This document explains the change of the media market place and how it has affected Sony as a company. An example being that in order to stay relevant- Sony had to synergise with other companies: e.g venturing into the world of gaming. I believe Sony's example of synergy is something that could prove useful in terms of building relationships with other companies allowing me to use synergy for my own app. This would mean that I can broaden the platform- in turn heightening the success of my product. In response to Sony's change and evolution over the years, my new proposed idea will work very well. It is an app, therefore is following the newest status of other companies most recent evolutions- not only this, the fact that it is an app means that it can be changed and altered easily if anything major was to change in terms of technical evolution. The fact that it is also an app means that it is providing a service to my young target audience (digital natives). It has become rather apparent to me that the reason for Sony's continuous success of the years is down to their convergence of products. Therefore, when I come to pitching my product, I will keep this in mind in order to create and build a strong and convincing pitch.
The development of MTV between 1981 and the present has shown that, much like Sony, the world in general is becoming more digitally focused. As a result of this people are becoming more inclined to use easy to use methods. The fact that MTV has also now launched an app further proves this. The constant high level of viewers MTV as a channel receives tells me that music is a timeless- and although trends change, fundamentally it music will always be a big part of peoples lives.
P3: Describe roles required to support the content within the planned proposal
The proposal that I have chosen to go with is brief 3. This state that I must create: "an app which works with UK music artists and works with clothing companies to sell clothes in a unique way. Watching interviews and music videos which allow people to buy celeb's clothes at the click of a button".
In able to ensure that my product (the app) is successful as possible, it needs to work seamlessly and look as professional as possible. I thought it a good idea to research the ASOS app, as this would be of a similar layout to mine.
The first noticeable thing to mention about the app is how simple the logo is. It's very distinctive as it is simple monochrome colours and then just a letter 'a' in the ASOS logo font. This is good and effective because it is easily distinguishable for the user. The layout of the ASOS app is relatively clear and simple to navigate. There are a set of five simple icons at the bottom of the screen that when clicked take you to another part of the app.
What is needed to ensure my proposal choice works effectively? In order for my proposal choice to work effectively, I need to research current popular artists and how their personal styles correlate with what my audience likes, this will be imperative when it comes to promoting how my audience can 'get' that style because it will keep them interested. I don't believe this product will be successful unless I fill a sufficient gap in the market, as I believe success will come from providing the audience with something they cannot get anywhere else. Therefore I must fill a gap in the market so that the product is worth investing in.
Once the overall decision for the creation of the app has been made, I will have to hire experienced professionals to design, code, and create the app. This is also important in order to ensure my proposal choice works effectively, because it is all well and good having a brilliant idea- but if it is not executed to a high professional standard than the whole project will flop. It must be fast, easy to use, and innovative for the audience. In order to engage my younger target audience who generally have a shorter attention span, the app must work fast and keep up with evolving trends, otherwise there will be simply no interest or use of the app.
A hugely important aspect of the app is ensuring the clothing being sold in relation to each artist is an accurate representation/ recreation of their personal style. I have to follow through with what I have sold to the audience. If the app is deemed a con or untrustworthy, my customers will not only fail to return, but will also not promote the app to their peers. Therefore I need to get this part of the app right as much as any other part. After all, without a steady dedicated customer base- the success of the app will plummet.
What staffing is required for your proposal idea and why? What would their role be and what skills would they need? In order to make a substantial profit, staffing costs must be kept to a minimum. As a result, convergence of staff will have to be used (e.g. one singular member of staff performing multiple job roles).
Researcher- I believe it to be very important to be knowledgeable about the market we're entering, and the audience we will be targeting. The researchers role will include looking at similar apps in relation to ours. By doing this, the researcher will discover why other apps are popular, which will subsequently aid the success of our app. They will also be looking into whether or not there is a gap in the market for a product like mine and whether the audience will actually use it. It would be a good idea for the researcher to do some primary research interviewing the target audience and asking them first hand what they would expect form an app like this, and also what would make it enjoyable for them. Skills they would require: know where to find relevant and useful information, have strong computer skills, numerical knowledge, advanced understanding of market research, good communication skills, and good documenting and reporting skills.
Budgeter- The app needs to make enough money in order to generate substantial profit. Therefore I believe it to be important to have someone responsible for this so that we can run a successful product whilst making a decent sum of profit. Their role would include collating all of the product ideas and putting together a budget plan of how much everything will cost to make the app for example staffing costs etc. The reason for conducting this research is in order to ensure the production of the app is feasible, or if it unfortunately will be to expensive to create and run. Skills they would require: advanced mathematical and numerical skills, knowledge of spreadsheet software e.g. Excel, market place knowledge (how much to sell the app for etc.), experienced understanding of hourly rates/ wages for each member of staff.
