Perception is reality; Apple a consumer company?
Tuesday - August 16, 2005 Filed in: Positioning
| Consumer
Technology
"Apple is going in a different direction than we
want to go." That is the statement from a long term
Apple customer (10+ years) we recently talked to.
The Apple Store in Palo Alto has recently been
revamped to where the iPod and its accessories seem
to make up the majority of the new store layout.
Media software has been tucked into a little corner
in the back. Enterprise software for Small and
Medium Enterprises (SME), like FileMaker Pro Server
is virtually non-existent, "you can get that
online" was the response from an Apple
representative.
Did you know Apple is actually making more strides than ever in the enterprise business? Oracle, MySQL and a lot of other mission critical software now runs on OS X. Apple risks loosing SME foothold if it does not carefully balance advertising the iPod trojan horse with the reasons why it created the iPod, selling higher margin products. Enterprise software may not be bought in a retail store, but providing exposure and demo stations with enterprise and SME solutions are critical to changing a destructive perception. Or does Apple plan to open new Business Stores soon?
Did you know Apple is actually making more strides than ever in the enterprise business? Oracle, MySQL and a lot of other mission critical software now runs on OS X. Apple risks loosing SME foothold if it does not carefully balance advertising the iPod trojan horse with the reasons why it created the iPod, selling higher margin products. Enterprise software may not be bought in a retail store, but providing exposure and demo stations with enterprise and SME solutions are critical to changing a destructive perception. Or does Apple plan to open new Business Stores soon?
Broadcast Media unleashed
Traditional Broadcast Media is about to get a major
overhaul. Traditionally the demi-cartels,
consisting of the networks (like ABC, NBC, CBS or
in radio Clear Channel, Vivendi etc.) have a
stronghold over content production and
distribution. Control of these segments is under
tremendous new pressure.
1/ Content stronghold
For less than the average cost it takes to setup a restaurant, no more than $50,000, a professional video content production company can be created to produce top quality 1080i HD content (radio can be produced at a fraction of that cost using podcasting technology). Imagine a world in which the number of content production firms rivals the number of restaurants in your town (and not just Al Gore's new Current Network). Soon we will embrace new anchors and fresh programming throughout the whole season, instead of the four seasons of repetitive programming mix we have been forced to swallow for so long.
2/ Distribution stronghold
Most networks own the stations. Up-and-coming content producers are forced to do business with and, obey to the rules of distribution players to get exposure. Now with the advent of IP Television, Podcasting and upcoming convergence technologies from Tivo and Netflix and others, diverse content will be brought to anybody with an internet connection. The judgement of good content will finally rest in the hands of the viewers.
Two major factors play a role in the accelleration of change:
1/ The slowdown: The FCC is working at its own pace to change the 40-year old rules of broadcasting through governmental processes and buy-in.
2/ The speedup: The unstoppable adoption of the Internet will create new broadcast heros and "networks" that reach a broadcast and market hungry audience; our youth.
Networks better get their act together, build their own internet distribution delivery strategy, determine what people really want to watch, use real (not analytical or statistical) popularity data to up-sell popular internet programs to network television. It is not too late for networks to respond, but their time is running out.
Let the games begin.
1/ Content stronghold
For less than the average cost it takes to setup a restaurant, no more than $50,000, a professional video content production company can be created to produce top quality 1080i HD content (radio can be produced at a fraction of that cost using podcasting technology). Imagine a world in which the number of content production firms rivals the number of restaurants in your town (and not just Al Gore's new Current Network). Soon we will embrace new anchors and fresh programming throughout the whole season, instead of the four seasons of repetitive programming mix we have been forced to swallow for so long.
2/ Distribution stronghold
Most networks own the stations. Up-and-coming content producers are forced to do business with and, obey to the rules of distribution players to get exposure. Now with the advent of IP Television, Podcasting and upcoming convergence technologies from Tivo and Netflix and others, diverse content will be brought to anybody with an internet connection. The judgement of good content will finally rest in the hands of the viewers.
Two major factors play a role in the accelleration of change:
1/ The slowdown: The FCC is working at its own pace to change the 40-year old rules of broadcasting through governmental processes and buy-in.
2/ The speedup: The unstoppable adoption of the Internet will create new broadcast heros and "networks" that reach a broadcast and market hungry audience; our youth.
Networks better get their act together, build their own internet distribution delivery strategy, determine what people really want to watch, use real (not analytical or statistical) popularity data to up-sell popular internet programs to network television. It is not too late for networks to respond, but their time is running out.
Let the games begin.
Advertising Make-over
Monday - August 08, 2005 Filed in: Strategy
Blog readership in the first quarter of this year
jumped 45 percent to 49.5 million people, or
one-sixth of the total U.S. population, according
to a report in Red Herring today. As
potential buyers are looking to learn from
micro-celebrities what to buy and visit the
blogs that gave these micro-celebrities their
status, advertisers have new opportunities to
attach specific marketing messages to specific
content in these blogs. A new Adwords or
Vibrant Media - like opportunity where blog
content is matched with pre-defined and
pre-paid advertising keywords or categories is
on the horizon. Advertising strategies are
changing fast and about to get a big makeover
again. Never before have advertisers been able
to target buyers more precisely. Another
reason why the Internet is becoming such a
powerful distribution channel.