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Social Media • Trends
Getting Your Feet Wet With Social Media
posted by Dan Baker @ January 21st, 2009
A lot of people have heard about blogs, a lot more people are regular readers of blogs, but very few people (relatively speaking) are regular contributors to a blog. The promise of the social web - that we all have something important to say to our community - is going unfulfilled by many small and medium businesses.
Starting a blog to talk about your expertise is a great way to jump into the fray and show off your specialized knowledge. After all, no one knows your business or your product quite like you do. So how do you get started?
Enter Wordpress. We love Wordpress. When I started blogging, I looked into a few different systems. I started with “custom”, which proved waaay too daunting. I dabbled with Blogger (since purchased by the almighty Google), which proved inflexible. I researched pay-to-play services like Typepad, which proved too costly. Then I met Wordpress, and it was love at first site.
Wordpress, rated the number one blogging platform across the web, is easy to use, powerful, flexible, customizable, has an amazing community, and is extremely cost-effective. We believe so strongly in it’s power as a blogging platform that it’s the only system we use for all our clients. The more we use it, the more we love it.
Sound too good to be true? Do we really have a real, emotional attachment to software? Only one way to find out: if you’re looking to get your feet wet with social media, look no further than Wordpress. And yes, I did say “love at first site.” It’s a pun. And I am very ashamed.
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Trends
A recession-proof business: The holy grail
posted by McKenna @ January 6th, 2009
Over the holidays, the big topic of discussion was the economy. I come from a long line of entrepreneurs (I am the first person in three generations to not work for myself), and my circle of friends is heavy on the self-employed side. I expected a lot of worry and wringing of hands over cookies and cocktails.
I was wrong.
Most of my friends and family say their deep client base will help them weather this recession. And – surprisingly – many said they are focusing now more than ever on marketing their services to qualified customers.
In fact, one acquaintance said his graphic design firm unfailingly improves during recessions. He’s owned his business for nearly 30 years and has weathered several deep recessions, so I’m pretty sure it’s not a fluke.
He said that when layoffs happen in the marketing departments of his corporate clients, they still need that marketing work completed. The work doesn’t simply disappear. It just gets shuffled around until they find a more economical way to finish it – and sometimes that means calling an outside vendor like my friend’s business.
And there’s always marketing work to be done. Some say that tough economic times are the best times to put the pedal to the marketing metal. Committing yourself to marketing your business successfully – with a strong strategy and targeted goals – in this economy can reap great rewards.
As Yoda says: “There’s no try – only do!”
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AgencyThink • Social Media • Trends
Writing print’s obituary?
posted by McKenna @ December 24th, 2008
At a recent company meeting, a coworker stressed that all of us, every employee of Avicom, must become skilled in video and social and online media. Not just in using it for personal use, but supporting it in a meaningful way for our clients. He said we must build our individual skill sets to include video, multimedia, Web and social media – and whatever else might be coming down the pike.
And all I could think was: Really? We must? Who says?
Most of my background is in newspaper reporting and copywriting for printed marketing materials. These skills have served me pretty well in my career. So I felt a little chagrined that I was being told to abandon my hard-earned experience to chase emerging technologies and ways of communicating. I kind of resented the assumption that print has less value – or none at all – just because new technologies are changing how we communicate.
But in the end, it’s not my coworker’s opinion that counts. I want to hear from clients: How do you plan to use print and online media or video in 2009? Are you changing your media mix in the face of new technologies? In your marketing efforts, is print dead?
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Online Marketing • Trends
Video Is Getting The Love
posted by Greg Batiansila @ December 2nd, 2008
In these troubled times, where should you invest your marketing dollar? What gives you the most opportunities to touch the most people on the most platforms?
Consider this: YouTube’s audience in September jumped to 82 million unique viewers watching 53 billion videos.
That’s in one month. I’ll just let that stat sit there in its own space.
If you want something that sales can take on a jumpdrive, that your webteam can share on the web, that can be message-driven, shared virally, touch different demographics differently, figure video.
Every single video product we create for clients has always started out being for a single purpose, and then because of its quality, message and ability to reach audiences, has been used in a number of ways. Most recently, we created something for a client that was to be used at their anniversary get-together. When the video got a standing ovation at the anniversary, the client put the video on YouTube.
Smart, prudent marketing means being mindful of your audience and what they’re doing today.
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Social Media • Trends
The Jesus Shot
posted by Greg Batiansila @ August 27th, 2008
If you want to see the future - at least a huge part of the future - of advertising, check this - and then this - out.
EA Sports created a golf video game. A user found a glitch and made a Youtube video showing the glitch.
Instead of ignoring him or adding a fix or apologizing, EA Sports created a YouTube video response to the user. If you think about it, that’s an already-incredible exhibition of social media. The gaming conglomerate is adept enough to note that someone has commented on their game, and created a video response to have an actual conversation with a customer.
