The iPod

iPod



The iPod is a key example of converged and portable technology, as it covers many different areas of entertainment, such as music playback, gaming and picture viewing. It could be argued that the iPod is a replacement for many different products, and by offering so much capability in such a small package, it is unsurprising that the iPod has won so many fans.



Key Features

- Small, lightweight and portable: provides entertainment on the go
- Main capability=music playback. Replacement for CD and minidisk players. Features inside music playback include the ability to make playlists, which allows a more personalised and customisable music experience, supported synchronisation with iTunes, which automatically updates files, making the process easy for even the most technology-illiterate demographics. There are also options for customising the sound of songs; such as volume adjustment and equalizer, which increases the quality of listening overall.
- The newer generation of iPods also support video playback, which is a fairly recent feature for portable entertainment. Therefore it isn’t really replacing anything in this sphere except maybe portable DVD players, but as they are new themselves, the video playback aspect should be counted as an innovative feature designed to add another dimension to portable entertainment.



- All iPods after the iPod photo support photo viewing, again with the easy option to synchronise all the photos on a home computer. This is also quite a revolutionary feature, as it used to be almost impossible to be able to carry your entire digital photo library around with you.
- Another key aspect of the entertainment experience is gaming. Although not really a substitute for dedicated portable gaming consoles such as PSPs, the iPod does provide basic games that provide satisfactory entertainment for most consumers.
- Although little known about, the iPod does have the function to display text files on-screen, although they cannot be edited. The iPod can be used for a different form of entertainment, reading. Consumers could, for example, read online novels on their iPod, or business reports etc.



- Although this cannot be counted officially, many iPod users are adapting the product for other functions. For example, one consumer turned their iPod into a TV remote, while another added the capability to store their email address book. Because the technology of the iPod is edit-able, tech-minded consumers can take the iPods features one step further.



Success

Since October 2004, the iPod has dominated digital music player sales in the United States, with over 90% of the market for hard drive-based players and over 70% of the market for all types of players. During the year from January 2004 to January 2005, the high rate of sales caused its U.S. market share to increase from 31% to 65% and in July 2005, this market share was measured at 74%.


According to Apple's quarterly financial results (from 2002 Q1 to 2007 Q1), total iPod sales reached 88,701,000 units as of January 2007. Apple's fiscal year ends in September. In January 2007, Apple reported record annual earnings of US$7.1 billion, of which 48% was made from iPod sales. Apple and several industry analysts suggest that iPod users are likely to purchase other Apple products such as Mac computers.





What are the iPods key audiences?

- As with many new technologies, the target consumer for the iPod is the teenage audience. They responded enormously to the ease of music-playback that the iPod offered; its features are accessible to anyone. The marketing also contributed, with the iPod becoming the ‘must-have product’ for young people, reaching iconic status.
- A secondary audience of businesspeople is also present. Again, the stylish design, ease of use and portability of the iPod means it is appealing to businesspeople, who are more rushed for time, and don’t want to spend ages figuring out how a product works.

Blogging

Blogging



What is a blog?

A blog is a user-generated website where entries are made in journal style and displayed in a reverse chronological order.

Blogs often provide commentary or news on a particular subject, such as food, politics, or local news; some function as more personal online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, web pages, and other media related to its topic. The ability for readers to leave comments in an interactive format is an important part of most early blogs.

It could be said that blogs are replacing a number of things, but the most notable is diaries. It is more common for people, especially children and young people, to have an online diary than it is a written diary now.

Different types of blog:
- Vlog (video log)
-Linklog (one including links)
- Sketchblog (a portfolio of sketches)
- Photo blog (a blog comprising of photos)
- Tumblelog (shorter posts and mixed media types)
- Phlog (a blog hosted on the Gopher protocol)
- Moblog (a blog created by a mobile phone or PDA)
- Splog (a blog created solely for spamming)
- Corporate blogs (the blog of a business or corporation)



Technologies involved
- The main technology involved in blogging is, of course, the internet.
- Users can upload:
1. Pictures
2. Music
3. Videos
4. Games
5. Graphics
6. From mobile platforms such as PDA’s

Key theory involved
- The main concept involved with blogging is interactivity: consumers are becoming producers, they are taking an active part in creating media.
- Blogging is also a good example of personalization; adapting the technology available to suit the individual consumer. The tools available to customize blogs ensure that each consumers blog is individual and unique to them.



