Archive for the 'Mobile' Category

Apple Stays Fresh

The Financial Times reported yesterday that Apple is considering launching an “all you can eat” iTunes service that would allow customers to get unlimited access to the iTunes library in exchange for their paying a premium for iPods and iPhones. This mirrors Nokia’s “comes with music” offer the Finnish company announced last December in which folks will be able to get all of Universal Music library of music by paying a premium on top of the price of a Nokia phone. The FT reported that Apple might also be examining a subscription service in which iPhone customers pay a monthly charge as part of their phone bill to get unlimited access to iTunes tunes.

What’s interesting about this is that Apple is proving itself once again to be adept at shifting and innovating as the market moves. Rather than simply sticking to the business model that has made them the most successful seller of music downloads (by far), the black turtle-necked one has recognized that being the biggest in ANYTHING is no guarantee of future success. Consumers don’t like being taken for granted and if something new and shiny comes along, such as unlimited music, they might easily be tempted to dump their iPods or iPhones in favor of a cool new Nokia phone that gives it to them. And data shows that consumers would be willing to pay a $100 premium for as device to get unlimited music over its lifetime, or $7-8 a month in extra subscription charges.

To be a Punk Marketer you have to put yourself in the shoes of the consumer (however smelly they might be) and imagine what they want and need. As a starting point, assume there is no brand loyalty, even for a brand as “cool” and iconic as Apple, and that consumers are fickle and will change allegiance as fast as it takes to say, “but this ones cheaper!” Research is useful for that, but so is intuition and common sense, and Jobs is a master at understanding what will appeal to consumers emotionally without having to see proof of it. And the other thing that Apple consistently does is to set its own standards, not be governed by those of the industry. Each product they come out with doesn’t just improve on the competition, it redefines the market. Sure, the iPhone has its problems (most of of them because AT&T’s network isn’t good enough), but it has set the standard for all future mobile devices leaving all but rival Nokia, with its new N-95 phone, scrambling in the dust.


An open letter from the on-demand generation

Here is an editorial written by a college student who is one of four winners of this Fall Semester’s Weekender College Edition contest, and which brilliantly encapsulates what it means to be a young adult consumer in the new media lansape. This and the other three winning entrants can be seen on www.cynopsis.com

“An Open Letter From The On-Demand Generation:
by Michael Krepack, Senior/New York University, Major: Entertainment, Media & Technology

We, the On-Demand Generation, would like to respectfully inform you that the future of TV is here. No longer will we be bullied into watching TV on your time. Welcome to a new era: “Appointment TV” is now “Instant TV.”

We’re well aware that today’s media landscape is rapidly changing, but for those of us in the On-Demand Generation our lifeblood necessitates consuming content in myriad platforms. We read The New York Times online; we scan YouTube for the latest viral videos; we download music from the iTunes Store. We require one thing: instant gratification.

Yet, you insist on distributing content the old fashion way (especially you, the five major broadcasting networks, you’re on notice). Granted, you have begun to embrace new media (mobisodes anyone?) and made some inroads in distributing your TV shows online (and, from what we garner from the WGA strike, at a financial loss), but you’re selling us short.

While you toil developing the right platform to deliver your content (as if there has to be one correct method), the era of “Primetime TV” has vanished just as fast as Viva Laughlin! Until we take over as gatekeepers, we request you give us what we want, when we want it. How about embracing, instead of admonishing time-shifted viewing?

As we shy further away from the TV dinner programming schedule, take a page out of the Pay-TV playbook - repurpose your shows on an on-demand platform. Create a world where each broadcast channel has its own on-demand channel where full episodes of shows appear alongside made-for-demand programming.

In terms of a revenue source, why not charge a monthly premium for subscribers? Then again, you could make it free and tack-on commercials in the same vain you do now for shows online (just air them in HD, please).

This new interactive TV connects you with us. Directly. Adapt or lose. The On-Demand Generation is here to stay. Armed with our DVRs, iPods and Slingboxes we are loud, proud and always tuned on.

Sincerely Yours,
The On-Demand Generation
Sent Via iPhone, while watching TV on the iPhone”