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Sony moves too slow, but with gaming, they always seem to get it right

September 26, 2007

Analysis of:Sony delays PS3 "Home," but no talk of price cuts | news.yahoo.com

Home is coming.  And when it does, and when its relevant to US consumers, it will be exceptional. The US games market for the near term is built on big box games like Halo that are not just games, but entertainment phenomena. And for Sony, the key is to have Home ready to make a huge splash right about the time PS3 saturation starts to be relevant (sell 50-60 million units first) and the mid major publishers shift their franchises away from the traditional build, box, and re-build model because costs of production have soared.

Cuts Needed to Increase Sales

August 21, 2007

Analysis of:Xbox 360 gets price cut | www.cnn.com

All of the hardcore gamers will eventually own both the PS3 and Xbox 360.  Chances are they have the 360 by now.  But if they don't Halo 3 will certainly cause that.  What sony and microsoft need to figure out though to win the 3rd generation console battle is - how do you go from 5-10 million units sold to 125million units sold.  Well, its all been done before - with the PS2.

Who wants Yahoo!

July 25, 2007

Analysis of:Predators sniff a target as Yahoo! slumps | business.timesonline.co.uk

Yahoo! has many obstacles in front of it in the near future - grow search business, find a social networking platform, build on sucess of Yahoo! Answers.  But what anyone needs to see, anyone intereste in shelling out billions for Yahoo!, is that there is a core customer base that they need to retain by improving on the things that drew them in in the first place.

E3 dead or publishers scared?

July 18, 2007

Analysis of:Video game expo going babe free | www.cnn.com

E3 used to be a celebration of everything great about gaming - the games.  Romanticizing games on a huge scale for press and public to see was a testament to an industry fat and happy with itself. With console changes...came conservatism.  And E3 now reflects an industry worrying about huge escalations in development costs and new consoles with dramatically less penetration.  All the Publishers are scared.  Scared that new franchises wont make the transition, that they will fall behind other publishers that better use the new console technology.

Lack of vision from social networks and online video

July 2, 2007

Analysis of:MySpaceTV To Compete With YouTube, Facebook Continues Surge | blog.wired.com

As soon as social networking sites become cool, conglomerates, or stakeholders, take control and "corporatize" their strategies.  Instead of building out stems and features that innovate and enhance consumers experiences and behavior they become corporate fodder and feed the laws of diminishing returns.

If they offer traditional TV they are dead

June 22, 2007

Analysis of:Veoh TV to offer traditional TV experience | www.cnn.com

Traditional TV is a shrinking business.  The goal of the internet is create entertainment experience that adapts to changing lifestyles.  I don't see the Veoh business model supporting that. It seems like a quick fix to a trend that is growing on the web.  There is a lack of creative and developmental talent providing experiences on the web.  This is a product that harbors all of the stale experiences in one place.  I don't see how this is viable in the long term.

Networking sites much like Yahoo! need to be better media companies

June 22, 2007

Analysis of:MySpace, Yahoo, Facebook & Rupert Murdoch | gigaom.com

The thing that TV networks, radio, print, etc did to build was create compelling content.  Content that drives interest from customers.  Networking sites, while are great places for connectivity and community, they lack the drive and resources to be true media giants.  This is where Yahoo! or other portals with media assets could bridge the gap for customers.  Socializing and entertaining - that keeps people around for advertisers.  And developing the best ways to integrate advertisers into that hybrid social/entertaining experience is where brands can deliver the most effective messaging.

Entertainment is the Key

June 21, 2007

Analysis of:Analyst: Next few months may determine Yahoo's fate | www.cnn.com

Yahoo! must be very very aggressive in pulling in large and small scale entertainment partnerships in order to drive sales. Users are desperate for portals to develop compelling entertainment alternatives.  Beyond search there is entertainment.  Yahoo! must own entertainment. Big licenses, developing original content, becoming the thought leader in entertainment experiences on the web.

Content is king in this online war

June 19, 2007

Analysis of:Evolution of the internet opens doors for Microsoft | www.ft.com

At the end of the day, winning ad dollars is about winning over consumers.  You win consumers with content.  And if that content is the contents of your search engines or the entertainment value of your site this battle for revenue comes down to who draws people with their content. Look at it like this way, drive my attention through compelling content, and I'm not going to open up another page, find another website just to search keywords.  This has to be Yahoo!s play

To survive media diversity networks must change content

June 19, 2007

Analysis of:Big Deals Based on New Ratings Currency | tvweek.com

People don't watch commercials.  We've been hearing it, living it perhaps, for years.  This industry is one of the greatest house of cards ever built. And what do networks do in order to save a multi-billion dollar industry built on continually rising CPMs, shrinking market share, and consumers who don't watch commercials?  They do what anyone would do, spin, manipulate, ignore, dismiss, any evidence to the contrary in order to perserve their way of live. In order for advertisers to return to networks, networks need to evolve not just thier reporting systems, but at their root, they need to evolve their content.