Who are the key producers of blogs?

- The main demographic that has taken up blogging is teenagers and young people. Raised as a computer literate generation, many young people find blogs an effective way of expressing their views, and an outlet that they could not find elsewhere.
- However, the older generation of those up to the age of 30 has also embraced blogging, albeit not to the same extent.
- Blogging can also be an effective tool for businesses to use. Blogs, either used internally to enhance the communication and culture in a corporation or externally for marketing, branding or PR purposes are called corporate blogs.

Why is it popular with producers of blogs?

- Simply, it allows users a portal to express their opinions or log their actions.
- It allows them to feel as though they are producing the media, they are participating actively, and can become like online journalists, who report/comment on news, politics, entertainment etc.
- It allows freedom of expression, there is no copyrighting, as there is on websites, or moderation as there is on forums.
- They can customize their blog – the blog has become almost a form of art, which users adapt to convey their personality, interests or views.
- It is a free, quick and easy way of publishing views
- It is a lot more interactive than similar means of expressing views, such as a diary. Users can make contact through comments, and give feedback to each other. The creation of online communities is possible and even probable when, for example, a group of friends all have blogs on one site.
- It gives consumers the opportunity to discuss more niche subjects and still find people who share their interest. For example, blogs in minority languages such as Gaelic are becoming increasingly popular, as they allow ease of communication between people who may live thousands of miles apart.



Why is it popular with consumers of blogs?

- It allows them to read the opinions of others, either people that they know personally or people that they don’t, often on subjects that it is hard to find information about in the mainstream media.
- It can allow them almost instant information about news events or television programmes. Since 2002, blogs have gained increasing notice and coverage for their role in breaking, shaping, and spinning news stories. The Iraq war saw bloggers taking measured and passionate points of view that go beyond the traditional left-right divide of the political spectrum.
- They can feel part of an online community, commenting on other users blogs and expressing their opinions as well.
- Many readers of blog users prefer the informal, casual and opinionated views presented by regular people rather than newsreaders, journalists etc.

The New Woman Website

The New Woman Website



Homepage

- The main feature of the homepage is three celebrity news headlines with pictures. These serve to draw in the audience, and get them interested, encouraging them to click the links to see the full story, and giving them a reason to stay on the website. If you scroll down, there is a list of the 10 most recent things added to the website, including new stories, competitions and fashion. There is a link to the archive as well. This immediately displays all the latest, making it easy for consumers to find and navigate to what they want quickly.
- To the right side of the page there is an advert for a beauty product, as this has a clear link with the magazine, and means the likely audience for the website are also the target audience for the product. Below the advert is a link to a showbiz pics gallery, again encouraging readers to click the links and interact with the website. There is also the opportunity to fill in a survey and win a goodie bag, which again encourages interaction, and shows that the magazine/website rewards loyal consumers. Below that is a question, with 3 possible answers that consumers can vote on. This is a third feature that encourages interactivity, and allows consumers to see if others have a similar mindset to themselves. From an institutions point of view, it acts almost as research, as the magazine can see which answer was most popular, and possibly use the results in future.



- There is a ‘What’s in New Woman now,’ box towards the bottom of the page, which gives readers a sneak peek, encouraging to buy the actual magazine for the full story. There is also the opportunity to ‘subscribe to New Woman now,’ with a special offer of 6 issues for the price of 5 if you buy online, and a free moisturizer worth £28. This makes consumers feel as though they are getting a special, exclusive offer, and earns more revenue for the company.
- At the bottom of the homepage is a competition where you can win a holiday to Jamaica. This again shows that the magazine rewards their consumers, and encourages active participation. Finally, there is a link to the horoscopes section of the website, which is a feature also found in the magazine.
- Overall the homepage aims to give an overview both of the website as a whole and also of the magazines content. It provides quick and easy navigation and encourages audience interactivity, as the target audience for the magazine is not the most computer-literate demographic, and so prefers ease of use to flashy graphics etc.



