Warner Bros. discloses aggressive mobile plans in Q&A

By Chris Harnick

October 19, 2009

Warner Bros. steps up mobile agenda with new hire

Warner Bros. Entertainment is planning to increase its mobile distribution and wireless business for its ever-growing portfolio of content.

The company has hired Natalie Farsi as vice president of mobile at Warner Bros. Television Group and Warner Bros. Digital Distribution. Ms. Farsi spoke with Mobile Marketer’s Chris Harnick about Warner Bros.' mobile strategy and what her new position means to the studio.

What’s the strategy behind the creation of this new position?
My hire coincides with an increased focus on and deepened commitment by Warner Bros. Entertainment to building long-term mobile distribution and wireless ancillary businesses for its ever-growing portfolio of the best in film, television and online content.

Our strategy is to deliver content whenever and wherever our existing fans and growing audiences want to consume it.

What is the purpose of the new position?
To broaden the studio’s mobile footprint, cultivate new opportunities in the mobile space and generate revenue from further exploiting the studio’s films, television series, home video releases and Web sites via new and emerging mobile platforms, positioning the company for continued growth and innovation.

A handful of apps

What do you hope to accomplish in your first year?
Our goal is to profitably expand the development, distribution and marketing of a diverse suite of top-quality branded mobile products in new and industry-leading ways across all distribution channels in the mobile market.

This includes ad-supported mobile Web sites, applications, mobile games, video services and messaging products, leveraging and monetizing mobile’s unique and evolving capabilities to enhance the branded media experience.

What does your past experience in mobile bring to Warner Bros.?
Having overseen the launch of a broad spectrum of multi-platform mobile products and services for major media companies for several years – including Fox Mobile Entertainment, MTV and Warner Music – I have deep knowledge of this emerging market and the hands-on experience needed to build successful and sustainable business models that will fully exploit the vast opportunities in mobile media, both in the short and long term.

Spotted on mobile

What have you observed in the mobile market over the last few years?
More than ever, people want to be fully functional and entertained on the go with immediate access to their favorite content.

There is a renewed industry-wide commitment to improving and providing the best consumer experience to gain critical mass, and there will continue to be a focus on breakthrough technologies that allow consumers to have more control over the way they consume mobile media.

The mobile marketplace continues to create a fundamental shift in the way consumers seek, find, purchase and consume content.

How are major media brands evolving on the mobile platform?
Major media brands want to take a more active role and a commanding share of the rapidly expanding mobile content market.

Many have recognized the necessity to have a more diversified mobile strategy that is not overly dependent on one carrier, handset manufacturer, mobile operating system or mobile channel.

Brands are investing more in the creation of made-for-mobile content and developing for multiple platforms to reach broader audiences.

Providing consumers with the best way to search, discover, personalize and share a variety of mobile content continues to be a priority. This will assure that the mobile media experience will be as compelling as the traditional media experience, and not an also-ran.

How has Warner Bros. evolved in mobile over the past few years?
As one of the leading suppliers of content worldwide, we’ve made huge strides in giving consumers an array of choices when it comes to consuming mobile content.

We also have a more direct relationship with our consumers through our ad-supported mobile Web sites, applications and messaging products.

And the real-time engagement data that we receive from our direct-to-consumer initiatives is helping to drive and inform our mobile product roadmap.

With our consumers, we are always evolving, finding new ways to create compelling content built and explicitly optimized for mobile platforms.

How have media attitudes changed towards mobile in the past few years?
Mobile opportunities are shaping our business in new and exciting ways.

Media companies want to play a more pivotal role in the evolution of the mobile phone as a user-friendly personal media device for new forms of interactive entertainment, media consumption, communication, personalization and self-expression. 

Do you think that the networks and movie studios get mobile marketing?
I think that most media companies now recognize through market research and listening to their audiences that going mobile is key to assuring continued growth and that it speaks directly to the desire of their core demos to have flexibility in the way they receive information and want to be entertained.

Can you give recommendations on how to convince other media institutions like networks and film studios that mobile is becoming a viable marketing channel?
I believe they are already convinced. Few question the personal nature of the mobile medium and the enormous potential the mobile handset holds as a tool for targeted marketing and advertising.

But the mobile industry will need to continue to provide improved audience measurement/engagement tools, innovative beyond-the-banner advertising opportunities and turn-key multiplatform product solutions that will create a stronger value proposition and make it easier and more cost-efficient for media institutions to optimize their content and marketing campaigns across all mobile platforms.