Books of the Future
Posted on September 29, 2009
Phil Leigh
If you would like to learn how authoring will change in the next decade, this audio is for you.
Recently I encountered a newly published book about the future of business in the Internet Age. Looking at the hardcover I found myself figuratively scratching my head. I could not understand why an expert would choose an aging form factor to describe the capabilities of an emerging medium. I was asking myself, “Why does this guy fail to structure the ‘book’ in a way that uses the medium itself to demonstrate the new applications he wants to promote?” Put another way, “Doesn’t a conventional book on such a topic unintentionally message the reader to ‘do as I say; not as I do’?” Read more…
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Thinking the Unthinkable about Video Ads
Posted on September 18, 2009
Phil Leigh
What if sponsors paid for video ads only when they are actually watched?
As John Wanamaker put it long ago, “I know that half of my advertising is wasted, I just don’t know which half.”
For over half-a-Century Nielsen audience rating have supposedly addressed Wanamaker’s question for television ads. It’s the foundation supporting a $70 billion annual business. It’s supposed to tell advertisers which programs viewers are watching and for how long. Given present computer technology it’s downright stunning when one learns Nielsen’s techniques for collecting its data.
With so much money on the table there’s a lot at stake. Some industry constituents want to update the measurement technology while others want no changes at all. Any changes are likely to upset somebody’s apple cart. That’s probably why progress in measurement methodology has moved at the pace of continental drift. Nonetheless, sponsors pay the bills and ultimately they’re going to demand more for their money. Read more…
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iPhone and Adobe Go to The Mattresses
Posted on September 14, 2009
Adrian Ludwig of Adobe Flash Marketing
If you would like to learn how Adobe plans to extend Flash Video’s market leadership on computers onto other Internet-connected devices such as mobile phones and consumer electronics appliances, this interview is for you.
About 80% of today’s Internet Video is streamed in Adobe’s Flash format. That’s because nearly all computer users installed a Flash player. Consumers also like that Flash provides an “instant-on” playback experience, thereby avoiding the wait for a download.
However, Apple’s iPhone does not support Flash. Even at YouTube, where Flash dominates, iPhone subscribers must use a special prepackaged application to watch the videos. When iPhone subscribers visit other websites streaming Flash, they simply cannot see the videos. As a concrete example, iPhone subscribers can watch Inside Digital Media video streams at our YouTube channel, but to get them directly from our website they must either subscribe to the podcast or click on the “download to iPod and iPhone” link.
Obviously, Adobe is worried about the iPhone’s avoidance of Flash. The situation creates a conflict that is, as Don Corleone might put it, forcing the two sides to “go to the mattresses”. Our guest today is Adrian Ludwig who is the Group Manager for marketing Flash. His objective is to get Flash as widely deployed on mobile phones and consumer electronics appliances as it is on computers. Read more…
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YouTube: The Billions Nobody Wanted
Posted on September 10, 2009
If you would like to learn why many industry observers underestimate the potential for streamed movie rentals from YouTube, this audio is for you.
Recently The Wall Street Journal revealed that YouTube is in discussions with selected Hollywood Studios to offer movie rentals as streams. While a number of industry observers conclude there’s not much opportunity here, we disagree. The pessimists gravitate toward three arguments.
First, they suggest that few consumers will pay to watch rentals on a computer screen. Second, they conclude that the video quality of streamed-through-the-browser video will not be good enough. Third, they assume that few YouTube users will pay for content. Read more…
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How to Watch iPhone Movies on Your TV
Posted on September 3, 2009
If you would like to learn how to watch movies on your TV that were downloaded to your iPhone, this video is for you.
Every iPod or iPhone owner knows they can buy digital music at Apple’s iTunes online store. Most also realize they can rent or purchase movies and TV shows there as well. Finally, many are aware that numerous free video and audio podcasts, some including popular TV shows, are also available. However, few understand that it is not difficult use iPods and iPhones to watch the movies stored on the portable units through a conventional flat panel TV. Read more…
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Reviving the Record Labels
Posted on September 2, 2009
Phil Leigh
If you would like to learn one way the record labels might reinvigorate their business, this audio is for you.
Everybody recognizes that the Internet radically transformed the recorded music business. Apple’s iTunes online store sells more music than any retailer having displaced Wal-Mart and Target. As a consequence pre-recorded CD sales are down over 50% from ten years ago when Shawn Fanning’s Napster was set-loose, even though it was later jailed. Read more…
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