Celebrity

As a main focus of the magazine itself, the celebrity section of the website is comprehensive. All the stories are easily accessed, and are presented in reverse chronological order, with a stamp saying ‘latest in’ on the newest stories. This makes consumers feel as though they are getting the most up-to-date and exclusive information, which allows them to feel valued, and encourages brand loyalty. The section is broken into 3 sub-sections; Gossip, Galleries and Style on Trial, again allowing easy navigation instantly.

Style Stalker

The other key focus of the magazine, this section is also broad. There is the latest style news and tips, and the stories can be filtered according to whether they fall into the category of beauty, hair, fashion or celebrities. Consumers can post their own bulletins about style as well, which allows them to feel involved and active, rather than passive, consumers. From an industry point of view, consumers have to register before they can post bulletins, which adds them to the mailing list, meaning the company can send targeted emails. There is also a feature called ‘airbrush me,’ which has two options. Consumers can download the software for a free trial, or they can send their picture to the website and get a ‘celebrity makeover.’ Offering the software on the website will earn revenue for New Woman, while the consumer will again feel as though they are getting exclusive content.



Rate My Style

This is one of the most interactive sections of the website, with consumers rating the fashion taste of other consumers. This gets people involved on both sides, and allows them to showcase their style or voice their opinion.

Men and Sex

This section shows how broad the focus of the magazine is; it covers all areas, from entertainment to fashion to dating etc. The layout of this section is similar to the previous section, it seems they are all arranged similarly, which could be seen as boring, but also allows ease of use for the target market.

Entertainment

This section offers recommendations about where to eat out, what to do at work, what CD’s to buy etc. It makes consumers feel more involved, and also contains games and quizzes which encourage interactivity and also provide research about the target market.



Community

The community section consists of different forums to cover the different areas that the magazine covers. There is ‘Book Club,’ ‘Love Life,’ ‘Fashion and Shopping,’ ‘General Banter,’ ‘Health, Diet and Beauty,’ and ‘New Woman Magazine.’ This allows users to chat about shared interests and feel like part of an online community, while once again encouraging active participation.

Summary

The website seems to focus on interactivity and covering a wide range of subject matter and themes. It consistently provides ease of use which allows the consumers to find what they are looking for quickly and easily, a design suited to the target audience of women aged between 20 and 35. The design, while minimalist, also imitates the style of the magazine.

One Blog

One Blog
http://catharticbehavior.blogspot.com/



This blog, which belongs to a woman who lives in San Francisco, acts as an online dairy, where she recounts daily events that occur, and uploads her pictures and favourite website links.

Features

Introduction and Profile

At the top of her webpage is a quick introduction of her reason for creating a blog:

“blogs seem to be the latest craze these days...it's taken me some months to become literate in blogging and have seen the positive effects with my friends. so, alas, it's time to join the bandwagon, and fill people in on my life by a different avenue of sorts”

The profile provides some simple information about the writer of the blog, such as her name and her location. It provides a quick introduction to her, which allows users who have never read her blog to understand more about her and her reason for creating a blog.

Top 10 goals

An unusual feature to see on a blog, at the side of her page is a list of her top 10 goals. This again provides new readers with a better understanding of her lifestyle and aims. They are shown below:



My pictures and Favourite .com’s

There is a link to her photo album, which is public and can be viewed by anyone. Friends can view and comment her photos, which allows her to feel connected to people which she may not be able to see that often. There is also a list of her favourite webpages, allowing her to market them and encourage others to visit, and allowing those who like her blog to look at some of the other websites she likes, as there is a good chance they will like them as well.

Friends Blogs

She has a list of links to her friends’ blogs. This suggests she is part of a fairly small online community, who use blogger to communicate with each other and discuss their daily lives online.



Her posts

Her posts generally just recount the days events, but some can be used to send a message or just let off steam. For example:

“labels really can either help or hurt people. and the labels people use to try to help sometimes just hurt them from getting any help. frustration. that's what i'm feeling right now. i'm at work, haven't had a break, and am waiting to hear back from hospitals about this kid i've been working with.sure, he doesn't have the best history of behavior, but right now, he's being so much more patient than i am. hospitalize me soon. ha i'm just venting. i feel bad...he needs to go somewhere, but since he used to do this and that, his chances for help now are slim. what to do?the purpose of my blog. watch the labels you give people.”



