Wymbs Marketing Blog » td049686

Class 12/10

td049686 — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 19:47:52 +0000

Created something from scratch

-what people want on the website?

- updated content

- CNN.com

“first and Best”

- the first one online with the fastest and must reliable and aquarete information

- they have clear business objective

- brand definition

- nvagation has to be user-ffriendly and tailor to the individual people

- Thinkof how they use technology/ CNN is not only news, they enhance people’s experience by creating blogs and having blogs

- how do you create an income

- dwell time- how much time you spend on their website- important because the more time you spend on their website, the more information they get to know about its user, you spend more time because you are happy with the website and that helps for branding and your success to be know by other websites and other companies

-different ways of targeting you audiance

- the persona and the needs of these personas

- people can contribute by posting videos and blogging on CNN

- if you are participating, websites have fresh inputs and you as a customer feel like you are contributing…satisfaction

- results and measurements are needed in order for improvement to take effect. Improovement was positive

Class, Dec 3, 2008

td049686 — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 18:56:47 +0000

Customer service and how to make customer service

- look at subsystem

-each subsystems might have a problem, companies have to think how to solve these problems

- example of customer service themes

“what gets measure gets manage”

Technology can improof customer service

to use technology in ways to make customer service more effectient

human interface is very expensive and can be annoying to customers

increase customer satisfaction at the lowest cost and to use the latest technology to do so is the goal of any company.

summary-

csutomer care is a key marketing displine

- customer satisfaction/loyalty, enterprise profit

need business processes, customer segment, relevant technology

customers want choice in how to access service

cost per customer contact varies by channel

develop service strategies based on clv

be sure technologies are satisfiable, not dissatisfies

what medium gets the must customer satisfaction

use the most expensive interaction when the customers are the most valuable

passive knowledge- can’t be written down, it must be observed and see if it has to changed or not!

role of knowledge in marketing-

- to enable human agent to work

- better, faster, with more customer-satisfying results

-to create automated systems

- as good as the best human agent

a safe prediction- the future belongs to marketers who best: capture, analyze and mine, use= marketing data

the difference between data, information, and knowledge

1. lower level

2. analyze data and put it to gether

3. expertise, you are learning from all the data and the information

check what processes are important and see how they happen, how they evolve

class

td049686 — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 18:12:26 +0000

11/19/08

td049686 — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 03:34:20 +0000

lever selection

- segment market

-select target-these people are the ones in which you will be spending all your research marketing money

- positioning- where you gain competitive advantage and offer value to customer

YOU CAN’T GO ANYWHERE WITHOUT THIS!!

Principle for marketplace matrix design

-which lever should be used?

- choose levers to affect a change

-determine which levers have the most leverage

- consider barriers to advancement

- consider the medium’s effect on desired behavior

- level of involvement matters

- undrstanding consumer learning trends

- credibility of the channel matters

- the choice of levers must be sonsistent with positioning choice

- the medium can be the message of the product

- The matrix design must be adaptable

- You msut advertise wher potential consumers are

- Where ads take place?- you need to have consistance

Xbox 360 and Netflix Team Up

td049686 — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 23:15:40 +0000

Published July 14, 2008

Los Angeles—An exciting new home theater experience is coming to living rooms this holiday season. At E3, Microsoft and Netflix, the world’s largest online movie rental service, today unveiled an exclusive partnership to offer the ability to instantly stream movies and TV episodes from Netflix to your television via Xbox 360®.

Xbox 360 will be the only game system that lets you instantly watch movies and TV episodes streamed from Netflix. This movie-watching innovation will be available to Xbox LIVE® Gold members who are also Netflix subscribers, and will let those users enjoy streaming movies from Netflix on Xbox LIVE at no additional cost.

” Watching movies at home will never be the same. Netflix on Xbox 360 is an entertainment first.”
— John Schappert, Microsoft

A growing library of more than 10,000 movies and TV episodes will be available from Netflix when it launches on Xbox LIVE in late fall, with more choices added over time. Through this agreement, along with the existing Video Store, Xbox 360 will be home to more movies and TV shows on demand than any other device connected to the TV. Xbox LIVE quickly and easily connects you and your friends to the entertainment you want—with no PC required for viewing.

