The New Way to “Watch” TV
Earlier this month, Apple held their Fall product event which included the unveiling of new iPhones, iPads, and AppleWatches. They also announced a big upgrade and business model change to the Apple TV.
In the past, this “hockey puck” sized computer connected your TV to Apple’s library of content along with other select applications which Apple controlled. New “channels” like Netflix, HBO Go, and WatchESPN were made available as Apple did quarterly software updates. Apple had been adding lots of new apps overtime, but you got them whether you used them or not. This has changed with the new Apple TV.
Like the iPhone, iPad, and Mac that have come before, Apple now is enabling a App Store for the TV set. The new Apple TV allows you to download (what will become) a huge amount of applications including games, productivity tools, and content channels.
Apple’s “let them choose what they want” model — now to be seen on a TV set near you — is a direct shot at the typical cable TV model. In yesterday’s TV model, you subscribed to a package of channels whether you wanted them all or not. The cable carrier is able to charge a higher rate based on the collection rather than per station. As consumers I’m sure you know the feeling of wondering why you were paying for the “Watch Paint Dry Network” when all you really wanted was ESPN.
Marketing Lessons To Be Learned
For those of us marketing something, There is a lesson to be learned from Apple’s march to à la carte via App Stores: You must meet your customers where they are at and let them choose how to engage with you.
For the most part, this is no longer the world of intrusive marketing. Customers want you to meet them with your offering when and how they want it. This often means you are communicating your expertise via content marketing, showing up in a search result they uniquely keyed in, or a well timed message to them on Twitter to help resolve their issues of the day.
When considering your marketing efforts, think about how you are letting the customers choose when, how, and what information they are getting from you. Guide them in their decision to use your product or service.
Ask yourself, does your marketing:
- effectively meet your ideal customer where and when they are looking?
- convey information and educational value pre-sale?
- leave the customer in control of the decision while also encouraging the choice of your offering?
Apple has created huge win-win-wins for them, app developers and consumers using this exact model—and just as cable companies and the like begin to wobble, they are looking to do it again within the TV entertainment space. Are you—like Apple—taking advantage of this shift in consumer decision making to grow your business?