Going mobile in Mobile, Alabama

What happens when a community commits to mobilize together, over the course of three days? It sounds like a theoretical question, but thanks to Mobile, Alabama’s, hospitality and innovation we had the opportunity to find out. That’s how a clever play on words turned into Mobilizing Mobile--a three-day celebration of local community, small business and the mobile web.

Part of the GoMo initiative, Mobilizing, Mobile was an event where business owners of Mobile were invited to learn and take action in order to “Go Mobile” with a little help from Google, DudaMobile, and Mobify. The event kicked off at Space 301 where Mobile’s Mayor Sam Jones and Winn Hallett, President of Mobile’s Chamber of Commerce, welcomed Google to their city.  Several of Mobile’s businesses including LuLu's at Homeport Marina talked about the importance of mobile and we unveiled the first two newly mobilized sites: Distinguished Young Women and the Festival of Flowers.  That evening Red Square hosted an event for agencies where Jason Spero, Director of Google Mobile Ads, and Edward Bocches, Chief Innovation Officer at Mullen, spoke on the importance of mobile for ad agencies.

The next day, the real mobilizing began as hundreds of business owners poured into Space 301 to create mobile-friendly versions of their websites, attend mobile business seminars, explore the Google expo and enjoy some delicious local fare.  

Check out the action in this quick recap video:



In just 48 hours, nearly 500 mobile-friendly websites were created and launched.  You can see some great “Before and After” shots here.  Over 400 businesses committed to "going mobile" by signing the GoMo Pledge and hundreds learned about how to grow their businesses with mobile and digital tools in classroom sessions.  You can find more event highlights on the Mobilizing Mobile, AL recap pages on the GoMo website.

All Critters Pet Sitters, a pet sitting service in Mobile, AL decided to “Go Mo.”  Here’s their site before (left) and after (right) their one-on-one consultation at Mobilizing, Mobile.

As we look ahead to next year (and beyond), mobile’s role in our lives will only continue to grow. We can look to Mobile, Alabama, for inspiration, as we watch how the sites created during Mobilizing Mobile affect consumers and businesses alike. And, for the rest of us, ‘tis the season for New Year’s resolutions!  The commitment to ‘GoMo’ may be a good one to add to your list for next year. We’re looking forward to more Mo’ in other cities, and countries, in 2012.

Posted by: Jesse Haines, Google Mobile Ads Marketing

Going mobile in Mobile, Alabama
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