The Digital Revolution, Monetized Streaming Video, The Ultimate Customer Experience and YOU!! by Jay O’Conner Chairman & CEO WCNTV.
The Convergence of Media is now everywhere and The Digital Revolution is in full force. Large Companies are tuning up to make huge investments in companies like HULU.com Skype has just become the property of Microsoft and I can only suspect that Google TV, Apple TV and Facebook TV’s entrance into the world of Content ownership and Independent Production cannot be far off.
For 10 years WCN has been studying the landscape for that one entry point that would allow a upstart such as ourselves to enter the game at a major level. If you are reading this blog or have in the past you may have asked yourself what the Hell is this guy talking about and where did he come from.
Anyone who follows me on Twitter, Facebook, WordPress or any other the other 30 or more Social Media Sites we currently participate with understand that for the most part all the Social Media tools used thus far have been FREE or very
much near FREE as 15 years ago I was laid off from a 6 Figure Salary. After about 5 years of trying to find myself, I started World Colours Network Television whose mission is To Bridge the Gap, Change Mindsets and Transform Cultures through
Love, Acceptance and Global Diversity programming in Fashion, Music and Sports.
As part of this journey I may have spent hundreds of thousands of hours preparing for this day and the Jubilee experience of launching the world’s fastest growing television network. While that hasn’t quite happened yet. The stage is set for an explosion that could set off the answers for averting the Global Economic Crisis that has been fueled by the Press often handed the negativity on a daily basis by our politicians, lobbyists, and the powers that be behind the scenes.
While there is little we can do about the power behind the scenes, Politicians we choose and Lobby Laws that are enacted or ignored are within our purview. But that is not what this post is about. Monetized Streaming Media the Customer Experience however are things that we can have a direct impact on today. Right now as a matter of fact.
Lets start by examining the Ultimate Customer Experience and companies that have gotten it right from Soil to Plate as we say in Transmedia. My favorite example is Virgin Media under the leadership of Sir Richard Branson who went up against British Airways and cleaned their clock. Or on this side of the pond Apple’s Steven Jobs RIP who took on Microsoft and kicked some major ass in sectors back then we thought Microsoft win out given certain practices that make OEM Computer Sellers bundle Microsoft’s Operating System Windows in every computer. Everyone except Apple’s who made sure that again Soil to Plate the Apple Experience was second to non. Even today Microsoft is opening up Stores but would have to spend billions to catch up to the User Experience that Apple Users have come to love, understand and appreciate. This from a IBM Microsoft Man from the days of 2 Floppy Disks, I have fought and resisted becoming an Apple Head. I do carry an Iphone 3G today and gave my son my Blackberry a month or two before the global outage.
But what is the Ultimate Customer Experience? I mean across the board. What do Customers Want from Advertisers? And are they welcome to bombard us on the Web they way they do on Television and Cable as we know it today? How do you feel when you are watching HULU or Crackle when the good part comes and you are forced to watch a commercial for 15 or 30 seconds. And do you opt out the moment you can to avoid the commercial message.
I spent the weekend watching movies online via Crackle and Hulu.com not HULU Plus both are playing around with ways to make the user experience better to which I applaud them. HULU asked me at each ad break was this a relevant commercial for me or not then proceeded to play the same commercial anyway.
Crackle did not ask it just played in large part the same commercial throughout the movie. Both are a real pain in the ass for me as a consumer who just wanted to see the movie and yes for free. Lets talk about FREE, or FREEMIUM as Google’s Chairman has called it. It’s hard to compete with FREE he says. But those of us over 50 know there is no FREE Lunch or Internet Access for that matter.
So lets examine it from a practical point of view for a moment. If you are paying for your Triple Play from your Cable or Satellite Provider are you really going to pay now for HULU Plus subscription in addition. And will the commercials actually go away.
Another interesting model is being used by Pandora Music Service where you can take a survey to have 4 hours of uninterrupted Music or again you can buy a subscription to reduce the number of advertisements.
So with everyone running from Advertisements and what appears to be a culture of ReRuns and 30 Second Commercials why would Advertisers continued to throw money down the Commercial Advertising pit when the Web offers a increasingly better proposition as TV Everywhere is adopted?
