Ch-ch-changes

Ch-ch-changes

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Well, we certainly whet your appetite for this the last few months, and now here it is—the first issue of the redefined Picture Business—Picture Business & Mobile Lifestyle.

Obviously, the "new" part of that title is the addition of the words Mobile Lifestyle. We’ll still be all about the Picture Business but it’s the Mobile Lifestyle part of the equation that we found most intriguing.

Consumers today seem to do everything on-the-fly—multi-tasking the day away like those robots George and Jane Jetson used to employ. The key lies in the fact that the enjoyment inherent in all this revolves around the notion it all belongs to them—there’s an ownership issue involved here that seems to set off the light bulb over their heads.

I think the example that best captures the mindset of today’s consumer comes from the music industry and all they’ve been through the last few years. The solution to solving this aforementioned "ownership" trend I spoke of comes into crystal-clear focus within this example as well.

When consumers began illegally sharing and downloading music files, the initial response from the record labels was panic, then outrage, then lawsuits…lots of lawsuits. The general feeling in the industry was, "How dare these people get what they want!" A year into this mess, it was clear no one was really winning this fight and then along comes Apple with iTunes, allowing consumers to cherry-pick their favorite singles directly to their iPods, and everyone was smiling again.

So, years later album sales began taking a hit and now up steps Apple again with their "Cocktail" solution—a digital offering that is hoping to bring all the major labels together to create these interactive music bundles exclusive to full album purchases. These "booklets" will contain bonus artwork, photos, liner notes and other content in an effort to offer additional value around the purchase of an entire album.

Gee, after all the analyzing and scrutinizing, it seems it’s still pretty much about value to most consumers…and definitely convenience. Not really that new, these concepts, are they?

So then, back in our neck of the woods—similar scenario, right? Digital steals processing dollars; consumers start "cherry picking" images and sharing them in cyberspace; industry rails against all this (okay, no lawsuits, but you get the point).

We’ve already made this clear, but it bears repeating—the new Picture Business & Mobile Lifestyle will be about all of the above and more. Together, we’ll examine ways to tap into this brave new connected consumer world and explore the profit potential that lives within these new behaviors.

Taking and sharing pictures is still at the core of this business, but it’s a very different animal today. Starting with this issue, we hope to help you tame this beast—or at the very last keep it from staining the carpets.

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