Archive for the ‘Events’ Category

Vindicia’s Spring 2011 Webinar Series Kick-off

Wednesday, April 13th, 2011

We’re happy to announce that our Spring 2011 Webinar Series kicks off on Thursday, April 21. This season we’re covering hot issues, such as, how to sell digital content and avoid the 30% land grab that Apple and Facebook are taking from the pocketbooks of gaming and other digital content companies; ways to increase the lifetime of your subscribers; and optimizing your pricing and decide whether now is the right time to change pricing. In addition to our CEO, digital innovator Gene Hoffman, we have two other insightful guest speakers that will share their strategies and best practices as digital industry insiders. This Webinar Series cover the following topics:

Selling Online Content Without Giving Up 30% to Apple and Facebook with Vindicia CEO, Gene Hoffman

Three Ways to Increase Your Subscribers’ Lifetime Value with Editor of SubscriptionSiteInsider.com, Sean Donahue

Is Now the Right Time to Change Your Price? with PricingWire CEO, Chris Hopf

Please join us for our Vindicia 2011 Spring Webinar Series and register for these webinars. Additionally, if there are any other topics you’d like to see us cover in upcoming Webinars, please contact us with your suggestions and/or questions.

sjorglTags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted by Stephanie Jorgl in Best Practices, Events, Industry News, gaming | No Comments »

Observations From London

Wednesday, March 30th, 2011

Last week Gene and I participated in the Guardian Changing Media Summit that provided for a number of stimulating conversations.  I wanted to share what I learned during the course of the event and provide my own personal opinion on some of these issues as they apply to the world of digital content and services.

  • The continued growth of “linear” broadcast TV in the UK.  Apparently residents in the UK are watching more regular TV than ever before.  This is in stark contrast to the US where the growth of DVRs and services like Boxee are leading to time-shifting of traditional TV viewing as well as the phenomenon of cord-cutting.  Are the UK and the US fundamentally different in this regard, or do we expect the two regions to more closely align over time?  I suspect things will change once Netflix enters the UK market — not just because of the added competition to companies like LOVEFiLM — but because it may stimulate the shift from traditional TV viewing as broadband continues to take hold in the region.
  • The use of the word “paywall” in every speech and constant discussion of the NYTimes model.  Frankly, I dislike the word paywall.  It implies creating a rigid barrier between provider and consumer at a time when the media industry is desperately seeking ways to strengthen and lengthen customer relationships.  Rather than describing it as a wall of any type, companies should focus far more on the value of the service (that includes the content) to the consumer for which he or she is willing to pay some type of subscription fee.
  • The recognition that charging for regular news and content has as high a probability of success as I do of succeeding Queen Elizabeth.  While most commentary focused on the need to provide unique content, there were few discussions on the need for media companies to recast their value in terms of a service that highlights the reason for their existence, whether that service is in the realm of entertainment, education or something else.
  • Importantly, a week of seeing the sun after non-stop rain in the Bay Area.
Sanjay SarathyTags: , , , , ,
Posted by Sanjay Sarathy in Events, Industry News | No Comments »

The Guardian Changing Media Summit

Friday, March 18th, 2011

Next week Vindicia will be participating in the Guardian Changing Media Summit in London. We’re very excited about debating and sharing ideas on how media, content, broadcast and game publishers of all stripes can navigate the transition to digital business models.  As yesterday’s New York Times pricing announcement reveals, it’s still an open question as to what the right model should be to achieve what every media company cares about:  long-term customer loyalty.  Should it really cost more to get the standalone digital version versus the digital and print bundle? I’ve schlepped enough newsprint to the recycling bin…

Both my session and that of my colleague, Sanjay Sarathy, will focus on a variety of issues that our clients regularly face, including those related to business model decisions, the impact on customer retention, the context of demographics, and much more.  A recent online video provides some additional color on my views related to this area and while experimentation will undoubtedly continue, our existing clients like Boxee, Mind Candy, and Next Issue Media are proving the thesis that media companies who think about themselves as offering a service rather than just a paywall to content will be the ones who remain the digital leaders of tomorrow.

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Posted by Gene Hoffman in CEO Blog, Events | No Comments »

On the road again…

Thursday, September 16th, 2010

The fall conference season is officially here and we’re going to be all over the place in the next several weeks… If you’re going to any of the conferences listed below and want to meet up, just let us know – info (at) vindicia.com is the best way. Our networking and learning tour begins starts in New York and Santa Clara, swings through Austin and ends up back here in SF & LA.

We’re always happy to talk about payments, billing and the impact on each industry – see you all there!

Jeremy NusserTags: , , , ,
Posted by Jeremy Nusser in Events, Industry News, Marketing Fury, gaming | 1 Comment »

Direct Payments Are Just The Beginning

Tuesday, June 29th, 2010

The social developer summit, hosted by the Inside Facebook network, is in full swing in San Francisco today. The constant events and news around social applications underline the importance and future of the industry. Social applications are leading the charge and are driving the evolution of online technology and digital commerce. However, they are still new and correspondingly, the ways in which they monetizeare all over the map. Matters are further complicated by the impending restrictions on the social platforms – the most prominent example being Facebook Credits. This makes it tough for developers to optimize or simplify their business models as they’re constantly scrambling to stay in sync with Facebook.

For a developer to bring an app to market and successfully monetize, several things must occur.

  1. Find a market
  2. Deliver value
  3. Charge for value provided
  4. Analyze & iterate product to meet demands
  5. Reinforce customer relationships

Facebook credits simplify the ability to charge users as they offload all of the operational logistics of processing payments and storing customer’s payment information. However, they are more expensive than they first appear. In addition to the hidden costs, they also hamper the ability to control the customer relationship, analyze customer trends and choose the right business models.

The trend that we are seeing in response to Facebook’s moves is for developers to hedge their bets by developing external sites and their own relationship with users. Also, several networks are aiming to be the alternative platform and focusing on segments like social gaming. This trend should only accelerate as the industry matures and the platforms move to take even more control. In the meantime, feel free to ping us with monetization ideas – we’d be happy to give our outlook and suggest best practices. In fact, if you’re heading up to Seattle in a few weeks for Casual Connect, we’d be happy to sit down and talk through any payment or billing issues.

Jeremy NusserTags: , , ,
Posted by Jeremy Nusser in Events, Industry News, Marketing Fury, Payments 101.201.301, gaming | No Comments »