Videoreport, an integrator belonging to AV group Vértice 360, and a Christie partner in Spain, seems to have figured out the appeal of Christie MicroTiles for TV shows.
In one case, Videoreport installed a MicroTiles videowall (24 tiles) at Telemadrid’s El Círculo, the flagship show in Madrid’s public TV channel.
In another, Videoreport installed Christie MicroTiles videowalls for El Hormiguero and Tonterías las justas, two of the leading programmes on Spanish TV channel Cuatro. Both of them are using 54 MicroTiles in a layout of 9x6, measuring 3.6 x 1.8 metres.
In Spain, it seems Christie MicroTiles has ushered in a whole new era in TV studios. Another TV station, Antena 3, has installed 150 MicroTiles on the set of its programme, El Marco. And MicroTiles won the “Best AV Solution” prize at the Producción Profesional Awards in Spain last December.
Two points interest us about this news: first, this shows how success can beget more success. If one company buys a solution happily, chances are likely than similar companies will have similar needs for a solution. Fish of the same variety travel in schools, birds-of-a-feather in a flock, a family of deer in a herd-- and sales (like flowers) come in bunches.
The second point of interest is to analyze some of the sales points that motivate buyers. Julio Chorro of Videoreport talks about the MicroTiles success in Spain and we’ve tried to highlight some of his key points of why Spanish TV is buying up Christie’s wunderkind:
- MicroTiles give the studio a re-vamped, innovative image (we’re selling sizzle)
- Rear projection systems didn’t give the brightness the studios were looking for (nor did traditional videowalls). Christie says their MicroTiles offer colour reproduction capability at a full 115% of the NTSC colour spectrum and exceed standard LCD flat panels by over 50%. And there’s the minimal seams between the tiles (1mm) seam. (quality of image sells)
- MicroTiles with its LED and DLP technology offers a low noise level (we’re selling “quiet”)
- As TV channels were purchasing the equipment, and one never knows how long a programme will last, studios were looking for a solution that could be reused in the future, if necessary, in other TV studios with different layouts and designs and arrangements. (we’re selling flexibility)
- MicroTiles modules are simply assembled and rearranged like building blocks and can be locked together in seconds. (we’re selling convenience)
- Ability to adjust number of tiles in a screen (flexibility, again)
- The tiles automatically detect each other and continuously self-calibrate for extraordinary colour and brightness. (we’re selling convenience again)
- The space factor was also decisive. The lightweight (9.4kg) and shallow depth (260mm) of MicroTiles allow for flexible installations that can adapt even to very small studios. (we’re saving space)
- Marcos Fernández, Business Development Manager at Christie EMEA, also underscores the Mean Time Between Failure rating 65,000 hours of MicroTiles, meaning it would take more than seven years of continuous use before the displays start to degrade. “This means no lamps or consumables to replace for more than 7 years.” (we’re selling cost-savings & maintenance)
Now all these are great attributes for Christie’s award-winning MicroTiles, but we think the lesson here also transcends one product. What sells AV hardware is something softer, something more intangible… something called a “benefit” instead of a feature.
Those attributes raise positive emotions in buyers that add up to sales opportunities.
Sometimes we get a little geeky in this industry and we forget the specs are there to substantiate the benefit: they are the map and not the territory.