I’ve mentioned before that mobile browsing is fast growing in popularity – it is forecast by some to overtake PC browsing in the next five years – and I think that Google’s acquisition of Motorola will help drive this growth and maybe even accelerate it. It also makes mobile website optimisation increasingly important for online businesses when it comes to designing or redesigning their websites.

Motorola will enable Google to better develop its Android mobile device product, not least because of the large number of patents the manufacturer holds. In short, it lets Google do hardware – to date it has remained software-focused.

This investment should help it enormously in its fight with Microsoft and, more importantly, with Apple in the mobile device arena. How long before we see a Google mobile device to really take on the iPhone and iPad? Apple’s huge profits should certainly be a major incentive.

A player of Google’s profile and resources in the mobile device marketplace will not fail to make waves and businesses should be aware of the likely impact. Having an online presence that is not only compatible with but is able to exploit a rising amount of mobile browsing will be crucial.

By supercharging its mobile device profile with the acquisition of Motorola, we can expect to be using the likes of Google
Wallet (mobile payment) and Google Places (location-based loyalty schemes) a lot more and businesses will have to be ready for this.

To find out more about Chichester Design’s web design and development services, including mobile website optimisation, contact Michelle on +44 (0) 1243 787542 or info@chichesterdesign.co.uk.

No sooner had Apple launched its subscription services for magazines, newspapers and music purchased through its App store, expanding the model it developed for Murdoch’s iPad newspaper the Daily, then the next day Google introduced its One Pass online payment service.

So, in this clash of the titans, who’s going to come out on top? Well, early indicators suggest that Google has stolen a march on its rival thanks largely to a better pay deal. Publishers will keep 90% of revenue from One Pass sales, compared to 70% offered by Apple’s service. In the current economic climate, that 20% is pretty persuasive, even to major publishers.

But, let us look a bit further into the future. If pay walls and paying for online content are here to stay, how long will it be before the technology trickles down to the wider business community? If the providers of the world’s news can successfully use such a strategy, will it encourage businesses to develop content that can earn revenue behind a pay wall?

At present, locking potentially valuable information behind a pay wall may seem like the opposite of good business sense, but what if it makes us think about the information we dispense and how we can use it more for our benefit? And, how will attitudes change when the economy starts putting on weight again?

Who knows how long it will be before the Chichester Design team is building websites to include online payment services, or adapting e-commerce functionality to include subscription services for pay-only content? It could be sooner than we think.

To find out more about Chichester Design’s web design and development services, contact Amy on +44 (0)1243 787542 or info@chichesterdesign.co.uk.

The moment a potential client lands on your website, picks up your brochure or looks up at your banner at an exhibition, your branding goes into action. And if you’ve got it right, it starts to earn money for you right there and then.

The impression that a business’ branding makes is critical to its success. Just look at Apple. The power of their logo is that it and the company are instantly recognisable. The logo conveys the message that the company is an industry leader whose products combine cutting-edge technology with cutting-edge design. This is the power of branding.

Ferrari is another good example. Think of Ferrari and you think of the prancing horse and motoring excellence of a level that makes the world idolise their cars. And, that prancing horse does more than sell cars: Ferrari generates almost as much revenue from its retail and licensing operations as from its cars, money which it uses to focus on making the type of cars that everyone wishes they could own.

Closer to home, innocent is a good example of excellent branding. Here’s a story of an inspired branding strategy whose simplicity and friendliness quickly cemented their ethical credentials and a lucrative bond with consumers. Notably, the power of this branding has meant that the brand has maintained much of its quirky, independent feel despite that fact that corporate behemoth Coca-Cola took a 58% stake in it earlier this year.

A well-designed brand is where every business should begin – it’s a platform for success. Having a powerful, consistent brand across all of your marketing, from websites and brochures to corporate stationery and exhibition graphics, couldn’t be more important.

To find out more about Chichester Design’s web design and development services, including branding, contact Michael on +44 (0)1243 787542 or info@chichesterdesign.co.uk.

On the day of its release the people who deal in business intelligence for digital and social media Trendrr revealed that, despite the usual delays that trending topics from Haiti to the death of Michael Jacskon create, there were no less 177,000 Tweets just in the first hour.

I know that Chichester Design’s Managing Director Ben was very excited about the impending launch and was checking the Apple website as well his favourite forums more than hourly to get a peek at Apple’s new addition, but what did those Tweeters really think?

It seems that opinions were almost split down the middle, with 48% feeling as excited and passionate as Ben but slightly more of you (52%) were of the same opinion of me i.e. could iCare less?!

Call me controversial (no, please do!), but I’m not that fussed about Apple as a brand, I don’t have spare £££s to burn, I don’t like computer games and I would rather read a good old fashioned book that’s made of paper, thanks all the same.

Ok, there were the 29% that said they intended to buy the iPad and 19% who appreciated it as a great new bit of technology. However, 21% of all tweets couldn’t stand the name – I for one think it sounds like a feminine hygiene product or something a pirate would wear (?!)

There were a further 19% who weren’t in any way turned on by Apple’s shiny new toy, they were particularly peeved that the iPad can’t support Flash or multitask, and then there were the 11% who were just sick of the hype.

Find out more for yourself here. What will you think? I wonder…

Chichester Design for one is aware of the joys that Twitter brings to the world of social networking and it’s one of our favourite marketing devices. But, when it comes to online successes such as this there has been a long history of muscling in from the big boys who want to get their fingers in all the pies.  Opinions are divided on this and some might argue that the likes of YouTube has blossomed since Google’s take over but others may see it as just another fall for successful, independent businesses. 

Since Twitter started tweeting its bird song all over the national media and TV celebrities like Stephen Fry and Jonathan Ross started waxing lyrical about it has gone from strength to strength.  Not only has it helped these BBC stars to promote their own profiles and build on their fanbases it, has started a new craze for open and frank microblogging among the masses.

Interests in buy-outs have been shown from all the big boys in Cyberspace although the brains behind Twitter insist that they are not on the market. Recently, while on ABC’s The View as part of their current media campaign and in response to a question about rumours of an imminent purchase from one of the techy giants, Biz Stone revealed: “No. We are not for sale”.

So whether Apple pip Google to the post and fly off with the goods remains to be seen but a Twitter takeover could be continuation on a slippery slope of decreased independence and increased uniformity among the big and bright online businesses of the future.