NTT DoCoMo is one of the biggest mobile communications companies in Japan. I came across an article in Designing Interactions about the history and success of DoCoMo’s i-Mode service. From the get go of creating i-Mode, its creators recognized that without content their service could not succeed. They retrofitted the technology, marketing and even profitability to cater to third-party content providers, knowing that their success leads to i-Mode’s success. It took almost 2 years to get to 67 content providers (as of 2/99). By the publish of this interview, they had over 2,000 official content partners and more than 50,000 independent content providers. That’s remarkable growth. What’s does that have to do with now? Well, content is still king. Even the most ambitious projects need quality programming to succeed. Those who understand and recognize that have the best chances at success.
