After being around for about a year, PushPlay, the online DVD rental service, are finally starting to get some decent online coverage. Unfortunately for them, this also comes as a result of the noise that BigPix has been generating.
I remember meeting one of the guys behind PushPlay at the beginning of the year. He's a cool guy, and very on the ball with online marketing. And, given any opportunity he would talk excitedly about the revolutionary nature of the service and would be quick to point out the overseas success of Netflix (on whom they are presumably basing their business model).
Now this brings a couple of questions to mind. The first, being the most obvious, has already been asked: Why has PushPlay's online marketing not been more visible? Jonty, the guy I chatted to, was very keen on spreading the word of the service by handing out business cards and free trials. Surely the online scene would have provided an even better avenue for doing this... I can't vouch for the fact that they didn't put any efforts into online marketing at all, but I find it strange that since meeting Jonty I had heard nothing more of PushPlay till the above mentioned recent posts.
The second question, and probably the more worrying one, is why have none of the typical South African bricks-and-mortar DVD rental stores reacted to this? By all accounts Blockbuster took a beating with the emergence of Netflix in the United States. As of this year the once dominant DVD store has shut down close to 600 stores across US to shift its focus online. In doing so it's tripped over a few patents that Netflix established by being the early player in the field.
Maybe the above provides a reason as to why PushPlay have not been more aggressive with their marketing – they want to take their time in establishing a legal foundation from which they can operate without having to be unduly worried about competitor attacks. More likely, as Deborah from PushPlay commented on Arthur's post, they are trying to cement their distribution system – which is basically what is going to make or break the service. However, as far as I can see there is no explanation for the delay in a response from PushPlay's competitors.
If PushPlay is the Netflix of South Africa, then the local versions of Blockbusters should by all accounts be quaking in their boots. Mr.Video probably come closest to what can be determined as a local DVD giant, and yet there has been no signs of them taking any kind of proactive action.
Mr.Video's main advantage is its convenience. It has stores close to most major market locations and it stocks a large number of the latest DVDs. The emergence of PushPlay and BigPix should almost completely negate these advantages. With the DVDs being delivered directly to your door one doesn't have to worry about traveling to a store at all, and you don't have to worry about going to a store and finding out that the desired flicks are in fact all out.
Mr.Video – time to get your act into gear?
At the same time this provides a great opportunity for the smaller guys to attract a niche market.
One of my favourite DVD stores in Cape Town is the small, family-run Cineland. Now I may be a slight exception to the rule here, but honestly I'd rather visit this store than go through the convenience of renting out a movie online. The friendly and knowledgeable staff coupled with its wide selection of hard-to-find movies make visiting the store a pleasure. Add in the fact that it's right next door to a great Portuguese take-away restaurant that makes the best chips and kebabs in the area and I find myself regularly taking a ten minute drive down to Cineland as opposed to the quick half-a-minute stroll across the road that would lead me to the closest alternative.
Cineland currently has a website, but it's more informative in nature than functional. It merely provides a list of the latest and most popular movies available. And while I enjoy browsing through the titles at the store (as I enjoy making spontaneous decisions on what flick to watch along with chatting with the staff) I often end up leaving the store empty handed due to the titles I'm looking for being out of stock.
If Cineland were to incorporate a function on its site whereby users could see what titles are currently in stock and have not been taken out I'm sure they would increase their revenue drastically without detracting from their current major appeal. They could further build on their existing strengths by providing reviews on existing titles – maybe a call for a blog?
Up till now this has probably been viewed as too much of a risky investment from a small business. However, with PushPlay and BigPix educating the market through their larger presence, Cineland and other smaller, more niche orientated businesses could easily differentiate themselves online with a much higher probability of increasing their return on investment.
Muti
Comments
Just wasted a half an hour of my time trying to sign up for their trial.
Drop down for suburb selection did not seem to be working properly. After going back and forward numerous times I eventually managed to register and chose my package, only to be told that they don't deliver to my area (Pietermaritzburg)!
Surely this should be displayed clearly on the Home Page - I went back into the site and looked for delivery information. It may be there somewhere, but if it is, it should not be that difficult to find.
I am sure they got plenty of clicks through the link in the quirk newsletter. If anyone else is having the same experience then this is a golden opportunity missed?
Honestly I didn't run across any problems, but then again I do live in Cape Town and I didn't actively search the site for other locations.
But yeah, not having aggressive marketing is one thing - but in doing so you should make sure that your site is as near perfect as is possible for when users start signing up, Eventually, your presence alone is going to warrant some attention - with my own blog post and the others mentioned being points in case.
Gavich - I'm totally with you on this one, but there are a whole lot of people who would pay a bit more for not having to put in the effort of visiting a DVD store. I think PushPlay appeals to a lifestyle of those who need films to watch in order to have something to do on a weekly basis.
Hi Carlos,
Thank you very much for mentioning BigPix on your blog, it's always good to know that the BigPix brand is getting 'out there'. I thought that this would be a perfect opportunity to tell you more about us.
On 25 June 2007 we had a very successful launch in KwaZulu Natal. Since then our focus has been on marketing the BigPix brand whilst educating the local consumers about online DVD rental . I am sure that you will agree that online DVD rental is definitely a new concept to most South Africans and that the consumers do not only have to learn about the concept, but that they also have to trust that we can deliver on our promise. This is why BigPix has spent months perfecting its distribution process and working towards making online DVD rental as convenient as it possibly can be. After all, convenience is what BigPix is selling.
We are able to send DVD's to all parts of KwaZulu Natal and still guarantee the same delivery time - 2 working days. We can definitely vouch for the expertise and dedication of the Post Office, who have proved to be very successful over the past few weeks. We are extremely confident that Post Office will continue to meet our standards, especially when we launch nationally, which will be later on in the year. To make our return process as easy as our delivery process, BigPix members have the option of being able to return their DVD's at any ordinary mail post box or at their nearest Shell select Store.
Since our launch we have adopted various marketing strategies and so far, the feedback we have received has been extremely positive. people love the concept because nowadays they generally lead a very hectic work and social life and are therefore always looking for convenience
Hey Wayne, thanks for the comment.
Glad to hear that the business is going well - it's always great to see an industry mature in South Africa.
Personally I feel that there's space for both online ventures such as yourselves, and for the local bricks-and-mortar rental stores. Hopefully your presence will not only help in developing a new service but will also aid in improving the existing one.
P.S. Love the Shell Select Stores idea.
Hi everyone
Thank you all for your comments!
I won’t go into the details of how we pioneered the online DVD rental model for South Africa, other than to say it is designed purely to offer a better way to access a larger selection of titles, more conveniently and for less.
The concept is new to many people, but we’ve proved it works. It is the New way and it will almost certainly change things for bricks-and-mortar rental stores. For the better I'm sure. Hopefully they join in on all the fun.
For anyone in the greater Cape Town area who reads this, enter "Happy Birthday PushPlay" in the promo code field and get a one month free trial.
Our delivery information is on our “How it Works” page.
www.pushplay.co.za/howitworks
We launch our brand new look website on our birthday, the 30th of July, be sure to check it out.
You PushPlay, we’ll do the rest!
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You can learn more about the movement 
yes walking into a store (usually on a rainy sat afternoon) with everything good out - its like the empty covers tantalise you what you could have got. reservations are always an option but something I often forget to do.
pushplay is only really cost saving if you watch a lot of dvds per month (more that 4 or 5) as they have a monthly fee. right now i will stick to R5 dvds at good old rondebosch cafe
piracy rocks
Posted by gavich on 2007/07/11