Mini Movies-to-Go
By George Anderson
Universal Studios is joining Sony, Disney and Twentieth Century Fox in announcing it will release movies designed to play on Sony’s PlayStation
Portable (PSP) gaming device.
The studio announced it will initially release widescreen versions of “Assault on Precinct 13,” “The Rundown,” “Van Helsing,” “Dawn of the Dead:
Unrated Director’s Cut,” “The Chronicles of Riddick: Unrated Director’s Cut” and “The Fast and the Furious,” on Universal Media Disc (UMD).
A report by The Associated Press said Fox will release “I, Robot,” “Napoleon Dynamite” and “Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story” for the PSP
in July.
Moderator’s Comment: What does the increasing emphasis of portability in entertainment and other products say about consumers? What are the implications
for retailers and others marketing to consumers?
We remember when it was unusual to see a car with a video screen pointed towards the back seat. Now, it’s become almost standard equipment (from the standpoint
of consumers with kids, especially small ones) on most SUVs traveling the roads around this part of New Jersey. –
George Anderson – Moderator
Perhaps the answer lies in convergent trends. Making content available for another existing device enhances consumers’ ability to personalize their entertainment choices. (More devices per household = more ability to watch what I want when I want.)
Portability is really about facilitation. Whether it facilitates my ability to be more productive on an airplane or it facilitates my kids’ ability to goof off in the classroom, the benefit is the same. We can now take our personal entertainment choices into any environment we have to be in. We can also use these devices to avoid contact we don’t want. The classic “I’m reading here” message sent by the open book can’t hold a candle to the chilling effect earbuds and a DVD player have on chatty seatmates!
Really, this isn’t more complicated than consumers looking for products and services to fit into their busy and changing lifestyles rather than trying to fit their lifestyles to what is available. And why shouldn’t they?
The implication for retailers (and other businesses) is the same as it has always been: adapt or die. Consumers are under no obligation to spend their money on a particular product or service so it is the mandate of every business to adapt to consumers’ needs. If they don’t, rest assured someone else will.
The only amazing part is that businesses actually forget that.
The bombardment of media and messages has been discussed at length. It has created a shorter attention span amongst consumers. It means breaking through is harder and requires some changes in how retailers behave. We’ve seen the influx of experiential shopping, e.g., Brookstone and Stew Leonard’s, where people can play with and enjoy the products, which has worked for these retailers.
It is also about customization. As media becomes more personal and portable, people are accustomed to getting what they want when they want without compromising for others. Marketing messages are increasingly personal as well. E-tailers have learned to track shoppers’ behavior and make recommendations on past purchasing behavior. As much as consumers fear RFID, it is the next wave in personalizing sales and promotional messages for retailers.
Retailers need to track these changes in how consumers interact with the world in all areas of their lives as it influences how consumers relate to and perceive shopping environments and sales messages.
I think there is still a big divide between audio and video when it comes to mobile entertainment. The DVD player in the car is a natural: the back seat is just a mobile couch and the kids are still zoned in on the monitor. Same with watching from your airplane seat: inflight movies are hardly new.
Making the leap to truly portable visual entertainment is a harder sell. Music is easy to enjoy as a “soundtrack to your life,” playing while you engage in other activities. Not so with video. It requires attention. It’s not clear that there is a very large market for watching TV on your cell phone or movies on the tiny screen of a PSP. If you’ve got time to watch the movie or TV show, and a place to stop what you’re doing and watch it, you probably have access to a larger monitor.
Now the PSP as a DVD *player* attached to a larger monitor is nice idea: having your entertainment be portable is not the same as consuming entertainment while you are moving around. So the PSP may succeed as a way to carry your movies around and watch them wherever you happen to find time and a large enough monitor to really enjoy it.
All the more opportunity for snack and convenience foods, ready meals, anything to provide instant gratification while being entertained at home.
One implication that is missed by retailers is making their stores mobile communication and entertainment friendly. How many of us have walked through a store trying to find the corner that allows our cell phone to work? A store that promoted boosted cell phone coverage would probably get more of my business, especially when I can’t remember all the ingredients needed for dinner.
In addition, someone walking through a store enclosed in a cocoon of sound from their headphones is not looking for lots of interaction. A smile and eye contact is probably expected but don’t talk to them. If the cashier can hear music coming out of their headphones, they should not try to engage the customer in conversation. Just smile, point to the price, and wave when the transaction is complete. The last thing a store wants is for their staff to think they need to give a manners lesson to customers. The art of great service is knowing how a customer wants to be treated.