Misc. Marketing Notes 1/4/08

Posted by Chris

January 4, 2008

A bunch of stories not specifically about the movie marketing business but with application to that area nonetheless.Almost half of consumers are using the internet to research packaged goods, both in terms of just pure information searching and also for coupons and comparison shopping according to a survey by Prospectiv. Branded sites, e-newsletters and other forms of communication were popular among those looking for background and information about products they were considering buying.

People are congregating in communities online that they define themselves around shared interest areas like arts and crafts. In some cases certain companies sponsor or host those communities, but the most successful ones do so in a manner that actually makes the community stronger as opposed to just using it as a marketing/consumer research platform.

Entertainment will increasingly be created by ordinary people who will then actively share it with peer groups, says a new Nokia research study. Not only will it be created directly by these people but professional entertainment they purchase or otherwise acquire will be shared among groups after a member of that group has edited it or mashed it up into their own new creation.

Sony BMG has become the last of the major record labels to create some form of DRM-free distribution outlet. If only the movie industry were so enlightened, but based on the fact that virtual world Gaia just signed Widevine to provide DRM solutions for the Warner Bros. and Sony movies they’re streaming in-world that might take some time.