You’ve seen before that 2011 is an important year for mobile. A recent Forrester report confirms this assertion, as it looks more and more like 2011 will be the year that people point to years from now as the point when mobile firmly stuck it’s stake in the ground.

Let’s take a quick look at some of the key stats using the double shot quick hits approach. The scoop describes what I deemed to be the most important overall takeaway and the wow what surprised me:

1) Which of the following best describes your mobile strategy? 

The scoop – mobile strategy development still in its infancy

62% of the business executives polled have not had a defined mobile strategy for a significant amount of time. This is good news for agencies and technology companies that can offer advice and perspective to those companies still looking to get their feet wet. Probably bad news for consumers, as the consistency of brand mobile marketing will probably mirror wild thing Rick Vaughn rather than his glasses-enabled counterpart Rick “The Wild Thing” Vaughn.

The wow – mobile dominance on the horizon (and subliminal message?)

A year and change from now at minimum 89% of businesses will have had a mobile strategy in place for at least a year. That’s serious uptake!

Seriousness aside, how much does this pie chart look like a peace sign? Perhaps a new application for mobile should be assisting pageant contestants with the delivery of that all important message.

2) Which of the following mobile initiatives have you already implemented?

The scoop – mobile has become a part of businesses’ everyday operations

By combining stats #1 and #2, it’s clear that companies aren’t comfortable claiming a  well-developed mobile strategy, but have been talking about mobile at length across many different departments. 91% of companies have already implemented some form of mobile initiative at their company.

The wow – mobile projects in the works, but results measurement challenging

Though a majority of companies have both begun to identify mobile projects for their needs (55%) and evangelized the importance of mobile at their organization (50%), results measurement is still elusive for 67% of companies.

In my mind this reveals two main points: (1) companies are jumping into mobile because that’s where customers spend their time; results measurement will come after companies gain some experience and (2) measurement tools are going to be on a lot of technology company’s roadmaps (full disclosure: check out Msgme’s awesome reporting tools and let us know what you think!).

3) What kind of investment in mobile do you foresee in 2011? 

The scoop – mobile investment has been paying off

A mere 5% of companies are choosing to decrease the amount of investment allocated toward mobile. If you factor out those companies that got over-anxious (would love to talk about this more – but an example is getting a dedicated short before it makes economical sense), it’s clear that companies aren’t backing off mobile after making a foray into the market. This confirms mobile’s potency as a marketing and communication channel in my mind.

The wow – mobile investment is booming

69% of companies are at minimum increasing their investment in mobile, with 10% choosing to triple their investment. Those are amazing figures that demonstrate the power of mobile for companies and how important it is to allocate appropriate resources.

4) What are your company’s top objectives for mobile? 

The scoop – mobile powers interactive relationship building

I’ve commented on this idea before (many times), so won’t go into too much depth. The fact that 66% of companies look at mobile to increase customer engagement provides a solid reminder of the importance of harnessing mobile to increase customer lifetime value.

The wow – innovation appearances matter

Almost 30% of companies have adopted mobile as a means to portray their brand as in line with the times. This caught my eye for a number of reasons, but namely one: can the brand/consumer paradigm be in the middle of a shift?

Think of it this way, in the past brands have sold consumers products as a means for consumers to feel cool. Countless examples exist, but here are some obvious ones. In today’s social world, on the other hand, brands now have the onus to appear cool in consumers’ minds, ie the consumer’s wants and needs now sit as the model for what communication should feel from a coolness standpoint. Food for thought.

5) How would you rate the mobile expertise of your organization?

The scoop – companies need help with mobile 

70% of brands feel that their mobile expertise is below average. To me that’s a huge flashing sign that they need to get out in the market with technology companies and agencies who have been operating in the mobile space for years and years. At this point, not knowing may be common, but I’d bet this to shift toward being a source of competitive advantage given the investment we saw earlier.

The wow – people are honest about their mobile experience

Have you ever been to a conference and heard a speaker pull the “How many of you are good drivers?” test to demonstrate illusory superiority? Well apparently, mobile is exempt from that type of condition. The numbers listed above are almost exactly what you would expect to see if you assume mobile expertise follows a normal distribution.