Interpret
New Media Measure™ Interpretations
fanDNA
fanDNA: Measuring Celebrities and Brands Beyond Awareness and Likeability (November 2011)
Catalyst: The relationship between brand and celebrity has permanent, franchise-altering effects for both parties. Yet, many high-impact decisions are being made on “gut” instinct instead of being weighed carefully with rigorous research and precise insight.
Core questions:
How has the relationship between brands and celebrities evolved?
Are awareness and likeability metrics the best gauges of celebrity influence?
What other factors do brands and celebrities need to weigh in choosing a partner?
Digital Media
Online TV: Competitor or Complement to Traditional TV? (October 2011)
Catalyst:
As more consumers flock online for their television consumption, there are now more services available, offering streamers more content than ever before. And as television streaming continues to grow, content owners and distributors continue to worry about the future of the industry. But are online streaming services a true source of worry or do they provide an opportunity to further enhance the industry?
Core Questions:
How has television consumption changed in the past year?
Where are consumers getting their online television content?
Where is the television industry headed?
To purchase the report, click here.
Streaming Music: Will It Replace the CD and the MP3? (July 2011)
Catalyst:
With the recent launch of Spotify in the US, the imminent launch of iCloud and the success of Pandora, streaming music is being hyped as the next big thing, poised to usurp digital files as the listening method of choice. Can these services make an impact, and who will be successful when the hype dies down?
Core Questions:
How ubiquitous is music streaming?
Are the days of the mp3 numbered?
How can streaming services maximize their opportunity?
To purchase the report, click here.
The State of Internet-Connected Living Rooms (June 2011)
Catalyst:
The battle for supremacy in the "Internet-connected living room" has been raging for two decades, which has produced a wide array of in-home entertainment options for consumers. Consumers demanded choice and control - now that they have it, are they making the most of it, and are the companies delivering those services optimizing their opportunities with consumers?
Core Questions:
What is the current state of the Internet-connected living room?
How do consumers use their Internet-connected devices in the household?
How will the Internet-connected living room evolve?
To purchase the report, click here.
The Transmedia Embrace (April 2011)
The media landscape has evolved rapidly over the past decade given the myriad options of new media and technology available to consumers. As these emerging platforms proliferate and gain adoption among consumers, marketers are struggling to understand how to effectively leverage this new media. Adding to marketers’ dilemma is the prevailing wisdom, being promulgated by many in Silicon Valley, that consumers are shifting their behaviors away from traditional forms of entertainment and communication. But, is this actually occurring?
Beyond the Theater: Moviegoers and Other Media (December 2010)
In early 2010, Avatar became the highest grossing movie in history. The surge of 3D movie releases, along with several highly anticipated sequels, put 2010 on the track to becoming a record-breaking box office year (though it eventually fell short). Yet with escalating ticket prices and constantly evolving home theater technology, will consumers start abandoning the theater?
Beyond the Theater: Moviegoers and Other Media -
TV Everywhere Revisited: How Distributors, Advertisers and Content Owners Should Respond to Consumer Trends (October 2010)
Catalyst: In the past year, there has been a major push by several online streaming sites and services to gain a foothold in the burgeoning market for online TV/Movie viewing. At the same time, more and more devices—from video game consoles to smartphones to tablet computers—have the ability to stream content. With the plethora of services and devices now available, are consumers adopting and have services embraced the “everywhere” concept?
Core questions:
Is the increase in online viewership necessarily a loss for linear distribution?
Will consumers accept ad-supported TV Everywhere business models?
How should online distributors respond to increasing demand for streaming?
The Rise of Social Commerce: What Major Online Retailers Can Learn From the Flash Sale and Collective Buying Movement (September 2010)
Catalyst: In an uncertain economy, consumers are tightening their belts and many are starting to turn to the Internet to find ways to save money with printable coupons, flash sales and group-discount newsletters like Groupon.
Core questions:
How is the economy affecting consumer shopping behavior?
What are the benefits of utilizing flash sales and collective buying?
What can large retailers learn from the flash sale movement?
3D State of the Union: Are Consumers Ready for 3D in the Home? (August 2010)
Catalyst: According to the International 3D Society, one-third of box office revenue was derived from 3D ticket sales in the past year. With audiences clearly demanding 3D content in the theater, what is the opportunity for home 3D?
