The second day of the 2014 Web Summit did not have the same glamour of the first – there was no bell ringing by An Taoiseach, nor was there any Hollywood actress on display. However, for the 24,000 strong attendance, the key speakers and business leaders that spoke on various topics throughout the day provided more than enough information to help their businesses succeed.
Once again, a variety of content was seen as the way forward, with Jonathan Cloonan of GroupM predicting the continuing rise of Facebook video, while WhoSay’s Rob Gregory posited that brands need to create their own narratives on social media. Jim Bankoff echoed this, saying that Brand building is key – especially using a variety of platforms to reach your audience.
Production of a variety of content was key, but Sean Moriarty warned against the proliferation of too much content. “It’s essential for content providers to always, always, always focus on quality. There’s always someone out there who will invest in quality, so if you don’t produce quality content, you won’t get noticed.”
Moriarty made the bold claim that “the product on the shelf is not enough.” Instead, customers and visitors to your website are looking to learn and understand your business. This can greatly influence whether they decide to purchase your product or service.
The 2014 Web Summit focused more and more on the growth of mobile and mobile applications. Appcelerator’s Jeff Haynie stated that “mobile is replacing the web”, telling the audience that the most important thing in mobile and app creation is simplicity.
Facebook’s Dan Rose explained that this was the reasoning behind their controversial decision to separate the chat functionality from the standard Facebook app into a separate Facebook Messenger app. Customers want their apps to carry out simple tasks easily and effectively – if they want something more, they will use their browser or else use their desktop computer.
In the past year, 2Cubed has begun developing iPhone and Android Apps, and according to industry leaders, this is something that is only going to grow and grow.
