Dear @Nokia: Please make sure you explain coherently on Thursday why having 41MP is awesome #Rant #KeyNote101

Last night I came across some comments on Engadget which caught my attention. On the subject of the upcoming Nokia EOS/Lumia 1020 or whatever it is to be called, one commenter questioned why there should be 41MP in this camera.

Now, this is Engadget. It’s not the Guardian or the BBC or another broad news source, it’s a side about gadgets. How can we expect the general public to know what the 41MP is all about when there maybe some in the tech blogosphere that don’t understand it?

This instantly reminded me of a few of the articles that came in the wake of the Nokia 808 PureView announcement. Do you remember how Gizmodo originally said it was a gimmick only to eat their words after trying the 808 in person to experience the phenomenal camera?

http://mynokiablog.com/2012/05/24/gizmodo-nokia-808-pureview-that-camera-is-damn-good-made-compact-cameras-and-maybe-even-bridge-cameras-obsolete/

The point is, apart from those who read the massive white paper explaining PureView V1,  or watched Damian fight off misconception on video, it would be understandable why anyone would come to the false conclusion where knowing a little but not knowing enough results in “It’s not all about the MP/It’s a gimmick”

http://mynokiablog.com/2012/02/27/the-story-and-secrets-behind-the-nokia-808-pureview-everything-you-wanted-to-know-about-pureview/

Remember how the BBC doubted what it was for?

http://mynokiablog.com/2012/02/28/bbc-asks-do-camera-phones-need-41mp-to-shoot-photos-as-good-as-the-nokia-808-yes-yes-yes-rant/

This is why I am so passionate about Nokia marketing and in this instance, about getting the right delivery for keynotes.

The keynote is prime opportunity when for perhaps an hour, you hold the attention of the media. You get to say what you like, uninterrupted to deliver a message about your product. You, Nokia, get to explain why you’re awesome and initiate that trust so the viewers pay attention. You, Nokia, then get a unique opportunity to showcase your product with clear, coherent phrases that the media can regurgitate verbatim.

http://mynokiablog.com/2010/06/08/what-nokia-needs-to-learn-from-apple-keynotes-pointers-from-steve-jobs-iphone-4-announcement/

This was written on June 2010 but it still pertinent to Nokia today (despite some problems Apple might be having that some here have mentioned, they above all others back when they had Steve Jobs, knew how best to get the public on their side when it comes to enticing them with their new products.

Confusion, and lack of clarity and lack of trust means those in the media reporting about your keynote question and doubt what you say. If you don’t get them on board when they’re dedicating this time to listen to you, how will you capture the attention of the short-attention-spanned masses?

Incidentally I thought I’d share part of a draft I wrote last year after seeing the dire presentation for the 920. It basically just reiterates what is mentioned above. I never did get to finish it, but perhaps you guys can chip in. It’s a bit too late now for Thursday but let’s hope that Nokia has heard our previous whinges about their shoddy keynotes.

________________________________

Hello MNB Readers and Hello to folks at Nokia. Let me present to you a Keynote 101 class on how to deliver your next big Nokia presentation. Before I even begin, you should I have no qualifications in presenting, I’m still just a medical student. However, I have also been a Nokia fan for quite some time who has had to witness again and again, months and years of hard work by Nokia flushed away by a poorly executed presentation. I may not be qualified to spout what I’ll be talking about but it’ll certainly be better than anything Nokia has achieved on their own. Boastful? No not really. It’s not me being amazing, it’s Nokia being absolutely terrible that even someone like me could do a better job.

Nokia most probably have people who do this thing full time for them. Unfortunately, their performance is not to the standard it needs to be.

I thought Nokia would have learnt from the Nokia 808 PureView keynote on their own but after witnessing the car crash on the 920 it appears clearly that they haven’t.  The things I’ll be discussing does not come from a book or tutor, but from direct observations of presentations done well, and presentations done not so well.

Let me outline the topics I want to cover in this post.

1) Why is it important to execute a slick and effective keynote/presentation?

2) What are the components to an effective keynote?

3) Who should and shouldn’t be your presenter at a keynote?

4) Script for an upcoming keynote

Before that, I’ll make a quick sidestep on related posts to see where I’m coming from with this potentially massive ramble.

Past related posts:

We’ve touched on this subject a few times, most recently in a rant where I said I would revisit this if I had time. Rants are cathartic and nice and all, but I want to be produce some positive/creative criticism so that Nokia can learn have some clear suggestions on what to do based on the feedback.

mynokiablog.com/2012/09/06/some-annoyances-from-yesterdays-keynote-will-revisit-when-i-have-more-time/

This next one:

http://mynokiablog.com/2010/06/08/what-nokia-needs-to-learn-from-apple-keynotes-pointers-from-steve-jobs-iphone-4-announcement/

The link above is not so much for Nokia to learn how to Samsung (aka be like Apple). No, it’s actually about learning how to effectively deliver a message.

1) Why is it important to execute a slick and effective keynote and presentation?

