It's like trying to sell ice creams to eskimos - do you go for depth and variety of your content catalogue or stick to the sickly seasonal or monthly favourites … you can be damned either way.
What I'm thinking is that most mobile content sales via WAP are dominated by the operator portals, but you invariably find that top downloads page will have the Star Wars March, Axel F and something from Guns n Roses (AC/DC). It's a nightmare … we focus on getting customers access to the best stuff, we focus on improving search and still all they want is Wham - Last Christmas I Gave You My Heart.
I think there is a way around this, the back catalogue is needed to give depth and presence (oh and to make us feel proud that we can select from a possible catalogue of 500,000+ FTMD or Realtones, Videotones, etc), but do we need the Top Download chart to be only 1 click away? Keep the top charts list (like all good record stores), keep the new entries list, but please kill the downloads chart.
But if you want to keep that top download page then you don’t need a deep catalogue, stop and focus on What’s Hot and What’s New. Let other content providers bring their catalogue to market (via your portal or offnet) … what’s it going to be ???
All Operators are looking at their off portal strategy - H3GUK tries to bring focus on one with their Mobile Sites and other operators are looking at how to enable micro payments (other than reverse / premium SMS).
Think about it … kill the download chart or keep the content?
January 11, 2006 at 12:41 pm
Good stuff / thoughts
The problem with existing “portals” like Vodafone Live!, T-Zones etc. is that they are too generic for long term use. (By repeat users).
Imagine if Microsoft tried to deliver a “single” PC desktop or home page for everybody.
Just like your web home page or PC desktop, you personalize the home screen to where you want it to point.
I’m a pilot so I point links to pilot forums and feeds. I also link to my friends blogs etc. etc.
I think the same is coming to mobile, but interestingly it can’t be done by a Mobile Operator, because they can only serve a small slice of any demographic. The solutions have to be cross-operator - and I’m sure there will be many in the next year or so.
February 1, 2006 at 7:47 pm
Hi Damien!
I was reading your blog and I think that your posts are fantastic!
I totaly agree with your point of view in this topic and if in Europe happens thinks like that, imagine in Brazil…
I’m Content Manager of Samba Mobile Latin America. We are the biggest mobile games developer and today we work with all GSM Operators in Brazil and big carriers in Chile, Chile, Venezuela and Argentina (including an office there).
This topic should be sent to all those people who takes care of the portals, then I believe they would understand better this kind of market..
I hope we can have more excellent topics like that
Cheers
February 2, 2006 at 6:09 pm
Hi,
My name is Gustavo Caetano and I’m from Samba Mobile in Brazil. Our company provide mobile games for almost all GSM carriers in Latin America. Over here we see the same problems with operator’s catalogue. Too much games but the first menu item is TOP Games with Gameloft and EA games. I sugested for Claro to create one random homepage like Games of the Week to help other games to go up. But they continue with TOP games home page.
Congratulations for your blog!
Cheers
Gustavo Caetano