markettiers4dc blog - Convergence

My on-off relationship with Auntie

nospam@example.com (Jeremy Gibson) — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 15:18:52 +0100

When I heard the news that rather than reducing my licence fee the BBC was going to give some of its record overseas profits to the directors in the form of a £100,000 per year pay rise, I have to confess, I considered cancelling the direct debit and tearing the TV aerial from my roof.

Then, I read a release on the fully convergent, new iPlayer and I fell back in love with our eccentric aunt. I’ve always thought the BBC was pretty forward thinking in their broadcast convergence strategy, their use of video on bbc.co.uk/news site set a new standard.

Erik Huggers at the BBC says of the new iPlayer. "The next generation of BBC iPlayer allows UK licence fee payers to catch up on their favourite BBC TV and radio programmes in one place – a completely unique on-demand service.”

The iPlayer’s got it all, in addition to TV and radio in one place you can ‘pop it out’ and continue browsing other pages, it has a better screen resolution, and in a nod to web 2.0, it suggests other content you may like. It will also be available on hand-held devices such as the iPhone and even the Nintendo Wii.

The biggest development of all for me (and many a discussion board) is Virgin Media’s announcement that they are working on implementing a version of the iPlayer on its cable TV network. This means Virgin Media’s already impressive on-demand service has received a significant boost, and it’s another step towards the inevitable standardisation of on-demand platforms.

With the new iPlayer I don’t need an aerial and it looks like the licence fee is safe for now.

Did the internet kill the radio star?

nospam@example.com (Jeremy Gibson) — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 09:08:43 +0100

No, absolutely not.

The second instalment of Rajar’s catchily named ‘Podcasting and Radio via The Internet’ survey was published this week and it makes for encouraging viewing. (Link above opens a pdf)

9.4 million people in the UK are now listening to radio online, be it live or listen again this figure is up by 1.3 million since the last survey in October last year, impressive stuff.

The survey also goes on to show that podcasting is on the up, with 3.7 million now regularly downloading podcasts. Also encouraging is the fact that podcasts are becoming a bigger part of the listening diet with the average respondent subscribing to 3.59 casts up from 3.16.

The best statistic that this report identifies proves our view that Radio is the most adaptable channel. Rather than diluting radio audiences the web is extending radio’s reach with 13% of respondents now listening to ‘more live radio’ as a result of listen again functionality.

As radio continues to grow and the media continues to change, the nature of its influence is evolving. Radio Centre’s latest paper shows that in spite of the illicit, and under threat, bit torrent generation, 56% of people are still hearing new music first on radio.

In short, radio just keeps on delivering.

ITV.com hitting the big time – thanks to a talent show

nospam@example.com (Jeremy Gibson) — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 09:04:23 +0100

ITV.com bosses are rubbing their hands with glee after Britain’s Got Talent rocketed their video traffic figures to over 12 million views in May alone.

ITV credits a fresh site re-design and the growth of ITV local which has grown by 18% since the start of the year. ITV’s investment delivers a site where videos have their own tab in search results and their player puts video content at the heart of each page.

This is all great news for broadcast and shows how a commercial operator is successfully re-packaging content for an online audience, complete with in-line ads on most of its clips. In the light of warnings about reductions in online ad spend it will be interesting to see whether ITV continue to invest over the coming months.

Capitalising on online video viewing

nospam@example.com (Russell Goldsmith) — Thu, 29 May 2008 15:46:00 +0100

NMA had the pleasure of receiving a letter from me which they published in the magazine - here it is incase you missed it!

Jack Flanagan’s fascinating article (Analyst Speak NMA 17.04.08) highlighted the growing popularity of online video viewing, (now the third most popular online activity in the UK behind search and retail and just ahead of social networking); however he omitted to consider the impact of this ‘online video invasion’ upon online marketing.

As he pointed out online video is already attracting impressive levels of engagement compared to other types of online activity; in the UK alone 28.7m people watched over 3 bn videos online, averaging five and a half hours per viewer for the month.