Customers clearly want to opt out of commercials and as Branson did with Virgin isn’t it time for a Revenue Share Model to reach the exact demographic through an opt in or invitation into the Transemdia relationship between the Artist telling the Story and the Fan who wants the entertainment or information. What is a fair exchange these days. On Hulu it seems 2 15 Second Ads and a poll question whether the advert was relevant to you or not.
Or is the Pandora Survey in exchange for 4 hours of avoiding commercials. Then I think I watched a Reality Show on Crackle or HULU as both Logos were present you can see the confusion where it gave me the option to watch a Trailer or Commercial Interruptions. What is clear to me is that they are all looking for an answer.
Here is where the CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE AND YOU come in. Its Great that the web services are asking the right questions but are they listening.
Sometime the obvious is so transparent that even the greatest economists of the world overlook it. Back in 2008 Price Waterhouse Coopers predicted that Global Advertisers would spend 2.2 Trillion in Global Media. I would suggest this was to attract customers competitively. With a large amount of the money spent without credible analytic to support the Ad Buy. Yet its spent to reach consumers who may or may not want the information. Where am I going is this. What if you could get an invitation from the Customer to send them your Messages, Coupons, Discounts and have their Attention Everytime without a single Commercial Interruption? Would that alone improve the Customer Experience and provide Advertisers something they are not necessarily getting right now from current Advertising including and especially Television, Cable and Streaming CPMs, CPA networks or otherwise.
With data that cannot be retrieved from Arbitron, Neilson, or Soundscan for that matter. What if the model were moved directly into the Content itself? And by click on that merchandise the activation of the invitation for more. More Ad’s, More Products, Services, Promotions and Daily Discounts.
And OMG what if there was a Revenue Share for Recommending and Sharing the information across Social Media. What Jay you have lost your mind. Share the revenue with the Customers? That is absurd, Over the Top NUTS. Or is it.
Allow me to elaborate what World Colours Network Television will provide for its Viewers globally. A piece of the pie, A cut, A Revenue Share for clicking and buying from Content we create and distribute across All Social Media.
Even today you can visit the WCN Transmedia Group Blog and we have started identifying Transmedia Brandcasting Businesses that are starting to share this philosophy. Click on The Nations Cell Book, The Customer Advantage, Social Dish or Triniti Communications. They are all businesses that are sharing Revenue today with Consumers for products you are already using everyday. Remember the good Principles of Network Marketing. Yes I was a AMWAY Rep 20 years ago and attended a Dream Night or two but all the while learning about The Free Enterprise System and Buying from oneself provides for the greatest Customer Experience.
Or let me put it another way. THE GREATEST CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE IS BEING ABLE TO PAY YOUR BILLS. And the companies that facilitate the ability to accomplish that in my opinion will lead the pack in the future. And by Future I mean the next 90 Days when this concept will begin going viral. Anyone gotten a check lately from ABC, CBS, NBC or FOX……or your favorite Sports Team, Bank, Cell Phone company and the lists goes on and on. I think there is a partnership between Major Brands and its Customers. Having the opportunity to revenue share as a quasi Independent Sales Rep is what Word of Mouth is all about. So as a Customer for more than 45 years of my life, I know what gets me all warm and fuzzy. And it has to do with the deal. Can I make money or am I just making someone else money. Take it for what its worth. But if you don’t see your customers as the focal point of your attention as a partner then you might just be missing the boat.
In a moment I will list 2011 JD Power Customer Satisfaction Champions, but first let me introduce you to an incredible product that will change the game for Advertisers and Viewers alike. INTEVEO DIVE™
Because you subscribe to this blog you will hear it and see it first.
Introducing Inteveo DIVE™ (DIVE™ (Dynamic Interactive Video Experience) Turning Content into Cash the First T-Commerce Platform for Streaming Video Monetization
J.D. Power 2011 Customer Service Champions
The J.D. Power 2011 Customer Service Champions represent a variety of different industries, from financial services and insurance to automotive and travel. All have one thing in common: they do more than deliver on their customers’ expectations – they exceed those expectations and, in the process, raise the bar for their competition.
Healthcare: Pharmacy
Insurance
Products
Retail
Telecom
Travel
Utilities