Home   Internet Marketing                        Ward Hanson   Stanford GSB

A Digital World - Session 2

Learning Objectives

What and Why's of Moore's Law

Digital Convergence

Digital Environments

Digitizing of Business Processes


Discussion Case
Sims Online

(prep questions on left)

 
Readings & Tasks
Hanson, Ch. 2
C. Pearce
Reeves and Nass
M. Marriott
 
Case:  Sims Online
Going Further
 
Not enough to worry about?  Bill Joy looks into the Digital Dystopia.  
Does the Future Need Us?

Example Sites:
Music 
Morpheus
MP3
Napster - bye..
Liquid Audio

Moore's Law Sites
Microprocessor Musuem
PDAs and Handhelds  
 

Digital Convergence 
TV & Computers
Bluetooth Phones 

Digital Senses: Sight
Touch

Digital Environments
Ultima Online
Virtual Smithsonian

 

It's easy to think of the digital foundation of marketing as just "chips and bits", especially with the power and complexity hinted at on the right.   This is missing the most important impact on business.  Digital technology leads to a real revolution when it changes  basic marketing processes of companies. 

Intel Pentium IV

Moore's Law and Global Positioning

GPS provides a great example of how Moore's Law continues to drive new applications of technology.  An incredibly high tech system ( the satellites and handheld units must correct for General Relativity impacts to maintain  accuracy!), it  now helps you find the best route home in traffic.  Further improvements are putting GPS in a wide range of consumer devices, for golfers, cell phones, hikers, bikers, and many more.

GPS has evolved much like the general Net.  First it was a tightly controlled military application.  Specialty commercial navigation applications then adopted it GPS is now cheap enough to be an added feature for many products.  Highly accurate GPS creates a wide variety of new applications.  What happens when devices can know almost exactly where they are?  Where you are?  What new product and marketing possibilities are there?

Case Prep Questions for Sims Online

Q1.  How do users consume video games, and what does that imply for the major functions of Electronic Arts in promoting and developing games?

Q2.  How do the main digital trends (Moore's law, convergence, digital environments) support or hinder games such as Sims and Sims Online?

Q3.  How do you explain the market success of the original "God game" Sims?

Q4.  How should Electronic Arts explain the key differences between Sims and Sims Online?

Q5.  How is the method of payment tied to the enjoyment of the game, and what options would you suggest?