Today, the ubiquity of "cloud" and its computing, platform and infrastructure opportunities are offering new ways of offering value to consumers from both a business to consumer (B2C) or a business to business (B2B) perspective. Consuming content via the cloud is not new - we have in the last couple of decades been accessing data and applications via private networks (via VPNs, EDI etc) and later public networks (via the Internet). However, it is the increasing (need for) digitisation of contents and pervasive mobility offered via low-cost PCs, tablets and smartphones or mobile devices, which is leveling the playing field in terms of availing the media creation and consumption globally - bringing forth the new order of Digital Life. A recent article which I came across "Digital cloud devours our books, CDs, DVDs, photos" evidenced the changing content consumption behavior with the digital cloud.
So, how will today's cloud impact on tomorrow's digital life? I have put down the following 3 areas for further discussion.
(1) Big Data becomes Action Data
- 1 of the 2012 trends I highlighted in my earlier post was Data Science.
- Operators, over-the-top (OTT) players and other ecosystem players start collaborating in various forms and work to reach their (global, local) glocal customers.
- From cloud, voice and big data, petabytes of customers' consumption data will be turned into shared insights and soon, customers could get told of what they would want next - cool huh?
(2) Building Symbiotic Ecosystems
- Through partnerships and collaborations, content partners become excited with their soon global, regional, local (i.e. glocal) play and cross-platform reach.
- The value chain of media-commerce-data start getting stitched together in the digital life ecosystem.
- Ecosystem players develop a symbiotic cross-platform play in mobile (from feature phones to smartphones to tablets), broadband (PC, Ultrabooks), TV (with triple play!) as well as retail and other associative online (eShop, social media, online portal) touch-points.
And the beauty of it? The ecosystem could be scaled in the cloud - be it public or private.
(3) Connecting People to a new World of Entertainment
And the most beautiful part?
The Digital Life ecosystem will be developing transmedia offers with ancillary product and revenue opportunities in packaging mobile games, trading cards, ebooks, print books (via screenplays), movies, VOD, DVDs, online communities, celebrity endorsements, TV shows ... you get the drift.
Here are some examples:
- "Adventures of Tin Tin" (from graphic novel to screenplay movie, novel)
- Animal Kaiser trading card game - see pic above.
- mobile social games from Gree.
And yeah, marketing and selling becomes loads more fun than before! Have a look at how a popular Gree mobile social game Doliland (which is making a tune of US$50million/mth in Japan!) is being promoted via TVCs with a local Japanese band.
What are your thoughts on what the new Digital Life will herald?
talk soon,
Nelson Wee
engage with me via @nelsonwee
I wrote about the growing opportunities in mobile social games, especially in Asia recently in my post "3 things you may not know about mobile social games". Now it appears that social games in PC and in mobile from the juggernaut of Social Networks, Facebook, will be gathering its much anticipated momentum with its recent announcement.
In recent days this week, news of Facebook's collaboration with Bango (Bango integrates to operators' billing systems) has broken out. It's probably about time - given:
- more than 800m Facebook members
- more than 425m who are accessing Facebook mobile
- about 30% Facebook members play the social games in Facebook (below pic from Smurfs' Village Facebook page)
- huge opportunities awaiting further explosive growth from the emerging markets, e.g. in South East Asia where Social Networks like Facebook are accessed largely via mobile devices.
When one reads more into the consumption habits of Facebook social gamers, would you ever guess?
"while younger people are the ones spending more time on games, they are not the group with the highest propensity to purchase virtual goods. Just 10 per cent of 18-25 year olds bought virtual goods, compared to 70 per cent of those aged 45+"
The above was supported by an article in the 29th February 2012 edition of Singapore's Straits Times Digital Life section "Paying for 'free' Facebook games" where the writer, Oo Gin Lee, was scratching his head why his 48 year old sister is playing the Smurf's Village game, got hooked and started buying the smurfberries! She even invited him to join her game so that he could help water her crops!
What has your experience been like with the people around you who are playing social games?
Look forward to connect with you,
See My Profile: Nelson Wee
Engage with me at twitter: @nelsonwee
