Today, Disney released its first Appmates toys, which integrate fully with an iPad app to turn it into a virtual playmat, starting with Cars 2.
The app (pictured) allows kids to race their favourite Cars 2 characters using physical cars across the virtual app.
MCV Pacific got the chance to speak with Scott Bagshaw, Senior National Manager for Disney Interactive Media Group AU/NZ about what applications this new technology could have and just how Disney went about ascertaining the market for such a new and unique type of product.
With iPads being something of a high-end gadget at this point, are you targeting children directly or parents with the Cars 2 app?
The beauty of something like the Cars AppMATes is it’s unique gameplay and the compelling Disney franchise Cars that is accessible to all. The app coming from Disney means that it ships with a built in trust by consumers as to its quality.
When it comes to marketing, we are in a fortunate position to harness all the creative engines at Disney - we can use what we call the “Disney difference” to market the product through all our avenues and make sure it's known.
We can use Disney.com.au, which is the biggest kids web site in Australia, yet is still read by parents as well, we create awareness through our Studio division with the recent release of Cars 2 and get flyers and trailers into all sorts of places, so we know we'll have that key reach.
In the App store, you get instant ratings and feedback as well, so we'll know very quickly how the app is doing. We're expecting to get a lot of downloads, but the strongest form of marketing is always word of mouth, so having that instant consumer feedback is vital.
Does the Cars 2 App tie into the narrative of the Cars universe directly?
Everything Disney produces is infused with great stories and great characters. Our strategy for mobile is bringing our beloved characters and stories to life on these new platforms and let people enjoy them in new ways.
Cars AppMATes really is a great example of that when comes to life digitally -allowing kids to use the tablet’s screen as a virtual play mat.
You can race them, connect with them and completely customise them, allowing people to get really involved with the stories they love.
Smartphones and tablets are the fastest growing section of the Australian market for game-playing devices, but it's also a very new market. How does Disney quantify the size of the market when the platform is still so new and the technology itself is untested?
Well, because we're breaking new barriers it is difficult to quantify. It definitely gets hard to look at the tie-in ratio. Some of the free apps we've released have bigger install bases than most console hardware machines though, so we know the opportunity is huge.
We definitely see an big appetite for new ways of experiencing our content. We know that Australian love their devices, so we need to be there they are playing and interacting. Mobile devices are the new ‘first screen’ for kids and are central in their lives. Disney understands this and is building new stories and characters specifically for mobile for both original and existing IP.
Was this app planned from the beginning as a tie-in for Cars 2, or did it wait for the technology?
We would've known the movie Cars 2 was coming out for several years before it did, so when we saw the iPad and said 'How can we use this? How can we utilise this new technology for Cars?', we would've started work on it then.
Innovation is at the very heart of our company.
The game went basically straight into development, which is a first and is amazing. It's been a long time in development, but we think it shows in the uniqueness of the final product.
What does the future of this technology hold? Do you see it expanding away from iPads and tablets in general?
We've always been platform agnostic. We've led with the iPad because we know people love their ipads and we know that iPad’s have over 70% market share in the tablet market. So the iPad is a great place to start, but it's by no means the only place we're looking at.
Do you have demographics which really tell you how many iPads are played by kids? How much of this venture is bold, new territory?
We have lots of research, and what we do know is that the primary owner of the iPad is the parent. But, once it comes into the home, it becomes a family device.
I have a 5 year old daughter and a 2 year old son. When they get home, it's almost straight away a competition for who gets to play with the iPad. My role as a parent seems to be the mediator in the household. I know that's an anecdote of one, but there are doubtless many parents out there experiencing the same thing.
In fact, now that my daughter is 5 years old, an iPad is on her list for Christmas. Now I just need to think what comparable thing you can get for a 2 year old!
Do you have plans to use this technology on other Disney franchises already, or is the Cars 2 app more of a testbed?
We've got a fantastic pipeline of products coming down the line and we'd love to bring other key franchises to life in many new ways of course.
But we've had a really big year for the Cars franchise, so to us, it made perfect sense to try out this innovative new technology here.
Where it goes from here isn't certain just yet, but it's just onwards and upwards with the technology.
Thank you for your time.
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