Wired magazine coined the phrase “Good Enough Revolution” back in August of 2009 and the idea is that today, users will accept less functionality and less advanced products for more convenience and greater availability.

“[Hulu’s] content may not be hi-def, and you’re stuck watching it on a computer screen, but Hulu lets you catch recent television shows and popular movies whenever and wherever you want. For free. No wonder it has 40 million unique viewers.”

Quality simply isn’t the top priority as it once was to consumers, says Wired. Instead, we prefer the ease and convenience of Hulu, Netflix, and Flip cameras.

But, from a Gen Y perspective, I disagree with the views they have on this “revolution.” I don’t think that consumers are lowering their standards for the things they buy.

Because we grew up in the middle of the technological revolution, we understand that innovation occurs.  We also understand that this can also bring negative consequences.  This technical revolution has provided consumers with new capabilities, and options that were unheard of 15 years ago. Thus, we have a different set of needs when it comes to purchasing products.

Because we grew up in the technology boom, we know that something better will always be on the horizon.  Businesses feel that their new products are those “better somethings” that will change the world and they want to make adoption of their product as easy as possible.  Thankfully for them, Gen Y is full of early adopters who are willing to try a new product that could improve their life in some way. This adaptability has lead to many new product trials – with some successes and some failures.

But we’re okay with this. In fact, we love this.  As a generation, we love the opportunity to try new things and see if they will actually make our lives easier.  If they do, we will happily adopt.  If they don’t, we will happily go back to how we did things before and keep our eye out for the next new product.

This tendency for trial and error also shows the focus we place on usability and product success.  Because we have tried so many products, and generally understand what we like, we place a high value on a product being simple, having a short learning curve, and performing the way it says it will. If a product doesn’t provide us with additional value than the one we are currently using, we won’t adopt it – plain and simple.

We grew up in one of the greatest economic booms our country has ever seen.  We grew up in the good times; discretionary spending was what we were raised on. But, we have also learned a valuable lesson in the past five years. This economic period has changed us as a generation forever.  As a young generation, we were planning on having the good things in life, making money to both save and spend.

But when the Great Recession happened, it made us take a step back and reevaluate what was important.

We now put a high premium on value – is the price you charge worth the benefits I will receive?  We’re being more careful with spending our money.  Why did the major movie studios make an agreement with Netflix to release their DVDs to the rental service three months after they release? Because we don’t buy DVDs anymore.  The ability to pay $10 a month and watch anything we want far outweighs buying a DVD for twice the price.

A product that delivers what you want it to sounds like a good product, not a product that is “good enough.”

Michael Masnick at Techdirt says, “The concept of ‘good enough’ misses the point…The real problem is that some [companies] start to focus on the ‘quality’ aspect of the product, rather than the quality of meeting what the consumer wants.”

Likewise, I don’t see this as a “revolution” by any means.  I don’t see it as consumers being willing accept less from their products.  I see it as consumers changing their ideas of “benefits” and “value.” Just because we’re focusing more on price and convenience than on features and power doesn’t mean that those new products are inferior.  In fact, one could argue that they are superior; they are geared more towards the general wants of consumers.

Gen Y is the perfect example of why this shift has occurred, but is also the perfect example of why it’s not a “revolution.”  It’s only a shift in the preferences of individuals. And businesses are listening to us.

Photo by chris.corwin

Part 2 of: TV’s Missed Opportunity

We’ve come a long way from recording songs off the radio for romantic mix tapes. These days I share the songs that best express my feelings, hopes and dreams digitally. But, a lot more has changed from cassette to playlist than it might seem.

When downloading music and ripping it from CDs began, conceptually the nature of the product changed from a thing you hold in your hand into something that you have the rights to use. John Mayer recently asked people who illegally downloaded, and liked, a copy of his new album to go out and “register” their copy. That is, he asked them to go buy it. But, the language he used is a pretty clear sign of the times.

For many consumers, content doesn’t exist as a physical thing anymore. Instead, content is something you buy the rights to own and enjoy. Once I buy a movie, I own a physical copy as well as the right to rip and burn as many copies as I want for myself. But, this leads some to ask, how many times do I have to pay for it?

A while back I was jonesing to watch Star Wars, Episode 4: A New Hope, and took a trip down to Borders to buy it. It cost $60! I couldn’t help but think, I’ve owned this trilogy my entire life! My whole family went to see all the movies in theaters, both times, purchased the movies on VHS and DVD, bought action figures, posters etc.  Why do I need to buy this again?

In this light, illegal downloading doesn’t feel so illegal. And, that is a problem for anyone with a stake in TV or DVDs.