Core questions:
What are the drivers and inhibitors of home 3D?
How strong is consumer purchase intent for 3D technologies?
What are consumers’ preferred types of 3D content?
Despite Industry Fears, Consumer Spending Cuts Do Not Impact Piracy (July 2010)
Catalyst: Filesharing is always a concern for content creators and providers, but a volatile economy gives rise to worries that more consumers will turn to piracy more frequently as a means of avoiding paying for entertainment. Are these concerns valid, and can these companies do anything to mitigate the effects of filesharing?
Core questions:
How is the economy affecting entertainment purchasing?
Is the economy having an effect on piracy?
What steps can content producers and providers take to mitigate piracy?
Getting Mom to the Movies (July 2010)
Catalyst: While moms are a highly desirable demographic audience for a number of categories, such as consumer packaged goods, casual restaurants and retail, they are often not the primary focus for Hollywood marketers.
Core questions:
What are moms’ attitudes towards online media consumption?
What strategies should Hollywood pursue to market to moms?
The Era of Mass Social Communication: Leveraging User-Generated Status Updates to Maximize ROI (May 2010)
Catalyst: Real-time status updates are relatively new on the social network landscape, but who’s best positioned to use these updates in their social media strategy?
Core questions:
Are status updates gaining traction on social networks?
What do social-networkers talk about in their status updates?
How can companies leverage status updates more effectively in their social-media strategy?
Hulu’s Biggest Challenge: Netflix or “TV Everywhere”? (April 2010)
Catalyst: With the merger of Comcast and NBC-Universal, Hulu’s ad-supported model and Comcast’s “TV Everywhere” may have to coexist. Will one model win out, or will Netflix reap the rewards?
Core questions:
What types of content do consumers view on Hulu and Netflix?
Is Netflix really Hulu’s biggest competitor?
Why do consumers stream TV shows?
Privacy Perimeters: Not All Consumer Data Is Created Equal (March 2010)
Catalyst: As the boundaries of public and private social media spaces are increasingly blurred, consumer willingness to share personal information reveals distinct patterns.
Core questions:
What personal information are social network users willing to share?
Is there a generational privacy divide?
How can marketers avoid privacy pitfalls?
Unemployment's Online Presence: How is Social Media Being Leveraged For Professional Opportunities? (February 2010)
Catalyst: Many job seekers use online resources for their job hunt, but how are social networks impacting their search?
Core questions:
How can social media be leveraged to help companies identify top-level candidates?
What should employers look for when evaluating a candidate's online presence?
How is the role of social networking sites evolving in today’s media ecosystem?
Streaming Music: Will a Viable Business Model Emerge? (January 2010)
Catalyst: Music streaming has yet to challenge downloads (iTunes) for digital music dominance, yet a number of companies, including Lala, Pandora and Spotify, have been gaining in hype and popularity, if not in revenue. Is there a business model for streaming that can make everyone happy, including consumers?
Core questions:
What is the current landscape of music streaming?
Will streaming cannibalize downloading or other means of music consumption?
How can streaming sites better appeal to consumers?
Social Networks in the Palm of Your Hand: How Mobile Devices are Transforming Social Media (December 2009)
Catalyst: Consumers are increasingly using mobile devices to access social networking sites, but is this trend affecting the way social networks are being used?
Core questions:
What does the current mobile social networking environment look like and who are the major players?
Do the needs and behaviors of mobile and desktop social networkers differ or is mobile social networking just desktop social networking on-the-go?
How can companies leverage the evolving mobile social networks to achieve their business objectives?
Simultaneous Release: Can Movie Studios Offer Films Across Distribution Channels at the Same Time Without Cannibalizing Audiences? (November 2009)
Catalyst: With DVD sales sliding and digital distribution becoming more popular, film studios are increasingly experimenting with their movies’ release windows across each distribution channel, perhaps eventually moving toward a universal day-and-date release strategy. How will a simultaneous release window likely affect existing consumer audiences for each distribution outlet?
Core questions:
How have the exclusive release windows for feature films been eroding over time?
How will consumers likely be affected by the ultimate in release window collapse: the simultaneous release of a title across all distribution channels?