Her blog is a good example of:
- Personalisation – she has adapted the traditional layout to make her page a lot more unique to her, and to give consumers an instant insight into her personality
- Convergence – her blog contains photos, videos, links etc.
- Interactivity – both in terms of her being a media producer and taking an active role, and also in terms of others being able to comment on her posts and give their own feedback

For more on why people write and read blogs, read my blog about blogging!

One Vlog

One Vlog
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOyVWA-IwHE



What does Youtube offer for:

The uploader of the video
- It is a free opportunity to showcase your work: the video I have chosen is a short film made by a consumer, and it gives them a platform to get feedback and have their work watched by a large audience
- There is the opportunity to get comments, and, as I said above, this allows the user to receive constructive criticism and develop their work
- There is a possibility that the video will receive recognition; particularly for amateur film-makers such as this, and it could lead to a full-time job in the industry
- Consumers of the video can post it on their own webpage, providing free marketing.




The watcher of the video
- There is the opportunity to give feedback, and feel like an important part of the production process. There are the options to favourite videos, rate videos and comment or video comment clips.
- They can share the video via email, or post the video on their own webpage
- Videos are categorized both by genre and by tags, so it is easy for consumers to find what they are looking for quickly
- There is also a section for similar videos, which gives recommendations based on what consumers have already watched, a good example of personalization. There is ‘More from this user,’ which shows all the other videos uploaded by the same user. There is also the opportunity to create your own playlist, which makes watching videos easier and more personalized: consumers can create almost their own channel.




What media technologies are involved?
-The internet:
1. Email
2. HTML/embed codes
3. Adobe Flash Player
- Video cameras
- Home PC editing software

What media theory is involved?
- Personalisation – the recommendations available to users, the ability to tag your video with individual labels
- Interactivity – consumers becoming producers, online community, can comment on others work

Jo Whiley's Radio One Webpage

Jo Whileys Radio One Webpage



At the top of the page are the options to email Jo and read her biography – both are designed to allow the consumer a more personal link with her – they can find out more about her or interact with her directly.



There is also the option to listen online to her last 5 shows, making the nature of listening to radio a lot less linear and a lot more flexible and adaptable to suit the consumer.

The bulk of her page is taken up with an ‘On the Show’ section, offering information about past events and guests. Consumers can see pictures and get inside information about popular artists.



There is also a ‘Coming on the Show’ section. By including this, Radio 1 is creating an interest in her shows before they air, and encouraging people to watch in order, for example, to listen to a band they particularly like or to enter a competition running that week.

At the bottom of the page is a ‘Messageboards’ section which links to the main Radio 1 message boards, and allows consumers to discuss Jo’s show. This forum is likely to have a very specific, niche audience, who share a special interest in her show.

On the right hand side of her page is a menu, shown below:



All the features are designed to give further information to consumers, and to interest them further. The ‘Our listeners also like’ recommendation feature gives something back to the consumers, and is also a clever tool by radio 1, as it encourages consumers to listen to more radio 1 DJ’s by playing off the fanbase they already have.

Finally, there is a ‘Jo Whiley’s Links’ section, with websites such as her MySpace, the Tottenham Hotspur website and the Prison Break webpage. This menu has a number of functions. Firstly it allows consumers to feel as though they know Jo better, and can read about many of the things she likes in real life. Secondly it provides publicity for other websites, encouraging them to either do the same or look more favorably on Radio One in the future.



Summary

As expected from a Radio One site, this webpage offers a lot of interactive features, and aims to give something back to the consumer and get something in return. It would probably be viewed by a niche audience who would be encouraged to enter into many of the available activities, such as posting on the message boards and emailing Jo herself.

