MediaRodeo

It’s been a full week since the 9th annual Minnesota Interactive Marketing Association (MIMA) Summit here in Minneapolis, and I’m still riding the wave of infectious enthusiasm. I volunteered to work the event this year in order to give back to an organization that I believe in and rely on. As a result, I was not able to attend all the workshops that I wanted to, but I did get to sit in on a few that gave me some takeaways that I can apply to my own marketing campaigns. Fortunately, all the workshops and presentations were taped and will be available for review.

The Summit itself was a great representation of how far this organization has come. As the oldest regional interactive marketing organization in the USA, it has a rep for being a leader and innovator, and the reason for this was evident in the caliber of the attendees. It was great to see so many smart, digitally inspired marketers together, all keen to engage and explore Interactive as the game changer that it is. As you can imagine, the geeky connnectedness was off the charts with mobile devices galore, live blogging, competitive jargon flinging, and a wireless network that was taxed to the max.

Everyone was plugged in to the new opportunities that interactive marketing now presents, and you could feel the hum of energy at the many breakout sessions that were offered. Inevitably, a few core messages were weaved through the various presentations, and here is one that should resonate with anyone involved in Web marketing, design, publishing, development and promotion:
Unity through connectivity has empowered the consumer, giving them more leverage than ever before, and businesses have to relearn how to engage them and become part of a more relevant conversation that will take place with or without them.

The refrain that old media is dead–digital is everything, resounded vigorously at the Summit. When B. Bonin Bough at his session (Digital R & D: Driving Business Through Digital Innovation) said, “Every single business will become digital.” I think he is not far off the mark, but, as things change, we have to consciously think about the transformation as we move through this decade of evolved media. This is not a reactive exercise. Social media will lead the way for marketers as it turns from being a part of the marketing mix to driving the marketing focus. For Bough, “The principles of social media will become the principles of brands.” As the leader of digital and social media at mega brand, PepsiCo, he is helping the company reinvent itself to find new and meaningful ways to connect with their consumers. If you are not doing that in your organization, you should be. Start the conversation today.

For more information on MIMA or the Summit, visit http://www.mima.org or  http://www.mimasummit.org

The impending release of Apple’s new iPad device is causing quite a stir. It already has its nay-saying detractors on one side and blind fan-boy/girl worshippers on the other, so the battle lines have been drawn in predictable fashion for a new Apple product announcement. Personally, I don’t fall into either camp; I just see great potential for the device in the near future. The tablet form factor of the device is not new, but now that the Apple marketing machine has put its shoulder behind it, it will get more attention, and its development will be massively accelerated. Out of the gate, the iPad promises to be an impressive, if limited, mobile device. However, its potential is really what is interesting. As mobility is one of its key appeals, here are 7 ways that I think the iPad could change mobile computing as we know it:

1. It will create a new category of device, and I believe that is exactly Apple’s intention, despite the comparisons to existing netbook PCs. Even though most editorials want to compare and contrast it to the netbook, I believe that it will only partly compete with that type of mini computer. 2 years from now, the device form factor will have its own definitive name. Book PC perhaps or smartbook? Having said that, I think that it will eat into the netbook market as functionality increases. The category will fall generally between smartphones and netbooks with cross-over in both directions.

2. Advances the acceptance of cloud computing. Given its minimal onboard storage, most content will be accessed wirelessly from the cloud. Cloud computing is becoming increasingly popular with businesses, but now individual users will be exposed to its benefits.

3. It will become accepted as a business tool, and shine for certain uses. For example, it could be great for personal presentations. I see the device becoming pervasive at tradeshows and in situations where you only have a short time to deliver an impression. Generally, software applications will be developed that will address its perceived shortcomings as a business tool, and in time, it will become a valued productivity device.

4. The commuter device of choice, and second only to the smartphone. You will see more people using these on buses, trains and planes. Ideal for short trips away from home.

5. Massive potential to be used in educational settings. Perhaps as a learning instrument for younger children, as phones are too small and desktops too stationary. Basic reading and interactive study apps will abound. Also, in this regard I think that multi-touch technology will get more attention, and we will see the technology adapt and improve to aid in early learning programs.

6. Forget Dick Tracy’s watch. This device will finally make mobile video calling a pleasant experience. Wait for the front facing camera to be included, and Skype and other VoIP-based companies will scramble to be your preferred solution. No more conference calls in your pajamas?

