Lean Forward Media

1. What business is Lean Forward Media in?

Lean Forward Media is in the business of selling a new form of entertainment.

Create an experience that was both entertaining and educational in its content, with a format that would get children actively involved rather than passive viewing. They wanted to develop a brand that would be trusted by the parents as developmental entertainment for their children. Their goal is to "Entertain. Engage. Educate." There was a market demand for education based content for children. There was a dearth of entertainment products with development or educational values.

They want to create capabilities on how to tell interactive stories and that then becomes a natural place where they can build value and move forward. They aspire to be a company like Leap Frog and create a brand that carries over from product to product. They want to be recognized as a quality product.

2. Who are Lean Forward Media's customers and what are they buying?

* Header Information

* User: end user - kids between 6-11

* Technical Buyer: who will make technical assessment -- child and Parent

* Economic Buyer: who will sign purchase order --- Parent

For consumer markets need demographic: age, sex, eco status, social group

 Problem being solved

There was a dearth of entertainment products with development or educational values. Parents were looking for quality content for their children. They are buying a surrogate baby sitter who is more educational than their home videos that they currently use.

Parents are buying brand recognition; they are buying some of their past memories. They enjoyed these books when they were young and want their kids to relive the excitement.

3. What should Jeff and Michelle do and how much will your recommendation cost?

They have two options as stated in the case.

Virtual Studio:

The pros for using the virtual studio are it is a very complex assignment and could not be passed off to an outside resource easily. Jeff and Michelle would be hands-on producers; this will be very self gratifying and will help them learn the skills of self-production. They will have more control over the creativity of the film. It will lower the cost of production.

The cons for this option are increasing risk and one "rookie" mistake could spell doom for the company. The project is already risky with a lot of pre and post production steps to be fulfilled.

Partnering with a Studio:

The pros for partnering with a studio are lesser risk and the day-to-day processes will be taken care of by the studio. The end product will be more professional and the studio reputation in the industry will help in creating a positive press about the film.

The cons of partnering are more expensive; Jeff and Michelle might be relegated to "client" status. The studio might hijack the process and might not take into account any of the feedback from the Jeff and Michelle. They might not like