V/Speak

Credit: @equalman

David Veneski Media, Mobile Marketing, Social Media

We’ve got a few Angry Birds addicts over here within the walls of Intel, so we thought we’d work with Rovio to actually make a game that featured our brand. Here’s a teaser video of our creation. If you’d like to play the full game, visit us on Facebook and compete against your friends. This is first of two big programs we’re working on with Rovio. Stay tuned for the next ‘Never Been Done Before’ activation. 🙂

David Veneski Intel, Media Angry Birds, Ultrabook

Wrapped up in one simple post…Tebow clearly stole the show last season, but I’m betting that Peyton Manning number just skyrocketed with today’s news.  Click the image for the larger version.

David Veneski Infograph, Media, Sports Manning, Sports Center, Tebow

For all you information lovers out there, nielsen just released it’s ‘over the shoulder’ look at how we consumed media over the last year.  Great visual stat presentation, as we’ve come to expect.  One area that I think will continue to grow is the ‘multi-screen’ living room.  We are no longer satisfied with doing just one thing at a time as we gather as a family to take in a little TV.  Full report here.

David Veneski Media

For the regular readers of my blog, it’s no surprise to you that I am a Digital Zealot.  I consume  a massive amount of content each week, with my own commentary surrounding it on Facebook, Twitter, this blog, and a weekly compilation of my top 10 reads (if you’d like to be added to the distribution list, please email me).  It’s not just a passion, it’s my job.  I’m paid to help keep Intel breaking new ground and leading in the digital space.

With that said, you would imagine that I shy away from ‘tangible’ content like newspapers and magazines.  Not the case at all.  I think this article in GigaOm “Will iPad & Tablets Be Our Sunday Paper?” is accurate to a certain extent, but I hesitate to insist that print is dead.

For me, yes, I am a voracious consumer of content via a plethora of digital devices. Come the weekend, however I spend a lot of time combing through the stacks of magazines that come to my house each week.  I love the ability to turn a page, and feel the quality of the paper on my finger tips as I leaf through the contents of the book.  I also appreciate the increasingly clever advertising executions the print world is rolling out.

There is an argument for the ability to cram 5000 books, all your music, reams of digital subscriptions along with your streaming movies and addicting games into one portable device (ahem, hello iPad!) – especially when you’re traveling multiple times a month.  I get it. However, I’m also a fan of a lazy Sunday on the couch, holding a hot cup of coffee, and getting lost in fantasy as I digest the travel section of my favorite Sunday paper.  Print is not dead….long live print.

David Veneski Media Digital, Local, Print

The New York Times announced the details of their ‘pay for play’ model this week in an email to all of their digital subscribers, as well as through posts on their website – informing it’s readers of the specifics of how we can best access their content moving forward.  Break out your wallet, it’s gonna cost you.  Personally, I’m not a fan of paywalls.  I understand these publishers have a business to run, but I think that there are other ways to monetize.

In this instance, you’ll have to pony up $35 a month if you want to access content across all your digital devices.  That’s ridiculous.  If I want to read on my computer, my iPhone, or my iPad (when I get one) there is not one rate.  If I want to consume digitally on my computer + my iPhone it costs me $15/mo.  If I want that same access on my iPad – it doesn’t simply fold in an extra fee – it starts the meter all over again and charges me $20/mo.  If I want all three, again – not a sliding scale but a whopping double dip @ $35/mo.  I’m not sure who the financial genius is that devised this subscription model, but they must think very little of the math skills of their loyal subscribers.

There were dozens of article released this week that covered this ‘reveal’ by the NYTimes. One of the best is a deep analysis by John Hudson over at the Atlantic.  I specifically love this quote by Megan Garber of Nieman Lab:

“Do people care enough about the Times, as a brand, to pay for content that they can generally get somewhere else? Given the myriad side-door options for article entry, do they care enough about convenience to pay a premium for a friction-free news experience?”

My perspective?  No – people will find loopholes to access this content for free – as demonstrated by TechCrunch and the Business Insider.  Clearly I have a strong perspective on this – as you can see through many of my tweets this week.  I stopped reading the WSJ when they went to a pay for play model, and might just do the same thing for the NYTimes. There are a few columnists that I’ll use my allotment on – namely David Pogue and Stuart Elliott.  What I’ll miss most?  My New York Times iPhone app – a staple of my plane reading list. I’m sure Google and Instapaper will provide me a way to resolve that soon enough, however.

Oh, and finally – if you clicked on either of the links above where the Times shows you what you get for your ‘investment’ – I’m sorry, I’ve just taken one of your 20 ‘free’ articles away from you.  19, 18…

David Veneski Media, Traditional Media NYTimes, Paywall

Yesterday, Nielsen released their ‘State of the U.S. Media Universe – Audiences and Devices‘. Larger PDF available in the preceding link.  The mobile metrics are especially fascinating. Those 13-17 year olds are burning up the SMS wires!

David Veneski Media Media, Mobile, Television