ARE TELECOMMUNICATION GIANTS DRIVING DIGITAL CONTENT SALES?
April 30, 2010 by Monique Moss · 7 Comments
There are numerous factors driving the move toward digitization – the conversion of traditional printed words into electronic formats – beginning with consumer demand. As digital reading devices become more affordable as well as easier to use, digital content becomes simpler to access. Consumer attitudes are evolving nearly as quickly as advances in digital technologies which aim to perfect the process that allows any laptop or mobile device to be “transformed” into a virtual e-reader.
While digitization of books opens up new avenues of strategic partnership, perhaps nothing lends itself more to collaboration than mobile telecommunications companies. While the popularity of e-book readers is steadily increasing, there are many people, including industry heavyweights, who believe that the growth of simple, dedicated devices used to read books electronically, may not be sustainable without advanced mobile technology. For example, more than 12 million e-books have been downloaded by the 18-month old Stanza e-reader iPhone application, which converts a cell phone into a small-screen e-reader.
It is a given that one of the biggest challenges for the entire digital reading market has been the price of these new devices ($189 – $829) plus the cost of digital content ($2.99 – $14.99), which in a perfect world is delivered via wireless modem (e.g., $30 monthly for iPad 3G connectivity). Considering the necessary delivery mode, major telecommunications companies are beginning to develop their own digital readers or, at the very least, exclusive access to specific partners (for high-speed connectivity) as is the practice with “smart phone” applications. It is logical, many believe, that smart phones and 3G data networks will become the most important drivers of digital content sales. Eventually, we may see the e-reader without two-way connectivity go the way of the eight-track tape player.
The availability of choices the e-book consumer has today is staggering. Each of the leaders – the Kindle, iPad, Sony Reader, Barnes and Noble Nook and PC – offers its own set of strengths and weaknesses. While one offers the ultimate portability, another allows for interactivity. Nevertheless, there is a vast and growing supply of increasingly savvy online users who are adept at operating multiple devices and can maneuver easily through free content, no matter the device. The answer may lie in consumers operating multiple devices with an integrated content flow from platform to platform: the right e-reader device for the corresponding end user with appropriate content for the specific electronic platform and/or device.
Differential rates of digital adoption by certain demographics require a need to explore both the various platforms on which readers can access content and the way segmented audiences’ prefer to consume content. The challenge, then, is finding the most efficient ways in which traditional and non-traditional publishers can reach consumers effectively while providing the widest variety of content at competitive prices in a fluctuating marketplace. Integrated technologies are allowing the consumer to access content efficiently (e.g., Kindle released a free application for MAC users to turn their laptop into an e-reader last month). Digital content consumption may vary from one demographic to another, dependent on need, usability, access and preference but the fluidity of digitization is opening creative channels to a multi-pronged approach – which includes strategic combination of publicity and marketing tactics – impacting diverse, segmented audiences toward increased book sales.
For more, email: monique@integrated-pr.com
