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.