Branding the Experience

June 15, 2007

Analysis of:With Gambling Ads Banned, Attracting Casino Customers Can Be a Roll of the Dice | online.wsj.com

Vegas has bright lights, Internet gamblers have convenience, what does China offer. For the US customer its about the experience and Vegas has been successful because of the Vegas brand.  What China will have to do is find an experience that's worth traveling to China for - and then brand it.

Interesting Positioning at Yahoo!

June 14, 2007

Analysis of:Yahoo to buy Facebook? | blogs.guardian.co.uk

Does Yahoo! understand their brand?  What is it?  How do they fix it?  The biggest problem with Yahoo! acquiring a social networking platform is figuring how would they brand it.  This is a company, who's primary function is to sell advertising, but they are guilty of getting complacent with their own brand.

How Yahoo! needs to win advertisers

June 14, 2007

Analysis of:Yahoo Loses a Vital Player | online.wsj.com

Personally,  I think that Yahoo! needs to focus on what they can do best - leverage brand interaction through entertainment.  What Yahoo! can do is build on their past ability to drive ad sales around entertainment properties (see the work they did with The Apprentice).  A bigger, stronger, and innovative commitment to entertainment will lead to growth from advertisers.

I see Yahoo! in a turnaround

June 14, 2007

Analysis of:Yahoo CEO Tries to Reassure Shareholders | www.sfgate.com

All technology and click through aside...Content is still king.  And ulitmately if Yahoo! can control the most compelling content, they can turnaround the company.

Internet Gambling - a moral question or a monetary question?

May 7, 2007

Analysis of:Here's the deal: Proposal would allow Internet gambling | www.siliconvalley.com

Having worked with several Internet Gambling Sites on sponsorship and advertising opportunities I've seen the brunt of the effects of US legislation.

Does it protect consumers to outlaw these guys?  Does it provide the opportunity to control problem gambling more?

Is this about protecting consumers, or the booming economy in Las Vegas?

I question the need to outlaw any company that can respectfully make a profit, deliver goods to consumers who want it, and can do it in a responsible and reliable manner. 

This legislation stinks.

The backfire of mega title model

May 1, 2007

Analysis of:Why There Are No Indie Video Games: And Why That May Be Bad For Gamers | www.slate.com

The industry trend is to maximize 30 million dollar production budgets with incremental income through XBox live and downloadable add on packs. 

The customer will reject this model with few exceptions.   

I see a slow adapting market

April 25, 2007

Analysis of:Mobile Payments Gain Energy | www.wirelessweek.com

This article greatly underestimates 3 key factors in the adoption of a mobile payment market

1.  The expense of consumer education and trust.  It will cost an enormous amount of money to get this market not only interested, but educated on the experience

2.  Not all technology is created equally.  I don't see a trend in here that suggests any of these pilot programs are gauging what the consumer would demand from the experience - just that it's cool and has potential interest.  That's a long way from profitable.

3.  Merchants will have the final word here.  And if they are smart, before they adopt something as useless as paypass (and spend good money on it), they will grind their solicitors on the development and training costs.  If I was running McDonald's first thing I'd ask AT&T or Visa to do is pay for all of the new equipment and training I'd need to use the phone.


Also, there are many technologies not addressed in this article.  For example, www.RBAintl.com , has some amazing patented tech that seems safer and more user friendly to me.  Given RBA's partnership with a loyalty marketing solution like The Loyalty Source, they could package a much more profitable (to wireless carriers) program that's much more user friendly.

Take Two Has Unseen Value in Advertisers

April 24, 2007

Analysis of:Any Takers for Take-Two? | www.fool.com

    Take Two, because of its sports licenses, is one of the few publishers poised to generate significant advertising revenue.

As development costs break the 50 million dollar mark for next gen consoles, the ability to get advertisers involved will be paramount in offsetting the increase in pricing, promoting existing IP, and satisfying the needs of investors

Also, Take Two, has former EA ad sales guru, Julie Shumacher making deals for them.

Money for What Exactly?

April 24, 2007

Analysis of: film finance | www.variety.com

As someone who helps raise funds for content from advertisers, the biggest issue with this type of financing becomes what it is for.

Brands hesitate to participate in funding original IP for 2 reasons; no guaranteed distribution, and no creative equity in the concept.

Raising money for films from investors is a necessary evil for this speculative and expensive creative process.  But the barriers are dropped if the producers just look around and pay attention.

As producers scramble to fund brilliant ideas, perhaps they should look away from raising money online, and look more to find distribution online.  Traditional film distribution, as well as TV, radio, and print, has hurdles not easily crossed.  With broadband growing, the success stories of YouTube, Myspace, and others there is a small window for the "creative talent" to shine again. 

Producers and brands (advertisers) have all the power over distribution in this case and the opportunity to fund amazing new media is there, if producers (and they're agents), are willing to step away from the allure of big money mediums.

Technology there merchants are not...

April 24, 2007

Analysis of:AT&T plans mobile payment system for later this year | www.rcrnews.com

The tech exists to completely transform your phone into a secure transactional device.  I know because I'm consulting with a group that offers it in a package of services for wireless providers.

And while it's great to know that wireless carriers could in effect replace the debit card, it's up to the millions of merchants worldwide to adapt.

The good news is, they did for Visa, Mastercard, and Discover.

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