The Radio 1 Website

The Radio 1 Website

Homepage

At the top of the homepage is a bar which stays no matter which sub-page you click on. It details the DJ/Show playing at the moment, and gives the options to listen live or to view the webcam. The homepage then has the headings for the main genres, as well as some key artists/celebrities such as Lethal Bizzle and Sienna Miller. There are small boxes containing links to the Official Singles Chart, the Radio 1 Playlist and the Entertainment News sections of the site. The homepage is designed to allow all the features to be accessed easily and quickly, encouraging people to use the website more often. Towards the bottom of the page there are links to free downloads and most popular tracks. At the bottom are links to RSS Feeds, Podcasts, Interactive TV and Mobile links. These are all examples of interactive and converged technologies, showing that Radio 1 is up-to-date and has a focus on including its consumers. Another interesting feature of the homepage is the ability to change the colours of the background and menu bars – this is something I have not seen before, and suggests that in the future many more aspects of websites could become interactive.

The homepage has a menu down the side as shown below:



Listen/Podcasts

You can download free Radio 1 podcasts from the site, available to listen to on your computer/iPod. Because they are free, podcasts have a wide audience, and allow consumers to listen to the station whenever they want, which is a good example of personalization. They allow further penetration: ie, where before you could only listen to the radio on the radio, there are now other channels of distribution that allow for greater flexibility and encourage brand loyalty, as they are downloadable every day.

DJ’s/Shows

The DJ’s and shows can be sorted in different ways. Firstly, there is a list in alphabetical order, and you can also order them according to genre. This makes it easy both to find a specific DJ/show and also for fans of a particular genre to find the shows they would like. There is the option to ‘listen now’ to each of the DJ’s/shows, which allows consumers to get a quick sample of a DJ/show without having to tune in to their radio at the right time of day, which might not always be possible. For a further breakdown of Jo Whiley’s radio show, see my related blog.



Schedule

The schedule offers easily digestible information about whose on and when each day, making it easy for consumers to find what they are looking for in a small amount of time.


Genre homepages

There are 5 genres of music identified, each with its own homepage. The genres are Daytime, Dance, Rock/Indie, HipHop/RnB and Experimental.

Events

The events page has information on both past and future events, which allows consumers to feel more included, as they know all about what the station is planning, and can even book tickets to some of the events. From an industry point of view, it is also good publicity for these events.

News

This is one of the most interactive sections of the website, offering consumers the chance to text or email their say on some of the recent news events. There is also entertainment news, and a specific entertainment podcast, to offer something to viewers who do not like conventional news.

Messageboard

A good example of an online community, the Radio 1 forums features a loyal group of users who enjoy talking about their shared love of music, and even of the specific genres. You also have to register before you can contribute, which gives Radio 1 each members email address, allowing them to send advertisement emails to consumers, and even making them more able to personalize the information that they send.



OneLife

This is another highly interactive section of the website, featuring ‘chat,’ ‘fun and freebies,’ and ‘vote.’ All these sections are designed to get consumers interested and involved in a number of different areas, including education, health, finance and work. This section offers helpful advice, directed primarily at young people, as this is also the target audience for the radio station itself.

OneMusic

This section offers advice to aspiring music-makers and those interested in the radio industry. This allows the consumers to become producers, and it is likely that this section of the website has a loyal fanbase due to its niche focus.

Help

This section ensures that consumers can access everything they need from the website, and will not get frustrated and leave the website with a bad image of the brand in mind.

The E4 Website

The E4 Website

Homepage

The E4 website is fairly simple, with the homepage containing small boxes of information about the most popular programmes. To see a breakdown of one of the programmes individual websites, see my blog about the Skins webpage. To the right hand side is a menu displaying the E4 TV listings for the day, as well as a link to listing for the week. The simple layout means the website is easy to navigate, while the TV listings act as a form of advertising, designed to get consumers interested in what they can watch at that moment. At the bottom of this menu is four links, Estings, Espeak, Esketch, and How to get E4.



Estings

Estings is a competition to design a series of idents for Channel 4. The competition element is designed to get consumers involved, and to feel a part of the production element of E4 as well as the consumption. An added benefit to Channel 4 is that they can use the idents for publicity, both on the website and on the channel itself.



Espeak

Espeak seems a strange section of the website if you read the summary:

‘E-SPEAK is a huge purple E4 shaped capsule type thing that falls from outer space and crashes into places around the UK. Once landed, you can step inside it and get filmed talking about whatever you jolly well like.’

However, this does allow interactivity with the brand, and seems somewhat of a cult hit, with many consumers viewing the people ‘talking about whatever they jolly well like.’

Esketch

Esketch is similar in terms of interactivity, it allows consumers to draw a sketch which has the chance of being displayed on the website. This competition similarly encourages interaction with the brand, and allows consumers to feel involved with the production of media.



How to get E4

This section of the website provides information about how to get E4, making it much easier for prospective customers.

Summary

The E4 website seems to center more around information than the channel 4 website, but has a similar level of interactive content, with competitions designed to include the consumer in the making of media, and therefore feel a greater brand loyalty.

The C4 Website

The Channel 4 website

Homepage

The homepage has a menu down the side, which shows all the main pages, as well as a list of the top TV shows, with links to each of their channel 4 pages. This allows consumers to easily navigate to their more niche interests, or their favourite programmes. The main headline is ‘Get free stuff,’ on a Skins background, which appeals to a lot of consumers, and is an example of Channel 4 rewarding loyal consumers. There are more links to programmes further down on the page, and a link to ‘The Ultimate Friends Quiz,’ and the Games page, which shows the more interactive features of the website. On the right hand side is a Channel 4 TV schedule for the evening, allowing consumers to quickly scan what’s on, as well as encouraging them to watch. Below this is the latest news headlines, showing the more serious side to C4, and providing something for an audience who are not interested in gaming. Finally there are external adverts for Sky and Honda, which provides a source of revenue.



Watch Online

Channel 4’s watch online service is called 4OD (4 on demand), and is a key example of interactivity and personalization. Consumers can choose what they watch, when they want to watch it and are not bound by the linear nature of traditional television scheduling. This is the explanation featured on the website:

‘You can now download your all time favourite Channel 4shows and films to your PC, on demand. 4oD is quite simplyanother way to get your TV hit, 24/7. You can delveinto the Archive, catch up on programmes you missed inthe last month and even pre-book upcoming ones.’

The 4OD programme itself is free to download, encouraging consumers to at least take this first step, and you pay per programme after this, meaning each individual programme purchased is cheap, with no big initial outlay like there is for a provider such as Sky. There are free shows each week as well, which gives consumers a taste and leaves them wanting more.



TV

The TV section of the website has links to Channel 4’s sub-brands, such as E4, More4 and Film4. When clicked, each of these links shows the top programmes and gives that evenings TV listings for the particular channel. There are links to particular programmes, which all have their own C4 pages. For a deconstruction of one of these pages, see my blog about the Skins website.



Entertainment

This section of the website contains a range of different pages, with the menu on the left offering film, games, music, sport, T4, 4laughs and thisisaknife. This is another interactive section of the website, designed to give something back to fans of specific interests such as films or online gaming.



Lifestyle

The lifestyle section also has a huge range of different topics, ranging from gardening to motoring. It is notable that many of these pages do offer interactive features, such as a ‘Name that car’ quiz, where you can win prizes, an added incentive for consumers to compete. The lifestyle section offers advice to consumers as well, on everything from money to diet, while at the same time advertising programmes that are on the same subject. For example, the health section has links to the pages for ‘You Are What You eat,’ and ’10 Years Younger.’

News

The news section is fairly standard, but there are some added extras. For example, you can read blogs from the channel 4 news team, and there is also a forum, which encourages interactivity and loyalty to an online community. There is also specialist news sections, such as Science, Arts and Sports.

Documentaries

The Documentaries section is divided into Culture, Faith and Beliefs, History, Fourdocs and Science. Each of these sections offers news, a forum, quizzes, games and competitions. This is a way of getting people, and it suggests young people, more interested in documentaries, by making them more fun and interactive.



Interact

The interact section of the website includes features seen on other sections of the website, such as forums, but also includes mobile links, and free downloads for mobiles, a Take part section where consumers can apply to appear in channel 4 shows, and 4talent, a website where amateurs can display their work.

Summary

The channel 4 website seems to revolve around interactivity, with each individual section containing interactive features. It aims to present news and information in an interesting and up-to-date way while attempting to include the consumer as much as possible, and get them interested in channel 4 as a brand, encouraging loyalty.

