The Recession Proof Video Game Industry
November 26, 2008
Are video games recession proof? The evidence seems to be piling up the favor of the video industry. It makes sense. People will still want to be entertained and video games are a cost effective way of entertaining even small crowds in the digital living room.
Dominos and Tivo show us the future of e-commerce
November 18, 2008
Much of commerce rides on impulse purchasing – you see a McDonald’s sign on the road and hungry, spot a shirt while window browsing and must purchase, or buy a video game after playing a demo at Best Buy. The key to impulse buying is making it fast, easy and on-demand. Tivo and Domino’s are showing how a whole new world may now open up.
TiVo subscribers will be able to be sitting and watching TV, see a Domino’s Pizza commercial or placement in a TV spot and click on on “Order Your Dominos Pizza Now.”
I’ve always believed that the easier, faster and simpler something is made, the more you’re likely to use it. Assuming this well targeted – an assumption I’m making – Domino’s will now reach people at the right time and place (4pm on a Football Sunday) to suggest it’s time to order the pizza. And, yes, I think even cutting out the need to go to a Website or phone to place the order will help them succeed. After all, if one TV in-show ad suggest calling the pizzeria and another says just click a button, which one do you think the true couch potato will use?
Next up, reminding and letting guys order Valentine’s Day gifts without breaking away from the basketball game….
Check out the screen shot from Zatznotfunny.com
Consumers and media shift from Web to mobile applications
November 7, 2008
The last few years were a flurry of Web 2.0, Web video, Web casual gaming and other Web application topics. At the same time, there was much industry discussion about mobile devices moving beyond voice (and email for businesses) and becoming true portable entertainment and Web devices. While the iPhone made people realize a cell phone was now a mobile entertainment device, it was the iPhone 2.0 App store that spurred broader discussion, and demand, for mobile applications.
Read more
Reverse Syndication - New Jersey Innovates
September 11, 2008
OK, maybe not the whole state but it’s interesting to see what the NJ Start-Ledger is doing to fill the newspaper. It’s the first edition without any AP stories.
At the same time, Politico announced they will give stories to papers for free and share ad revenue - and Political and Addify will share the ads. In other words, they are taking the Web video model to print. Creating content, integrating in advertisements, and then pushing that content out as much as possible to increase viewership of the content and ads. I’ve always favored Web video as it carries brand messages and advertisements wherever it goes. But, as Politico is showing, text content can do the same thing.
Read more at http://www.buzzmachine.com/2008/09/10/the-start-of-reverse-syndication-and-end-of-the-ap/
Are Video Games Finally Mainstream Entertainment
July 25, 2008
For years we’ve seen adults playing video games. However, from a marketing perspective, using video games still seem the be the domain of young ‘uns.
The latest Entertainment Software Association survey (read it here) found the following:
Game Trailers from E3
July 16, 2008
Dailymotion just posted new game trailers from E3 at http://www.dailymotion.com/Gametrailers. Even if you don’t like video games, the quality is amazing. If you’re a fan of CG animated movies, you’ll see how the line between movie entertainment and video games grows thinner every day.
Here’s what they have so far:
- Lord of the Rings: Conquest - E3 2008 interview
- Final Fantasy XIII - E3 2008 Trailer
- Gears of War 2 - E3 2008 Trailer
- Resident Evil 5 - E3 2008 Trailer
- The Last Remnant - E3 2008 Trailer
- Fallout 3 - E3 2008 Perfect Life Trailer
(disclosure: Dailymotion is a client of one of our main sponsors).
With Netflix Deal, XBox Prepares to Own Your TV
July 15, 2008
This week’s announcement that XBox would stream movies from Netflix was a significant step in Microsoft’s bid to own the digital living subscription and, potentially, marketing dollars. In the Netflix deal, Microsoft got more than a movie partner, they got a brand. For consumers that have trouble seeing the XBox as a movie box, the Netflix association should help quite a bit.
Picapps offers celebrity photos - will this help the ad-supported model take off?
July 10, 2008
For bloggers and other online media publishers wanting to photos without worrying about royalties, PicApp has been a great tool with an ad supported photo bank.
Now Picapp has announced a partnership with Splash News to deliver celebrity photos. Given the numerous personal and professional (but without photo budget) blogs out there devoted to celebrity news, it’s a sizable market. Two sites already noted for using the images are B5’s Lohan Group blog and Gossip Girl.
Is Google Old News? XBox, PS3 and Others Prepare to Leapfrog Search
July 8, 2008
Google dominates search on the PC screen, is making a play to dominate no the mobile screen but so far has shown little momentum on the screen that delivers, and will probably continue to deliver, big advertising revenue - the television screen.
Why?
- Ads still look best on television and they will become as interactive as online advertising. IPTV and interactive TV platforms will allow increased targeted and clicks and purchases right from the couch (couch potato purchases).
- People want TV. Remote clicking couch potatoes don’t want to become desk potatoes but they do watch Hulu when that’s the only way to get TV on demand (and we are in a when-we-want-it era). As online video become increasingly accessible through the TV (fast, high quality, TV interface etc), many web video hours will revert to TV watching hours.
- Your set top box will increase it’s share of Web features and technology while retaining that couch potato optimized TV interface and remote control controllability.
For an example of where we are heading, just plug in an XBox and you can download a variety of HD content for television watching using a remote control. Plug in a Sony Playstation 3 (or Nintendo Wii) and you can watch video through Web video sites using your remote control for the console. I particularly like the PS3 video in a Web browser experience as it shows the equivalent of unlimited TV on demand. From a media perspective, it’s the equivalent of being able to launch unlimited video channels just as you would as Web page (since it’s all Web technology designed for the bigger screen).
Now, in addition to the XBox 360’s and PS3’s (to be launched) video download stores, there are rumors of Netflix (and a few wishful rumors about Hulu) being made available through these consoles.
Now add in a video advertising network to these platforms and you have a whole new world of television media. Instead of watching a Netflix movie on a pay per view basis, you can watch a free one with commercials or in-video ads (which you can click on to purchase goods or get more information.
In the end, consumers, entertainers (would you rather be a TV star on a 17 inch screen or a 62 inch screen), media companies, brands and advertisers all are big fans of television. When they can combine TV screen size with Web type interactivity, choice and features, the hype momentum and dollars will likely swing back to focusing on the large screen. Set top box makers, cable and IPTV companies and the video game console makers are planning for that day.
Google Ad Planner - Initial Impressions
July 6, 2008
We received our beta invitation to the Google Ad Planner and quickly gave it a test run. Our first impression? Intuitive, fast and easy. Once again, Google shows that while they are an engineering and advertising driven company, they know how to design and interface that keeps us productive (not frustrated). That leads to a fast learning curve and an increase in usage.
