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Sarah Gibbon joins The Little Big Partnership
October 22, 2013
Here at Little Big, we help our clients create experiences that put smiles on the faces of children, young people and their families.
Yes, digital is a very important part to that. So too are live events and exhibitions, and the ways in which technology can make them even more memorable. That’s why we’re delighted Sarah has now joined us as Partner at The Little Big Partnership.
Marc Goodchild joins The Little Big Partnership
September 30, 2013
We’re delighted to share that Marc has joined us as Partner at Little Big.
Previously, he was Head of Digital at Children’s BBC, where he oversaw development of the three core products – children’s iPlayer, CBeebies and CBBC – along with numerous online and interactive television support services for the likes of Blue Peter, Tracey Beaker and Horrible Histories. Read more…
Content planograms – How to drive sales in an on-demand world
July 29, 2013
To grow sales on digital platforms likes Netflix and iTunes film and television distributors (kids or otherwise) need to significantly increase their investment in sales analytics, consumer research and competitor benchmarking to develop digital ‘content planograms’ – the homepage equivalent of the bricks-and-mortar one above. This data-driven approach will support negotiations for better placement; help properly evaluate promotional opportunities; and drive share of market across a much broader range of platforms. Here’s why.
Retailer to children’s publisher. Top 5 lessons from a salamander.
April 10, 2013
When I lived in Germany as a young boy I loved Salamander shoes or rather I loved Lurchi, the little salamander character whose comic books and figurines you got wherever Salamander shoes were sold. Since then a lot (!) of time has passed, we moved abroad and my little friend was but a distant memory. For a long time now I’ve thought that brands – retailers, airlines, insurers etc. – could really benefit, both in the short and long term, from creating better experiences for families – parents and children in particular.
Free-to-play children’s apps – Honesty is the best policy.
March 12, 2013
So the “ethics” of in-app-purchasing (IAP) – where kids or parents download an app for “free” and then get offered additional content, time or functionality at a premium – seems to be the subject of a big debate in the kids app industry, fuelled particularly since Apple decided to refund £1,700 to parents of a child who had racked up a massive bill. Stuart Dredge’s recent post where he interviewed a range of industry figures in the UK gives a good snapshot of the debate.
Independent kids app developers – Are their days numbered?
March 6, 2013
Discovery on app stores sucks. I think we all know that.
What this means is that if you’re a small independent even with a fabulous kids app, you need to get lucky (major editorial or word of mouth) or spend your way to success (lots of marketing dollars). That’s no business model which is illustrated by the fact that over 60% of developers don’t even cover their costs. As supply of apps increases and devices and platforms multiply this will only get worse unless there’s a radical overhaul of the stores’ experiences.
Kids TV production – Top ten tips for a digital world (continued)
February 6, 2013
So following on from my previous post, here are the remaining top tips for children’s television producers. Again, I’m sure they’re not exhaustive so please add.
Kids TV production – Top ten tips for a digital world
February 5, 2013
Following our previous post on the advertiser-funded kids TV model I thought I’d share some quick-fire tips for kids television producers in the digital world. Here are the first five. The rest to follow.
The advertiser-funded kids TV model is dead. Discuss.
January 25, 2013
In an on-demand world where families can watch and discover shows on tablets, TV and mobiles thanks to Amazon, Netflix, iTunes and other local players, the advertiser-funded kids TV model is dead. I’m not just talking about producers but broadcasters also.
Ad-funded linear channels or ad-funded video-on-demand (VOD) services will continue to exist but they won’t be in any position to fund new original programming. Viewing share for linear channels won’t be enough to justify investment and VOD services won’t have enough visibility of likely income to justify it either. They will therefore only be able to show reruns of old classics, imports and toy-co funded content. In an on-demand world where these rights will be non-exclusive, ad-funded players will have very little to differentiate. Combine that with more households with PVR services and general pressure on advertiser-funded kids TV and you’re looking at a very bleak existence for ad-funded broadcasters.
Children’s publishing – Six steps from survival to success.
January 18, 2013
It’s taken a lot longer for technology and changes in consumer behaviour to have significant affect on the children’s publishing industry, but as the saying goes (and I paraphrase), change comes slower than forecast but when it does it has far greater impact. Whether it’s the recent research by DBW and Playscience (thanks @imakewebpretty), seeing traditional media retailers such as HMV go to the wall (Waterstones?), or last year’s merger of Penguin and Random House, I can only conclude that we’re at a turning. Just to be clear, I don’t believe physical books will go away but their share will dwindle. The economics of publishing will therefore fundamentally change. Publishers that adapt have an opportunity to succeed. Those that don’t will be in a fight for survival or get gobbled up in industry consolidation.
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