On the flip side, virtual content is thought of as inherently less valuable than hard copies. I recently purchased Something Something Something Dark Side from iTunes while visiting my parents over Christmas. Yet, iTunes counts that copy, as my only copy. I can take it from that computer and put it on another, but I can’t download it again without paying… Say what?

iTunes and Amazon ask full price for entirely digital copies and offer no guarantee I won’t have to buy my whole media library again if my computer explodes. Sure it’s my responsibility to back them up, but really I’m not very motivated to do that extra work. I just want an easy experience with my media and not worry about the hours spent double-checking my library. Digital copies feel less valuable and less secure long term, so why am I being asked to pay a premium price?

Something to hold onto will always be superior to a backup file in my mind, no matter how digital I get. I don’t like buying from iTunes because it doesn’t send out DVD or save me the extra work of backing up my files. Plus, most people can’t even hook their computers up to a TV to really enjoy it anyway–so it seems even less valuable to them (just a guess). In the end, the shows that I like the most are the ones I’ll never, ever buy online.

In this light, the lower value associated with virtual copies makes stealing (again) not seem like that big a deal. It’s just a copy on my hard drive, frail and weak.

So what does all this mean? The way we think about content seems to be changing, and thus how people value it may be changing as well.

Premium content producers should pay more attention to how consumers value their products. I would argue that illegal downloading, one of the main thorns in the TV and Movie industry’s side, is driven from beliefs that virtual content is low value to begin with (among other things). As a result, to most people “free” downloads don’t seem like a very big deal.

However, companies could address these feelings head on by redefining the value of the content people buy. (I’m not gonna say “added value,” but) providing free, easy backup and greater access to purchased programs, sending out physical copies (that cost what, ten cents to make!?) or simply charging less for virtual content could significantly influence consumer behavior.

The more confidence we have in the longevity of our content–be it hard copies or back up–and the more access points we have to it, the greater the value of that content. Bit torrent can get someone a movie in 20 minutes and Walmart can sell me a DVD. But, a company that sells me content, guarantees its safety and lets me watch it anywhere, that’s really what I want. Because if I buy into something like that, it’s more than a movie I just downloaded, that’s a product I can get behind.

Image: source

Author: Jason Potteiger – Associate Editor at TNGG

What I would appreciate to have in the USA?

United Colors of Benetton—One of my favorite brands with some of the greatest stores. Yes, there are United Colors of Benetton stores in the USA, but not as many as I wished for and their limited items selection is just pathetic. It is an entirely different experience to walk into a colorful United Colors of Benetton store in Europe knowing that you can buy everything you need—t-shirts, jeans, semi-formal dresses, business casual attire…

Sisley – Benetton’s trendy brand targeted toward Gen Y.  All my pretty party dresses are with this label and it is sad I’ve never been able to buy these dresses in the USA because I’ve never seen the label. Even if some unknown to me stores sell Sisly, that doesn’t solve the problem. We need more of them.

Cappy – Coca-Cola’s natural juices in glass bottles. Simply delicious and no, they are not like Minute Maid Juice.  Blueberries. Peach. Deliciousness!

More Fanta flavors – Another Coca-Cola product. Fanta is on the U.S. market, but not Fanta Madness and  not Fanta World. Fanta World introduces a new flavor from a different part of the world every year.

Great cell phones—‘nuff said.

Good wine – There are good wines in the USA. But in Europe one can find good cheap wines. Sometimes cheaper than water.

What Americans would probably appreciate having in Europe?

Hulu – Even I would appreciate having Hulu available in Europe.

Pandora—And we supposedly live in a global village!

Vanilla Coca-Cola—Too many Coca-Cola products in one post, but I know so many Americans who love this soda and can’t imagine life without it.

Starbucks—Let me be more specific: Starbucks on every corner. There are coffee shops on every corner in Europe. Often even more than one on a corner, but Americans have hard time drinking black coffee. There are Starbucks shops in Europe, but not as many.

Cheap stuff—Besides the wine and some other items, almost everything is more expensive in Europe than it is in the USA. Sadly, even European brands. Everyone would be happier with cheaper items in this recession.

Big portions—(Maybe) they are not healthy, but people who have spent their entire lives with big portions do miss them.

If anyone who can change one or more of the items on my list reads this post, please do make our lives easier. Please do make the thousands of international and study abroad students, the millions of people working abroad and the millions of tourists visiting both continents happier.

Too bad I don’t. It may come as a surprise to you “older folk” (looking at you, Gen X and Baby Boomers!), but not all of us Milennial’s like spending hours browsing YouTube, or prefer watching our TV shows on our computers.

I prefer watching my TV shows and movies on an actual TV, and I know a few other people who feel the same.

