I spent the day at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel for Digital Hollywood, a four-day conference jampacked with panels and discussions covering everything from digital media content and advertising, to mobile content. One panel that piqued my interest: a discussion of mobile commerce and content with Michael Ball, account lead, Interpublic Emerging Media Lab; Peter Cannistra, VP-strategic partnerships for WiMax, Sprint (NYSE: S) Nextel; David Shim, Sybase 365 VP-product management and strategy; Larry Berkin, senior director, Access Systems; Brian Johnson, executive chairman, mBlox; and Lee Hancock, CEO, founder, go2. (Rob Adler is CEO of go2.)

Afterwards, I caught up with Cannistra to ask him about Sprint’s upcoming plans. Unfortunately, this was just before the news broke on the Sprint-Clearwire (NSDQ: CLWR) deal and, needless to say, he didn’t mention it. He talked up his excitement for Google’s (NSDQ: GOOG) Android platform, emphasizing that “[Sprint] embraces openness” and that “Android has a tremendous amount of upside to really get away from the closed experience and open up the power of the internet to mobile devices.” I decided to try my luck and ask about the possibility of selling off Nextel, and, you guessed it—“no comment, but it’s a dynamic industry,” he replied.
Some excerpts from the session after the jump...

—iPhone changing the mobile landscape: There was a general consensus that the iPhone will revolutionize the way people browse the mobile web (if it hasn’t already) as well as open doors for everything else the iPhone has inspired. Cannistra called the iPhone “a great first mover; it’ll be improved on and imitated and really will be the catalyst for a lot of devices in the future.” Hancock, a big iPhone fan, agreed with an upcoming “march of the iPhone clones,” WAP browsing becoming more visual and consumed, and more websites optimizing themselves for mobile browsing instead of just handset creators revamping themselves to improve consumers’ mobile browsing experience. Ball, on the other hand, predicts the death of WAP within the next few years, leading to the eventual demise of carrier decks. Concerning future technology, Ball foresees the enlargement of screens and the more widespread adoption of the touch screen.

—Marketing campaigns and their measurements: “PFFT!” Blowing a raspberry at the idea of mobile marketing being measurable, Ball laments the lack of real standards inhibits the uptake of mobile and suggests the implementation of shortcodes to launch effective marketing campaigns and understanding the behavior behind CPMs. The answer is not seeing people’s click-thrus, but figuring out how far down the purchase funnel they’re going. Hancock added the importance of understanding how people are using sites and what kinds of campaigns have them coming back for more. Shim added that the key to the success of shortcodes is getting the audience to think about interacting with marketers.

—Location-based services becoming the next killer app: Cannistra explains that the beauty of LBS is that it requires relatively simple information, zip codes, addresses. It is valuable for Anheuser-Busch, for example, to know when a 20-something year old male is passing by a bar or restaurant. And in a non-advertising way, “not in a creepy way,” users can see where their friends are without communicating. Using LBS makes the mobile phone more powerful as it becomes more useful and more relevant. Johnson, on the other hand, seemed a bit more skeptical, adding that people normally want to learn about traffic, search and directions – not necessarily where their friends are or where the nearest sale is. Hancock was even more doubtful, acknowledging that it is only when information could be gathered wisely that LBS could be big. “Half the time, people are searching for places they’re not near just yet,” he explained. “I don’t think it’s the killer app, frankly. I don’t think location is going to be the one big thing that kills the market until it’s here.”

—Learning from foreign markets: There’s a lot to be learned from Europe and Asia, not only in technology, but marketing as well. Johnson pointed to the popularity of video shortcodes in Europe. For example, if you pass by a house for sale, you can text in to the provided number and receive a video clip featuring a tour of the house. Ball sees much to be learned in Asia: South Korea boasts over 30% mobile TV viewers, largely because of the government mandated mobile operators to install certain responders. In the UK and Japan, mobile video uptake increases because of the prices and economics; “if it’s more economical in certain areas you’ll see more uptake.”

—Biggest failures and successes: Asked their opinions on the biggest failures and successes in mobile, both Cannistra and Hancock look optimistically at openness among carriers, while Cannistra sees the iPhone imitations combined with Android platforms as a future success. Shim and Ball foresee the upcoming success of business consumer services, particularly mobile banking getting big. As for the failures? Hancock points out ESPN (NYSE: DIS) Mobile, Ball highlights the closure of Helio in several months and Cannistra shakes his head at business models set around walled gardens.

• BREAKING: Sprint Nextel And Clearwire To Announce A $12 Billion WiMax Joint Venture