Interact, Play, and Enjoy
Netflix on Xbox 360 is an important component of the new Xbox experience, a new generation of games and entertainment experiences that will be available on Xbox 360 this fall. The new Xbox experience represents the first time in history that a mass-market consumer electronics device has been re-invented through free software, giving people more fun and intuitive ways to interact, play, and enjoy entertainment content.

“Netflix and Xbox 360 are a perfect combination, joining forces to create an all-in-one entertainment experience.”
— Reed Hastings, Netflix

“Watching movies at home will never be the same. Netflix on Xbox 360 is an entertainment first, and we are bringing friends together with the best in entertainment content like no other device in the living room, ” said John Schappert, corporate vice president of Interactive Entertainment LIVE, Software and Services Business at Microsoft . “We are creating a completely new social entertainment experience, and Xbox 360 will be the only video game system where you can access your library of instantly streamable movies from Netflix and turn any room into a virtual movie theater.”

Highly Personalized Experience
From the Netflix Web site, simply add movies and TV episodes to your individual instant Queues. Those choices will be automatically displayed on the TV screen via Xbox 360 and available to watch instantly. Once selected, movies will begin playing in 30 seconds or less. In addition to instantly streaming movies to the TV, Gold members can fast-forward, pause, and rewind—all using either the Xbox 360 Controller or Media Remote. In all, the user interface creates a highly personalized experience that puts viewers in control.

“Netflix and Xbox 360 are a perfect combination, the leading online movie rental service and the leading games and entertainment system joining forces to create an all-in-one entertainment experience with content for everyone,” said Reed Hastings, chairman and CEO of Netflix. “For Netflix, it represents an important step forward in making instantly streaming movies on the TV more broadly available to our members.”

The library of movies and TV episodes that will be available for instant streaming from Netflix via Xbox 360 includes scores of Academy Award winners and nominees, episodes from a number of popular, currently running and classic TV shows, and 24 of the movies rated by the American Film Institute as the greatest ever.

Xbox LIVE Video Store
Today, Xbox LIVE members can also download movies and purchase TV shows from the industry-leading Xbox LIVE Marketplace Video Store, currently packed with content from more than 45 networks and studios. The Xbox LIVE Marketplace Video Store offers more than twice the high-definition content than the nearest cable provider and more than 6,000 hours of TV shows and movies.

Netflix
Netflix is the world’s largest online movie rental service, with more than eight million subscribers. For one low monthly price, Netflix members get DVDs delivered to their homes and can instantly watch movies and TV episodes streamed to their TVs and PCs, all in unlimited amounts. Members can choose from over 100,000 DVD titles and a growing library of more than 10,000 choices that can be watched instantly. There are never any due dates or late fees. DVDs are delivered free to members by first class mail, with a postage-paid return envelope, from over 100 U.S. shipping points. More than 95 percent of Netflix members live in areas that generally receive shipments in one business day. For more information, visit http://www.netflix.com/

http://www.xbox.com/en-US/community/even…

Lionsgate to Bring HD Movies to Xbox LIVE

td049686 — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 23:12:13 +0000

Lionsgate to Bring HD Movies to Xbox LIVE

Las Vegas— The surprise entertainment hit of the holidays wasn’t in theaters, it was in the living room. With more than 1,000 hours of premium high- and standard-definition content available, Microsoft Corp. announced today at the 2007 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) that Xbox LIVE® Video Marketplace became a clear leader in the distribution of online entertainment content.

“Xbox 360 has become one of the top distributors of our
content direct to consumers’ TV sets over the Internet.”
—Andrew Mellett, Warner Brothers

In just two months since the launch of the service, the Xbox LIVE community has been given access to top high- and standard-definition content, from top partners CBS Broadcasting Inc., MTV Networks Co., Paramount Pictures Corp., Turner Broadcasting System Inc., Ultimate Fighting Championship, and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment. Xbox 360™ is again leading where it counts, as the only next-generation console offering downloadable high-definition TV shows and films in the U.S.