Nevertheless, I attended the Boxee beta launch in Brooklyn on Monday December 7th, and saw a product that finally made me say “I’d cancel my cable for this”.

Before getting into why, let me give you some background about just how anti-”Internet for everything TV and movies” I am:

1. I just signed up for NetFlix this year. In October, to be exact. I’ve still never watched one of their On Demand movies. I get the DVD’s, the “old fashioned” way.

2. I’ve never gotten the appeal of the “YouTube rabbit hole”, though I do now have my own channel.

3. I’ve watched a show on Hulu once, and I don’t think I even finished the episode.

4. I don’t own a DV-R anymore, and rarely watch TV.

According to all things logical, I really shouldn’t be as enamored with Boxee as I am in reality.  Call it a post Boxee Beta launch party glow, or call it “finally waking up and seeing how freaking awesome this technology could be”. Call it whatever you want; I’m into it.

As a Millennial, am I pre-disposed to the “bright shiny object syndrome” (aka: BSOS)? Perhaps.  But, seeing as I’ve historically been so averse to moving my TV-viewing habits online in any way, shape or form, one would think not in this case.

If anything, I should have been skeptical. I was skeptical! I sat through the Beta presentation and thought “wow” after “wow” after “wow”. I believe I said “wow” quite a few times, as well.  My reaction wasn’t because the Beta platform is slick (it is), and it wasn’t because it’s the latest and greatest (it is). My reaction was caused by Boxee showing me that it solves my needs for movies, tv shows, music and online media in one easy-to-use interface that connects me with my “friends” when and where I want.

My resistance in moving my viewing habits online has thus far revolved around the experience.

1. Quality YouTube videos generally aren’t high quality enough to replicate the TV experience, and hanging around on the site is annoying and time-consuming. They now have HD videos, but I still have to hang around on the YouTube site, or find a link from another site and blow it up to full-screen.

2. Viewing Size My DV-R (when I had one) recorded and played back TV shows I liked, and I could skip commercials. Doing the same thing on Hulu was easy, but I had to watch them on my itty bitty laptop screen, coming in at a whopping 13″. Even my smallish TV was twice that size!

3. Annoyance and Cost I didn’t own a wireless keyboard, making it harder to operate my computer if I chose to hook it up to my TV. They just don’t make cords that long, and I didn’t care enough to search around for a cost-effective solution when I had a decent alternative (watching TV on my actual TV, via cable).

4. Complications While I’m on the tech-savvy side of my generation, I’ve never been “into” A/V technology.  My former roommate was, which resulted in a ridiculously large (60″, or something along those lines) TV with a 5-figure sound and entertainment system to match (in a 1,000sqft apartment, mind you!).  Great, but I’m just fine with my 20-something inch TV that I’ve owned for about 5 years.  It’s not even HD!  I’m just not bothered about going out to shop for a wireless keyboard, fancy cables or a remote control. I’m sure it’s easy, and I’m sure if I spent the time shopping for those items I’d be in and out quite quickly, but I just don’t have the energy to spend researching items to change my media consumption habits when they’re working fine as-is.   It’s the perception of difficulty that’s stopped me so far, the perception that “Gee golly, this will be complicated.”

Here’s where Boxee comes in.

I can tie my Netflix account to Boxee, allowing me to use my iPhone to control my laptop and select which movies I want to watch. That solves Viewing Size, Annoyance and Cost, and Quality.  Even better? Instead of spending time looking into remote options, I only have to purchase a cable.  I can do that with little to no research – solving Complications.

I can also tie my last.fm and flickr.com accounts to Boxee, allowing me to listen to music and view my photos/friends photos at the same time.

When considering what TV shows I watch, Boxee allows me to browse both local and internet content, showing me every free episode of a TV show before I decide if I want to rent or buy the DVD from Netflix. Their blog post about the Beta launch explains the details.

I can connect with other Boxee members I know and see what they recommend, and even set it up to post to Facebook, Twitter or Tumblr when I recommend, review or watch something. I can go to their App section to view/listen to content from elsewhere, like Wired or Pandora.

So. What Changed?

I still don’t like watching TV on my laptop, and my laptop hasn’t magically turned into a TV yet.

Boxee removed barriers.

They consolidated my online media habits into one platform, and effectively said “Yea, you can do that with our platform”.  All that’s standing between me and using Boxee is downloading it and buying a cable to hook my teeny laptop up to my smallish TV.

My willingness comes from the ease of use and the fact that they can solve my problems without introducing any new ones – not from being a Millennnial or having “bright, shiny object syndrome”.  I’m anti-difficulty, and pro services that make my life easier.  Frankly speaking, I like convenience! Boxee delivers.

