Products & Services
They couldn’t make it more confusing if they tried
By James on 18 November 2008
LONDON, England – I’m at risk now of outing an unpopular opinion here, but I don’t get the marketing for Comes with Music. I like it, in that it’s original, quite clever and most definitely very cool. But, from a communication perspective I have a simple problem (or two, as it happens) in that it doesn’t really tell me what the service is, or what it’s supposed to do. After all, this is a service where, after you’ve bought a device, you get all-you-can-eat music without having to spend another penny.
As Mike eluded to in his post yesterday, we’re hotly debating the pluses and minuses of Comes with Music. I’m quite evangelical about it. It suits my approach to music (almost) perfectly. For me, things like DRM aren’t too troublesome and I can easily see past other shortcomings people have raised (and let’s face it, they’re not difficult to see past). What this service gives me is two things. The first is an opportunity to create a more complete music library than I have currently (my iTunes library has more holes than a Wall Street banker’s accounts) by enabling me to not worry about which album I’m going to buy (I’ll simply have them all, if there’s an artist I like). The second is simply to experience new music.
Cost, I’ll admit, has always been a factor for me when it comes to buying music. I’m not an avid music consumer, but I do buy and listen to music. To have the option to listen to something new definitely interests me, but given the standard of music in a lot of parts today, compared to 10 or 20 years ago (maybe this is just a “you’re getting older Mr BC” taste thing) it really is hit and miss as to whether you’re going to get a killer album or a one-hit-wonder surrounded by manufactured tat. With Comes with Music it doesn’t matter.
And it’s these points, I think, a lot of people fail to see. It’s also these points which I’m not sure Comes with Music’s advertising gets across. The idea of using track names to tell stories (and show off the variety) is clever, but what’s it telling me about the service? Not much, if I’m honest. I’m not a marketing guru, but I do have a fundamental understanding of communication. So maybe I’m just being stupid. But then, that’d be all the more reason for the advertising to help me understand, no?
Related posts:
- Blowing away the fog surrounding Comes With Music
- Rihanna launches new album with Nokia
- Nokia 5800 Comes With Music launches in Mexico tomorrow
Tags | Comes with music, Nokia
November 18th, 2008 at 5:07 pm
James, I agree, the main advantage is all-you-can-eat music for one year – and you can keep it after.
This message was in the press releases before, but doesn’t seem to be in the start-up marketing.
Maybe a separate message could be directed to people who like to pick this and that (goes well with all-you-can-eat, all inclusive dinner message).
Nokia has very creative ideas (loved Legend’s Telegraph, Unloader etc.), but seems to struggle with getting through a simple, one-sentence message.
What you have described James, could be applied to almost any new service of Nokia. Very good functionality/value (with very little exception), which the marketing does not push forward.
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November 18th, 2008 at 5:15 pm
Being in the United States, I’ve not seen a single lick of the advertising you guys are talking about, but I *do* agree with you that, for most consumers, CWM is going to be killer. There’s alot of hooing and hawing online about the DRM and whatnot, but I don’t think those pundits realize that it’s not targeted towards them. They’re likely pirating all their music anyways.
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November 18th, 2008 at 7:35 pm
> given the standard of music in a lot of parts today,
> compared to 10 or 20 years ago (maybe this
> is just a “you’re getting older Mr BC” taste thing)
As I see it, it’s not about getting-older taste, but rather about remembering selectively only the good stuff and forgetting the crap. Or were you seriously into this stuff?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yu_moia-oVI
Hehe.
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November 18th, 2008 at 7:38 pm
@ Ricky – I totally agree. They should have Catchy 1 Liners. I kinda like the Eat-all-you-can
@ Fanboy – I guess DRM here means that there is no scoop for Mac users.
@ James – Why CWM is not clicking because the Tube aka 5800 is still missing. People’s percption has associated Tube with the CWM during the remix event earlier this year.
I give you my word, when Tube hits the market, your CWM will see an enormous rise in sales too.
It’s as simple as associating Starbucks with coffee as Pizza Hut with pizzas and 5800 with CWN.
So, next time when you guys announce a service make sure everything is available right from the word you say go OR ELSE the Euphoric Placebo generated sales die down. When remix the event took place i would have got myself the tube then and there if it were available…
i hope im not complicating things here…
what say?
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November 18th, 2008 at 7:39 pm
Rick Rocks! In his own, irritating little way. And yeah, it’s the modern equivalent that I’d feel destroyed if I’d paid £13.99 for (yes, that much for a new CD in the UK!) Hang on, 1 X Comes with Music device or 10 X CDs. Mmmmm
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November 20th, 2008 at 12:56 am
Yes, I have the same opinion as you.. It’s just another “misterious” service by Nokia.. it’s like PC Suite, there already are so many, I don’t even know which one to pick up. lol
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