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PCR interviews NVIDIA’s EMEAI marketing director Pamela Koo about marketing the SHIELD Android TV to a new audience, and the market for living room gaming.
Born and raised in New York City, Pamela’s been living in Europe since 2009. Before joining NVIDIA she was the marketing director at Sony Music Netherlands, managing strategic marketing across all Sony labels.
Prior to that she was global media and digital communications manager at stylish fashion brand G-Star RAW, where Pamela managed all global advertising and digital communications content and strategy. She has over 14 years of experience in strategic marketing, building effective teams, business development, and holds an MBA from the Rotterdam School of Management.
So what can the tech market learn from the music and fashion sectors, and what is NVIDIA doing to promote its SHIELD devices? Pamela Koo explains in this interview.
The NVIDIA SHIELD is a relatively new product line for NVIDIA – how have you had to adapt your marketing approach and messaging for these devices?
For those unfamiliar with it, SHIELD enables you to curate your own content and banish the chaos in your living room. Rather than just a content streamer, SHIELD has a whole collection of features that need to be effectively and consistently conveyed to our customers such as the integrated voice search which searches through our broad library of TV shows, films and games to help you find exactly what you’re after and 4K streaming.
We’ve talked to an entirely new audience when developing this product and sometimes explaining to a new audience that NVIDIA – a company known for graphics and gaming – has solved their living room needs can be a difficult message to communicate.
It has been essential that we keep updating people with our improved services, letting them know how and what has changed, as it has grown tremendously over the past year.
For any company, switching the conversation from tech press to talking to lifestyle press will always present new challenges. Tone of voice particularly has to change to be more educational and focused on what matters to the average consumer.
How do you see the technology entertainment sector changing this year and next, in light of new competitors fighting for the living room space?
It’s a really exciting time where now you have so many more choices. I remember growing up and TV was just a handful of channels. Now, with appification, entertainment is turning on its head. Consumers can get everything where and when they want it. We consume media and content so differently to how we did even five years ago.
I think that the living room will change significantly, homes are even more connected now and families expect their entertainment from all aspects available at the touch of a button. Convenience is going to continue but delivering variety, faster streaming and 4K content will be key.
What do you feel about the cloud being seen as the future of gaming and the growing popularity of streaming services?
Consumers stream music, their favourite TV shows, movies, and videos every day. Photos and files are stored in the cloud. So, why not their favourite games?
The gaming industry continues to grow and is driven by tech savvy people who expect the fastest, most powerful graphics at their fingertips. This is the future of gaming. GeForce NOW also keeps on getting better and there’s a wide variety of games available to keep everyone in your home happy and entertained from the retro/classic gamer, to your children, to some great new franchise games.
Looking at your background, what would do you think the tech industry can learn from fashion/music?
The tech industry is very product focused and extremely detail oriented. There is constant innovation, drive for change and updates to keep products fresh, relevant and engaging for its users.
On the other hand, competition in the fashion industry is fierce which means that it’s often the story and lifestyle inspiration surrounding the products that keeps consumers engaged with the brand. Fashion is all about how that particular garment or design makes you feel when you wear it; similar to how music reminds you of past memories when you listen to a particular song.
Technology has such great stories but it can sometimes be so technical, as an industry, that it can be difficult to share the benefits of innovation with less tech savvy prospects. The secret is finding that balance between telling the story of how the technology came to life and how it helps to solve problems for the consumer.
How do the fashion and music industries market to men and women, compared to tech?
The fashion and music industry have always been about that human aspect; how do these products make you feel? Bringing in that emotional aspect seemingly connects with women on a deeper level. We all want to be seen as individuals and fashion is a way to differentiate yourself and make you feel your best. This traditionally has been somewhat harder to convey with technology.
Developing this emotional connection is definitely an approach that the tech industry can learn from and I think you’ll see it used a lot more in all aspects of tech marketing in the future.
What made you decide to join NVIDIA?
NVIDIA solves problems in a multitude of different industries which is what makes it such an inspiring company to work for. We power self-driving cars, we’re the engine behind deep learning, and our graphic solutions have been used for the past six academy award winning films in visual graphics.
When I learned that NVIDIA was moving into the consumer space, it was a movement that I wanted to be a part of. Every day is a learning experience for me and the passion of my colleagues within this company really is inspiring.
For more from NVIDIA, check out the upcoming August issue of PCR
