I Want a Free Blu-ray Player

Now that Sony's Blu-ray DVD technology has beat out Toshiba's HD DVD as the disc standard du jour, somebody should figure out how to get the players into the homes of every consumer alive.  For free.  Now.

I think it would be the smartest marketing move of the decade.

Millions of branding and marketing dollars are going to be spent on convincing us to pay for the new format.  Manufacturers are going to promote devices (both the players and the TVs enabled to view them).  Movie studios will promote films on the new format.  Retailers will merchandise the discs in hopes that they drive traffic and sales.  Online and bricks-and-mortar rental chains will want people to use the new format.

Lots of entities have skin in this game. 

So do lots of the format's competitors.  There are many devices and services coming out to enable Internet distribution of filmed content, including some very well-known brand names.  You already use one of the enabling devices to read this blog.  A new disc standard is nowhere near being a foregone conclusion. 

The challenge for Blu-ray is to communicate the compelling reasons for consumers to use the format as quickly and completely as possible.

Picture quality and additional content (out-takes, alternate endings, etc.) are probably the two biggest reasons to go disc vs. broadband.  So you can believe that a lot of the branding and marketing money mentioned above will be spent trying to portray these benefits in unique, memorable, compelling, and new media creative ways. 

Why not just let people experience it first-hand?

If we looked at the key brand attributes required for entertainment media use and experience -- not initial purchase -- routine and utility would factor high on any list.  Sure, early adopters fork out money for the latest gizmos (and then blather about them in Internet chat rooms), but your average, rank-and-file consumer consumes much more out of habit, convenience, and unconscious routine. 

I think the opportunity for Blu-ray is to get into those routines before the Internet or some other distribution vehicle does it faster, better, or more cheaply.

So here's a giant brand marketing idea: The movie studios, Netflix, Blockbuster, and the CE retailers should kick in the money to buy Blu-ray players for every consumer who commits to some sort of hardware service/movie purchase or rental programs.  Skip all the glossy communications, and get the players to do the communicating.  Cover the planet with them.

The gizmo makers make their money, then all the content-involved businesses make money on all those Blu-ray discs (maybe up the price since they're so much better?).

There's no time for the slow roll-out of branding nonsense.  Blu-ray needs a game-changer approach.

Think razor blades. 

Make the players free.

Comments

[BIG Kahuna]

Gosh, who wouldn't sign up for NetFlix or something else if they could get a free player? They could even sell high end players direct and the everyday users gets the standard.

It will never happen though. They're too dumb. They're just not like us, we're Dim Bulbs...they're just not the brightest bulbs on the tree.

I'm going to do a short post on my blog on this sending people here. Great idea.

By the way have you seen this post:

http://www.brandidentityguru.com/wordpress/?p=534

Figured you might have an opinion on it?

[Dave Murdock]

This may very well be the only way Blu-ray has long term viability. Even coming bundled with the PS3, it's still going to be a long slow haul, if it is even possible, for Blu-ray to replace DVD.