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Sony promotes the experimental music scene

February 27, 2009 by 1 Comment

 

 

Donald Bell, one of the senior editors at CNET posted an article in CRAVE - CNET’s gadget blog about a promotion Sony has been running to showcase the experimental music scene in Japan. The video above features a musician playing a fluorescent tube (it’s called an ’Optron’ if you want to pick one up for your kids) – which is basically a mic’d fluorescent tube used to generate signals through a guitar effects box.

Sony has sponsored a series of these videos over the last year  in Japan to promote their Walkman MP3 players. The extent of their brand promotion is limited to the appearance of the Walkman logo at the end of the video. In his article Bell comments, “I’m not sure if they do anything to make me want to buy a Walkman, but I’m certainly convinced that the Japanese experimental music scene alive and well.” I’m not sure if seeing Tiger Woods image makes me want to purchase golf equipment, or cars or consulting services either, but it probably doesn’t hurt.

Using video to promote your brand via social media networks can be a delicate exercise. My feeling is that Sony, at least in the Japanese market, has done a great job in associating their brand with something that is cool and relevant for the demographic they are trying to reach. It’s hard to know whether the Walkman logo at the end of the video is seen as a good thing – ‘Wow, Sony sponsored you!’ or a bad thing - ’Man, you sold out!’ but either way Sony is associating it’s brand with content that is relevant to their target audience. 

The benefit of creating video that targets social media networks is that you can be more selective in who you want to reach and what messages you want to relate to those specific groups. This is the true power of the Internet and social media. You don’t need to create an expensive commercial that appeals to everyone. You need to understand what your audience is interested in (entertainment, hobbies, professional interests, lifestyles, learning, etc.) associate your brand with that content and find a way to reach that audience.

Here is a link to another Sony promoted video. It’s an engaging combination of culinary skills, musicianship and rock’in awesomeness. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlEl1B7sjK8

Filed Under: General Tagged With:

Video elevator pitches – a new category?

February 24, 2009 by Leave a Comment

I came across a blog on a BNET blog entilted 5 Truly Horrible elevator pitches… so I had to look. The examples didn’t dissapoint.  The above video is one of them.

I wasn’t aware that video elevator pitches where even a video category but there are a whack of them on YouTube. TechCrunch has been highlighting them on their Elevator pitches site for a while – perhaps this is where the idea got legs. I understand why they exist on Techcrunch - CEO’s  and founders get an opportunity to pitch their start-up ideas directly to the TechCrunch audience. Viewers get to vote and comment on the ideas. It’s like the Dragon’s Den without the theatrics and egos. I’m just not sure this format has a life beyond TechCrunch.

The video above is a good bad example. Why bother? Pitching a new business in one minute to entertain or inform people who expect to see that exact format is one thing. Telling people very little about your existing business in less less than 60 seconds serves no purpose. Why not take an extra minute or two and say something valuable – explain to your prospects how you help solve their problems, tell them what is unique about your company and services, show them what you do.

Bringing a camera into a noisy restaurant, repeating your name four times (I’m sure someone told the guy in this video that was ‘the rule”) and looking like you’re taking part in a speed dating session won’t drive new sales. Even if you are just creating a ‘Networking profile’ as in the example above (as part of a Networking for Professionals activity) you should still take the time to say something interesting.

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“TV” is being replaced by something your company needs to be involved in.

February 22, 2009 by 4 Comments

 

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John Osborn, a twenty five year veteran of the US television advertising industry wrote an an interesting article  in Advertising Age magazine which explained the troubles advertisers are having today in trying to reach their audience through traditional media channels. He also considered what the next business model for ad-supported TV might look like. Here’s the problem: Traditional television is quickly being replaced by something significantly different – and it’s not  “TV 2.0.” TV used to be structured programming that you viewed on the ‘TV set” in your family room. The concept of ‘television’ both as a viewing device and as stuctured content delivery is changing quickly and dramatically.