How can studios and other content owners take advantage of a simultaneous release for maximum profitability without cannibalizing existing audiences of any one distribution channel?
Social Networks: The Next Frontier of Online Movie Promotion (November 2009)
Catalyst: People who are active on social networking websites are a prime audience for advertisers, but what are the most effective ways for movie studios to reach this audience?
Core questions:
What impact do social networks have on traditional online movie promotion?
Does movie consumption among social networkers differ from those who do not regularly engage with social networks?
How should studios target their audiences on social networks?
Will Blu-ray Reach A Tipping Point This Holiday Season (November 2009)
Catalyst: Blu-ray adoption has been extremely protracted, despite the end of the format wars nearly two years ago. Will the introduction of sub-$100 players this holiday season finally catapult greater adoption of Blu-ray, or will it continue to stall as the format faces challenges from HD streaming services?
Core questions:
What are the barriers to widespread penetration of Blu-ray?
Will the introduction of players priced under $100 finally spur consumer adoption?
Advertising on Viral Videos: More Beneficial than Regular Streaming Clips? (October 2009)
Catalyst: YouTube recently announced that it will increase advertising on uploaded short-form videos, hoping to better monetize those that ultimately go viral. Are advertisements placed in conjunction with viral clips worthwhile?
Core questions:
How is YouTube planning to monetize viral videos?
How do viral videos compare to overall streaming short clips when serving as hosts for online advertising?
How can advertisers capitalize on viral videos to better reach their target audience?
Social Media Evangelists and Digital Word-of-Mouth: Engaging Your Online Customer Base to Convert Sales (October 2009)
Catalyst: The social media landscape enables any customer to become an evangelist for their favorite brands, but who are these social media evangelists?
Core questions:
Is the concept of online customer feedback changing with social networks?
Are evangelists more likely to engage with companies through social networking websites?
What can companies do to engage their online customers and convert new ones?
The New 3D: Moving From Theater to Home (October 2009)
Catalyst: At theaters, there’s no shortage of 3D content. It has reinvigorated the film industry, boosted box office receipts and has given consumers a reason to go back to the big screen. The upcoming release of Avatar has once again spurred hope in the home 3D marketplace. But what does the growth of 3D content in the theater mean for the home video consumer?
Core questions:
Will home 3D television sets become a reality?
What hurdles do entertainment and hardware companies face to mainstream adoption of 3D in the home?
Consumers Becoming Producers: Social Influencers Are Increasingly Participating in Online Video Distribution (September 2009)
Catalyst: The dividing line between media consumption and production is eroding as culture becomes more and more configurable. The digitization of media allows users to create, re-configure, re-mix and share music, video, images and even video games. Video consumption is no longer a passive act, as audiences increasingly play the role of producer as well.
Core questions:
How is the distinction between consumer and producer evolving?
Are “influencers” both active online video consumers and producers?
Social Networks and Video Sharing: An Untapped Opportunity for Marketers (September 2009)
Catalyst: Video is now social media, as consumers increasingly record, upload and share both professional and user-generated content. But what is the relationship between active social networkers and video consumption?
Core questions:
Are heavy video consumers also influencers?
Are video sharing site users more likely to engage with brands and products?
"TV Everywhere": Will Consumers Accept a Cable-Based Model for Online Streaming? (August 2009)
Catalyst: As ad-supported, streaming TV shows become ubiquitous, cable providers are moving to tie online content access to paid cable subscriptions. Can such a model finally monetize online TV?
Core questions:
What does the current online TV environment look like and what current distribution models already exist?
What is the overlap between cable/satellite subscribers and online TV show streamers, and how will each group likely react to the ‘TV Everywhere’ ‘service?
How can ‘TV Everywhere’ appeal to consumers without alienating those used to watching TV online for free with minimal commercials, and what types of content should the service offer to compete with DVRs and other alternatives?
Redefining Customer Service in the Web 2.0 World: Twitter’s Effect on Social Media Engagement (August 2009)
Catalyst: Twitter usage is exploding right now, but how is Twitter affecting user engagement with other social networking sites?
Core questions:
What role does Twitter play in the social networking universe?
Does Twitter decrease their engagement with other social media activities?
Are Twitter users more susceptible to brand engagement on social networks?
Streaming and Downloadable Video: Understanding and Profiling the Shift from the TV to Other Screens (July 2009)
Catalyst: Consumers are increasingly watching video on their computers, laptops and other digital devices, while television audiences are dwindling. At the same time, content companies are struggling to find the optimal delivery strategy for their video.
Core questions:
How do consumers prefer to watch video?
Where do consumers find or access streaming and downloadable video content?
What are the consequences for ad-supported business models? For subscription models?
Illegal Downloaders: Tapping an “Out of the Box” Market Segment to Drive Revenues (June 2009)
Catalyst: As downloading continues to eat away at CD sales, the music industry should take greater steps to use illegal downloaders to their advantage.
Core questions:
Are illegal downloaders paying for music at all?
How else are illegal downloaders consuming music?
How can the music industry turn illegal downloaders into assets?
Music/Rhythm/Singing Video Games: Are Music Games Impacting Music Sales? (May 2009)
Catalyst: While music industry sales are down, music-based video games such as Guitar Hero and Rock Band have been thriving. Are these games helping or hurting the music industry?
Core questions:
How do music gamers interact with music outside of these games?
Are music games replacing CDs and downloads as a means of engaging with music?
How can the music industry and the music game publishers benefit from cross-promotion?
Mobile Music: Will Music Phones Replace the MP3 Player? (April 2009)
Catalyst: Music capable phones have grown in sophistication and market penetration, raising the question of when, if ever, mobile phones will displace dedicated mp3 players.
Core questions:
How do music phones and mp3 players differ in technology sophistication?
How do consumers differ in their usage of mp3 players vs. music phones?
How must vendors evolve dedicated mp3 players to compete with music phones?
Mobile Music: Will Music Phones Replace the MP3 Player? -
Games
iPad Gamers: A Look at the Users of Gaming’s Shiny New Toy (August 2011)
Catalyst:
As iPad sales continue unabated, and gaming continues to grow as a key function of the device, gaming’s future could belong to those who first grasp the nature of the iPad gamer. Will the iPad erode traditional home and handheld console use, cannibalize mobile phone gaming, and/or grow a new user base?
Core Questions:
Who are iPad gamers?
Among iPad gamers, who is spending money?
What is the significance of the iPad gamer to the gaming industry?
To purchase the report, click here.
Games and Girls: Video Gaming’s Ignored Audience (May 2011)
The Amphi-Gamer: The Importance of Core Console Gamers to Social Gaming (April 2011)
As the social games market flags on key metrics such as monthly active users (MAU) and daily active users (DAU), the nascent industry can respond in several ways. It can chalk up the decline to concept fatigue, accepting that social games have reached maximum exposure and are now consolidating around a loyal core while tire-kickers disappear from the lot. The industry can also obsess over Facebook’s policy shift last year which narrowed social games’ channels for viral promotion, and try to reclaim that lost momentum by developing alternate methods for boosting the virality of their titles. For social games to truly make good on their still-immense promise, however, they must carefully examine different consumer segments and identify those most likely to sustain the growth of social games, both among their current users and beyond, and create content that caters to the unique needs of each segment. The industry has grown to a point where Wal-Mart and Whole Foods can coexist. A handful of social game developers have followed this approach and begun to focus on games that appeal more to gamers who enjoy core genres. Notable among these developers are Kabam and IGG, which offer Facebook gamers strategy and fantasy MMO games, respectively. In the meantime, many traditional console publishers such as EA and Ubisoft continue to refine their social gaming strategy, aiming to provide their core audience cross-platform content while attracting new players to their IP. The wisdom of their gambit is well borne out by recent data from Interpret’s New Media Measure™.
The Amphi-Gamer: The Importance of Core Console Gamers to Social Gaming
Nintendo 3DS: Fighting For Pocket Share (February 2011)
Nintendo’s new handheld gaming device, the 3DS, is all the rage. Its no-glasses 3D feature is the first of its kind, and as part of a successful line of gaming handhelds that has performed so well in the past, the 3DS shows promise of similar success. However, with the release of several other handheld devices planned for 2011, how will this new device impact the handheld gaming market?
Nintendo 3DS: Fighting For Pocket Share -
The Phone Gaming Revolution: Do the PSP and DS Stand a Chance? (November 2010)
Phones—most particularly smartphones, including the iPhone—have taken mobile gaming by storm. How has non-phone handheld gaming fared in light of this?