Graphic designer- The app must be aesthetically pleasing, so that it appeals to a wide target audience. They must ensure the layout of the app flows well and is easy to use. Their role will be to design the app in a way that makes it as visually pleasing and accommodating to the audience as possible. They will have to consider the ease of use as well as the cosmetic design. The fonts and themes of the different pages and icons need to be thought of and created. I want the deign of the app to be simple and clear, but on trend at the same time. Skills they would require: experience in art and design e.g. drawing and computer graphics, knowledgable when it comes to using photoshop and other digital illustration software, creative, good communication of ideas, good time management, the ability to digest and act on constructive criticisms.
App developer/ software engineer/ coder- To put it simply, someone is required to physically build the app- and this is that person. Their role would be building the app, making it as digitally advanced and professional as possible. By doing this it means that it will be easy to use for the audience. Skills they would require: knowledge and experience using app building software, good at problem solving, time management.
Marketer (for both social media and traditional advertising)- Making this product successful isn't just about designing a good functioning app. If it was simply created and then put up for sale on the app store than no one would buy it as there would be no knowledge of its existence and what it does. The product needs to be popularised by promoting it through social media and advertising. The audience needs to be convinced to purchase the app, and need to believe it to be a worthwhile purchase so that they go on to rave about it to peers. The role of the marketer would be to generate an effective marketing strategy which reaches the target audience, spreading the word of the product. A good idea would be to get the music artists involved, using what is known as 'star power' to our advantage for the marketing campaign. Skills they would require: effective marketing ideas and strategies, have connections/ know the right people to talk to in order to get the app out there, knowledge of the relevant market, good sales ability, good communication skills, creative, innovative.
M2: Compare traditional media roles with new emerging roles and the impact this has had on your product proposal
It is apparent that the constant change of technology has had significant influence on job roles within the media industry in comparison to the more traditional media job roles that existed previously. A noticeable difference for example would be the introduction of 'convergence of staff'. Meaning that jobs that originally would have had one specific member of staff designated to, are now undertaken alongside other roles by one singular person. Media businesses are choosing to employ individuals who have more than one role within the company. Therefore it is almost imperative now that employees boast multiple skill sets , and are able to perform more than one role and have several responsibilities at one given time. An example of this is that on a recent trip to the Heart radio station, it became apparent that the producer of the show is now not only the producer. He is also responsible for organising content, creating video and radio material, website builder, audio editor, and social media manager. However a few years ago these roles would all have had a designated member of staff working on each.
Not only is this a big expectation for individuals working within the media industry, but there are now also more platforms than ever to understand, learn about, and master. Websites are no longer the only digital platform for businesses- apps have become a major part of advertising and marketing methods. As a result of this, the role of a marketer has changed significantly because as well as bing responsible for using the traditional marketing methods i.e. billboards, posters, newspapers, they now have to master the art of marketing on digital technologies. For example: Radio, and TV as well as social media marketing on platforms such as Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, and Instagram.
New roles are continuously emerging through the various different developments in media technologies. An example being the evolution of app usage within media companies- an increasing variety of app features and the constant need for them to be updated in order to keep them related to whats going on in the world. An example could be the news stories on Snapchat which are changed daily. Or even Snapchat filters and Facebook profile picture filters which are updated if there is a current event trending, e.g. the olympics or a national holiday. These features constantly changing keeps the apps fresh and engaging for the audience/ users, and keeps them in the loop of whats going on in the world. A few years ago there wouldn't have been a need for someone to be responsible for updating these app features because they simply didn't exist- now however, this development in technology means a new job role has been created to keep the filters and news pages new and fresh. In order to implement these filters, graphic designers would be needed, so that top quality professional filters can be made whenever necessary.
As touched on previously, filters for Facebook profile pictures are another example, because more often then not they relate to current issues, e.g. when there was a shooting in France and the 'je suis Charlie' campaign was going on, Facebook added a filter that meant people could put the French flag over their profile pic. Another example would be on UK remembrance day, people are able to add poppies to their profile pictures. These filters allow people to show their support openly with the public at the click of a button if they chose to do so. A job role has been created in order to make these constant new updates. In terms of research- there has to be someone constantly on guard, knowing whats going on in the world who then tells the graphic designs what to create and why.
All of the above job roles mentioned will be of great use to the creation of content for my product. The first and arguably most important- marketing. I think having filters and adds on Snapchat would be a great way to market the product to my target audience and so I would have to ask someone whom specialises in this job role to create these adds for me.
Music and fashion (the primary aspects of my app) are forever changing, and so I would have to have a researcher working on the app. This is crucial as it is so important to keep up with the times if the product is to constantly engage the target audience. The reason this is relevant to the creation of new job roles through technology because apps are still relatively new in the grand scheme of things- previously they did not exist. And then when they first came out they were built and created but after that didn't require much maintenance unlike apps in the current day.
D1: Evaluate the evolution of historically large corporations to meet the challenges of a converging media market.