Photo Credit: ndevil

True some of us fork over $1.29 to the online music monopoly known as Apple.

Right now those are our only two alternatives. Steal or buy.

Perhaps it’s time for an alternative.

Enter Free All Music. The premise of this company is similar to the Hulu model. You watch a commercial and you get a song, but different than Pandora in that you can actually keep the song. Download it and listen to it on your iPod.

Not only that, but FaM has built-in social and shareable features to ensure that the site can grow organically. You will be able to sign-in through Facebook Connect and all actions will be broadcast throughout the Facebook network.  You are also prompted to email your friends to “free” songs for them.

I’m convinced this company will succeed. Why? Because it was created out of a real deficiency in the marketplace and based on a real consumer need.  It absolutely astounds me that in today’s world of free (sometimes ad-supported), portable content that we still resort to stealing songs.

I’m also excited about the Free All Music launch from an advertising perspective. As a young marketer, one of my goals is to bring more utility to advertising. Although ad-supported content is not the extent of my vision, it’s a step away from the 30-second overly produced broadcast commercials where consumer value is limited. Here the consumer is actually getting something that s/he wants from the million dollar ad budgets of most marketers.

The Beta launch for 3,000 randomly selected participants (of the several thousand who already signed up on the site) is in early December with a larger launch in February.  Check out freeallmusic.com and let me know what you think.  It’s either that or continue to pay… or steal.

Image: RBB

Hulu

Over the past few weeks, upon breaking the news that Hulu may start charging for content, the response among my friends has been almost universally the same – a look of shock or disbelief followed by a dismayed, “but, I love Hulu…”

I know the feeling, like the person I’m dating thinks they might want a break. Crestfallen I think, “this sucks.” Gen Y certainly has a love affair with Hulu. But, introducing a pay-for-content scheme into the mix could make this relationship a little bit tricky.

We love Hulu because it’s simple. An unfortunate side effect of Web 2.0 has been clutter, but amid the static Hulu established a clean, intuitive, easy to use channel. The problems we had with online TV were design, accessibility and attention to detail—and Hulu nailed it. In contrast to other TV websites it successfully translated the act of channel surfing online.

We love Hulu because it gets us. From interface to attitude, the Hulu brand has been on the money. Last year’s Super Bowl spot, “Hulu, an evil plot to destroy the world,” was funny, viral and effective at building an authentic brand image. It’s been so successful that Hulu’s reputation as the place to find TV online has become so well established among my age group. As a result, we’ll likely check it first for any show we’re looking for!

We love Hulu because it makes TV portable. My television can’t leave the living room, my laptop goes into the kitchen when I cook, fits on my nightstand when I go to bed etc. I can take TV anyplace. I can also have it any time. Hulu lets us move, re-watch and share our favorite shows—that’s awesome! and it has become something I expect.

But now Hulu is thinking about our relationship, and wondering if it has been a little too easy. The question has become: how hard will it be to pry a few bucks out of Gen Y’s loyal hands? Potentially very hard.

Not to say that pay-for-content is impossible, but there are a few things we probably won’t stand for and we’re not afraid to leave. By now you should probably have a good idea of how fast we’ll learn bit-torrent and put up with Mandarin subtitles.

We probably won’t pay for commercials. Though notorious for avoiding advertising, us millennials are very aware that they fund our content. We’re fine with advertising on Hulu, we watch it. Start charging us for content and we’ll start to wonder why ads keep interrupting our content. Or maybe we’ll just wait for the whole season on DVD and ‘NetFlix’ it.

We probably won’t change our habits. We expect the ability to watch recently aired shows online for free. FX puts up, “It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia,” with a one week delay, and that’s great. This has often motivated me to try hard to catch it live. But, if I miss my show and have no way to catch up without paying, I’ll feel slighted. “Screw you if I want to go out on Thursday night, when can I see my show?” The world today demands that we be flexible, and so we demand same of the world.

We probably won’t pay for what we’re getting right now. Though Hulu is often discussed as if it’s a land of untamed free content, any given show typically has just a few resent episodes available. Unless there is more content (and a lot more), it’s unlikely we’ll pay for it. Further, it better be cheap. Don’t forget we’re already paying over $100 a month for basic cable and internet access, (I guess we could just cancel our cable to sign up exclusively for Hulu? But I don’t think that’s what networks want either).

Bottom line, we want real value or convenience. After all, whether it’s student loans or mortgage payments, we’ve all got bills to pay and limited time – what would it take for you to pay for Hulu?

Photo Credit: anuragbansal

Author: Jason Potteiger – Associate Editor at TNGG