Everyone is now a content producer
TV as we knew it was programmed news and entertainment. The two key descriptors – “programmed” and ‘news and entertainment” are changing so much that I don’t believe it is necessary or useful to associate future video consumption with ‘TV’. (Nor is there any value in having a url with a ‘.tv’ suffix for that matter.) The value of ‘TV programming’ (aside from live events) is disappearing quickly - just ask your kids.  People want to watch what they want, when they want, wherever they want it. That means no one company controls access to content any more (although many companies are trying very hard to keep that control.) Video-based content (not just ‘TV programs’) is changing dramatically as well. User generated content, infotainment, short form web content, mash-ups, and anything the kid down the street with a camera and an imagination (YouTube’s Fred videos- as an example) can come up with are all examples of this new wave of content generation – both for entertainment purposes and also as informational content. In fact the only thing that is keeping programmed television in place today is the fact that IP technology cannot yet scale to the same degree as todays cable delivered content. (Imagine the network meltdown that would occur if everyone tried to watch the Oscars via the web at the same time.) That too will change over the next few years.

Companies have to start thinking of entirely new ways to engage both this groundswell of media creation and a quickly fragmenting audience. Placing 15 or 30 seconds ads in videos (pre, mid or post roll) is still the principle method of promotion for both on and offline advertisers. The future success and viability of this old advertising model is limited.

Forward thinking companies will start to engage viewers on their own terms, not on terms dictated by outdated advertising models (TV). Viral marketing on the Internet is in it’s infancy but some companies have been wildly successful with creating content that is both engaging and helps to further their brand (and sales). Smart companies like Cisco use product placement (instead of ads) on highly rated programs (i.e. on the series ’24′) to further brand awareness. Infomercials of every size and type are being created to appeal to niche markets that care deeply about very specific topics.

If the content is valuable enough or if it can entertain and your brand is directly associated with that entertainment, you might consider creating it yourself.

Why doesn’t the Home Depot come up with a really good ‘How-to’ series that could run on the Home and Garden Network but could also be available directly on their website. Imagine if there was a really good video demo of how to build/fix… anything on the Home Depot website with reference to products (in their store, of course) and all related processes. That series would create tremendous value for the company and their customers. Home Depot should develop it’s own programming.

Classmates (the company that chose the wrong business model and let Facebook slip by them to claim a multi-billion dollar segment they should have owned) could sponsor a Classmates Reality TV show where you get to watch classmates reuniting after 10/20/30 years – and all the drama that ensues. It could be a huge hit and would help promote their dying online service. While creating branded entertainment could be percieved as a risky investment (I.e what happens if the show doesn’t succeed) there is inherent risk in any marketing initiative.

Your local Law Firm should create a really good series of ‘What you need to know’ videos dealing with a variety of legal issues (not legal advise – which they cannot offer for free – but all of the context around legal issues). Anyone facing possible legal issues would be keen to know their rights, the processes involved and the steps required.

Just ask your Chief Content Officer.
The branding and marketing opportunities for companies are endless and have  little to do with ‘traditional TV advertsing’.  I would hazard to guess that this type of new targeted and specialized content is exactly what more people will be viewing – wherever, however in the near future – not sitcoms and probably not quite as many CSI mutations. Sure, ads will still sit in front of, over and behind entertainment content but more companies will be looking to create content that helps support their own brand rather than sponsoring content that has nothing to do with their brand. I also think that a the role CCO (Chief Content Officer) will evolve in organizations over time as many companies will look to develop content that not only differentiates their products but also supports, informs and entertains the groups and social networks that evolve around their product’s ecosystems.

Filed Under: Marketing with Video Tagged With:

Yahoo adds video to paid listing ads

February 19, 2009 by Leave a Comment

The New York times ran a recent article  explaining how Yahoo is launching a new service called Rich Ads which introduces video and images to the paid listings (either on the side of the page or on top of the organic listings.) “It moves the advertising experience from just blue links to a more engaging experience for advertisers” says Tim Mayer VP of  ‘Search Monetization’ at Yahoo. It is also designed to replace falling display ad revenues at Yahoo.

