Nice topic for anyone doing their MBA at the moment......
There are probably a 100 ways people found MC, my own journey was that I could not play mpg files with DTS tracks using anything based on the MS File Splitter, so I moved though all the Theater View type apps I could find...MCE, MediaPortal, Nero etc but they all had one issue or the other. I just stumbled on MC by mistake and I've never left since!
I have to say that before building “MC’s Visibility”, you need to answer the question “In What?”. It all depends on where you want to take MC and what you see your “sustained competitive advantage” is (see got an MBA term in!). As this marketplace continues to mature we will see a couple of Generalist titles dominate the mass market (MS, Apple etc) and specialty titles that provides some “extra” that particular market segments need. MC will have to have all the “me too” features AND provide the extras in whatever segment you want to market to. Once you have this you can then press each of your claims in the appropriate segment (hit the Audiophile, HTPC, etc etc forums, target specific reviewers, advertisement…. Whatever is appropriate for that segment).
There are so many different market segments you need to look at what you’re competitive position in each is then look at targeting each segment to drive this “Visibility”. As an indication of MC’s current market “Visibility” I’ve just used Wikipedia as an example for a couple of market/market segments that pop to mind:
* Overall "best" media player: far to much work/expense IMHO as the marketplace is so crowded....MC is one of many at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_player_(application_software) or
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_media_players * Audiophile Market: Press you claims in the forums around WASAPI / ASIO, large collection mgt, etc MC is not even listed at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audio_Stream_Input/Output* Videophile Market: Likewise the flexibility in the customisable DirectShow filter is good but competition such as MPC is developing more and more customisation for the Videophile.
* ITunes Replacement: I’m not an IPOD user but MC seemed to attract a lot of Apple users, but this seems to have fallen off??? MC is one of many at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_iPod_managers and there is little apparent differentiation.
* Media Center: Lots of interest in the HTPC market but need to differentiate from the big players (MS MC, Media Portal) – MC gets a mention in the links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_center* Media Server: MC has a partial solution (no video transcoding for example) so will struggle against specialty products like TVersity. MC is not even listed on the Wikipedia page at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UPnP_AV_MediaServers Like with many of your competitors, a big issue is that MC still has a few holes that mean users will have to get used to other products and this just invites your customers to swap camps. Eg If (like me) you have Blu-ray disks and you want an HTPC front end then MS MC + Arcsoft TMT may be a better choice. If I’m IPOD focused then ITunes may be better. As these holes get filled in by your competitors you face the risk of churn from MC to these titles.
Thanks
Nathan