Early Success of Service
“Xbox 360 has become one of COMEDY CENTRAL’s leading digital distribution platforms,” said Caleb Weinstein, senior vice president, strategy and business development, COMEDY CENTRAL. “In nearly two months, Xbox has become our second highest performing digital distributor. COMEDY CENTRAL is thrilled to continue this partnership and is working to bring more and more content to Video Marketplace in the coming year.”

“Xbox 360 is the one-stop-shop for the
best in high-definition entertainment.”
—Jeff Bell, Microsoft

“Bringing our content to the coveted gaming audience on the Xbox 360 has been a huge success and has exceeded our expectations,” said Andrew Mellett, vice president of video on demand for Warner Bros. “In fact, Xbox 360 has become one of the top distributors of our content direct to consumers’ TV sets over the Internet.”

Lionsgate Newest Content Partner
On stage at CES, Microsoft also announced today a new partner for Xbox LIVE Video Marketplace. Lionsgate (NYSE:LGF) will be bringing a lineup of high-definition films to the service in the coming year. Films such as An American Haunting, Blair Witch Project, Crank, The Descent, Employee of the Month, Hard Candy, Ninth Gate, The Punisher, Requiem for a Dream, Saw III, See No Evil, and Stir of Echoes will be available for download on Xbox LIVE Video Marketplace in high definition in 2007.

“This partnership is great for Lionsgate. The Xbox gamer is the same moviegoer who wants to watch Saw III, or Crank, said Jon Ferro, Exec. Vice President of Lionsgate. “That is why we are so thrilled to bring Lionsgate films to Xbox LIVE Video Marketplace. Bringing our content to this audience makes perfect sense and reflects our commitment to remain at the cutting edge of content distribution to new media platforms.”

High-Definition Content
Xbox LIVE, the only online social network in the living room, is a thriving community of more than five million members who have the ability to download a wealth of high-definition games, television, and movies. On Xbox LIVE, the largest online distributor of high-definition content by volume, the vast majority of subscribers choose the high-definition version of media when given a choice between a standard- or high-definition download on the network.

“Until recently, HDTV owners still had a limited variety of content at their fingertips. Now Xbox 360 is one of the premier sources for high-definition content in the living room,” said Jeff Bell, corporate vice president of global marketing for the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft. “Xbox 360 is the one-stop-shop for the best in high-definition entertainment, whether consumers choose to access our industry-leading catalog of more than 160 high-definition games or to view high-definition television shows and feature films available through Xbox LIVE or using the Xbox 360 HD DVD Player.”

Variety of Entertainment Choices
With Xbox 360, Microsoft’s goal was to provide customers with a wealth of choices for enjoying high-definition content. For those who are ready to jump into the next generation of DVD, Microsoft also offers the Xbox 360 HD DVD Player. With a projected annualized attach rate of 28 movies per player, HD DVD has proven to be the consumer’s favorite next generation format, according to Nielson data.

Adding to the growing number of ways consumers can experience their entertainment on Xbox 360, Microsoft also announced at CES plans for the winning combination of Microsoft® TV Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) Edition and Xbox 360, expected to deliver next-generation television experiences, including standard- and high-definition live television channels, video-on-demand, and digital video recording— all on Xbox 360. IPTV on Xbox 360 is expected to be available to consumers by the 2007 holiday season and will be offered by select service providers that are deploying TV services based on the Microsoft IPTV Edition software platform.

Xbox Live Arcade

At a Glance

Premium Gold Membership
Online multiplayer games
Matchmaking and feedback
Exclusive Gold content

If you’re an Xbox Live® subscriber, perhaps you’ve heard about Xbox Live Arcade. It’s a service that lets you download cutting edge arcade games directly onto your Xbox® console. All you need is the free Xbox Live Arcade starter disc (for the setup software) and an Xbox Live account, and within seconds you’re downloading tons of great arcade games from your easy chair.