It will be interesting to see if Google follows suit. Google has already introduced images and video to organic listing as part of their universal search. It will also be interesting to see if this new attempt at getting viewers attention will cause ‘banner blindness’ to metastasise to other parts of the page – like paid listings. Search results pages will now start to get busier and have the potential to turn into what one industry insider referred to as  ’a mutant marriage of search ads and display’

The upshot of this new trend is that online video and rich media advertising and promotion will become an even more important part of the marketing mix.

Filed Under: Marketing with Video Tagged With:

Eight ideas to help get the most out of a man-on-the-street interview

February 16, 2009 by Leave a Comment

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Unscripted, authentic, natural, non-corporate – these are all terms used to describe a style of video that has become very popular. I imagine corporate/slick will expereince a rebirth in a few years – everything that is old is new, but for now real/authentic is de rigeur.

There are many ways that man-on-the-street video interviews are being used today: Guerrilla marketing, social marketing, public relations, promotional video, and market testing/sampling are all examples. Whatever the reason, here are eight ideas to help you get the most out of your effort:

1. Bring a sound guy (engineer). I see people holding cameras with little shotgun mikes mounted to the camera and wonder what type of sound quality they are getting. There is far too much ambient noise in an urban setting to get good clean sound from your interviewee. It’s too difficult for your cameraman to concentrate on the video portion of the shoot and the audio at the same time. Even if he notices a problem there is probably nothing he can do about it – he can’t move closer with the camera to get better sound. One option is getting the interviewee to hold a microphone – which works well but doesn’t look great  on camera. Another solution, if you have the time is to hook your interviewee up with a lavalier mike (the little microphone you click on to your shirt) – either wirelessly or with a wire, but that becomes too cumbersome if you are interviewing more than a few  people.

2. Getting people to go on camera - Suggestion #1: Use a woman to ask for on-camera volunteers. From experience I have the most luck when I work with a personable, professional women who is doing the interviewee rustling. It’s much easier for a woman to get a woman, or man, or family… or just about anyone on camera than it is for a man. Most people are terrified of being on camera. If you are aggressive, intimidating or overtly solicitous you’ll frighten people away.

3. Getting people to go on camera – Suggestion #2: Ask them to go in a group. People are much less intimidated by a camera if they are surrounded by friends, or strangers for that matter. Peer pressure will ensure that everyone eventually trundles up to the camera even if they don’t think they want to talk.

4. Have fun. Yep, this sounds trite but it’s really important. You’ll get a lot more out of people if you use a little humour to make them comfortable on camera and you will be much more likely to get onlookers to volunteer to go on camera if it looks like the process is fun. Even if the subject matter is serious it can still help to try to get people comfortable on camera before you start shooting.

5. Do a dry run. Tell the person that the camera isn’t rolling and get them to think through their answers. People are more comfortable if they can work through their answers first and it also give you a chance to coach them. An option is to keep the camera rolling even during the ‘dry run’. I’m always surprised when I get a great comment or reponse from an interviewee either just before or just after an interview when the camera isn’t rolling. Keep it rolling.

6. Play the odds. You want a good answer – you need to ask 10 questions. You want one good interviewee – you need to get 10 people in front of the camera. It’s a numbers game. Photographers shoot 10 shots to get one good one. The odds are much the same for man-on-the-street interviews. The more time you spend the greater the chance you have of getting that perfect interviewee. Higher numbers also help you hedge your bets during edit when you decide to change your approach.

7. Coach / Cajole / Convince. (‘The three C’s’ of the man-in-the-street interview.) Sure the purists will blanch at the  thought of “planned spontaneity” but it may save your shoot. If you know someone who is articulate and has something to say about whatever you happen to be filming- give them a call and have them wander by your shoot. If you are not getting what you want out of an interviewee be direct. I’m always surprised when someone says ‘oh that’s what you were looking for, why didn’t you just tell me’.  Of course at some point if the interviewee turns into an actor then you’ve probably lost your shot at authenticity.