Shouldn’t brands be capitalising on this voracious appetite for online video by providing their own high quality content? Some pioneers are already producing their own TV quality editorial content and placing it on sites where their target audience is likely to be.

That approach is innovative since it is not intrusive, and does not seem like advertising to the consumer, which means that they are more receptive to the presented content which entertains, informs and instructs.

Power of the personal touch

nospam@example.com (Howard Kosky) — Wed, 07 May 2008 10:21:40 +0100

In this week's PRWeek - 2/5/08 - I was asked to supply a few words for their Financial Essays supplement, so for those of you who haven't got round to opening your copy, or have already had it stolen off your desk, here's my contribution - enjoy . . .

Power of the personal touch

What is the defining image of the Northern Rock crisis? Is it of a chief executive in calm control, clearly articulating a recovery strategy to camera? Or is it rather one of long queues of twitchy customers, snaking out of branch doors and down high streets, united in fear and concern about their savings and investments?

Without question it is the latter. The clarity of these pictures in our collective memory speaks volumes for the power of television coverage. The broadcast media went to town on the story and in the absence of a compelling response from Northern Rock, confidence in the bank was undoubtedly eroded far faster and further than would otherwise have been the case as news broke of its emergency loan from the Bank of England and criticism swelled relating to its high-risk expansion.

In Northern Rock’s case, a more focused broadcast PR strategy would not have averted the crisis but it may well have limited the damage. Of course corporations still need to communicate business stories to traditional outlets such as the Financial Times but in our age of 24/7 rolling broadcast news coverage and online video, other channels are equally effective at reaching investors and other key stakeholders.

Yet despite the capacity to deliver succinct messages backed up by strong visuals, all too often a broadcast media strategy is overlooked. Some research commissioned by markettiers4dc in 2007 found that just 3.4 per cent of companies use television to publicise their interim and annual results.

That’s a shocking finding when you consider that TV and the web – with its capability for streaming video – play such a significant part in a typical person’s daily media consumption. Investor Relations is no longer just about a few key individuals. Organisations must now be aware of how broadcast material can impact upon public confidence.

While Northern Rock foundered, US toy giant Mattel last year provided an object lesson in how to handle a crisis adroitly. Confidence in the corporation might have plummeted following a series of product recalls after safety concerns were raised about toys from Chinese suppliers.

However, Mattel tackled the adverse publicity head-on and a key part of its response was a video message from chairman and CEO Bob Eckert, carried on its website. Eckert apologised for the recalls, set out lucidly how Mattel had immediately tightened up its safety procedures and empathised with worried parents by pointing out that he was himself the father of four children. Clips from the video appeared on mainstream TV news bulletins and were spread virally across the internet.

The crisis hit profits but Mattel’s approach allowed it to see out the year in reasonably good shape. Despite being saddled with charges of approximately US $110 million related to the product recalls, Mattel achieved a minor lift in operating income for its 2007 financial year and a worldwide 6 per cent rise in net sales against 2006.

Using video messages and TV interviews can contribute strongly to bolstering corporate reputation and propping up a company’s share price. But clearly live TV interviews are more perilous than pre-recorded statements and many corporate comms teams will advise their CEOs against participating in them for fear that they will make a mistake or appear flustered, thereby undermining confidence in a brand or organisation.

Yet it is those chief executives able to perform well in front of the camera and who understand the TV medium that will prosper. For example, Sir Richard Branson is known to one and all, thanks in part to his willingness to appear before the cameras – in both good times and crises. Few CEOs can match Branson’s appetite for self-promotion but those that are prepared to engage with the broadcast media will enhance the profile of their company and arguably their own personal job security.

One current example of a company adopting such a positive approach is National Grid. Chief Executive, Steve Holliday announced National Grid is to adopt carbon budgets and reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 80%. Working alongside their retained corporate agency to drive awareness of National Grid’s pioneering stance on energy saving, markettiers4dc produced and released controlled audio and video news features of the Chief Executive to targeted broadcast media.

Of course, for the viewing public ‘live’ interviews are not necessarily watched in real time. As exemplified by technologies such as the BBC’s iPlayer, on demand viewing and listening is becoming more significant in media consumption. Rajar research earlier this year found that 4.3m people in the UK have downloaded a podcast, with 1.87m people listening to podcast once a week; while Motoral research last year found that 43 per cent of UK broadband users watch webTV.

Consequently, producing engaging video content that will work well on the web is assuming increasing importance. Video content can draw stakeholders onto corporate websites, allowing corporations to tell their side of the story eloquently. Moreover, it can provide influential input into wider debates raging across the blogosphere and social networking sites.

Businesses ignore such voices at their peril. HSBC, you may recall, was forced into a U-turn on its decision to scrap an interest free overdraft for graduates after nearly 5,000 graduates signed up to Facebook group Stop the Great HSBC Graduate Rip-Off. In this era of consumer power and investor activism, corporations cannot hope to flourish if they ignore effective communications channels and techniques.

Digital Business on FT

nospam@example.com (Russell Goldsmith) — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 08:46:25 +0100

Here's an interesting Podcast that our Director of Media Output, Julian Fisher, passed my way, which I thought you may be interested in subscribing to - http://podcast.ft.com/feeds/digital_business_rss.xml

It's produced by the FT and the series is called 'Digital Business' which looks at the use and management of technology in business.

In the latest show - from April 16th - about nine and a half minutes in, FT Columnist Ade Mccormack talks about a 'new' concept called Hypermedia - where he describes the 'potential' to embed links into video for consumers to click through and purchase products.

Very interesting interview, but just to let you know Ade - markettiers4dc already offer this and you can see an example of how it works on HowTo.tv where their client, Screwfix, uses our Interactive Direct Sales Tool technology to drive sales by enabling viewers to click on products featured in their How To Choose and Fit a Shower show - roll your mouse over the video and try it out!

Power to the People - Onward #23 Extract

nospam@example.com (Russell Goldsmith) — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 12:49:13 +0000

Many apologies for the silence on our blog recently, but we thought we'd kick start things with an extract from our most recent issue of Onward - dont forget, the digital version of Onward is now online at www.Onward.tv with new video content.

POWER TO THE PEOPLE - Onward front page story

As our media has become more segmented and likewise our consumption of it, the task in reaching our end audience has become even more challenging. One of the key reasons for this is that the power of advocacy and influencer groups is shifting away from perhaps the traditional media owner and journalist to the new wave of ‘citizen journalist’ within new media environments.

In a recent survey*, we looked into how important online influencer groups have become when it comes to trust before making a purchasing decision and 70% of respondents said that a positive feature on an independent review website would be the biggest influence on them, compared to just 14% who said that reading a positive feature in a newspaper article would be.

With the phenomenal rise in the popularity of social networking, gaining advocacy from key influencers within these groups has become one of the biggest challenges for the communications industry. After all, it appears that users certainly don’t want to be blatantly advertised to in these environments. Just consider the backlash that Facebook received after the launch of their advertising platform at the back end of last year when more than 50,000 of their own users came together online to complain about it, forcing an apology from the company.

The issue of commercialising and generating revenue from social networks is something that is an ongoing challenge for their owners. However, what is clear from the perspective of the PR and Communications industry is that we cannot ignore the fact that many of our audiences are spending a large percentage of their time interacting with each other within them.

Thankfully for those who have invested in these environments, the producers of some sites are starting to find ways to deliver a better experience for the user whilst monetising their content. Just look at the success of Bebo’s online video series ‘Kate Modern’ that stars Ralf Little from TV’s Royal Family. As reported on Guardian.co.uk, the first series drew an audience that watched an average of 1.5m videos per week, with Bebo successfully bringing on brand sponsors. The sponsors products appeared in the show proving a better way for brands to reach their audience through targeted broadcast quality content. However, if the evidence suggests audience engagement through video content is successful, why stop at sponsoring someone else’s show?

The lack of Ofcom regulations online allows brands to produce their own broadcast content, which can then be seeded into social networks encouraging users to join branded groups, interacting with them, as well as opting-in for more information. Being able to deliver engaging broadcast content that a brand has total control over, to an audience that has chosen to view, is a very powerful tool to possess. If you then give viewers the opportunity to click on the products featured in the video itself to either gain more information, or even be one click from adding them into an e-commerce shopping basket, then you will very quickly deliver a highly effective direct marketing campaign.

Controlling your brand’s assets using broadcast has historically relied on the media owners hosting your content. Now brands can become the media owner themselves. Add to this the huge appetite for watching video online and the fact that, according to Dynamic Logic, video increases the propensity to purchase by nearly 50% - and then consider that you have the ability to tap into the online networks in a controlled manner through content, and it’s very clear that there are huge opportunities opening up.

These same tactics are also proving to be very effective in other parts of the communications mix. Brands can use networks to build panels of very vocal customers, happy to share their opinions on all manner of topics. For example, in our survey, we discovered that 50% of people would like to provide their opinions for food & drink products as part of an online panel. Imagine being able to communicate with these panel members using video and audio when researching them, turning a potentially dull and tedious task, into an entertaining one.

It's for these reasons that we’ve expanded our own Digital and Technical Services division, helping support the work we are now producing for these environments.

If you would like to find out more, please do get in touch with me, whether by phone, fax, letter, email, or even finding my profile on Linkedin, Twitter, Facebook…!

russ@markettiers4dc.com

*survey carried out overnight 22/1/07 by Opinion Matters on Tickbox.net, 227 respondents

Keeping Up Appearances

nospam@example.com (Russell Goldsmith) — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 11:05:11 +0000

As Official Podcasters to the IAB for their upcoming Engage 2007 conference this week, we were asked to submit a Digital Essay for the conference brochure. For those not going to the conference and therefore not taking away your own copy of the essay - here's a markettiers4dc blog exclusive. Enjoy!

With a large focus of this year’s conference centred on video, I wanted to use this opportunity to encourage brand owners to look inside their own organisations and question how well they have prepared for the onslaught of media convergence.

How many of the online plans of those brands represented in today’s audience include video? How many have thought about producing a podcast, or funding their own TV show for the web? When it comes to the communications teams’ delivery to the media, how many think to offer something more than a press release, realising they can talk directly to their audience themselves?

With almost everyone who accesses the web in the UK doing so via a broadband connection, the expectation of what we see online has been raised further than text and images, or a bit of Flash animation. Video is what we want now, and high production values with it.

An example of where this expectation to be able to see and hear from a brand direct is never more prevalent than in the area of crisis management. Take the two very different examples where online broadcast opportunities have been used well or handled poorly via the contrasting media positioning of Mattel and Northern Rock respectively.

In August, Mattel were forced to recall over 20m products globally due to safety concerns. As part of their communication strategy to avoid mass panic amongst their consumers they produced a video of their Chairman and CEO making an impassioned statement on behalf of the company. The video was available via their website to all territories globally and was picked up by news desks internationally. Their personalised approach was a success in reassuring people that all was in control and being handled with the customer’s best interests.

In comparison during the perceived collapse of Northern Rock there appeared to be little communication emanating from them aside from an interview on Radio 4 and a limited message posted on their website. Consequently their lack of information fuelled speculation and fears, leading to media hype and scenes of investors queuing to withdraw their money. There was no wide spread communication telling people not to panic, no human face, Northern Rock lost control of the situation, allowing the media to dictate the agenda. Questions pertaining to protecting investments and savings could have been pre-empted and the responses made accessible and available in various formats via their website, satisfying the requirements from the media and their customers. This is the age where people demand to have information when they want it, where they want it and through multiple devices.

Both these instances are examples of where consumers have gone to the Internet for assurances from the brands involved, and therefore it is those involved in the digital media space that have the opportunity to influence.

The IAB continue to show how budgets for online media increase year on year, but the key question is whether they are spent wisely? For example, do those teams who design pop-ups really think that by putting the close button far away on the other side of the webpage that we won’t go looking for it, cursing them as we do? Recent research by HowTo.tv revealed that not only are such online ads seen as intrusive, but they are also having a negative impact on brand perception.*

In the year since the last Engage conference, online advertising, whilst increasing in spend, has also come under fire due to some arguably lazy planning and buying strategies. The BBC’s Panorama programme earlier in the summer exposed a few guilty parties who didn’t stop to think where their run-of-site activity might appear on the likes of YouTube or Facebook, some of whom were allegedly made to pay the price by their clients by losing their accounts.

The findings of the research are quite concerning with 94% of web users saying they have experienced online advertising that is totally unrelated to the site they are visiting. Furthermore, 95% said they had had ads served on them that were not relevant to them or their interests and that 94% of people experience pop-up ads online that are of no interest to them. The research also pointed out the need for media owners to also be weary when chasing the increased online budgets as 50% of respondents said they had left a favourite website because of intrusive/annoying online ads and pop-ups.

Most important of all, however, is that online advertising that is involuntarily served on the viewer through pop-ups, moving screens, or non-existent segmentation through run-of-site purchasing irrelevant to content, has a negative impact on the brand. An incredible 95.2% of people said annoying and intrusive ads make them less likely to buy the brand and most significantly, 95% of people said that this type of online advertising makes them think unfavourably about a brand.

Online advertising has long been seen as the media to deliver highly-targeted results due to the ability to segment the audience and deliver less wastage. However, based on this research, planners and buyers need to take a long hard look at their digital strategies and remind themselves that ultimately; content is king in an online environment, and not the advert that appears over it. The marketing industry needs to change the way it approaches online and find better and more effective ways to engage with users, to their benefit, as opposed to taking a counter-productive shotgun approach by serving ads upon them.

This is where video driven content comes in to play, but not video content for the sake of it. For example, I am not suggesting we all simply move our adverting budgets into the pre-roll video advertising market. Goodness knows just how frustrating it is to see the same advert appear over and over before each news story on a video player on a national newspaper website, for example.

Those individuals at Engage 2007 who work in the digital media have the opportunity to help communicate brand character and contribute to enhancing and protecting brand reputation. As it is conclusively affecting the profit and loss of the brand it subsequently delivers a massive opportunity for them to have a higher presence in the Board Room and a greater slice of the budget for brand communications and online advertising.

The avalanche of new media, including user-generated content and convergence, with their exponential rate of growth, present constant opportunities to add value and enhance existing and new media communications techniques. Targeted messages are fully achievable as access to potential communities and audiences continue to grow.

With the fact that Ofcom regulations do not extend to the Internet, brands have the opportunity to relinquish editorial constraints enforced on them previously in other broadcast mediums, and the web is, after all, now a truly bona fide broadcast media. In this environment brands have a greater influence, with less reliance on the media owner, as long as they protect the editorial integrity of the medium. Furthermore as content, in the form of video, can now be repurposed and made available across multi platforms it can help to satisfy consumer’s on-demand culture - information and content when it is convenient to them, rather than forced on them.

* Opinion Matters, June 2007, sample 1,444 respondents

YouTube takes a bashing on Panorama

nospam@example.com (Russell Goldsmith) — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 13:01:42 +0100

Last night I watched in amazement as senior management from the likes of Google (owners of YouTube) and Liveleak appeared on Panorama on BBC and, in my opinion of course, arrogantly tried to justify how they could allow videos of children being violently beaten up, or people vandalising police property, on to their website. According to the Panorama report, many advertisers whose adverts appeared next to those videos and, in certain instances, racist comments alongside them, have since pulled their adverts after they were made aware of where they were placed. In some cases, the programme confirmed that those advertisers even sacked the agencies that bought the media space for them.

The story has been picked up by the media and YouTube and its counterparts are taking a beating of their own yesterday and this morning e.g:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/07/30/ninternet230.xml

I was totally shocked and sympathetic to the victims of the beatings in the videos. I was also delighted to hear that brands have pulled their ads and that Guy Phillipson of the IAB http://www.iabuk.net will investigate the matter too – I hope they make their findings public on the site given the likes of Google are a member.

However, the one thing that it did make me want to shout out loud is “I told you so!”. Within our own workshops http://www.markettiers4dc.com/workshops.html at markettiers4dc, we urge caution to brands who get involved in these UGC/Social Networking environments. Yes, we ourselves have run very successful campaigns within the likes of Bebo, but we will only get involved where it is within a controlled environment, creating a profile that we are managing ourselves. The fact that brands allow agencies to place banners and buttons on a run-of-site across a website that blatantly allows the kind of videos highlighted in last night’s Panorama report to me shows just how far we still have to go in educating the communications industry about how to use online effectively within the marketing and PR mix.

We’d would love to hear your thoughts on this matter so please do use our comments section and tell us your views. Also, if you want to attend our own workshop on the rise of Social Networking sites and how best to incorporate them into your PR and marketing then please fill in the form here http://www.markettiers4dc.com/workshops12.html

Internet Shopping's Growing Carbon Foot Print

nospam@example.com (Paul Simmons) — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 14:02:30 +0100

Shopping on the internet always seems like the environmentally sound choice for eco-aware consumers, especially to get rid of those regular trips to the supermarket by car. For some time now online retailers claim that it is more efficient for one van to deliver to several addresses than for each household to travel by car to the shops.

However, according to a recent article published in The Times shows that this may not be the case, and that though such lifestyle changes as purchasing online maybe cutting down the number of cars on the road, it is in fact increasing the number of vans and lorries on UK roads.

The article reveals that "British households spend more than £3billion a month on internet goods and in April online spending rose by 55 per cent compared with the same month last year." Which may have had a large effect on the news that "The number of vans on the road has increased by almost a third, or more than 730,000, in the past decade."

Read more: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/science/article2039853.ece

Facebook to take over from MySpace?

nospam@example.com (Paul Simmons) — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 08:19:00 +0100

The rumours are finally turning into reality with many industry experts predicting that Myspace will be replaced as the king of the social networking kingdom as soon as September 07. Facebook's growing popularity has pulled away a large chunk of MySpace's audience, with the number of British visitors to MySpace dipping to 6.5 million in May of this year - down from 6.8 million in April. Myspace, which has reigned supreme for the last couple of years, suffered the same trend in the US (it's biggest market) with traffic falling to 56.6 million in May, from 57 million a month earlier.

According to Nielsen//Netratings, the market researchers, Facebook's audience in the UK has grown at 19 times the rate of MySpace's over the past six months, surging 523 per cent. The new statistics illustrate the opening of the online social networking market as well as the lack of user loyalty amongst such sites.

Read more: http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/media/article2000500.ece

MediaGuardian 100 Power List

nospam@example.com (Paul Simmons) — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 08:11:00 +0100

The continual spread of the internet's power and influence was again seen at the launch of the MediaGuardian 100 Power List where the head of Google (chief executive Eric Schmidt) overtook the BBC Director General as being the most powerful name in the media sector.

As well as this, almost half of those people named in the 2007 list were new entries as the internet's power and influence picks up pace in replacing many of the media industry's 'old guard'. You Tube founders Chad Hurley and Steven Chen, MySpace chief executive Chris DeWolfe and Bebo founder Michael Birch were all included for the first time.

read more: http://technology.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0,,2122067,00.html

IAB Video Marketing Handbook - The Authors Cut!

nospam@example.com (Russell Goldsmith) — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 15:43:23 +0100

This week saw the release of the IAB's Video Marketing Handbook which you can download for free from http://www.iabuk.net/en/1/thebuzzonvideomarketing.html

markettiers4dc provide the centre case study about Brand Funded Video, and exclusive to our blog is my unedited version of our chapter! Enjoy . . .

Advertiser Funded Video

Given I am writing an article for the IAB, if I asked the question 'Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?’ some of our younger members could be forgiven for thinking I'm about to write a feature on 'Second Life'. However, I'd like to think most will recognise the opening lyrics to what has often been described as the video that set the trend for the future of the music industry, recorded by Queen as they were on tour when their single 'Bohemian Rhapsody' reached No.1 for the first time and so couldn't appear at the BBC's Top of the Pops studios that week, which in the days before MySpace and iTunes was the media outlet to be on if you wanted exposure to help record sales. So followed the creation of what are effectively 'Advertiser Funded Videos' (AFV) - content paid for and produced by the record label but aired on a third party media owner with the purpose of promoting their signed band and selling more of their product - singles, albums, concert tickets, and these days, downloads.

It has worked in the music industry yet if, for example, an FMCG brand tried it, Ofcom would have come down on them like a ton of bricks. Under current regulations, AFV on traditional TV would be subject to the strict broadcasting code rules that traditional sponsorship has to follow. However, we all work in an industry where Ofcom restrictions do not currently apply, which means, in the words of the late great Freddie Mercury, we can all 'do the fandango'.

With the continuing improvement in broadband speed there is an ever increasing thirst for video online from consumers and B2B users, and whilst there is a current trend towards websites hosting UGC, there is still, and indeed will be, an increasing demand for broadcast quality video, which is more expensive to produce than that filmed on a handheld camcorder or webcam that fills the majority of UGC sites. This therefore is where the opportunity lies for brands to provide content to lifestyle/business websites and ISPs as it is the brand making the financial investment not the media owner. However, the key to a successful AFV is not to abuse the lack of regulations and produce a 30min advert about your product or service. Successful AFV combine the editorial needs of the media owner with the marketing communications objectives of the brand, whilst ensuring the viewer is entertained, informed or educated etc. Only then will you generate the cut-through to ensure you create brand engagement with your target audience, which is exactly what 'Wickes' achieved when they created a series of videos for their website under a WickesTV banner, as well as maximising their exposure by syndicating them to www.howto.tv at the end of 2006.

Wickes, like a lot of DIY stores, already produces written guides that their customers can pick up from instore or download as pdf files from their website, that instruct on how to do specific DIY tasks such as tiling. Their access to the consumer through broadcast video content in the past has been to sponsor 'makeover' shows on TV. However under Ofcom regulations this left them with little more than a 'top and tail' branding opportunity, with absolutely no mention of the Wickes brand, or placement of any of its products or stores within the content of the programme. In fact they could not officially dictate the programming output in any capacity. However, commissioned by their sponsorship agency, MediaedgeCIA, markettiers4dc produced three videos funded by Wickes that were scripted from the Wickes 'Good Ideas Guides'. These were 10 minutes in length, each split into two segments - the first showing the preparation and tools required, and the second actually showing how to do the job in hand. The three videos were 'How to tile a wall', 'How to replace a kitchen worksurface', and 'How to lay a real wood floor'. With a freelance producer who produces for the BBC, a familiar face of DIY programmes in Martin Roberts presenting, and a friendly and knowledgeable builder, Dave, a successful formula was in place. The main ingredient though, from Wickes point of view, was that these videos were being produced for the web and so filming could take place instore at Wickes and their products were used throughout. In fact, Wickes approved all scripts before the shoot began and were fully involved in the final edit too, and according to Verica Djurdevic, Strategy Director at MediaedgeCIA, "the HowTo.tv application is a great way for us to demonstrate Wickes' expertise to their customers using video techniques combined with new technology for delivery to multiple platforms."

It is this last part of Verica's statement that was key to the project. Whilst viewing on the web is one route for AFV, a major part of Wickes' brief was to take advantage of the converging media, after all, when tiling your bathroom, you are unlikely to be beside a computer. Having the ability to download the video to your mobile device was vital, as this would enable Wickes to extend their relationship with the consumer and engage with them during the actual DIY process. Plus the benefits didn't end there, as anyone who wanted more information could opt-in to receive it. Of course, from a budgetary point of view, the cost savings were also huge as producing your own content can be significantly cheaper than sponsoring someone else’s.

The key to all of this is that as a brand you are only advertising to those consumers who choose to watch and so it becomes an unintrusive route to delivering your message, moving from interruption to attraction and, with new technologies such as those described in the product placement chapter of this document, from engagement to interaction.

So how can we measure the success of such a campaign?

An AFV shouldn't really be produced without some marcoms or PR support around it, or with at least the same thought and planning gone into it that would any part of a marketing strategy. The basic challenge is to isolate the AFV effect as far as possible from other activity that may be running in parallel. However, differences in attitudes towards the brand, as well as awareness and likelihood to purchase among those who have seen it can be carried out against those who haven't, by putting in place pre- and post research using a mixture of qualitative and quantitative methods which can take place online too.

Of course the number of people who viewed and opted in for more information, or clicked through to a brand's website is still a strong measurement, as will the ability to then track purchase as a result too.

The biggest endorsement of this approach must surely be a brand happy to repeat the campaign, and so with a second series of video guides in the planning, something must have worked for Wickes!

And as for a concluding statement to this chapter, I should have mentioned that I have written it whilst holidaying in the Maldives and so as I write whilst sat on a beach, I will leave you with those immortal closing words of Freddie's: 'Nothing really matters, to me ...'

Latest Viral Success Story - Ray Bans

nospam@example.com (Paul Simmons) — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 17:27:41 +0100

When Feed Company released a new viral video for Ray Bans, they posted on http://www.beyondmadisonavenue.com/2007/05/new-ray-ban-viral/ that this clip was going to be the latest in a short list of viral video sensations. The video was released at the start of May has already been viewed more than a million times, favourite over six-thousand times and commented-on over six-thousand times (including dozens of video responses and user generated spoofs.) Here is the original campaign:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-prfAENSh2k&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fgregverdino%2Etypepad%2Ecom%2Fgreg%5Fverdinos%5Fblog%2F2007%2F05%2Ffail%5Fyour%5Fway%5Ft%2Ehtml

This example will invariably persuade a number of brands to have a go at the viral marketing game - with mixed results. Unfortunately many viral campaigns don't reach the heady heights of the videos that have inspired them. In such cases, many marketing agencies simply tick the 'viral' box and then move onto the next marketing fad that they are yet to try. However, what the should do is go back to the drawing board and create another, and then another until they hit a cord with the desired consumer.

The 'trial and error' philosophy of viral marketing means that there is often errors, making this format very different to traditional marketing. In traditional advertising, you launch a campaign and expect immediate, measurable results. In viral marketing, you need to put something out there, expect nothing and keep fine tuning until you catch the consumer wave.

Facebook - Myspace For Apple Fans?

nospam@example.com (Paul Simmons) — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 17:21:00 +0100

Myspace is clearly the leader in social networking websites, with an 80.74% market share according to http://www.hitwise.com/. However, new kid on the digital block, Facebook, may be positioning itself like Apple, with it's Apple-esque approach to clean-lines and innovation with high user-ratings, market appeal and it's innovative F8 Platform.

The smoothness of Facebook vs the messy corporate feel to Myspace is a battle proving increasingly entertaining, with many over 21's moving across to FB after the buyout at Murdockspace. Read more:

http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/technology/archives/2007/05/29/why_facebook_is_the_new_apple.html