Is Boxee the Twitter of 2009?

 

 

So internet TV has been around a while now in the form of things such as Apple TV and streaming video from broadcasters such as CNN (here in New Zealand we have it in the form of TVNZ ondemand). 

Though we have certainly not reached tipping point in terms of  popularity, I predict 2009 will be the year that internet TV will really start to become a viable option for many more households.

And it makes sense, especially when you compare the cost of using internet TV vs a satellite or cable subscription.

For example, in New Zealand we get our digital television through Sky TV and they pretty much have a monopoly in the market. I was thinking lately about how much real value I get for the $80 a month I pay for a subscription to Sky. The answer, bugger all. I watch maybe four channels out of the 40 or so available on a regular basis. I’m getting ripped off.

And this is where internet TV will change things because I no longer have to pay for what I don’t watch – I only pay for what I do watch -  and I watch it when I want to.

There’s also some exciting stuff coming around the corner in terms of aggregation of internet TV channels. I was listening to the Internet Marketing Weekly podcast recently and it mentioned a new business called Boxee. Boxee looks to be leading the way in terms of providing a programme that not only aggregates a number of online streaming TV channels, but also aggregates all the media on your computer including music and photos. AND it provides information on what your friends are viewing at the same time, allowing you to jump in and watch the shows their watching as well.

I think this is pretty exciting as it takes the ‘home media centre’ idea and connects it with the social networking space. Boxee is only in Alpha right now but if all goes well it could make a big splash in 09 in a similar way to that of Twitter in 2008.

Six keys to maximising Gen Y marketing success

Fastline newsletter, which is an ad industry publication here in New Zealand, highlighted some research conducted by Adshel into the lives of New Zealand’s Gen Y’s today. The prime outtake of the research was that Gen Y’s like to live highly mobile lives, mainly revolving around social activities in ‘the third place’ (locations outside of the home and school/work environment).

I don’t think I can disagree with that…

What was interesting was Adshel’s “six keys to maximising marketing success”, namely:

1. Become part of their ‘third place’

2. Acknowledge their understanding of media

3. Talk with them not at them

4. Be true to the brand

5. Communication is a two-way street

6. Help them navigate the sea of information

Very interesting. In my mind I think they have a few good points here about how I would like to be marketed to.

What do you think? Is connecting with Gen Y more difficult than just following these six key points?

Making ratings really mean something

Facebook is on to something with its “thumbs up, thumbs down” rating function.

thanks robbweb2k for this image (oh and I guess Facebook)

I’d consider myself a pretty difficult person to engage with in terms of online ads. I’m not much for clicking through but lately I have been engaged, to some extent, by clicking on a thumbs rating for many of the ads on Facebook. 

I did a bit of a search on Facebook to try and find out where this data goes to but had not luck. I assume however that it’s given to the ad buyer to help them understand their audience better and the whether their messaging is engaging or not.

As far as I’ve seen Facebook is the only website to have this feature. Why? Imagine how much more valuable online advertising would be if you could collect direct feedback from the people you are trying to reach at the very point they engage with your ad.

It’s only a matter of time, surely.

The MTV effect

After 25 years of MTV Video Music Awards I have to say they are now one of my favourite award ceremonies. This year’s was brilliant, especially the performances on the Paramount back-lot, which took musical performance and turned it into musical theatre.

This is true of the production values of many music videos these days too. Switch to MTV and I believe you now see “music short films” instead of music videos. Some of them now take on a theatrical quality that engage viewers beyond passive watching and really immerse them in a storyline throughout the song. Case and point is the new Metallica video, an 8 minute epic with an Iraq inspired storyline. 

It’s a sign that music videos still mean a lot to record companies. After 25 years of MTV, the music video is still a great marketing tool for new music. Or is it?

How effective are music videos these days in capturing your attention?  When you watch music TV channels, are you really watching them? As much as I enjoy the MTV VMA’s, I wonder if the TV is still just a jukebox with pictures and all these marketing dollars are going down the drain…

Beyond fake, is real

My earlier post on Telecom’s fake ad has proved popular viewing (well compared to my other posts anyway). My point on how easy it is for organisations to actually be ‘real’ was echoed in a post I read recently by marketing guru Seth Godin.

While I’m sure he didn’t get the inspiration from me, it makes a good read!

Organizations will work tirelessly to de-personalize every communication medium they encounter.

Radio ads used to be live, personal and spoken by an individual.
TV ads used to feature actual people, demonstrating something, usually live.
Phone calls involved a live speaker, talking, with permission, to another person.
Email used to be honest interactions between consenting adults.
Facebook pages (and Wikipedia, too) were built by people, not staffs.
Twits came from real people, and so did instant messages.

One by one, the mass marketers have insisted on robocalling, spamming, jingling and lying their way into our lives. The pronoun morphs from “you” to “me” to “us” to “the corporation” … read on

So who’s going to do it?

Who’s going to be real?

And do it fearlessly so that it becomes the lovable thing about their brand?

I personally am crying out for a brand to be real, to use the people that use their products, or the staff that work day to day in the company, as the advocates – without any of the corporate, legal bullshit distilling it down.

It doesn’t mean the death of advertising and marketing. It just means they have to work a little harder…