Notes from mEga 280308 workshop

mEga:

http://meganode.ning.com/
http://www.mega.org.au/

Workshop 1: Market Analysis:

Understanding the Market

Paul Daly
Innovations
m.Net
http://www.mnetcorporation.com/

NTT Do Co Mo – installing a Biometric sensor in a mobile phone to monitor a person’s health - http://www.nttdocomo.com/

Google’s Android - http://code.google.com/android/

iPhones relationship with AT&T in attracting some of the subscriber revenue

Understanding the Market:
- Need to change consumer behaviour to use your product
- Creating demand to be on the front page of an operator/carrier portal
- Carriers are looking for differentiated offerings
- Looking for ‘branded’ content – easy to move onto the consumer
- “We need to think Global”

Subscription services:

- BlueSkyFrog - http://blueskyfrog.com.au/
- Jamster - http://www.jamster.com/

Sponsorship:
- Partnerships: nineMSN, Yahoo7

Consider: Subscription vs On-demand

Who else might have a vested interest in the distribution of content?

Consider:
- viral mechanisms of promoting
- back channeling – via SMS, Bluetooth, Podmo

Export Navigator - exploring export market for mobile entertainment http://www.aimia.com.au/i-cms?page=1955

EU adopting Digital Video for hand held devices standard – DVB-H - http://alwayson.goingon.com/permalink/post/25162

Evolution of Markets of Mobile Content Services:
- Personalisation Content – ring tones
- Interactive Entertainment – games
- Information Content
- Narrative Entertainment

Examples of user created mobile content

Sasha Grbich
PixelPlay
www.anat.org.au

Issues around creating content on mobile phones:
- Screen Size
- Processing Power – 200 kb
- Resolution Size on Screen
- Sound issues

Because the file size of mobile content is so small – then the level of computer equipment does not need to be of a high level

Free anti-cyber bullying videos http://www.bullyingnoway.com.au/
http://www.bullyingnoway.com.au/talkout/spotlight/mobilemovies.shtml

Pocket Film Festival - http://www.festivalpocketfilms.fr/

Considerations:
- which equipment the content is developed on is important – if compressing content – start with good resolution – if filming from mobile
- use of colour is very important
- issues around the beginnings of the film industry are similar to those for mobile movies
- ‘limitation breeds brilliance’ - mEga participant quote

The limitations of mobile content developments can actually allow you to ‘push the boundaries’ of what is possible – challenge the limitations to create creativity

ABC micro-mini series: http://www.tv.com/abc-tv-micro-mini-series/show/31709/summary.html

The “Mobile” Landscape: The User Perspective

Dr Marissa Maio Mackay
Director - Research
m.Net

AMD – Advanced Media Devices – iPod

“Not what can be done but what should be done”

How to get people to use the mobile phone:
- extend a relationship – go with brands to leverage off, creating mobile content for existing well known products and services
- Intrinsic Value - instant gratification – free wallpaper, ringtone
- deliver immediate benefit – matching ads to the content ie ads in mobile tv linked to what the user would be interested into
- easy to use – KEY to the mobile service
- innovate don’t replicate – use ‘value-add’ to something, create a unique experience, give something user can’t get anywhere else
- Transparent – cost, terms and conditions upfront
- Leverage off their existing behaviour – how is the target market currently using mobile content …
- Make it free or the ads pay for it! – user will put up with the ads if the ad is something they are interested in (tailored ads)

From the consumer perspective

Does it:
- mean anything to me?
- give me anything?
- cost me anything
- lock me into anything?

Provide dynamic content which is constantly refreshed

Researching the opportunity …

Dr Marissa Maio Mackay
Director - Research
m.Net

Why video-calling hasn’t made the telecoms companies rich: no-one researched whether users actually wanted to use video calls on their mobile.

The Starting Point:
- Your Product
- Your Customers
- The Market – and how you ‘arrived’ at knowing this

The Process:
- Team brainstorm – key questions related to your product, your customers, and the Market – ie a clear framework, a clear set of questions
- Some Key Questions and Sources of Info:

o Market:
o define the market, key trends, predicted growth, opportunities, the value chain, key industry players, potential competitors.
o Sources of info: Lifestyle index survey, m.Net blog, m:metrics, Mobile marketing association, gomo news, mocoNews.net, The Netsize Guide, Nokia Whitepapers, Juniper Research Whitepapers

o Product:
o What is your product? How is it different? Benefits to your customers

o Customers:
o What do your customers want? Where does your product sit (new idea or existing, Breakthrough Product vs Continuous type product) Is it an existing product or will it need to be produced?
o Source of Info: Tailored Research: Develop reliable user insights that will shape the development, marketing and management of the project, focus groups - use between 28-30 people, capture ‘quotes’,

Spending time researching your product is just as important as creating solid foundation of a building

When developing a Business Case for your Product: add enough detail to remove as much uncertainty as possible

A mobile operator - view of the subscriber

Shane Williamson
http://shanewilliamson.spaces.live.com/

A carrier knows their consumer focuses on what the ‘hand-set’ can do ie people will buy a Nokia, because they know how to use it.

Mobile carrier’s main focus: revenue, subscribers, churn (subscribers migrating across to other carriers)

Non Voice Services:
- Communication Services: videocalling
- Messaging services: SMS, MMS, email, instant messaging
- Data Services: high speed wireless modem, mobile internet, business applications
- Content services: text, pictures, video downloads, video streams, ringtones, games, mp3 music tracks

Carrier’s filters – carrier’s interest in 3^rd party products & services will be filtered by: revenue (profit); subscriber additions (stop churn); content synergy; ease to deploy; differentiation from competition

Carriers are losing control – content aggregators; major synergistic content brands; the internet (out of the walled garden); on device portals (ODPs); in device content (manufacturer)

Group Break out Session:

What is different about using a mobile phone?
And what opportunities does this create?

What does this mean for our team?
And what implications does this have for our project?

Differences:
- Mobility – from anywhere and anytime – allow for ‘immersive’ learning
- Interactivity – mark/tag where you’ve been and ‘access’ more info when able to get access to the info via internet or database – ‘takeaway’ fact – ‘mash up’ the info with other info ie GoogleMap/Webspace and create a new learning space, Geotagging photos, RFID/Bluetoothing content including websites/social networks
- Ubiquitous – everyone has one
- Easy to assess info via Bluetooth
- User to contribute back to the data – upload up to date information – current situation ie what a plant look likes, flowering
- ‘Personal’ – one mobile to one person – don’t need to share like a PC
- The SMS card is a ‘SmartCard’ – it identifies you

What does this mean for our team:

Opportunities:
- Ability to be able to digitally access information outside of the traditional classroom.
- Deliver more interactive and engaging learning.
- Enable user to contribute (upload) information to the learning experience

Coolest Girl in School – Mobile Game Case Study

Champagne for the Ladies

Holly Owen (http://www.champagnefortheladies.com/people.htm) &
Karen Lanthois (http://www.kukanstudio.com/company.html)
http://www.champagnefortheladies.com/projects.htm
http://www.coolestgirlinschool.com/