A Nokia presentations at major Nokia events is a unique time where the world has their eyes solely on Nokia. From the fans who have waited months and take time off to sit through the keynote to the press and media from around the world who have flown in to report on what you say, Nokia is already in a position of advantage where people are paying attention to what you’re going to tell them.

Some aren’t so lucky. Some don’t have that much clout. So let’s not squander this opportunity. The keynote is the time where Nokia sets the first impression. This is under your control. It is not the review of a blogger. You can formulate the perception and the words that will be repeated verbatim by the news in the days/weeks/months ahead. If you control your keynote, you control how the masses will see your product.

What’s this message that I’m saying must be delivered effectively? The message is to convey is the blood, sweat and tears of all those in the Nokia and related teams who have been working endlessly on getting this product where it is. This is one of the final hurdles; making a connection with the audience on exactly what makes your product awesome.

Making a connection is a few steps up from communicating. Communicate might mean simply passing on information. The bond is not strong enough. We could be merely shouting on a microphone but no one pays attention. We have to connect with the people. Making a connection means both parties are on the same wavelength, on the same understanding and appreciation for what it is you’ve been working on.

_______

And that’s as far as I had gotten before uni/hospital duties took over and this draft got swept behind.

Why do we bother with these rants? Because Nokia still has so much incredible potential, so much innovation going on and Nokia deserve to have these offorts recognised. But they’re failing to get this message across to their potential customers. We won’t get into the topic of the actual product themselves as we know there’s certain things that need to be addressed there, but for the most of it, Nokia is making some fantastic products that when it finally gets into the hands of consumers, they really do love it.

http://mynokiablog.com/2013/07/09/pocketnow-nokia-lumia-920-takes-the-best-pictures-ive-seen-from-a-smartphone/

But how do you get it in their hands in the first place?  You communicate efficiently.

http://mynokiablog.com/2013/07/03/press-release-nokia-renews-marketing-strategy-retains-jwt-worldwide-as-creative-agency-rant/

Slowly I’m feeling a little bit more hopeful that Nokia are understanding how to get a message across. Recently we saw adverts about Zeiss and Nokia Build quality that really did get the message across. No artsy fartsy imagery, no whimsical music and busy clips where you don’t know what’s happening.

http://mynokiablog.com/2013/07/08/video-nokia-trust-quality-nokia-beginning-to-understand-ads-narrated-by-jony-ive-p/

http://mynokiablog.com/2013/07/04/nokia-impresses-with-the-latest-lumia-925-zeiss-lens-adverts/

In my medical degree we are encouraged to write portfolio pieces of reflection to assess our own performances and improve on it. It allows us to stem any issues that might otherwise be missed and continually repeated.

• What went well?
• What could have been better?
• How is this affecting us?
• What was not done but should have been done?
• What was done but should NOT have been done?
• Action plan: What are we going to do next and when will this be done by?

There must be people at Nokia doing this right? Seeing if the adverts they’re putting out are actually effective?

Summary:

Thursday, 11th July 2013. This has to be the BEST keynote Nokia has ever done.

• Clear, structured presentation
• Building trust by showing off previous relevant Nokia accomplishments
• Coherent message as to WHY we need 41MP. You can spend all day talking about it. You might have 30 minutes of an hour to talk about the camera specifically. Use that time wisely. Talk about what situations your new camera solves (e.g. going to clubs, having blurry low light crappy pictures or people who are blurred because they’re moving? What about taking a picture and from that selecting various different pictures?)
• Show us something unique that you can do on a camera with 41MP but not on competitor devices? And why this ability is USEFUL! I want to here “ooohs” and “woooahs” and massive applause.
  • e.g. one reader mentioned in our previous marketing rant post, taking a group picture but being able to select individuals or smaller groups from that shot.
• Show us how the Nokia EOS delivers on imaging quality. Show us full size pictures in the best conditions, then zoom and zoom and zoom.

http://mynokiablog.com/2012/05/09/video-nokia-808-pureview-see-the-unseen-hands-on-crazy-zooming-again/
http://mynokiablog.com/2012/04/02/wow-nokia-808-pureview-sample-pictures-from-china-crazy-detail/ 
http://mynokiablog.com/2012/05/03/incredible-panorama-with-nokia-808-pureview-insane-detail-again/
http://mynokiablog.com/2012/05/03/video-nokia-808-pureview-time-lapse-film-original-images-no-photo-editing/
http://mynokiablog.com/2012/02/27/official-untouched-nokia-808-sample-pics-zoom-in-and-enhance/
http://mynokiablog.com/2012/04/20/video-awesome-nokia-808-pureview-shot-filmpromo-nokconv-zeiss-from-n90-to-808/

• Price/Availability Regions/Date of sale (Surprise us like you did with the Lumia 800 announcement. Can you ship this ASAP please? You know, whilst the announcement and hype is still there?).

I’m sure I’m missing out a few stuff. I should get packing for tomorrow. 🙂

Category: Nokia