Now with the launch of Xbox 360™, you get these added benefits:

Every Xbox 360 comes with an Xbox Live Silver (free) account and access to Xbox Live Marketplace. No Xbox Live Arcade setup disc is required.
You can try out new award-winning titles like Wik—The Fable of Souls with the click of a button
Preview hot new titles from genres like arcade, strategy, card games, sports, and more

Check out Xbox Live Arcade on Xbox 360.

I spoke with Greg Canessa, the General Manager of the Xbox Casual Games Group at Microsoft®, to find out more about this awesome online service.

The Man with the Plan
You probably haven’t heard of Greg Canessa, but thanks to his vision Xbox Live has transformed from a simple multiplayer service into something greater. Because of his efforts to bring Xbox Live Arcade to fruition, you now have Xbox games on demand.

“Xbox 360 Arcade games will be very affordable
and a great value for the consumer.”

Every single console comes with a free Xbox Live Silver subscription, and you’ll have the opportunity to browse and shop the Xbox Live Arcade online catalogue from day one.

According to Mr. Canessa, “We’ve fully integrated Xbox Live Arcade into the console itself. One press of the controller button and you’re in Xbox Live Arcade. Xbox 360 Live Arcade is prominently featured on the games blade of the Xbox 360 Guide when a user turns his/her console on.”

Manage all your downloads in Xbox Live Marketplace.

“Here we’ve created a single destination on the console for users to download, try, buy, and launch their Xbox 360 Arcade games, manage their Arcade collection, check out what games are new and hot, and experience exclusive around-the-game features. And Xbox 360 Live Arcade is powered by Xbox Live Marketplace, so all of the game downloads are managed by the same system as other types of downloadable content on Xbox 360.”

“As long as you have an Xbox Live Silver membership (which
is free), you can download free trial versions of each game.”

That doesn’t mean original Xbox owners will be left out in the cold. The service will continue to be supported for the current generation console for the next few years, so it’s likely that we’ll see the same games available on both platforms. It’s logical to assume that the Xbox 360 version will have improved graphics, beefier online functions, and extra features as well.

“You don’t even need a subscription to use Xbox 360 Live Arcade. As long as you have an Xbox Live Silver membership (which is free), you can download free trial versions of each game. Then, if you want to buy the game, you can use a credit card. This combination of factors — built into the console, and does not require a Live subscription — makes Xbox 360 Live Arcade extremely accessible and simple for users. And Xbox 360 Arcade games will be very affordable and a great value for the consumer.”

Current Xbox Live subscribers can download trial versions of great games like Marble Blast. Once you select the title to preview, Xbox Live Arcade simply downloads the content to your hard drive. You can then play a few levels to get a feel for the game. If you like it, all you have to do is select the full version from the onscreen menu and within moments the game is installed onto your Xbox. It’s painfully simple.

Indie Rock
One of the coolest advantages of online distribution is the cost factor. Console game development is becoming prohibitively expensive. With the advent of high-definition graphics, sophisticated 3-D worlds, advanced artificial intelligence, and realistic physics, game development teams are growing larger by the minute.

Sample the coolest indie games.

The steep fee of entry is preventing creative small studios—the risk takers—from bringing their ideas to market. But with an online distribution service like Xbox Live and Xbox Live Arcade, the “little guys” can now get their games in front of millions of eyeballs at the click of a button. They no longer need to shell out thousands of dollars on manufacturing, retail packaging, and distribution.

Instead, studios can focus on creating innovative games that otherwise wouldn’t see the light of day. Casual titles like parlor games, card games, 2-D shooters, side-scrolling adventures, and strategy games can all get a fair shot at catching your eye. Sample a wide variety of genres and formulate your own opinion, rather than leave it to simple economics. A new era of content is possible through Xbox Live Arcade, and its potential has only been touched upon.