7. On-the-go pros will flock to this device as the iPad application store releases software apps specifically for them. Artists, bloggers, Sales pros, crime-scene investigators, and others will find new ways to use the device productively when they are out in the field.

It is worth remembering that mobile computing is the biggest growth area in technology, and the iPad is putting a stake in the ground. It will be interesting to see what Apple’s competitors do in response.

I am a movie fan, but the last film I waited in line for was probably Apocalypse Now. To be honest, I am somewhat put out by pre-release movie buzz. I like to think I am above it, and I have been disappointed too many times to change that view. However, last weekend, I made an exception and went to see James Cameron’s Avatar, and in the process helped the movie attain Hollywood’s biggest-ever box-office weekend.

The word on the street is that Avatar is expected to be the top-grossing film of all time, and I will eat my hat if that doesn’t happen. Not only because it is a ground-breaking feat of CGI and 3-D technology, but also because it is a jolly good yarn and has that rewatchable quality–a prime candidate for the household DVD collection.

I won’t divulge the story line in case you haven’t seen it yet, but to me it felt like a combination of The Terminator, Braveheart, and The Lion King. It is definitely novel and fun, and feels more like a theme park ride than a movie. I was a tad exhausted after seeing it, but maybe that was the affect of wearing 3-D glasses for 2 hours and forty minutes.

This film is without doubt a leap in 3-D technology and CGI rendering, but to me it marks another watershed moment. I think that Avatar will be seen in the future as one of the movies that killed the actor. By that I mean that CGI will become so good that roles could be played entirely by fictional characters. This makes for some interesting possibilities, such as having an amalgam of people for one character. Imagine the leading man looking like Tom Cruise (but taller), talking like Cary Grant, and walking like John Wayne. However, I am not suggesting that Hollywood actors will be out on the street any time soon, but it is feasible that a fictional character with an artificial personality could become a box office draw, and, perhaps, at the same time, feature in a popular video game.

Films like Roger Rabbit and A Scanner Darkly have already mixed real life with cartoons, and a synthetic Laurence Olivier featured in Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, so there has been a disjointed evolution of sorts. Where it will go is an interesting question. Digital makes anything possible, and the only limiting factor is the imagination of the creator. I am not sure the concept of virtual actors will be embraced–at least not at first, but I think we might have to get used to it.

In India even the rickshaw drivers have phones these days. Wherever you go, whether it is the bustling overcrowded cities or remote rural farmlands, you will hear the incessant refrain of the cell phone jingle. Although, here it is more likely to be the sound of the latest Bollywood song than a pre-programmed ringtone.

Cell phones are everywhere, and they are not just the preserve of the upper and (growing) middle class. According to the Internet & Mobile Association of India, there are 440 million cell phone subscribers covering approximately 40% of the country’s population. Manoj Kohli, chief executive of Bharti Airtel, India’s largest mobile phone company said at an industry conference in Hong Kong last month, “Achieving a billion plus (Indian mobile users) by 2015 is possible.” He followed by saying that, “The largest growth will happen in the rural market.” Indeed, competition amongst cell phone providers is driving down the cost of phones and airtime to a point where poorer Indians can own or, as is common, share a cell phone.

One interesting aspect of this phenomena is that whilst cell phone growth is truly stupendous, it is heavily confined to voice communication along with a more recent growth of text messaging. Multimedia use and web surfing are still quite rare, so many phones which have lots of entertainment capabilities are not being used for that purpose. Right now phones are being used to keep in touch with family (an important concept/obligation in India) and for business. For poor farmers checking the weather and market prices is easy and cheap, and small businesses are able to communicate with customers and operate in a way that was previously impossible for them.

So, what about using the phones for digital entertainment? 3G networks have low penetration right now, but they are on the horizon for India, which is still working out spectrum sharing. Music, movies and games via cell phone handsets will inevitably follow. Broadband multimedia delivery is coming, but it will take a while. On the bright side for content deliverers is that there is no shortage of higher-end multimedia capable cell phones in India with Nokia currently dominating the market with 65% market share and Sony Ericcson showing a distant second with 10.6%.

One thing we can be sure about is that the economy of scale promises a huge market for all involved.

(Source statistics: Vital Analytics, Bangalore)

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Virb.com is a social networking site that primarily targets photography, design and music enthusiasts, but is useful as a general networking site, offering a range of tools for uploading content, blogging, participating in sub-groups, and Twitter-like following of other Virb users. There is a nice sense of community without feeling like you are entering into an adolescent free-for-all common room or a snotty, exclusive club where you are always made to feel slightly inadequate.

