ABSTRACT
To stand out in the modern media landscape, it is not enough to win an Oscar, stage a splashy stock offering, or market a gadget that consumers demand. In virtually every media format, the ultimate goal is the game changer—the one development that promises to alter the way people consume media for the foreseeable future. In cinema, a “tent pole” film holds the potential to impact the box office revenues of virtually every other movie released that year. In smartphones and tablet technology, it's the “killer app” that suddenly is in such demand; people will upgrade a device or purchase a new platform just to get that alluring application.
