a Chief Mobility Officer? Maybe, but they’re a lot different than a smartphone or tablet.
Enter the Chief Platform Officer. Netflix is in the process of creating the role of CPO. According to Gigaom (and an SEC filing from Netflix) Greg Peters has been promoted to Chief Platform/Partnership Officer. (Oh how I wish they had added another P-related area for Peters to oversee so I could start referring to him as the C3PO). It seems that Netflix is no longer content to just play catchup as the devices and operating systems around them grow and change, they want to innovate and embrace new platforms. From Gigaom:
Netflix has significantly stepped up its game in the consumer electronics space in recent months. TV manufacturers and companies that build companion boxes like Roku or Apple TV have long seen Netflix as a must-have app for their devices, but only in recent months has Netflix started to have an impact on the development of these devices that goes far beyond its own app. …
Netflix Partner Devices Director Scott Mirer recently told me that the company has been engaged in direct talks with chip makers and top consumer electronics manufacturers to get them to rethink TVs with an online use case in mind. Netflix wants companies to make better smart TV user interfaces, but it’s also interested in more fundamental changes, including the addition of low-power wireless networking standards and a true sleep mode that would allow consumers to instantly resume an online video after turning a TV off and back on.
Netflix is so committed to staying ahead of the curve that they’ve dedicated an entire executive position to the mission. This just goes to show you that the rise of connected devices (from the smallest smartphone to the biggest home TV) is having a profound impact on companies. Those who embrace the changes at the highest corporate level just might find themselves coming out on top.
Where do you think the CMO/CPO path will take us?