The site is easy to use from the start, and once you have set up your profile you can choose which tools/features you want to use, and can hide any extraneous functionality. There are also some nice UI customizability options to let you inject a bit of personality into your own landing page. As you begin to connect with other users, you’ll realize that there is not a huge amount of traffic to the site, but enough to keep things interesting. Also, advertising is kept to a level that does not spoil the user-experience. So, all-in-all, a nice social media site, and one that I can happily recommend.

Going forward, the developers are doing a good job of extending the functionality of the site by allowing users to pull in rich content from other sites/applications that you might use, such as Flickr photostreams or iTunes playlists. New features of this sort are being continually added and this is a good strategy, as social networks and rich media sites are beginning to overlap.

For an overview of the Virb service in their own words, check out the blurb on their About page: Virb.com/about

Droid, a name licensed from George Lucas of Star Wars fame, is the moniker of a new phone to be released on the Verizon network with hardware from Motorola. It sports the Android 2.0 OS from Google  and does promise some appealing features that the iPhone does not have, including a higher res camera with flash, the ability to run applications concurrently, fast processor, replaceable battery, and microSD card.

The pre-launch marketing blitz has included (expensive) TV ads during the Baseball playoffs, and a viral YouTube ad that has attracted a lot of eyeballs. However, the thrust of the campaign is quite unoriginal with “iPhone killer” being the yawn-inducing theme.  When you announce something like that, you had better deliver. And, not just neat features that the iPhone doesn’t have (yet). You need to convert customers, and grab market share you can hold onto. To this point, competitors have not been able to differentiate their products with a value proposition that has any legs or stamina. Any thoughts on what it really might take  to upset the Apple cart? It’s certainly got to be more than incremental one-upmanship on feature sets.

Many years ago a colleague of mine declared that he would like to have instant access to his music collection and didn’t care where it was physically housed–so long as he could play his collection at home, at work and on the road. This was about a decade ago and it seemed a little pie-in-the-sky(ish) then as broadband Web access was in its infancy, but as Internet access becomes more pervasive, reliable and efficient, it is now feasible to have one’s tunes, and other collected media, in a central location and to be able to interact with that collection as if it were on a local computer.  The concept of hosting data and applications centrally has been called Cloud computing and is not a new idea, but, up to this point it, has not been done well and has not captured the popular imagination. To be successful, the experience needs to be smooth and easy, and there are huge confidence hurdles to overcome as privacy, security and ownership of data are sticky issues.

Enter Chrome OS from Google. A new computer operating system based on the idea that all data and the applications to manage it are held on centralized servers (The Cloud) and users only need simple hardware devices with browser software to access information. Essentially, it replicates the old mainframe computer model whereby simple terminals with minimal computing power accessed data. In Chrome OS’s case, the first “terminal” device is going to be a netbook computer. Google already has partnerships with top hardware manufacturers to create cheap, simple devices that will support their OS. It is thought that this support will, in time, be extended to the desktop computer.

Personally, I do not relish the thought of surrendering my music collection to The Cloud just yet, but I might be persuaded if Chrome can deliver an experience that is compelling in its ease-of-use, and if my collection still feels like I own it rather than rent it. Google’s master plan seems to be a world where they take care of all your data. They might house my music collection someday, but it will take some convincing on their part for me to entrust my documents, spreadsheets and other personal info to them to manage.

This is an interesting rumor with no denials coming from either Amazon or Netflix.

With Amazon’s Unbox movie service (now called Amazon Video on Demand) not faring too well, this kind of partnership would elevate Amazon into the top tier of digital movie services — with a bullet, and provide a business model that already works. It does beg the question, “Why is Netflix so popular?” Well, DVD sales from retail outlets are declining steadily and online access in the form of streaming or download seems to be the future. Netflix has all the deals in place to be able to deliver the most sought after movies and TV shows, and with over 10 million subscribers it already has undeniable traction.

Netflix also has another strategy which plays into its success. Shipping DVDs via the mail seems quaint and old-fashioned in a digital world where it is assumed that instant gratification is the way forward. Netflix does offer subscribers the ability to stream some movies on demand (decent pipe required), but perhaps there is something to be said for the anticipation factor when waiting for the mailperson to hand deliver your next movie fix. Is this the secret sauce? Does it have longevity? Any way you look at it, the Netflix/Amazon combination, if it happens, is bound to command  a sizeable chunk of market share for video delivery.