Just had one of those epiphanies. The kind where you realize how stupid you are. I’m sure that kind of thing never happens to you.
I’m obsessed with how to factor the reality of global media piracy into content creation. Example: HEROES is a hit around the world — much of that stems from people illegally downloading the show via torrents, passing around home grown DVD’s, Etc. So how does a creator engage all those fans who are excited about their property — even before the property is available in their country through legal channels? How can that fan interest be turned into revenue so the creator can keep making their show?
The easy answer is WEB CONTENT. HEROES has a robust website full of amazing transmedia content. So all those folks who are watching the show for free, should be able to come to the website and help drive advertising traffic. Sounds obvious. Truth is, all that web content at NBC.COM is only available to folks in the United States. All those potential unique visitors from around the world can’t get through the international firewall. That’s a significant missed opportunity. It’s due to old world thinking. And I’m sure will get addressed in the coming years as media companies embrace the flat world ethos.
Back to my moron’s epiphany. All that transmedia content that we produce. The stuff our global audience is pumped about. All the stuff that needs to be part of any AAA genre franchise that wants to succeed in the competitive and crowded media verse. The ARGs, online COMICS, VIDEO COMMENTARIES, WIKIS, ETC. All of it adds up to more than a mere product. It’s an experience.
Duh. A news-flash from Captain Obvious.
And what’s so important about creating an experience vs. selling a product? In a world where consumers have a zillion choices. Each one cheaper than the next. The choice they make often comes down to the experience they have when buying a product. How it makes them feel emotionally. Why buy something from Target vs. WalMart? Same products. Different experience. Retail and marketing execs have been dealing with this for years. But I’m not sure if this example is used by entertainment creators when trying to explain to execs why spending money on transmedia content is critical to the success of a next-gen entertainment property. It should be.
This is the exact battle we are fighting in terms of theme park experiences right now. Marketing has been in the drivers seat for quite some time, which only implements short term additions. All of them are based on what looks good on the I-5 billboard for a month.
When it comes down to it though, dad is not impulsively opening his wallet as frequently as he used to due to no emotional attachment in his day. We would all be willing to spend what is necesarry (within our means) to maintain those positive emotions.
So how do you make up for less spending? Raise the prices of course. The effect of that is anger and repression of positive emotion.
It takes a certain type of person who is also a consumer in what they create to understand the importance of that emotional bond.
-Josh
Well put. I’m happy to more to have the best time ever. Or share something super cool. Or be part of a story that I believe in. But with a zillion options — it’s gonna need to be very special for me to invest both my time and money. Particularly when it involves: traffic, sunburn, and standing in lines. ;-}
Ooops — Typo:
I’m happy to PAY more to have the best time ever.
Truthfully Jesse,I torrented the Heroes episodes online, only because they stopped airing them on tv (this was before the last 5 episodes ended season 1). I torrened them and watch almost each episode twice, and I was tired of trying to get my friends to come over to my house and watch this awesome show. So my parents asked me what I wanted for Christmas, and I just said socks, underwear, and the first season of Heroes on DVD. A month later, and I got my Heroes,along with sock and underwear of course.
But the whole point of me telling you this is, for me it was the experience,I loved laying on my bed and watching Heroes, and just being totally zoned in on the show and not missing a beat, unlike what I did for season 2, and that was watching it on tv. But I loved the no commercials, but I know it hurts you guys in the long run, and I loved the show so much and loved what you guys are doing that I somehow helped the show, where as before I hurt it.
I know this is kind of long and pointless, but I really admire your work in both Heroes and Lost (which I just started watching the first 3 episodes 10 minutes ago, and I am already hooked). I have you on my X-Box live friends list my gamertag is II ST4RS II, I have talked to you a few times,and I am looking forward to playing a game with you sometime.
But I have one question to ask of you. Was the character who plays Matt Parkman in Heores, the pilot who got eaten in the 1st or 2nd episode of Lost? If you can please answer me back on Xbox Live.
Greg Grunberg was indeed the pilot who was eaten by the monster in the LOST pilot.
And DVD is the best way to watch any serialized show. Glad you enjoy’d it!