8. Plan. This one sounds like motherhood too but it’s probably the most important. You have to know what outcomes you want before you start your interview. If you don’t know exactly what you are looking for then you shouldn’t be surprised when the stuff you get back is not usable. If you ask vague questions you will get vague answers.

9. Bonus idea- Wear pajamas under your clothes when shooting outside in the winter. {I’m not smoking in the above photo}

{Special nod to Stephen Fenn at Fenn Photography who took the above photo and helped out with the photographic requirements of this project)

Filed Under: General Tagged With: , ,

Six things to consider with audio (and one very bad example)

February 9, 2009 by 1 Comment

Audio quality is very important in a video. Some would argue that audio has more impact on the overall perception of a video than the visual component of the video, that great sound with a mediocre image is OK, but weak sound quality, no matter the visual quality will always make the video seem inferior. I’m not sure that this is always the case, but audio quality is often an afterthought in the video development process.  Good audio is not difficult  to do and represents a small percentage of the overall cost of production. Does it make sense to spend thousands of dollars on the production of a video and then get ‘one of the guys in sales’ to do the voice-over using a cheap microphone?

The video above is a case in point. The audio quality is so bad, you can’t tell why it’s bad. They obviously went to considerable effort to put the video together. They wrote a script, did a lot of filming and spent time editing it. Did they just run out of steam at the end?

Here are six things to consider when creating audio for your video:

1. Audio starts with the script. Everyone knows that ‘Your customers are your top priority’ (what else would your top priority be?) so think of something unique to say. If you don’t have something interesting to say it doesn’t matter if James Earl Jones delivers your corporate message – it won’t stick.

2. Equipment matters. Buy a good microphone if you are doing audio in-house - it’s a really good investment. Yes, you are compressing the audio when you optimize it for the web but the same rule holds true for audio as it does for the video component – garbage in, garbage out.

3. Elocution matters. Just like visual style, there are many styles of voice that could be appropriate for your video – folksy, authoritative, somber, funny… whatever. You need to have a narrator who can speak in a clear understandable tone, who can speak in an appropriate cadence - given the subject material, and who can enunciate. Voice professionals do this stuff for a living. Remember the voice on your video in some ways becomes ‘the voice of your company’. That’s important.

4. Chose your soundtrack carefully. Adding a soundtrack is a great way to create a mood, to add drama or excitement, to maintain a consistent aural tone and to simply tie the whole video presentation together. Not all video needs a sound track however and unless you are able to afford original music you run the risk of using the same tunes that everyone else is using.  If you do go with a soundtrack make sure you crank it down when your narrator starts to speak.

5. Test the audio. It’s very difficult to imagine that the audio in the above video was subject to a rigorous screening process. Mix the audio with the soundtrack or musical loop , soinds effects etc. that you are going to use and let people listen to it. If everyone starts turning their heads sideways and squinting, you may want to give it another go.

6. Language and accent are very important. Peter Jennings was considered one of the best American news anchors for many reasons including his neutral (Canadian) accent. If you are creating promotional video content for foreign distribution – make sure that you use a narrator that delivers English in a very neutral tone. If you are dubbing in another language make sure your translator and reader understand the local dialect and idioms.

Filed Under: Managing Video Projects Tagged With:

6 HD video hosting services compared

February 6, 2009 by Leave a Comment

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Josh Lowensohn - an associate editor for Webware.com has published an article comparing 6 HD video hosting services. He declares YouTube the winner which is impressive considering Yougle only dipped their toe into the HD pool a few months ago. Given that YouTube/Google can afford to stream a cazillion hours of HD video a minute, process and store video at a ridiculous rate and add new features almost daily (and inspite of the fact that they have yet to generate any significant revenue), the other companies should be looking to find some way of differentiating themselves from the GooTube juggeraut. 

The article includes side by side video and still image comparisons and is well worth a look.

Filed Under: General, Managing Video Projects Tagged With:

Get ready for ‘Video Books’ – or not.

