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| Ringtones and Bitch Slappin' |
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Mobile phone makers and operators are always pitching their handsets' and services' ringtone capabilities, crowing their model has the latest and best ways to customize your phone to reflect your mood and personality. Of course anyone with half a brain knows that playing a tidbit of someone else’s music represents your personality about as much as wearing a shirt with a swoosh on it does. Oh wait, maybe it does reflect who you are. In which case, get a life, Dude. However, back to ringtones. I use them. For example, the Wedding March plays when my wife calls. And, the theme from Jaws plays when my ex-wife calls. I was going to have a ringtone specifically for my Mother-in-law but I couldn’t find any music that directly related to Attila the Hun so I’ve dropped the idea. According to market research firm The NPD Group the biggest selling ringtones were rap and hip-hop, which account for 23 percent of all ringtone downloads. This was taken from a survey of 75,000 respondents. The second biggest seller was rock music with 17 percent of sales, followed by R and B with 11%, then pop with 11%, and lastly alternative at 8%. I think Rap makes sense to me as being the most popular. Most people like to think they ‘got attitude’. They don’t. They’re just obnoxious, and there is a difference, but most people deep inside think they are hip. However, some of us are very down, if you know what I mean. For example, I am pretty street. Okay, I don’t look street. I’m a 56 year old, slightly pot-bellied, slightly balding short guy. But Rap suits me, you know what I’m saying. Y’all. I look at ‘ho’s’. I be known to bitch slap some homey who dissed me. You know what I’m saying. NPD also finds younger consumers are more likely to get into the whole ringtone idea. According to the survey firm's data, 26 percent of consumers who downloaded a ringtone in July 2006 were from 13 to 17 years of age, and 22 percent were between 18 and 24. And, also in July 2006, 53 percent of consumers who downloaded ringtones were women or girls, while just 47 percent of ringtone buyers were men and boys. The entire digital world’s big fear though is that baby boomers will get heavily into ringtones. It is a scary thought. Think of it. You’re eating a meal in a restaurant and every 30 seconds you will hear two bars from ‘My Girl’ playing. Or, God forbid, in the course of one meal the entire score from ‘The Big Chill’ will have played. "Ringtones have become very popular among consumersâ€"especially teens and young adults who use them as personal identifiers that broadcast the type of music they want to be identified with to friends and strangers alike," according to Neil Strother, NPD Group's research director for mobile devices, content, and services. This, of course, is because teenagers don’t have actual personalities anyone likes. In their case it is better to be known for their taste in music. There is a practical reason to having your own ringtone. When the phone goes off in the restaurant you need to know it is your phone and not someone else’s. Otherwise you could look like a loser who nobody ever phones as you constantly reach for your cell only to sheepishly put it back in your coat after every ring heard. Now that actually might represent who you really are. But, in that case you might not want people to know. If it happens you might have to bitch slap someone. Avatar is a long time mobile communications industry expert with over 12 years experience in mobile marketing trend analysis. He resides in Beverly Hills, CA. Read more at: http://www.ArticlePros.com/marketing/brand_marketing/article-67499.html. |
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