The Skins Website

The Skins Website

‘Us’ Section

Introduction to the characters, including:
- An ‘about me’ section, so that the consumer can feel they ‘know’ the character, and have inside information on them, giving them a more personal link to the show
- Fave tv shows – an opportunity to market other channel 4 programmes – for example Scrubs on Michelle’s introduction
- Fave movies
- Fave bands – includes links to their channel 4 websites – more subliminal advertising for channel 4 products
- Fave websites – links to external websites – more opportunity for channel 4 to earn outside revenue
- Photos and video diary – again to give the consumer something unique and personal which they cannot get elsewhere or from the TV show

Sign-up

Gives you the opportunity to become a member of the Skins community, where you will receive benefits such as being able to view ‘unseen skins,’ weekly emails, exclusives and ‘free stuff’ such as a free song download. It allows channel 4 to send emails about their other products and services, and also helps them to track the progress and success of the programme.

Episodes

Contains episode summaries to keep-viewers up-to-date if they miss an episode, and encourage them not to stop watching if they do miss one. It also contains a link to the Skins MySpace page.

Unseen Skins

Each week an unseen, unavailable on TV, mini episode of Skins is released, which is only available to members of the Skins Community. For the consumer this offers exclusive content, allowing a feeling of being one of a limited number who gets to view these, making them feel more valued. For channel 4, it encourages customer loyalty, both to the website and to the programme. It is also motivation for consumers to join the Skins Community (discussed above)

Competitions

These competitions were all before the actual launch of skins, to encourage consumers to get involved early on, and to feel a part of the programme before it had even started. They also got people talking about the programme and created an early hype.

The competitions were:

- to redesign the logo
- to style the characters for a shoot in More magazine
- to compose the music which will accompany a scene in episode 5
- to create a short film based around one of the characters

The first three areas all mean less work for the production team, while the fourth gives the programme extra publicity.

Trailers

The trailers, which were available before the episodes were shown, similarly create a hype, and allow consumers to rewatch as many times as they want. The videos also have channel 4 adverts before they begin, which cannot be skipped.

Forum

The forum allows the most interactivity on the site, with users able to create topics, or add to existing ones. The forum creates an online community, where users can talk for as long as they like with people who have a shared interest. They may not otherwise have people to talk to about Skins, and by giving them a portal for discussion, the website also encourages people’s interest in Skins to grow beyond simply watching the programme, and turning them into a much more interactive and dedicated fan.

Advertising

The Skins webpage, like all the other channel 4 webpages, contains internal and external advertising, as well as a link to the sponsor (BSM’s) website. This brings in revenue for channel 4, as the more consumers log onto their site, the more willing companies are to pay for advertising space. As the Skins website contains interactive and exclusive content, with particularly the ‘Unseen Skins’ encouraging loyalty, as they are released weekly, it is likely consumers will feel a lot more involved in the programme, encouraging them to watch, which in turn earns more revenue for channel 4.

The Superman Returns Website

The ‘Superman Returns’ Website

Contains:
- Trailer on the homepage – allows consumers a preview, so they feel special, and also encourages them to see the film
- Information about the DVD, including all the added extras – encourages them to buy the DVD
- Information about the HD DVD and the blu-ray disc – similar to above. Also another example of new technologies
- Story, cast and crew – More information – again allows consumers to feel involved
- Insider information: about the production, the special effects, the origins of the story etc.
- DVD trailer

- Theatrical trailer
- Clips from the DVD (x3)
- Set gallery
- TV spots (coming soon)
- Still images from the film
- Links to other websites, including the Superman Returns MySpace, the Daily Planet website, partners such as the video game, website perfectmatch.com, Duracell batteries and Papa Johns pizza – encourages interactivity (ie visiting/commenting the MySpace) and advertises its sponsors

- Mobile phone links, such as numbers to text to get downloads, information and quizzes – creates revenue and gives consumers something back – unique content unavailable elsewhere
- Film images that you can put on your own website (codes provided) – free source of marketing
- Downloads, including:
1. Wallpapers
2. Buddy icons
3. Posters
4. Screensavers
5. Stickers
6. Iron-ons
7. Headed paper

Overall, the features on the website encourage the consumer to feel included in the production of the film, and draw them in by giving them previews, giving them more reason to watch the film or buy the DVD. They also provide different sources of revenue, mainly from texting and advertising.