February 4, 2009 by Leave a Comment

 

Book publisher HarperCollins is toying with a new media format – the ‘Video Book’.  Jeff Jarvis the author of ‘What would Google do?” is the first to have a book turned into the new v-book format. (See a clip from that v-book above)

Here’s how it works:
1. Find an author who has written anything that might remotely lend itself  to a short form video synopsis.
2. Get the author to read that synopsis in front of a camera and coach them to present with the same flair with which they write.
3. Edit, upload to iTunes and charge people $9.99 to watch the book (so to speak).

I can see the cash-rich VC’s lining up to get a piece of this action!

Okay, that said, I can imagine some authors - Seth Godin as an example, who might do well in this format. His books are generally short, they emphasize and explain a few key concepts, he is a very compelling speaker and he has a huge following. But beyond a few niche applications I can’t imagine this experiment going too far. My guess is that this will end up being a great way to promote books rather than a good way to re-purpose books.

I can’t wait for the v-book version of Tolstoy’s Napoleonic era classic – War and Peace,  presented by Patrick Stewart (if Tolstoy isn’t available).

Filed Under: General Tagged With: ,

Top Social Brands of 2008

February 3, 2009 by Leave a Comment

Vitrue, a social media marketing company has announced a ”Top Social Brands of 2008′ list. The company developed a methodology that tracked conversations on a variety of social networking, blogging, microblogging, photo and video sharing sites and developed an algorithm to determine the most popular brands mentioned in these social media sites. This list focuses on businesses only - Obama, Palin, Spears and other ‘personal brands’ did not make the list. 

The list is an interesting scan with few surprises which, by-and-large reflects the most well know brands. The one glaring omission is ‘Google’ not appearing in the top 100. It’s hard to imagine that ‘Sears’ registers higher in the zeitgeist of web-users than Google. Perhaps they chose to exclude verbs from their list as well. Here are the top 10:

1. IPhone
2. CNN
3. Apple
4. Disney
5. Xbox
6. Starbucks
7. iPod
8. MTV
9. Sony
10. Dell

Filed Under: Content Marketing Tagged With:

Should brands care about user-generated content.

February 1, 2009 by Leave a Comment

 

 The video above was shot on a hand held camera and posted on YouTube. This video attempts to capture the presentation of the BlackBerry Curve 8350i at a launch party held recently in what looks like a warehouse or really large storage room. The videographer should have invested in a $30 tripod – the Blair Witch Project shaking camera effect started to make me nauseous after fifteen seconds. The sound is terrible – you really have to strain to hear the hollow echo of the speakers voice. There isn’t anything specifically offensive or negative about this video – presumably it was well intended. That said, for all intents and purposes the video is unwatchable – it gives little more than context to the presentation – it’s just too hard to understand.

What’s the point of showing this video? To highlight the new reality for brands. People are creating (unauthorized) content that reference your products and services every day. ’Videographers’ are everywhere, tagging their content and uploading it to video sharing services like YouTube – and there is precious little you can do about it.

Does this activity affect the perception of a brand? Should companies be trying to do something about this? Can they intervene and provide better content that will be found in place of the inferior content? Can they help videographers (like in the above example) by providing better audio facilities at speeches? Should they be aware of their surroundings when they make presentations? Should they anticipate that more and more people will have video cameras and invite those people to come up to the front and guide them on the best way to get high quality audio and video? Should the brand police be watching out for ‘rogue content’ and politely posting responses that link back to better quality information – or would this be too intrusive?

Maybe all this attention is a good thing. Perhaps brands should encourage anyone and everyone to talk about their products and services – regardless of the quality of the content generated and regardless of the quality of the discussion? As long as there is a conversation going on around your product and it is positive, where’s the harm? Sure a lot of the content is going to be poorly written or poorly recorded but as long as your stuff is being discussed, isn’t that the point?

Or does any of this even matter?

Filed Under: The Effect of Video on Your Brand Tagged With: