At Waterfall we don't build mobile websites or apps, so we don't often engage in this ongoing debate of where brands should focus their attention.  However, we do power messaging for firms doing both, and since we live and breathe mobile everyday we of course have an opinion on the matter.  And I think it’s time to share.

Let's look back in history at evolution of the PC computing world a bit.  Not too long ago people built software which was installed directly on the computer.  The software products were sold on discs and installed by IT guys before you got your laptop at work.  Or, you installed it yourself on your home PC after you bought it.  Then this phenomenon called the web started to gain traction and it looked like all software was moving to web-based.  However, more and more of the successful must-have software products were being bundled and pre-installed in PCs, so they still had a chance to get into people's hands.  Software makers continued to fight hard for their seat at the table, explaining why their software was a better experience than their new cousins who were completely web-based.

This debate still continues today – and really there isn’t a right or wrong answer.  For certain users and programs, software on the PC will be much better than its cousin the web-based version.  Some people want the thinnest and lightest laptop possible – with nothing installed.  They store everything (pics, documents, etc.) on the web.  Others want to have their files local because they want to be able to work on a spreadsheet when they’re on a plane – or they worry about the “cloud” going down and not being able to access their files.

So if you are a software maker debating this issue, you will simply need to use some age old marketing principles and decide what your target segments are and build your business based on that and what ROI you’ll get from it.

The above story may seem incredibly obvious and almost insulting to anyone who's been remotely involved in tech industry in the last 10 years, but I felt compelled to use it as the intro to this post.  I go to mobile conferences all the time and hear the debate over and over about which is going to win between mobile apps and the mobile web.  I want to get on a soapbox with a megaphone and make everyone listening reflect on the above.  Take the story and change a few words and it mimics the evolution of the mobile environments – which should tell you a little something about this debate between apps and mobile web.

Let's put this in real terms and numbers – Facebook has roughly 500M users worldwide.  They claim mobile is their future and they are devoting significant resources to building out their offerings.  Where did they start?  They built killer iPhone and Android apps.  But, they also have a mobile website.  And surprise, they currently have more than 100 million mobile users, and have found people that use Facebook on their mobile devices are two times more active on Facebook than non-mobile users.   Today, the apps are a much better user experience as they have been custom designed for each device to optimize the user experience; whereas the mobile web is a really a one-size fits all build.

So, does anyone believe Facebook is going to continue to treat the 75% of the people in the US who don't have smartphones as second class citizens?  Of course not, but they had to start with those mobile environments where they would get the best ROI.  And now they have a better idea of what features and functionality are successful in mobile.  Next, they will start to invest heavily in the mobile web and get their mobile numbers from 20% of their overall base to something more like 30-50% in no time.

Should I copy and paste the above paragraph and insert YouTube instead of Facebook?  Because, I could tell the same story.

So what’s the moral?  If you are a brand or agency having this debate let's simplify the discussion.  It is pretty straightforward question of ROI.  What are your marketing goals?  Which are the target segments you want to hit?  What will it cost to build/market/maintain one of these new channels?  If that budget makes sense for your business, go for it.  Just know, the world will evolve around you and you may find your strategy and tactics of today will need to evolve too.

Getting off my soapbox now and getting back to work.