Ryan Wiik, is an entrepreneur set on the entertainment industry – specifically on film production and development. TSE asked his opinion on marketing strategies in the entertainment business and Wiik agreed to answer.
Wiik studied the craft of acting and filmmaking in Australia, then in Spain before coming to Hollywood and entering the real business. A man of perspective that decided to change the filmmaking industry for the better.
“The Mad Men era is over, marketing has changed” thinks successful entrepreneur Ryan Wiik.
Back in the day, it was easy to do it. Pavlov’s Stimulus – Reaction scheme was working quite well. You would buy media space and just interrupt people from whatever they were doing – whether they were watching a movie, reading the newspaper or listening to the radio. You told them to buy your product or service. And most of them complied.
But people got more and more independent. Smarter. In increasing numbers over the years, they tuned out of commercial pitches. They don’t watch them anymore. Not listening. They’re completely off.
As companies still invest a lot of money in TV commercials, or in the radio’s and web ones, marketers got frustrated. Lesser and lesser sales, by the year.
“Marketers have had a long time habit of keeping their heads in wallets – the consumer’s and their own. They had to sell, no matter how, no matter what. They kept on thinking that the product or the service itself didn’t matter. It had to be sold. But those days are over!”, Wiik said.
Today we live in a world of many choices. We get to pick what’s good and right for us, and if we don’t like it, we tune off. That’s way cable TV is less popular. It’s full of commercials.
With Smart TV’s and more emerging online streaming services, like HBO, Amazon, Netflix, people get to watch their favorite shows and movies, without being interrupted. They just have to pay a monthly fee – as they would have for cable TV.
Why listen to the radio – also full of marketing pitches – when they can pay right away for Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer or Pandora?
Wiik thinks likewise:
“Many companies got out of the <<what’s in your wallet>> mindset. Today, we mostly get services, not products. The TV and audio streaming services prove that. You don’t pay for the movie or show or album, anymore. You pay for a monthly service, that you can use how often you like. If it’s a good quality service, you pay for it. Why not?”
Like the services, products got better and better. And for a good reason. You don’t buy a TV set anymore, if it’s not Full HD at the minimum, Smart and with the right connectivity. Phones and tablets got new standards also. The screen has to be bright, the sound clear, of metal or ceramic build and with a big form factor.
Apple and Samsung struggle in a fierce battle, about who delivers the most and the best. While having different business models, they both have fanatic customers. But with Chinese giants Xiaomi and Huawei racing faster than ever, offering same quality devices at lower prices – and highly copying Apple in their image and feel – challenges rise through the roof.
“Apple has maybe the best business model of our time. They’ve built a community, over the years, that’s true to the company. And that’s because the company is true to them. It always delivers – even if not in the highest tech specs, as the competition. But it’s their products and services feel, that enable them to raise the prices, more and more, with every passing year.”, Wiik said.
And concluded:
