Japanese Video Chain Cashes in on Mobile Internet

Matthew Rothenberg writes: "CIO Insight has a case study that describes how Tokyo's Tsutaya video stores are tracking their users' shopping habits in real time via NTT DoCoMo's i-Mode wireless services and devices. 'We're not interested in merely renting videos to people,' Tsutaya founder Muneaki Masuda says. 'We're collecting lifestyle information, and the possibilities of that are, over time, enormous.'"

Comments

I'm glad...

[pizen]

I don't live in Japan. Where do I not sign up?

Response to a stupid idea (INNOVATIONS, indeed)

[dasmegabyte]

How does it all work for the consumer? Suppose your 13-year-old daughter bought the latest CD by *NSYNC, a popular boy band. When the band's next release is available, Tsutaya Online (TOL), Tsutaya's wireless i-Mode site, will e-mail you a digital music clip. Similarly, fans of movie star Nicole Kidman can be sent a review of her new movie, "Birthday Girl,'' and then track its availability on video via the Web or mobile phone.

And now, the problems with this, for those not following it close enough:

1) If I bought the n*sync album, and liked it, I'd already know a new one was coming out. Informing me it of this would embarrass you and creep me the hell out.

2) If I bought said album and didn't like it, your informing me that there is a new one would probably not entice me to buy it. Getting a free "clip," which would no doubt be identical to the songs played on mtv, the radio, and cars parked next to mine at Target, would not entice me to buy it. So again, it embarrasses you and creeps me the hell out.

3) If you let me know there's a new Nicole Kidman flick out, and tell me where I can see it, you assume that I had nothing to do that evening but what you tell me. Basically, you're suggesting that I do what you say and forcefully providing me with a suggestion. And since nobody goes to a film alone, I'd have to admit to my friends that we're going to see this damn butterfly movie because a cell-phone provider told me to. When they were done laughing, we wouldn't go. Again, you are embarrassed and I am shamed.

There is no way for this technology not to be obnoxious. It is not passive advertising, like a magazine or banner ad, which I act on if that's what I am searching for. It is active advertising, singling me out, and unlike telemarketing which has a (slightly) human factor to it increasing the probability of success. So we have obnoxious technology on expensive devices. Result? Devices become marginalized to only people who are themselves obnoxious, deleting the street appeal (one of the largest sellers of cell phones). Companies realise this and don't use the service. The service dies, and CIOs fire ad sellers like it's their fault.

Jesus, people, how hard is it to build a company through great customer service, useful products and quality goods? It seems that everybody's looking to force junk down our throats for loads and loads of money, claiming it's "free." Is it any wonder OSS has such trouble in this market?