The Phone Gaming Revolution: Do the PSP and DS Stand a Chance? -
gCommerce: The Gamification of eCommerce (October 2010)
Catalyst: Over the past decade, video games have progressed as one of the most dominant forms of entertainment and engagement, and the industry has indisputably broken out of its heritage audience of “hardcore video gamer” into the general population via casual games and social games. The definition of “gamer” has broadened substantially into a “Gamer2.0.” In the process, many game environments have evolved into articulate and highly profitable “virtual economies” with virtual currencies and the attendant “sources and sinks” for players to earn value and burn (spend) that earned value. Now the inverse is occurring. Game mechanics are infecting and integrating into real-world economies—especially commerce, e-commerce and loyalty programs—and “gamer2.0” is responding. Retailers and eTailers are being advantaged by gamified engagement, loyalty and reward techniques.
Core questions:
Who is Gamer2.0?
Who are “Shopping Gamers” and why should we be striving to engage them?
What does it mean to “gameify”?
How does targeting Shopping Gamers help etailers and retailers?
Is Digital Distribution Really Reshaping the Gaming Industry? (August 2010)
Catalyst: Digital distribution of video games, or the delivery of game titles and content without physical component, continues to evolve alongside traditional distribution channels, particularly on the PC platform. Both game publishers and retailers are streeling themselves for the radical and highly disruptive effects of increased digital distribution adoption, but is the game market really transforming as rapidly as assumed?
Core questions:
How many gamers actually download games digitally, on what platforms are they doing so, and what shape is growth taking?
Are there differences between digital distribution by platform?
Do digitally distributed games spell radical shifts for the retail environment, or can both channels coexist?
Used-Games: Profiting From A Secondary Sales Marketplace (May 2010)
Catalyst: One of the hot-button topics in the $50 billion global gaming industry today is the proliferation of used-game sales at brick-and-mortar retailers, and the possible loss of revenue to game publishers and developers, especially during times of economic uncertainty. As the cost of current- generation console game development increases and retail prices remain stagnant, game developers and publishers are now competing for scarce shelf space with used games at retailers.
Core questions:
Who buys used games? What are the attributes of used game buyers?
How can game developers and publishers profit from the secondary sales?
Social Networking Games' New Audience (April 2010)
Catalyst: Over the past twelve months, social network games have exploded in popularity and now boast over 50 million players in North America and the United Kingdom. Facebook.com has become recognized as a legitimate, albeit unexpected, alternative gaming platform, and furthermore, has attracted an audience of players that do not play any other type of video game. These social network game-only players are a unique audience, distinct from gamers on more traditional platforms, such as current-generation console owners, or even players of PC-based casual games.
Core questions:
Who are social game players?
How are social game players distinct from traditional game players?
Do social game players provide an opportunity for developers and marketers?
Teens and Advertising in Games: Rewards Are Key To Interaction (April 2010)
Catalyst: Teens are a lucrative but elusive market for advertisers. Marketers struggle to target and communicate with this segment of the game playing audience.
Core questions:
How receptive to advertising are teen gamers?
What types of games are the best platforms for reaching teen consumers?
Full House: The Reasons Behind and Consequences of Multiple Console Ownership (February 2010)
Catalyst: Ownership of multiple gaming systems and its impact on play and purchase behavior is top-of-mind for most game publishers.
Core questions:
How prevalent are multi-console households?
Who, specifically, owns which combinations of consoles?
Do console ownership groups inform and guide genre preference, thereby impacting game development and marketing?
Guns, Guitars, and Getting in Shape: Game Genre Preference Across Platforms (January 2010)
Catalyst: New types of games thrived in 2009, including both young genres (Music-Rhythm) and brand-new ones (Fitness). How do gamers divide their attention among various game types, and which types are gaining—or losing—popularity?
Core questions:
What type of games are console owners playing on their various systems?
How have recently popular game genres (Music-Rhythm, Fitness) affected the overall distribution of preference among both “core” and comparatively casual gamers?
Are there any indications of how genre preference will continue to evolve in 2010?
Video Games in a Recovering Economy: How the Recession Has Shifted Consumers’ Approach to Console and Handheld Videogame Purchasing (October 2009)
Catalyst: The US is on the path to recovering from one of the worst recessions in history, and American consumerism has been drastically impacted. The gaming industry is not immune to these changes, and consumers have changed how they get their hands on games that they want to play.
Core questions:
How has videogame purchasing volume changed from before the recession?
How are consumers approaching videogame purchases differently?
How should retailers change their strategies to satisfy customers in the post-recession economy?
Connected Consoles: An Enduring Growth Engine (September 2009)
Catalyst: Given a longer gaming hardware cycle for current-generation consoles, recent decreases in year-over-year hardware sales, and lower retail game sales accompanied by growing digital-sale revenue, the three major-player console manufacturers must discover modes through which to continue to engage consumers and further monetize their consoles.
Core questions:
To what degree do current-generation console owners connect their device to the Internet?
How does online gaming behavior vary across consoles? Do console owners make use of online gaming features?
Have consumers embraced the non-gaming online features of current-gen consoles? How important are multimedia features to the success of the respective current-gen consoles?
iPhone Gaming: Is Apple Disrupting the Handheld Gaming Market? (July 2009)
Catalyst: The rapid success of gaming applications on the iPhone and iPod Touch has legitimized the devices as true handheld gaming platforms, threatening the long-standing industry standard Nintendo DS and the Sony PlayStation Portable. Has the iTunes App Store permanently changed handheld gaming?
Core questions:
Where do iPhone apps fit into the spectrum of handheld gaming?
How do the iPhone and iPod Touch compare to the next generation of traditional handheld gaming devices?
How will the iPhone and iTunes App Store affect the opportunities for success in the handheld gaming marketplace?
The Death of the PC as a Gaming Platform? Evolving Hardware in a New Age of Gaming, and What it Means for Publishers, Developers, and Vendors (June 2009)
Core questions:
What are the substantive differences between consoles and PCs that will form the foundation for the success—or failure—of the PC as a gaming platform?
Will the PC finally be replaced as a gaming platform by this—or the next—generation of console hardware?
What can developers and PC vendors do to capitalize on the differences between the console and PC platforms?
The Future of Console Cycles: A Mid-Life Assessment of the Seventh Generation of Gaming Hardware (June 2009)
Core questions:
Where are we in the game console cycle? Is this generation almost over, halfway through, or something else?
Has the video game industry really broadened its scope beyond the “core” male audience? What impact will this have on the console life cycles?
How can developers and console manufacturers be successful over the next generational transition?
Mobile
Geo-Social Consumers: Inverting Privacy Perimeters (June 2010)
Catalyst: GPS-enabled smartphones have spawned the emergence of geo-located applications that allow users to share their location with friends and strangers. While these applications have gained a great deal of attention from the press, they have yet to reach mainstream acceptance.
Core questions:
What is the difference between geo-search and geo-social applications?
What are the attributes of geo-social users? How do they differ in their privacy concerns from overall social networkers?
How can companies better engage with geo-social app users?
Mobile Advertising Wars: Does Brand Even Matter Anymore? (April 2010)
Catalyst: Mobile brands are fighting on television, on blogs and in retail to gain buzz and market share among consumers. However, perennial powerhouses are now competing with new upstarts and leaders are upgrading their signature handsets on an annual basis to maintain momentum. The signs point to a new order: there are key features that might have more weight with consumers than brand.
Core questions:
What is the most important factor in driving smartphone owners’ phone purchase?
To what extent does the operating system play a role in the phone purchase?
How should carriers tailor their marketing to better balance these purchase triggers?
Are Smartphone Owners The Sweet Spot For Social Networks? (March 2010)
Catalyst: Increasingly, social networkers are multi-platform, moving seamlessly between their PC and phone.
Core questions:
How much more engaged are smartphone and messaging phone owners in social networking than basic and non-cell phone owners?
What types of activities are smartphone and messaging phone owners most likely to be engaged in on a social network?
Mobile Satisfaction: Consumer Satisfaction High Despite Carrier Control (February 2010)
Catalyst: Mobile consumer satisfaction becomes increasingly important as carriers face stiff competition and consumers are lured with strong incentives to switch providers.
Core questions:
To what extent are consumers satisfied with their mobile carriers?
How do the satisfaction rates of prepaid and post-paid carriers compare?
What factors most strongly influence a consumer’s purchasing process
Minding the Gender Gap: Leveraging Texting Plans and Mobile Handsets to Drive Consumer Satisfaction and Momentum (January 2010)
Catalyst: Manufacturers and service providers increased production of multimedia handsets and smartphones significantly over the 2009 period. The trend led industry analysts to believe the current period offered a wide enough range of advanced handsets to bolster the overall carrier experience. The 2008 and 2009 comparison figures reveal a different story.
Core questions:
What effect has the emergence of smartphones played on consumers’ overall satisfaction?
How have the designs and marketing campaigns of the leading smartphones potentially created a gender gap in carrier satisfaction?
How can carriers optimize consumer satisfaction beyond teenagers with their 2010 portfolios and marketing collateral?
Examining This Season’s Dark Horse: How Motorola Used Its Perceived Weaknesses to Its Advantage with the Droid (November 2009)
Catalyst: The initial launch and subsequent commotion of the Motorola Droid surprised the industry at large. Its strong awareness and reception from smartphone buyers suggests that the revived brand took a unique approach to establishing itself in a new market beyond the extensive marketing campaign.
Core questions:
What key consumer preferences allowed the Droid to thrive within the Verizon customer base?
How did Motorola leverage conflicting perceptions of its brand to best position the Droid?
To what extent should vendors partner with carriers when planning the product portfolio?
Signature Smartphone Owners in the Era of “Me, Myself and I” (October 2009)
Catalyst: Manufacturers have introduced a wide range of personalization options which have been enthusiastically embraced by signature smartphone owners. What bears a deeper understanding is the relationship between specific handsets and the type of customization experience their owners favor the most.
Core questions:
To what extent do consumers personalize their signature smartphones?
What customization options are most popular?
What can vendors learn from signature smartphone owners and their customization preferences?
The Tortoise(s) and the Hare: Examining the True Potential of Today's Smartphones (September 2009)
Catalyst: Carriers want to provide a signature smartphone that could simultaneously increase loyalty as well as bring in new customers. While recent signature smartphones were released with great fanfare, the perception is that none of them triggered a shift in consumer affinity or carrier anxiety towards the iPhone brand.
Core questions:
To what extent have consumers embraced different mobile handsets for key social and media activities?
Which smartphones are best for creating a balance between loyalty and defection?
How might certain age groups shed light on which brands have a stronger foundation for future success?
Signature Smartphones: Gaining Mindshare in Order to Gain Market Share (August 2009)
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Getting the Price Right – Navigating the Mobile Phone Price Ceiling (July 2009)
Catalyst: With the increase in features and capabilities available with today’s smartphones, consumers have approached the sales process with conflicting views on the right price point. While the current economic environment is influencing their budgets, consumers are revealing that the most prized smartphones on the market can be deserving of a higher price tier.
Core questions:
What is the gap between what consumers expect to pay versus what they think a smartphone should cost?
How can vendors ensure that key smartphones are given the pricing leverage they need to sell in the marketplace?
Is there a price ceiling in the mobile phone space and does it have implications on the subsidy debate?
The Rule of Three—Understanding How Convergent Devices Can Help Vendors Triumph Over Consumers’ Carrying Limitations (June 2009)
Catalyst: Vendors are marketing an array of mobile devices to consumers but there is a limit to how many consumers are willing to carry in total.
Core questions:
What is the role of the converged device?
How many devices will different consumers carry?
How should vendors be a part of the consumer mobile ecosystem?
The Pocket TV – Tapping into Smartphone Video Capabilities (May 2009)
Catalyst: With the increased availability of smartphones providing high-speed internet connections and large screens, consumers have gradually embraced mobile devices as being more than capable of providing a rich, media-intensive experience. However, the definitive format and management of the media content—particularly videos—is still in development.
Core questions:
How has mobile video consumption evolved?
To what extent have smartphone capabilities contributed to the increased acceptance of the mobile phones as viable platforms for watching videos?
How can content providers and online vendors maximize consumer interest in using mobile devices as key entertainment centers over televisions, gaming consoles or PCs?
The Age of Smartphones: Improving Consumer Satisfaction with the Introductory Sales Experience (April 2009)
