Raam Thakrar kicks off The Big M conference with a talk on monetisation. It is quite provocative on distribution and how to make apps scale ie if it won't scale it won't make money (so why bother?).
His key message was make sure you sort out the product proposition, find distribution channels that will really scale and watch the money roll in.
Thakrar was at pains to point out that developers should be earning big bucks (£65,000 with 5 years' experience) - and that they are the real rockstars. But he warned that to become rockstars developers needed to ditch the hobbiest mentality.
This is about ruling the world, he says, which means building apps that will scale. Software, he says, is one of the key inluencing factors on phones and this is where developers can differentiate.
I liked his example of building apps that could help both help distributors and users. His own company - Touchnote - helps people print cards from their pictures. This adds value to camera handsets - it enhances the use of the camera, which phone operators will like - and users like to print images.
- Here is a summary of his main points and below an Audioboo interview
- Identify big picture trends - but timing and execution of your strategy is key
- Distribution is everything
- The app has to look better than it works - users can be forgiving
- Develop an app consumers love - that influences how they sped their money
- Get in the way of the money
- Develop an app that makes a phone look awesome
- Build an app that sorts out a problem
- You need help of a distributor - OEM and operator
- Know your customers
- If you can't smell money then find someone who does.