Mobile phones have come a long way. So far in fact, that the inventor of the mobile phone, Mr. Martin Cooper feels that they’re getting too complicated for their own good. But somehow, this doesn’t seem to be a feeling reciprocated by the general populace. Every new technology that has appeared in a mobile device has been embraced by customers with open arms. We’re talking features like built-in cameras, media playing capabilities, rich, desktop like internet experience, 3D gaming, GPS and so on…  Some folks may have been sceptical when our esteemed client Nokia marketed their ground breaking N95 handset a few years back as a “Computer in your pocket”, but that is indeed what phones have transformed into. Modern day mobile phones are more powerful than full blown computers from just a few years ago and although the smaller form factors pose obvious limitations on them in terms of content creation, they are fast becoming the most popular avenue for content consumption.

Obviously, this is an interesting aspect for us as an agency and to our clients, by extension. Where there is content, there is advertisement. Advertisements keep the ecosystem alive and a well crafted ad campaign can get the end users’ genuine attention without ruining their core experience and putting them off. Now obviously, banner ads on a web page and sponsored search links are not the ideal solution for this on the mobile platform.  In a world where people seem to gravitate more towards customized “App-based” solutions rather than generic web pages, these desktop oriented tools prove to be fairly limited in terms of reach, potential and execution. The good news is that mobile phone platform developers have realized this and have come up with next-gen solutions for the same. Apple’s iAds (For iOS) is one example. Google’s admob (Multiple platforms) is another. Of course, there is the tried and tested Adobe Flash. One could also not discount a possible foray from Microsoft into this arena, given the renewed vigour they are showing with Bing and the upcoming Windows Phone 7 platform.

With these powerful  tools, an agency is poised to craft exciting ad campaigns for their clientele that does not hamper the customers’ user experience. No longer would one have to be subjected to an online Casino ad while using a free stock monitoring application. Content, location and usage pattern awareness holds the key here. By using this data, the right ads are pushed to the right people and only them: The ones that may genuinely be interested in the product/ service. Add to this the ability to utilize additional hardware on the device such as the camera and a whole new set of possibilities pop up.  Microsoft Tag is one obvious implementation of this, but the future beholds a lot more. Whatever technologies that are being used or platforms that they are being implemented on, mobile phone advertisements are taking a leap to the future; just like how the devices themselves did in the past few years.

Of course, the ultimate challenge is to utilize these tools so as to craft an effective campaign and not just use technology for technology’s sake. This is where our award winning team comes in. So what exactly can one expect from The Upper Storey on this front in the coming days? All we can say is, stay tuned…

Only recently, The Upper Storey created a print/POSM campaign for MSI. What was especially heartening was how it started as a brief for a regional campaign and the subsequent decision to implement our work globally as well. It’s always a treat when we get to do a shoot, as we get complete control over every single element, instead of spending time looking through image libraries. Raymond from Capsule Productions was our lensman for the campaign.

Our DI house then added the final touches, bringing out essential visual elements as well as adding the pièce de résistance – the all new 2010 Intel Core  processor.  Here are the final images that made the cut.

“The most basic rule of thumb is that for every site the user should be able to understand what your site is about by the information presented to them above the fold. If they have to scroll to even discover what the site is, its success is unlikely. Functionality that is essential to business strategy should remain (or at least begin) above the fold.”

- Milissa Tarquini Director of UI  Design and Information Architecture at AOL.

1)  Yes above the fold is the most effective place for content (as Milissa Tarquini nicely put it). But, …

2)  …the fact that the world’s second most visited site, Facebook has much of it’s content below the fold shows we have learnt to scroll. We scroll, click on a link or even leave the site because we are still looking for our fix of information. Why we scroll is because …

3)  … we’ve learnt and instinctively know to scroll when we have visual cues that tell there’s more to see below. Be it text peeking above the fold, bordered content that runs off the page, or the presence of a scrollbar. This Tog (Bruce Tognazzini) tells in 1998, ‘The first screenful of a web page–or any other foreign document–tends to look complete. Unless the screen happens to break across some graphical element or divides a line of text in two, users will assume they have seen it all and will move on.’. Before we start pushing pixels we answer…

4)  …the question of where lies the fold. According to W3school 96% of internet users’ computers are on 1024 x 768px and higher. Though this may be their overall screen resolution, the actual browser viewing area is reduced when you factor in the title bar, toolbars, favourites bar, etc. Leaving the fold to be about 500 to 550px from the top of the browser display. According to Google Labs’ Browser Size (Check it out, it visualizes of the different browser window sizes of those who visit Google), 90% of visitors to Google have the fold at 500px and 80% at 550px. This is a good rule of thumb but should the site target specific platforms (eg. mobile or touch screen) the fold shifts but the principals of 1)-3) still applies.

We know people scroll so putting content below the fold is not an issue. In my humble opinion, for a campaign site it all boils down to the objectives, the funnel and ultimately the goal. The first take out should be to have users understand the site objective and then drive them towards the funnel via CTA’s (call to actions). Subsequent content and CTA’s can flow from there below the fold. Don’t shove all the content and CTA up top. If designed correctly, users will find it. Allowing the CTA’s the luxury of white space, they will in turn work harder for you.

If you’re interested in reading more, Fiz Yazdi & Joe Leech wrote a great article with quantitative evidence on this and was referenced extensively in this commentary. Also interesting read that was referenced is 10 Techniques For An Effective Call To Action by Paul Boag.