Article by Jim W. Gettys

XBOX 360 as distribution model?

by Karina Longworth Nov 28th 2005 // 10:26AM

Filed under: Tech Stuff, Distribution, Home Entertainment, Games and Game Movies

In yesterday’s Variety, Ben Fritz
speculated that internet-enabled game systems such as the spanking-new
Xbox 360 and the much-anticipated PS3 could turn out to be the
distribution systems of the future. Amongst the highlights:

360 as legal download device. “Thanks
to Xbox Live [Microsoft's private internet experience for 360 users],
the 360 stands between the
Internet and the TV, making it a powerful delivery mechanism for any
form of media.” Fritz tells us to expect official, downloadable content
for the 360 soon, starting with game-related peripherals, but
potentially including movies-on-demand at some point down the line.
Gaming is only the beginning. Fritz uggests that with devices like the 360 (and soon, the PS3) any and all gaming applications are merely “Trojan
horses to get Microsoft and Sony devices into as many homes as
possible.” He posits that if studios want the valuable, young male
demographic to watch their films, they’ll go out of their way to make
the content available on Sony’s PS3-compatible Blu-Ray DVD, or format
their media for delivery via Xbox Live.
People don’t want to go to the movies? Fine.
Fritz notes the “irony” in the fact that Sony – the most struggling
studio in a distribution climate that can only be described as
generally bad – is soon to launch the PS3, which will stoke the
stay-at-home fires. But maybe they know what they’re doing: “[I]t
could also be seen as a savvy company
recognizing fresh potential. Rather than fight a new technology – as
studios have done with every innovation from radio through the Internet
– Sony and most of its competitors are jumping on the bandwagon when
it comes to gamers.”
Gaming is already changing the way Hollywood thinks about content. Fritz cites several examples of movie producers planning game production into film production, including the new King Kong
game, which incorporates graphics designed by Weta for Peter Jackson’s
film. Disney, too, is getting in on the act; Fritz quotes their senior
VP of games: “We’re looking at sharing tools with our feature
animation division to help produce higher quality games within the time
frames we have.”

What do you think about all of this? Will gaming
devices soon become the hub of every home entertainment center? Or is
Fritz thinking way, way too far out of the Xbox?

http://www.cinematical.com/2005/11/28/xb…

Distribution proves its worth

td049686 — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 19:00:25 +0000

Computer Reseller News, June 30, 2008 p17
Distribution proves its worth.

Sara Yirrell
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Full Text: COPYRIGHT 2008 Incisive Media, published with the permission of Incisive Media
Byline: Sara Yirrell

Distribution proves its worth

Eyes were opened at the Global Technology Distribution Council’s first European investor conference, says Sara Yirrell

In most industries, distribution is often overlooked, with customers never sparing a thought for how their products reached the shelves, or were delivered to their office.

But at the Global Technology Distribution Council’s (GTDC) first European Investor Relations Conference (CRN, 16 June), investors started to realise the value of IT distribution and the contribution it makes to the industry as a whole, according to the organiser.

Held at the Wyndham Grand Hotel in Chelsea Harbour, the event attendee list read like a Who’s Who of distribution, including Greg Spierkel from Ingram Micro, Roy Vallee from Avnet, Don Bell from Bell Micro, Fabian von Kuenheim from Magirus, Gary Coburn from Horizon, Tom Dolan from Westcon Group, Robert Dutkowsky from Tech Data and Joe Hemani from Westcoast A- one of the GTDC’s newest members.

Number crunching

During the day, several panel debates were held on topics such as the impact of the credit crunch and the changing face of the SME.

The event also featured a vendor day, where top channel executives from more than 20 vendors were able to grab some face-to-face action with the giants of distribution.

Tim Curran, chief executive of the GTDC, said: “We have held vendor meetings in Europe for about five years, but this was the first time we had combined the event with an investor event. The feedback from the investor community was very interesting and the event seemed to open their eyes to the value of the distribution community.”

Curran said the GTDC is growing in popularity and is still keen

to recruit members across the UK and Europe.

“Clearly we are in growth mode and there are distributors out there that see the value in collaborating. Our role is to promote the industry and create lines of communication.”

