It’s our first month back and already there are surrounding reminders of our industry’s and online video is poised to benefit.

Just last week Google introduced the phone Nexus One, primarily meant to compete against Apple’s iPhone which has dominated the U.S. smartphone market. It’s notable that both phones have introduced key mobile initiatives in their race placing an emphasis on mobile video.

So what does that do for our online video industry?

At a minimum this means the expansion of a video ready universe. The two companies’ considerable marketing spending will mean that more smartphones will be purchased and therefore the experience of watching mobile video will just keep getting better. For example, the Nexus One’s screen resolution (480×800) surpasses the iPhone’s (320×480), which only means Apple will need to up the ante even further with its next generation. The range of video applications is bound to increase with more players fighting it out in the field.

Moreover there is no oligopoly within the distributors in mobile video like there is with cable and satellite which means that there is more flexibility in how premium video can be distributed to smartphones. Mobile world used to be where everything had to be approved and carried by the wireless carrier. However, that’s quickly evolving to an open sphere where there are no gatekeepers for applications and services making it seem more like an online distribution than traditional video distribution.

Furthermore by having its own device and operating system, Google is optimizing the YouTube mobile experience. The Nexus One is an improved way to search, view and upload YouTube videos making YouTube an even more valuable partner in the mobile race.

It appears as though 2010 is once again confirming itself to be full of sizable opportunities for growth with a prediction that video is a going to continue to be an increasingly important part of the digital experience.

Not bad for the first month back, huh?

Happy Holidays from the team at VMG Cinematic!

The past year has been a roller coaster of excitement for us at VMG. This accelerating journey has contributed to our growth on many levels as we constantly experienced change for the better. We were fortunate enough to work on some amazing projects with even more amazing people. 2009 has been full of late nights, early mornings, and great times. 2010 landmarks a special occasion not only because it’s the beginning of a new year or even a new decade, but because it’s a breakthrough in ways more than one – for our quickly flourishing industry, our continuously growing client base, and for us. The past has been encouraging and the future looks promising. Thanks to everyone who was a part of VMG in ‘09, we can’t wait to see you all in the new year!

Cheers,

The VMG team.

A notable presentation from the 2nd annual Marketing Week was carried out by Steve Mast, vice-president of Delvinia, who discussed business digital diseases, how they ruin users’ online experiences and their possible cures. These “diseases” occur when brands attempt to use social media without a great deal of success wondering why the digital world is not in sync with their goals. Each of these social media diseases can be avoided, or “cured”, without falling in the trap of lower online sales, visitors and return on digital investment.

The “diseases” were determined using survey data from Asking Canadians (Delvinia’s own research division).

Participants were asked to grade familiar complaints about websites, producing this top six list of diseases which include:

Ad-Theria
The over use of ads on websites because marketers feel so strongly about advertising products and services at the expense of the customer’s experience.

Mono-typosis
Not listening or responding to your customers and prohibiting conversation and a connection with a brand.

Widgetitis
The overuse of trendy tech gadgets.

Navigation Deficiency Virus
Confusing site navigation because there’s too much content.

Obsessive Content Disorder
Information clutter and inundation due to irrational fear of removing old content from a website.

Datapox
Asking for customer information in confusing ways making the site’s core purpose difficult and frustrating.

Although these problems appear to be part of a new medium development cycle, similar to how advertisers struggled with television in the 1950s; there are ways to prevent these common mistakes, “curing the diseases” with an easy formula. The 5 step formula as suggested by Mast includes understanding your customer, focusing on the customer experience, providing people with a voice, communicating and learning from the experience. In other words, it’s presenting your brand as approachable and customer oriented as possible in the digital world that makes your brand the “healthiest” and “disease free”.

Source: Marketing Magazine

Check out my guest blog post on REEL SEO, discussing Style Agents and the first Canadian online web series for a shopping mall!

Original Web Video Series = Success for Retail Shopping

-Marina

Yesterday we came across a study that was recently released by Turnhere.com on what the top priorities are (in terms of communication channels) for marketers and advertisers in 2010. As we expected from our own first hand experience in 2009, online video is at the front of the pack for most marketers and shows no signs of stopping. Now, more than ever companies are recognizing the tremendous potential and ROI benefits of web video marketing. Online video’s acceptance into the mainstream marketing fold has been a strange process over the last few years fraught with starts and stops, hype and hoopla and inexplicable successes and failures. But 2010 looks to be the year this medium comes into its own as a powerful brand communication channel.
What this study reveals and what we have always been advocates of, is how democratizing online video marketing can be. The study polled 116 respondents from companies that ranged from Fortune 500 brands, regional brands, digital, and PR. The marketing budgets of the respondents ranged from the tens of thousands to the millions and yet all said that online video was a must have in their communications mix for the coming year and beyond.
So why is the fever catching on now almost four years after YouTube hit the big time and the concept of “viral” became a household term? Well in those four years we’ve had what I call a “maturation of the medium,” experiments were conducted, audiences were tested, the model was built up, torn down, re-built and refined. The end result? Well to put it simply, online video passed the test. It survived the hype and came out the other side as a incredibly powerful medium capable of crossing genres and cutting through the clutter and growing ineffectiveness of print and TV.
Perhaps the most revealing aspect of the study was that an overwhelming percentage (81%) of respondents ranked internal marketing teams as being the key players and decision makers in pursuing online video. Not the agencies, not the big PR honchos, but the people inside the companies and behind the brands who know their message the best. 2010 will be the year marketers take back the power and get their message to the consumers. Online video and the genre of branded entertainment will be the way they do it, and VMG will be there to help.

Full review of the study from Reel SEO:

http://www.reelseo.com/video-marketing-top-priority-2010/

Cellphones have surely come a long way since their first days….

Recently, mobile video has been dominating industry news with definite promises of growth, expecting to generate roughly $16B in revenues worldwide by 2014. Similarly, “Mobile Video Services: A Five Year Global Market Forecast” states that mobile usage will rise by 135% over the next 5 years due to more people embracing mobile audio and video. Not to mention the number of users are vastly increasing worldwide – mobile subscribers in Latin America and Central/Eastern Europe are predicted to be 50% 3G converted up from 5% in 2008.

Cellphone displays are getting larger and more powerful making it obvious that video is going to continue expanding in both usage per person and amount that is available. With more companies beginning to offer flat rate mobile data plans, mobile video is more accessible to the general public assisting the growth of mobile data.

Is there a valid explanation for this fast paced increase? The recent stimulated mobile video growth most definitely ties into the launch of iPhone 3GS. Since the launch, YouTube has stated that mobile uploads have been soaring over the last six month with over a 1700% boost. The daily uploads alone have increased 400%…. YouTube believes that the growth is mostly due to more mobile phones with video capabilities on the market, which makes sense of course. If you provide people with advanced technology, they will use it.

By the looks of it, the mobile industry looks bright but what effect does that have on online video? Are we able to co-exist together or will one form of video eventually rule out the other?

In order to understand similar relationships better, I found a few quantitative case studies.  For example, in a relationship between those who listen to music with online streaming vs mobile phones,  the numbers indicate that when one goes up, the other goes down. This means there is only room for one of the above …

However, on the contrary the analysis for mobile video vs. online video streaming states that the two do not compete. In fact, not only do they not compete but they correlate strongly (on a coefficient of .57 to be exact). This is the unique role of video in digital progress and we are all right in the middle of it. People want more video, through more devices, in more places and times – the possibilities are unlimited. That’s definitely great news!

I have to admit I haven’t heard of Greg Jarboe before, but I sure as hell liked what he had to say in this video. And yes you should check out the Monty Python YouTube case study he mentions because it is truly eye opening to the potential of YouTube as a direct marketing and sales conversion tool (Monty Python DVD sales went up 23,000%!).

Here’s the link to the full Monty Python case study

Check out my recent Q&A in Toronto Marketing Blog with Sandra Bekhor on the topic of marketing professional service firms with online video: http://torontomarketing.blogspot.com/2009/09/marketing-professional-service-firms.html

- Evan

Success Stories

Moonfruit

Before Twitter: Below the radar web-site building company.

After Twitter: After a Twitter contest went viral, the London-based company had acquired 47,000 followers on Twitter, traffic to its home page had increased by 1,300% and the word “moonfruit” was appearing all over the Internet. In addition to creating a much bigger brand awareness, the firm’s products have more than tripled and paying customers have increased by 20%.

Chickdowntown.com

Before Twitter: Average online retailer.

After Twitter: Since its May ’09 Twitter contest the company began tweeting on a regular basis, and their following has grown to 4,100 from 300 with on average 200 new people following each day. Twitter followers account for 5% of traffic to the site whereas the email blasts, which reach 100,000 people, account for 4% of traffic.

Clickbooth

Before Twitter: Mediocre digital media publisher

After Twitter: Clickbooth teamed up with blogger John Chow for a successful Twitter contest, where contestants had to follow both Clickbooth and John Chow and then retweet a post. As Clickbooth reached different milestones of followers, they gave out more prizes. Eric Schechter, Clickbooth’s social media manager, says since the contest launched there has been an enormous increase in Twitter traffic and they have brought in new publishers.

Why is Twitter effective?

“While companies have used traditional contests for years to generate buzz, a Twitter contest is superior because ‘retweeting’ spreads brand awareness even quicker”, says Dan Zarrella, a social-media consultant based in Boston.

People always want free things. Social media and marketing experts say the combination of freebies and Twitter’s inherently viral nature is particularly powerful in creating a strong brand identity.

And although being on Twitter alone isn’t going to provide the highly effective recognition one hopes for, it is an integral part of a beginning for a smaller business. It’s important that communication and interaction keeps on going and the audience is engaged.

Tips for Twitter contest?

If you’re looking to replicate successful Twitter contests like Moonfruit’s, aim for high tech. Moonfruit integrated Apple Macs and iPods as its prizes. Not only did this resonate with potential clients but it also reinforced the firm’s innovative high-tech image, strengthening their reputation.

Source: Wall Street Journal

Check out what media and industry experts have to say about VMG Cinematic and Style Agents…

Globe & Mail notes a marketing trend of retailers like Vaughan Mills turning to online video and social media.

Marketing Magazine looks at how VMG and Vaughan Mills partnered up to create branded entertainment.

Media In Canada discusses the success of the Vaughan Mills digital campaign developed by VMG.

Beauty Parler is sending you on a shopping assignment, as per Style Agents’ request.

TorontoStyle.net spreads Style Agents’ tips on wearing brights.

…Mission continues!