See the newsletter with all graphics at COMMON GROUND VOLUME 2 : ISSUE 1 NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE LINK. Text only version provided below, links only work in the full archived version via the link above.
Volume 2 : Issue 1
January 2013
Welcome to Common Ground News
Upcoming Events:
• GeoMetrx will be attending the [1]Multi-Unit Franchising Conference at
Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, March 27-29. Come by Booth #627 to meet Kent
Hargesheimer, Rich Mithoff and Patrick O’Neill.
In this Issue:
* Feature Article – Movie Rental Kiosks – A “Reel” Opportunity
* Tips & Techniques – helping you get the most out of our online mapping
application at [2]GeoMetrx “How to Change Thematic Overlay Design – Color Fill”
* Thematic Map – Movie Attedance
* Trivia Challenge – The “Big 5” Oscar winning movies… can you name them?
This and all our newsletters are available through our Knowledge Center resource
listed on our website. We encourage you to share our Common Ground News with
your friends and colleagues and we welcome your feedback. Visit our website and
make a comment on the [3]contact us page or send us an email at
[4]info@geo-e.com.
—-Kent Hargesheimer,
Managing Partner
Movie Rental Kiosks: A “Reel” Opportunity
Hollywood has long held a special place in the hearts of Americans, and watchingmovies has become one of our most beloved pastimes. A good movie catapults us into another world and allows our imaginations to run free, creating an almost hypnotic-like state of being. For a couple of precious hours we can leave the realities of our own world behind whether sitting in a darkened theater or in the comfort of our own living room. Regardless of how we obtain access to movies our hunger for them is likely to never be satisfied, as we’re always anxiously awaiting our next escape.
It’s amazing to think how far the movie industry has come in such a short time
– just a little over a century – and it boggles the mind to imagine where it
will be in another century. The changes in the movie distribution marketplace
are gradual as one technology eventually replaces another, such as “talkies”
signaling an end to the Silent Era with the release of The Jazz Singer in 1927.
Next, televisions began to appear in living rooms little by little, creating the
first real competition for the big studios. By 1962, more than 90% of American
homes had television sets, pushing the motion picture industry to create more
spectacular entertainment in order to keep audiences filling the theaters.
In 1976, JVC marketed the first VHS (Video Home System) device and forever
changed the motion picture industry. Audiences could now rent movies from the
myriad of neighborhood video stores that popped up overnight, and gave rise to
industry giants such as Blockbuster, Hollywood Video and Family Video. The VHS
era had nearly a 30 year run before being outmoded by digital technology. The
last major motion picture on VHS was A History of Violence, released in 2006.
Digital technology has swept away the industry, and ironically, the first major
motion picture to be released on DVD (digital video disc) was Twister in 1997.
The digital era offers a wide variety of options in addition to DVDs for the
home audience including:
• DVR (digital video recording) of broadcast and cable programming
• Instant streaming access to free and subscription programming
• On-demand viewing – rent from home/pay-per-view
Americans have become accustomed to convenience and control, and the digital era
of home entertainment provides both in abundance. Online streaming has come a
long way in the past few years and continues to be the wave of the future.
Full-length, high resolution movies can now be downloaded in just a few moments
to smartphones or any other electronic device – wow! We can watch nearly
anything, anywhere, anytime.
Despite instant access, DVDs are still a major aspect of the industry and
distribution channels are the name of the game. DVDs can be rented from a video
store, a stand-alone kiosk or through a mail order subscription. Brick and
mortar stores are becoming dinosaurs. While physical stores can offer a large
variety both locally and in-network, the overhead cost makes them much less
competitive with newer distribution channels. Video rental giant, Blockbuster,
continues to struggle in the brick and mortar format. At its peak in 2004,
there were more than 9,000 stores around the world; now less than 500 remain.
New owners, Dish Network, plan to keep these stores operating as long as they
remain profitable.
Netflix and similar companies dealt the first blow to brick and mortar stores by
offering mail-order subscriptions at a much lower per movie cost. Mail-order
rentals allow customers to ‘rent from home’ at their convenience by selecting
movies online, waiting for delivery and simply returning the movie in a pre-paid
envelope when finished viewing. Many of these subscription services offer a
variety of monthly plans with different levels of concurrent rentals and
exchanges. The biggest advantages of these programs are low cost and a large
inventory of movie selections, while the biggest disadvantage is waiting for
delivery.
DVD kiosk rentals delivered a second blow to brick and mortar stores offering
the advantage of both lower prices and increased convenience. Industry leaders
such as Redbox, with its nationwide network, as well as regional giants such as
DVDXpress, have greatly penetrated the market. DVD rental kiosks can be found in
variety of locations including gas station/mini-marts, grocery stores,
restaurants, and more. Customers can select and rent movies at any kiosk through
an interactive display or movies can be selected and reserved online,
guaranteeing the movie will be available at a chosen location until a specified
time. The disadvantages of kiosks are two-fold. Kiosks have a limited amount of
storage and therefore offer a reduced inventory selection. As a result kiosks
run the risk of being out of stock of specific titles, especially popular
new-releases.
The DVD Kiosk business is still booming despite the competition of online
streaming and instant downloads. Entry into the market is fairly low cost
compared to other start-ups which require more space and overhead. Check out
this infographic from [21]www.onlinedegrees.com for a more detailed review of
the DVD rental vs. online streaming landscape. The [22]GeoMetrx online territory
mapping application can assist new and existing entrants into the market with
territory mapping and management as well. Contact us for a demo today at
1.888.848.4436.
Tips & Techniques –
Changing Thematic Overlay Design – Color Fill
Thematic overlays are a helpful visual tool offered in [23]GeoMetrx which
display the data from the many data sets available including demographics,
Simmons attitudinal and behavioral data and much more. The overlays can be shown
using colors or patterns. In this Tip & Technique guide we focus on how to
change the Color Fill style.
[24] “How to Change Thematic Overlay Design – Color Fill Guide”
[25][Change-Thematic-Overlay-Design-Color-Fill-Cover-Page.png]
Roll Out the Red Carpet – It’s Oscar Night!!!
The Oscars are almost here once again! It’s time for the 85th Academy Awards on
Sunday, February 24th. Movie fans everywhere are anxious. Will their favorite
stars take home that coveted golden statue? Which film will be honored with the
Best Picture award? With 12 nominations, how many awards will Spielberg’s
“Lincoln” win?
America’s mesmerization of Hollywood is as strong as ever. We love a good film
and we still enjoy the movie theater experience, despite movies being more
accessible than ever through online streaming, instant downloads and DVD rental
kiosks on every corner. At [26]GeoMetrx, we have variety of movie behavior
datasets including the one depicted below showing how many people usually attend
a new movie release within the first two weeks. The darker the purple, the
higher the percentage of attendees within that geographical region. Our data
also reveals that between 42% and 82% of adults have attended a movie within the
last 6 months regionally. That’s a lot of popcorn!
[27][2013.01-Movies-Attend-within-2-Wks.png]
Click here to see a [28]larger version of this map.
For more information on how to obtain access to [29]GeoMetrx datasets, contact
us today at 1.888.848.4436.
Januaary 2013 – Trivia Challenge
1) Only 3 films have won all of the “Big 5” Oscars for Best Picture, Best
Director, Best Actor, Best Actress and Writing. Can you name them?
[30]Click here for the answers!
References
1. http://www.multiunitfranchisingconference.com/
2. http://geometrx.com/
3. http://geometrx.com/contact-us/
4. mailto:info@geo-e.com?subject=October%202012%20Newsletter%20Feedback
5. http://www.geo-e.com/
6. http://geometrx.com/
7. http://www.geoprinter.com/
8. http://www.gis4less.com/
9. mailto:info@geo-e.com
10. mailto:info@geo-e.com
11. http://www.facebook.com/GeoMetrx
12. https://twitter.com/#!/geometrx_
13. http://www.linkedin.com/company/691866
14. http://geometrx.com/feed/
15. http://geometrx.com/blog/
16. http://geometrx.com/2012/12/geometrx-common-ground-news-volume-1-issue-12/
17. http://geometrx.com/2012/11/geometrx-common-ground-news-volume-1-issue-11/
18. http://geometrx.com/2012/10/geometrx-common-ground-news-volume-1-issue-10/
19. http://geometrx.com/2012/09/geometrx-common-ground-news-volume-1-issue-9/
20. http://geometrx.com/category/newsletters/
21. http://www.onlinedegrees.com/degree360/visuals/death-of-dvd.html
22. http://geometrx.com/
23. http://geometrx.com/
24. https://www.mappingresources.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Change-Thematic-Overaly-Design-Color-Fill.pdf
25. https://www.mappingresources.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Change-Thematic-Overaly-Design-Color-Fill.pdf
26. http://geometrx.com/
27. http://geometrx.com/common-ground-news-trivia-maps/
28. http://geometrx.com/common-ground-news-trivia-maps/
29. http://geometrx.com/
30. http://geometrx.com/newsletter-trivia-answers/