MobiTV - recovering position

The task

The U.S. and European markets are similar in many ways and completely different in others. The mobile video market is one example of where they differ. Mobile video is a much more mature industry in the U.S. than in Europe where its image has been blighted by several false starts.

MobiTV, a leading provider of managed mobile TV and video services has been working with all the major telecoms carriers in the U.S. to deliver live and on-demand video services to consumers. It had a reasonable profile in that market, but with no European partners its name was much less known in this market. In addition, the European media were still sceptical about the promise of mobile video. The challenge for us was to re-introduce MobiTV to the European market while addressing issues that surrounded the European ventures the company had previously been involved in.

The solution

MobiTV came to Babel in 2008, initially as an IBC project, but the company is now a long-term retained client. In the early stages MobiTV were simply looking to re-ignite relationships with European media and analysts but subsequently have required creative campaigns that position them as the company with the authority, gravitas and experience to drive video and TV content to the mobile platform globally.

In the early days Babel worked with the MobiTV to develop specific messaging for this market in order to change perceptions of the validity and future of video on the mobile platform. The emergence of tablet devices (and a MobiTV solution for them) provided the opportunity to demonstrate, one-to-one with key media and analyst influencers, the experience and possibilities for watching live and on-demand content outside of the home. From here, the challenge was to continue to adapt the company's messaging and position MobiTV as a key partner to content owners and mobile operators globally.

The result

What can better underline belief in the sector, and the company's credentials, than a new commercial partnership with a tier one operator! Clearly MobiTV worked on developing that particular relationship themselves as well, but perceptions of the company and the services it offers were changed through a communications strategy that saw them regularly provide an authoritative view on wider industry developments. MobiTV is now one of the most established mobile TV companies in the market and is recognised as a thought leader on both sides of the Pond.