Ever since I mega-upgraded my home A/V system while renovating my apartment this year I have been unusually hungry for new content experiences to bring to my new domestic paradise. I have a freakn' movie theater in my home now - so what you got? So IFC started dribbling out some first run content offerings this Summer and I took the bait and plugged into the concept for the first time with the US premiere of This is England. Hey, this works rather well. I had actually promoted the concept in a study we did back in 2003. So what's next? There seems to be such a huge untapped opportunity for brands here.
As more studios contemplate timing the release of movies and DVDs with simulcast experiences On-Demand it seems as though there could be more to the story here. If I am making the impulse decision to order This is England at home I am closer to the potential of purchasing the soundtrack than if I were at the theater. Food and beverage launches could also work well in tandem to tap into the niches that these content audiences inhabit. Test market samples sent with unlock codes to on-demand features. It seems logical that the brand recall would be increased if combined with another meaningful experience.
The other audience that seems ripe and could be a big win for brands is Inflight Experience. You can't go wrong when human beings are converted into captive cargo. They want more. I expect to see more synergy between what plays on the screens and what snacks and spa amenities comfort you along the way - as well as what could start showing up in the Duty Free catalog. The added potential here is that some amounts of feedback data could be collected to further hone the experiences. Airlines as roaming product and content focus groups.
The key in all this is that there is a huge potential in this new technology but it needs to connect up to a bigger more emotional story with consumers. It is not just about getting the content - it is the specialness of that experience. Seeing the whole experience as opposed to promoting simply one piece at a time. It should be - "Hey, I'm getting bigger here - it feels like an upgrade". Testing out brand synergies could work to great success as well as there being a cultivating of niche audiences that are primed for what the studio and the advertisers might do next. It is important not to burn it out by abusing the trust with people - but they want more.. It is the job of marketers to figure out how to orchestrate that "moreness". Thinking beyond the channel app and seeing the people who get excited about the possibilities and working to link stuff up so that emotional connection happens for them.
I am constantly integrating a cinema perspective to the way I plan brands. In speaking on the topic of brand placement and integration in consumer experience, I described the process of managing these new strategies as similar in how one manages the career/brand of a good character actor. The example I have used in the past was Christian Bale, but an interview with Alec Baldwin on 60 minutes this Sunday made the connection for me again. It was something he said. Good character acting is.. "learning to listen to the other actors". I think this says a lot. How often do brands imagine themselves as the leading man - only to realize that this position leaves them looking like a hollow talking head and disconnected from the scenes they wish to live in. Brands need to channel the authenticity that comes from listening - the art of character acting - and cultivate a meaningful position in the mise-en-scene. That is the formula for better experiences.
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