Oh, and EA didn’t even try to broadcast this video. It went straight to Levinator and their own EA Youtube channel. Oh, and EA decided to have Tiger Woods in their video response. Yeah, the golfer who makes 130.00 a minute.
What’s the R.O.I. on what EA Sports did? Is it measurable? Didn’t they just change how gamers think of them? Change the rules on how to reach out to your customers? Pique every gamer’s interest in playing the game, maybe finding a glitch of their own?
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Trends
[spoiler alert] The Jester Wins
posted by Just A Nick @ August 11th, 2008
Recently, Adverblog linked to this animation from Adobe. Be warned, it feels like the longest download of your life, but it’s worth it.
The animation, titled “Adobe Cards,” was created by Goodby Silverstein & Partners to promote Adobe’s CS3. At first, I assumed it was done completely with CS3 products. However, after some digging, I discovered it was created with Cinema 4D, which is not a part of CS3. It’s not even an Adobe product. Weird. I think they think they make up for it by linking to a portfolio site of projects done with CS3. Whew. This makes me feel a little better for including some Jackson Pollack prints in my personal portfolio.
I showed “Adobe Cards” to fellow Avicom digital art guy James and asked him about using Maya to create something like this. While he’s convinced we could achieve similar effects using Flash and Photoshop, we both think Maya is just as powerful as Cinema 4D. It would certainly be an interesting experiment.
It’s always fun to come across examples of work that are good enough to make me “wish we had done that.” It’s even more fun knowing that we could.
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Recent News and Updates • Trends
If It’s Green, Is It Still A Tchotchke?
posted by Mad Mags @ August 1st, 2008
It seems like we’re all trying to think green these days. At least many of us at Avicom are since the morning one of our earthy account execs circulated a link to a slide show of animals choking on plastic bags.
(Thanks, Lisa. The image of the turtle still haunts us.)
The plastic bag images reminded me of a recent pitch we made to a client to offer reusable shopping bags as a promotional giveaway. While the client wasn’t quite ready for the idea months ago, the reusable bag concept seemed incredibly appropriate now. It spurred me to contact our promotional director Tom Scheel, to learn of trends in the “giveaway” industry. more »
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Trends
How’d They Do That? No, Wait - Why’d They Do That?
posted by Greg Batiansila @ July 10th, 2008
One thing that strikes me over and over as I listen to or watch ads is the question “How’d They Do That?” How did they pull it off? I know clients enough to know that clients tend to be play-it-safe professionals trying to ensure they’ll have a job tomorrow by carefully maintaining and dusting off their brand daily.
So…how did an agency get the permission to make a commercial for a product that revolves around a suicide attempt? A commercial with only two spoken words, and one is an expletive?
I could see how perhaps a marketing manager trying to establish themselves as a whiz kid could have greenlighted this, but I’m more intrigued on how corporate approved the tact.
Then again…maybe the above is best answered when the “Why?” is answered. The use of the expletive means it was never going to make broadcast television. The subject matter – suicide – is nowhere near “safe.”
The answer to “why?” is the old dictum that if no one’s talking about you, you don’t exist. And to get some talk, some buzz, you create an objectionable video with profanity and get people to comment on it. Sure, it will never be on NBC, but will it be shared or watched online out of pure curiosity? Will you watch it? More views, which make other people comment on it. I have never looked at a Heineken ad on YouTube. So if you accept the rules of the game – and many brand stewards will not – you can see how this is a successful campaign.
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Trends
Study Finds IM Users Are More Productive
posted by Dan Baker @ June 11th, 2008
My day is plagued with frequent interruptions. Someone knocking at my door, phoning, emailing or just jumping into my office shouting “YAHTZEE!”. I get calls from vendors (straight to voice mail), coworkers, clients and occasionally friends, so why would I add yet another intrusion into my already hectic day? According to recent findings published in the Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication it turns out Instant Messaging (IM) applications actually improve productivity.
The following four hypotheses were tested and confirmed:
- IM users will report lower levels of disruptive interruption than will non-users.
- IM users will have the same overall level of work communication as will non-users.
- IM users will engage in more frequent computer-mediated work communication than will non-users.
- IM users will engage in more frequent computer-mediated personal communication than will non-users.
Increased communication. That’s a good thing. Less disruptive interruptions? Also good. At Avicom we have instituted company Skype accounts for voice, IM and video. Since I work at our downtown and corporate offices, being a click away from my team is indispensable. And I can Skype into meetings for face-to-face conversation. Plus it’s kind of like The Jetsons (minus the jetpacks and robot maids).
What corporate communications tools do you use for IM? How do you better manage interruptions and work-related communications? If you’re not using an Instant Messaging application, maybe it’s time to take one for a test drive. Want to chat about it? Skype me at dan.baker.avicom
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