P2: Explain the changing media marketplace and how this has provided the opportunity for the proposed new product
Below is a moodboard of companies. Here is a list of what they are and what they do.
- IBM - Information technology company
- Canal+ - Television Channel
- Columbia Records - Record Label
- BBFC - Film classification company
- Netflix - VOD service
- Nvidia - Computer technology company
- Apple - Technology company
- Warner Bros. Pictures - Entertainment company
- YouTube - Online streaming service
- Myspace - Social networking company
Research into YouTube
I have decided to look into the history of YouTube. It was first launched in 2005 as a video-sharing website where users could upload and watch videos. YouTube has always been free to use but in recent years they have started renting movies on the platform as well as offering a paid subscription for exclusive content and videos. Google went on to purchase YouTube in 2006 and since then YouTube has grown into a video-sharing giant with 300 hours of video being uploaded to it every minute.
YouTube is now available all around the world and has a localised interface in 89 different countries. Through this we see that YouTube is very successful mainly due to the content on the platform. By providing the audience an empty canvas, YouTube was able to become exactly what the audience wanted. I think this would also apply to my app as I want it to fill a gap in the market and let the users decide what they will put on it. In addition to this, I think the fact that YouTube is mainly free also has a big part in it's success as users tend to gravitate to free services rather than paid ones. We can see an example of this when we look at YouTube's biggest competitor which is Vimeo. Although Vimeo is well established, it is far smaller than YouTube. I believe this is because Vimeo heavily pushes their paid subscription upon entering the site which I think works against their interest and disinterests a large portion of their audience.
The Changing Media Marketplace .
Due to the digital revolution, most media based companies have migrated their content to the internet. For example Netflix, who used to send out physical copies of films, has now become completely digital and online based due to market changing where customers no longer want to wait for their product but instead prefer services that offer products with a click of a button. Another example is YouTube. Although YouTube never created physical copies of videos shared on their website, they did however begin renting feature films in 2011 from production companies who wanted to distribute movies online. This shows that even companies who create physical copies, like Warner Bros, had to follow the media market change in order to make the most profit and to stay relevant. Netflix is also a good example when looking at services making people more lazy by providing content in a far more quick and easy way. Before services like Netflix, if you wanted to see a film you would have to go see it in a cinema or rent it out from a shop like BlockBusters. Since Netflix, it became standard that you can buy, rent or stream any film you want online. This makes things like trips to the cinema seem more like a hassle than a once rewarding pass time.
Due to the digital revolution happening quickly and recently, there have been many gaps in the market which were swiftly filled by new companies who saw the opportunity to do so. An example of this would be PayPal who saw that with many services become available online, that money transfer would soon be in demand too. Before PayPal online money transfers were less popular as PayPal was the first dedicated online money transfer service to be integrated with sites like eBay. When merging with eBay, PayPal was able to gain a large client base as it made purchasing items far easier and it's use was encouraged by the already established company, eBay.
Since the digital revolution, companies have changed the way they interact with their customers. We see this in the way that customers are able to reach out to companies far easier than ever. For example if you bought a product from ASDA and you had a complaint you could message them or post on their social media page like facebook and they would respond to you. This is far different than before the digital revolution where you'd have to go to a shop in person to make a complaint so you usually wouldn't bother to do so. Thanks to the digital revolution consumers are far more prone to complaining but companies are also given a platform where they can reply to complaints far easier. Companies are also able to portray themselves differently and give their brand a personality through social media. This can be seen with platforms like Twitter, where a company like ASDA often tweets things other than product advertising in order to build a client following and a relationship with the customer.
I also think that the companies around us are being shaped by customer demand. I think this is very clear when we look at the case of "Fine Brother Entertainment" who faced a huge backlash when they published a video on YouTube saying that they want to claim copyright on the term "React" when it is used in online video titles. After a huge public backlash the production company apologised for their video and reversed all claims on the term. This shows that customers can shape the companies around us thanks to the digital revolution as they are now able to publicly express their views and easily reach out to the companies in question.
All I have discussed to this point will, I believe, affect the way I create my app. I believe that I have identified a gap in the market and I should look at what the successful companies and apps did and learn from what the ones who failed. I think that due to the abundance of data and information I will be able to create an app the way I want it and market it affectively to the wider audience. Overall, I believe that my product will be shaped by the digital revolution as the digital revolution was shaped by customer demand and through research I have concluded that it is customer demand that shapes companies and products. By looking at the mistakes of other companies and looking at customer demand I will be able to shape my app to be as successful as it can be. I will do this by interacting with my customers through the app and social media itself so I can better understand what the audience wants to see in my app.
YouTube is now available all around the world and has a localised interface in 89 different countries. Through this we see that YouTube is very successful mainly due to the content on the platform. By providing the audience an empty canvas, YouTube was able to become exactly what the audience wanted. I think this would also apply to my app as I want it to fill a gap in the market and let the users decide what they will put on it. In addition to this, I think the fact that YouTube is mainly free also has a big part in it's success as users tend to gravitate to free services rather than paid ones. We can see an example of this when we look at YouTube's biggest competitor which is Vimeo. Although Vimeo is well established, it is far smaller than YouTube. I believe this is because Vimeo heavily pushes their paid subscription upon entering the site which I think works against their interest and disinterests a large portion of their audience.
The Changing Media Marketplace .
Due to the digital revolution, most media based companies have migrated their content to the internet. For example Netflix, who used to send out physical copies of films, has now become completely digital and online based due to market changing where customers no longer want to wait for their product but instead prefer services that offer products with a click of a button. Another example is YouTube. Although YouTube never created physical copies of videos shared on their website, they did however begin renting feature films in 2011 from production companies who wanted to distribute movies online. This shows that even companies who create physical copies, like Warner Bros, had to follow the media market change in order to make the most profit and to stay relevant. Netflix is also a good example when looking at services making people more lazy by providing content in a far more quick and easy way. Before services like Netflix, if you wanted to see a film you would have to go see it in a cinema or rent it out from a shop like BlockBusters. Since Netflix, it became standard that you can buy, rent or stream any film you want online. This makes things like trips to the cinema seem more like a hassle than a once rewarding pass time.
Due to the digital revolution happening quickly and recently, there have been many gaps in the market which were swiftly filled by new companies who saw the opportunity to do so. An example of this would be PayPal who saw that with many services become available online, that money transfer would soon be in demand too. Before PayPal online money transfers were less popular as PayPal was the first dedicated online money transfer service to be integrated with sites like eBay. When merging with eBay, PayPal was able to gain a large client base as it made purchasing items far easier and it's use was encouraged by the already established company, eBay.
Since the digital revolution, companies have changed the way they interact with their customers. We see this in the way that customers are able to reach out to companies far easier than ever. For example if you bought a product from ASDA and you had a complaint you could message them or post on their social media page like facebook and they would respond to you. This is far different than before the digital revolution where you'd have to go to a shop in person to make a complaint so you usually wouldn't bother to do so. Thanks to the digital revolution consumers are far more prone to complaining but companies are also given a platform where they can reply to complaints far easier. Companies are also able to portray themselves differently and give their brand a personality through social media. This can be seen with platforms like Twitter, where a company like ASDA often tweets things other than product advertising in order to build a client following and a relationship with the customer.
I also think that the companies around us are being shaped by customer demand. I think this is very clear when we look at the case of "Fine Brother Entertainment" who faced a huge backlash when they published a video on YouTube saying that they want to claim copyright on the term "React" when it is used in online video titles. After a huge public backlash the production company apologised for their video and reversed all claims on the term. This shows that customers can shape the companies around us thanks to the digital revolution as they are now able to publicly express their views and easily reach out to the companies in question.
All I have discussed to this point will, I believe, affect the way I create my app. I believe that I have identified a gap in the market and I should look at what the successful companies and apps did and learn from what the ones who failed. I think that due to the abundance of data and information I will be able to create an app the way I want it and market it affectively to the wider audience. Overall, I believe that my product will be shaped by the digital revolution as the digital revolution was shaped by customer demand and through research I have concluded that it is customer demand that shapes companies and products. By looking at the mistakes of other companies and looking at customer demand I will be able to shape my app to be as successful as it can be. I will do this by interacting with my customers through the app and social media itself so I can better understand what the audience wants to see in my app.
P3: Describe roles required to support the content within the planned proposal
When I create my app I will need someone to lead the project and be the visionary for it. This person would usually hold the title of the project manager or a strategist. This person would be responsible for leading the project in all aspects of it's creation. Therefor this person must have a very deep knowledge of the industry that the app is targeting as he will be responsible for the app's final outcome and whether the client brief has been met accordingly. They should also be good at multitasking because they will need to lead a whole team of people who will have various tasks which may be difficult to juggle at once.
Alongside the project manager there will also need to be a design lead and a design team. The design lead would be responsible for providing direction to the rest of the design team. This role also stops the project manager from being overworked with having to manage too many people. The design lead also works closely with the project manager whom with he makes sure the design team is working as expected. The design team itself would be responsible for the visual design of the app as well as the visual assets that come with it. The design team is responsible for choosing anything from colours in the app to the animations used within it. A design team is essential to creating an app as without them the app would appear very rough around the edges and the developers wouldn't have any direction for their work which is usually provided in the form of a specification given to them by the design team or the design lead.
After the design team create a specification for the app, the developers begin their work on creating it. The dev team usually has a lead as does the design team. The dev lead has a role of providing instructions to the dev team and is responsible for making sure that they are carrying out the appropriate tasks effectively. The dev lead is also responsible for relaying information back to the project manager about how his team is doing. The dev team is then responsible for developing the product, usually using a programming language. The dev team works alongside the designs that the design team passes on to them. The dev team also work together with the quality assurance team in order to fix any mistakes in the app and to roll out any updates that are necessary.
After the dev team are finished developing the product the quality assurance team tests out the app in order to look for any defects or errors. If any mistakes are found in the app then the quality assurance team relays that information to the quality assurance lead who then passes it on to the project manager who has the other teams fix whatever problems they are responsible for. The quality assurance team is essential in making an app because if the app was to be released unpolished and with errors and defects than the initial anticipation of launch could die down and the app would have missed it's chance to get an audience.
At the end of this whole process there would ideally be a Marketing team who would be responsible for advertising the app and actually getting it out there to the customers. This is an essential part of the team as the app will be designed to make profit and no profit can be made if there are no users on the app.
In conclusion, I think that the size of the design, developing and quality assurance teams depends on the emphasis that is placed on these sectors by the client who commissions the app to be made. If the budget is small then each team could only comprise of one team lead and no one else. I think also that as this will be a student project I won't able to have such a big team working on all aspects of the app however in the perfect world there would be a team leader and a team for every aspect of the apps creation in order to make the highest quality app possible
Alongside the project manager there will also need to be a design lead and a design team. The design lead would be responsible for providing direction to the rest of the design team. This role also stops the project manager from being overworked with having to manage too many people. The design lead also works closely with the project manager whom with he makes sure the design team is working as expected. The design team itself would be responsible for the visual design of the app as well as the visual assets that come with it. The design team is responsible for choosing anything from colours in the app to the animations used within it. A design team is essential to creating an app as without them the app would appear very rough around the edges and the developers wouldn't have any direction for their work which is usually provided in the form of a specification given to them by the design team or the design lead.
After the design team create a specification for the app, the developers begin their work on creating it. The dev team usually has a lead as does the design team. The dev lead has a role of providing instructions to the dev team and is responsible for making sure that they are carrying out the appropriate tasks effectively. The dev lead is also responsible for relaying information back to the project manager about how his team is doing. The dev team is then responsible for developing the product, usually using a programming language. The dev team works alongside the designs that the design team passes on to them. The dev team also work together with the quality assurance team in order to fix any mistakes in the app and to roll out any updates that are necessary.
After the dev team are finished developing the product the quality assurance team tests out the app in order to look for any defects or errors. If any mistakes are found in the app then the quality assurance team relays that information to the quality assurance lead who then passes it on to the project manager who has the other teams fix whatever problems they are responsible for. The quality assurance team is essential in making an app because if the app was to be released unpolished and with errors and defects than the initial anticipation of launch could die down and the app would have missed it's chance to get an audience.
At the end of this whole process there would ideally be a Marketing team who would be responsible for advertising the app and actually getting it out there to the customers. This is an essential part of the team as the app will be designed to make profit and no profit can be made if there are no users on the app.
In conclusion, I think that the size of the design, developing and quality assurance teams depends on the emphasis that is placed on these sectors by the client who commissions the app to be made. If the budget is small then each team could only comprise of one team lead and no one else. I think also that as this will be a student project I won't able to have such a big team working on all aspects of the app however in the perfect world there would be a team leader and a team for every aspect of the apps creation in order to make the highest quality app possible