I'm sure most of you have heard about the so called 15 year old wonderkid Matthew Robson who recently completed an internship at media analysis firm Morgan Stanley. The firm asked Robson to write a report detailing his friends' and his own opinions about media and it has caused quite a stir in the media industry.
After reading his report certain aspects to me seemed obvious; teenagers download music instead of buying CD's and no one subscribes to ringtone and wallpaper companies, but certain aspects of his report seemed way off the mark, at least in my experience. He writes about teens using Facebook excessively, which they do but then said that teens do not use mobile i
nternet. Going over to my Facebook account now I can see at least 7 instances where people have used their mobile phone to post something on Facebook. We are the generation who cannot wait, we want to do everything right now and that includes posting on Facebook. Still on phones, he says that most teens want a fairly cheap phone with reasonable features on a pre-paid basis. Once again, from my experience this is not the case. Most teenagers work or have an agreement with their parents that allows them to have a phone on an extended contract as this has usually allowed more calls and texts to be made. They also want the latest phone available with the latest features and price usually isn't a consideration, see iPhone. He also writes that generally most teens like to spend their money on going to the movies but this declines as they get older because it is more expensive. Writing from an Australian perspective this is not the case, we have a good set up for concession (student) discounts and cheap movie days which mean that it is still not overly expensive to go to the movies. In fact, I see more movies now due to working and having more freedom than I did when I was younger. I'm not saying that this was a bad report, it's just I see these things from a different perspective. This is why I am creating my own list of things to go in a media usage report.
nternet. Going over to my Facebook account now I can see at least 7 instances where people have used their mobile phone to post something on Facebook. We are the generation who cannot wait, we want to do everything right now and that includes posting on Facebook. Still on phones, he says that most teens want a fairly cheap phone with reasonable features on a pre-paid basis. Once again, from my experience this is not the case. Most teenagers work or have an agreement with their parents that allows them to have a phone on an extended contract as this has usually allowed more calls and texts to be made. They also want the latest phone available with the latest features and price usually isn't a consideration, see iPhone. He also writes that generally most teens like to spend their money on going to the movies but this declines as they get older because it is more expensive. Writing from an Australian perspective this is not the case, we have a good set up for concession (student) discounts and cheap movie days which mean that it is still not overly expensive to go to the movies. In fact, I see more movies now due to working and having more freedom than I did when I was younger. I'm not saying that this was a bad report, it's just I see these things from a different perspective. This is why I am creating my own list of things to go in a media usage report. 1. Teens or most people anyway won't pay for news. This stems from Rupert Murdoch's plan to charge users to access all News Corp's online content. He based this on The Wall Street Journal where you pay to access content but clearly if you are accessing The Wall Street Journal you have enough money to spare (a massive generalisation I know). People will go to free sites, bloggers, the TV news and hell maybe even back to Newspapers depending on the price.
2. More of an Australian focus here but reign in the Kevin Rudd comments on every little thing that happens. This man is in charge of our country during a time of serious issues like terrorism and the global financial crisis, why the hell is he taking time out to comment on the latest Chaser's skit or Gordon Ramsay's latest outburst?
3. Teens won't pay for Facebook or MySpace. There have been many rumours that these sites will start to charge users a membership fee, if they do this they are only creating a new competitior as someone will creat a new site similar to these but it will be free and it will attract millions.
4. Movie reviews, during the summer period almost don't matter. I say almost bec
ause look at the success of Transformers 2 and Twilight and the probable success of G.I. Joe. Most of the films coming out have a strong market base already and if they can nail an awesome trailer or poster then we'll go see it. Then we'll judge for ourselves. I know it's odd for me to say as a reviewer but certain movies can be review proof, for better or worse.
ause look at the success of Transformers 2 and Twilight and the probable success of G.I. Joe. Most of the films coming out have a strong market base already and if they can nail an awesome trailer or poster then we'll go see it. Then we'll judge for ourselves. I know it's odd for me to say as a reviewer but certain movies can be review proof, for better or worse.5. Video Game reviews, most people do care about. If you are paying upwards of $80 for a game you really want to know whether it is worth it first, especially if there are a few you are after.
6. Downloadable content for games are great but make sure it's worthy of the release. New levels and maps yes, we like to prolong our experience at the right price and the right time. Too many expensive releases too soon and we won't buy them.
7. Retro is cool. Vinyl sales are increasing and many young people get that retro vibe every once in a while so keep supporting 'older' media.
8. We like to see dubbs and spoofs of copyrighted material. Let people use the footage or sound or character if they are creating something new and different, remember it is getting you fans as well.
9. We appreciate try before you buy; game demos and album previews are great, there's a lot out there and sometimes we need a heads up.
10. What I call epic TV, Band of Brothers, John Adams, the upcoming Spartacus TV show and mini series The Pacific (Pacific version of Band of Brothers) are the way to go. This stuff is close to movie quality but free to your screen every week, it will definitely be a ratings hit.
11. Pre paid mobile phone caps. These are great, I love being able to buy $29 worth of phone credit and get $150 worth of value. More bang for your buck is always appreciated.
Well these are my recommendations. Maybe they'll get me into some marketing firms?
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