Spool
- 1. Spool Marketing plan – New User Acquisition
- 2. SWOT Strengths Scalable and hard to replicate, mobile-optimized (no pinch and zoom), queue/sync content from PC browser and other devices Bandwidth and storage are cheap, time is not Usage data, what users view when waiting Weaknesses: Existing apps perform Spool’s functions, albeit separately (ReadItLater, flv downloaders, etc) No “sharing” mechanism for network effort, e.g. seeing what friends are Spooling
- 3. SWOT (continued) Opportunities Tiered data plans encourage Wi-Fi over 3G at margin Mobile data expensive or capped in emerging markets, yet home or work often have Wi-Fi Threats Legal action as artificial content silos break (Hulu) Mobile data access may grow (LTE, WiMax, etc.), reducing remnant time Offline apps may still be more efficient – Spool assumes user wants content from multiple websites
- 4. Use Cases Remnant time – “podcast the internet” Intermittent connectivity – “have your cake now, and later too”
- 5. Cultivate critical mass Skim, rather than penetration, to avoid raising legal issues immediately Reach segment(s) that will use Spool most frequently, even multiple times a day Most iterations of usage for data and feedback in shortest time from launch Ideally, critical mass of passionate users will share Spool with others
- 6. Remnant time: Segments Public transit: subway, bus, etc. Potentially daily use, target top metro areas NYC, DC, Boston, SF, Philly, and Chicago Waiting: café, hospital, etc Use case obvious, data minimal – pair with transit Travel: air, train, intercity bus Later priority - less frequent, but longer sessions more likely to open legal issues with greater length content downloaded (e.g. entire episodes from Hulu) Potential for partnerships, e.g. paid hotspots
- 7. Intermittent Connectivity: Segments Coffee shops (Starbucks app of the week) Paid hotspots Hotels Prepaid: Europe and emerging markets UK, France, etc: with café, mall, India: partner with cafés, malls, etc.
- 8. Promotion: Transit and Café Transit display ads: in vehicle, station Print: free “transit” newspapers, QR codes Local Café: Spool increases value of Wi-Fi Internet in shop, and to go – just like coffee Starbucks weekly iOS app Paid hotspot: with Spool, 1 hour of Wi-Fi gives more than 1 hour of browsing
- 9. Europe and Emerging Markets Prepaid phones prevalent and data costly Opera - poach their customers during transition to iOS, Android, and Windows Partner with coffee chains and other social spots with free wi-fi, as in US Transit display ads, as in US
- 10. Future use case Education Variety of web content on mobile (iPod touch), yet limit internet access during class hours Blackberry – web browsing experience is even worse than Android and iOS Emerging markets – optimizes web for simple phones, Spool makes rich content available on smartphones
- 11. Monetization Usage data – recommendations for Amazon or other shopping After legal action, content stored for limited time or pay regular fee to store it longer Revenue-sharing with wi-fi hotspots (café, paid, etc.) Bundle with devices (tablet, phones, etc – especially outside US carriers’ markets)
Editor's Notes
- #3: Make sure I’ve understood things properly, going back and forth here
- #5: Remnant: ubiquity of mobile phones creates situations (waiting, commuting, etc) where you can’t access Web content despite having a phone in hand. Intermittent: because of budget or device limitations, you prefer Wi-Fi over 3G.
- #7: Use case for public transit is compelling, data access on transit is physically limited (works in our favor), and we know what the top transit-share cities are – target them! For cafes and hospitals near transit, we can target both transit users and those waiting Travel (longhaul) doesn’t involve frequent enough use or groups of users who could form critical mass and share the app
- #8: Intermittent connectivity case, to my mind, is strongest outside the US, since it encompasses all mobile devices.
- #9: Display ad: banner next to bench you sit on, while waiting for train in DC. Or, poster inside NY subway train car. Or, poster on bus in SF Print: things like Examiner and Express that are given for free in DC, each morning Café: think Chinatown Coffee Co in DC. Piecemeal strategy to be sure. If affordable, go for Starbucks “app of the week” with iOS…you’l lge Starbucks: you’ll hit iOS users as well! Paid hotspot: think, before flight or before train ride with TABLET or phone/iPod touch
- #10: Coffee chains. Internet cafes would be ideal, but they’re fragmented business Opera – we want to steal their future business, as smartphone share increases in emerging markets. Our use case is even more compelling there. optimizes web for simple phones, Spool makes rich content available on smartphones