As reported by CRN earlier this month, the distribution industry

as a whole is trying to stay positive and remains warily upbeat about the constantly talked-about economic slowdown.

Curran agreed: “As a whole, the distribution community is cautiously optimistic A- in the US, UK and Europe there are some signs of softness, but overall, sales have held pretty steady,” he said.

“There are so many products and technologies covered by distribution, and pockets of weakness and strength, but the market will hold its own going forward.

“I think there will be consolidation. Particularly as during a period of weakness, the firms that have seen some financial weakness will struggle in this period. That is when consolidation will take place,” he added.

“However, there will always be a demand for broadline distribution and the specialist players. There are always emerging niches in different sectors, but these need the breadth of broadline coverage as well.”

Energy crisis

Other issues discussed at the event included the impact of rising fuel and energy prices on the distribution supply chain, as well as the availability of credit through distribution.

Roy Vallee, chief executive of Avnet, said credit is vital.

“One of the value adds of the channel is providing credit,” he said. “We have thousands of accounts that are managed daily. While the credit crunch is creating some concerns, it is also creating interesting opportunities in terms of consolidation.”

Ordered distribution

Alain Monie, president of Ingram Micro, said: “Distribution has to be very disciplined in how it manages its working capital. We have the capability to have 150 to 250 people

who can examine the credit risk

of our customer base. We also use a mix of insurance available in the market and it really is one of our core competencies.”

Tom Dolan, chief executive of Westcon Group, said: “We believe that if we look at the credit in the channel it will be to our benefit and we also get more operating profit out of an individual transaction. We can play it as another value that we bring into the fold.”

Jeremy Davies, founder and director of analyst Context, which gave a presentation at the GDTC event on market trends and insights, said distribution has a strong future.

“It all boils down to one thing:

distribution is there and it fulfils a very useful purpose.”

He added that growth areas include anything to do with bandwidth and storage, and the notebook market. “It is tough for distributors at the moment,” he said, “because it is a mature market and it has certainly had its challenges in the past quarter. In the UK, which is unique because it has a prominent financial industry, we are still waiting to see what effect the credit crunch is going to have on distribution.

“However, distributors should stay focused on making their operation more efficient and ensuring they are a true interface between the vendor and the reseller. That is the key to survival,” he said.

Distribution defies credit crunch

>> www.channelweb.co.uk/2219117

Article A180784223\

Wymbs Marketing Blog » td049686

Class 12/10

Class, Dec 3, 2008

class

11/19/08

Xbox 360 and Netflix Team Up

” Watching movies at home will never be the same. Netflix on Xbox 360 is an entertainment first.” — John Schappert, Microsoft

“Netflix and Xbox 360 are a perfect combination, joining forces to create an all-in-one entertainment experience.” — Reed Hastings, Netflix

Lionsgate to Bring HD Movies to Xbox LIVE

Lionsgate to Bring HD Movies to Xbox LIVE

“Xbox 360 has become one of the top distributors of our content direct to consumers’ TV sets over the Internet.” —Andrew Mellett, Warner Brothers

“Xbox 360 is the one-stop-shop for the best in high-definition entertainment.” —Jeff Bell, Microsoft

Xbox Live Arcade

“Xbox 360 Arcade games will be very affordable and a great value for the consumer.”

“As long as you have an Xbox Live Silver membership (which is free), you can download free trial versions of each game.”

Distribution proves its worth

” Watching movies at home will never be the same. Netflix on Xbox 360 is an entertainment first.”
— John Schappert, Microsoft

“Netflix and Xbox 360 are a perfect combination, joining forces to create an all-in-one entertainment experience.”
— Reed Hastings, Netflix

“Xbox 360 has become one of the top distributors of our
content direct to consumers’ TV sets over the Internet.”
—Andrew Mellett, Warner Brothers

“Xbox 360 is the one-stop-shop for the
best in high-definition entertainment.”
—Jeff Bell, Microsoft

“Xbox 360 Arcade games will be very affordable
and a great value for the consumer.”

“As long as you have an Xbox Live Silver membership (which
is free), you can download free trial versions of each game.”