New video for Sci-Fi fans and readers:If you had to leave your home right now and were running for your life, what's the one thing you would carry with you?Justin Cronin asks this of his characters in this interview about his new book The Passage.
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1518461605156
Talent, Eddie, hidden Levi, stranger in salmon pants, Rob
Eddie
Levi, Eddie
Pandas are cute. Pandas rule. Pandas want to have fun. Pandas are... not to be trifled with.
From Advertising Age Video, Vail Resorts CEO Rob Katz states: "Video sells our product incredibly well. It's a huge differentiator for our vacation versus any vacation you're going to take." What this means for those of you who don't have video on your website, we may never know. Can you think of ways in which you could use video to connect with people, to showcase your offering and to help whet the appetite of those who already would love to try it? If so, let's hope it's not too late. Watch the VIDEO
here.
Ski porn? I wouldn't use that phrase to describe
Vail's videos. By adding the date to them, the immediate relevance and significance of the content sky rockets. When I was hardcore into skateboarding in my preteen years, I consumed massive quantities of skate videos. Do you know what happens when some hyped up kids sit in a basement watching insanely athletic sports videos that feature an activity they can act on immediately when they're done?
An industry is born. Ski videos like these are the same tool, chopped down to digestible chunks and more heavily branded and dated. We've been watching this stuff for years. I only collected so many skate videos back in the day because they were kind of expensive, long, and you never know quite what you were going to get and few people rented them out. So you got plenty of content with a handful of 2-hour videos. We'd watch them over and over. It's great that digital distribution is now making this sort of content useful for businesses who need to adapt to a changing landscape. We're looking forward to continuing to lead the revolution of creating original video content optimized for social media. Onward!
This article by yancey at the Kickstarter Blog nails home two points that get me fired up for 2010. Why? Because it signals the power of improved communication to reinvigorate our decision-making and drive meaningful business. I've excerpted the post below. If you don't know about Kickstarter, please check out their smart donation model. It harnesses passion and creativity in ways new tech has to to stay relevant.
The analogy about getting an "A" in Internet class refers to the 15% boost in success rate of projects with videos, i.e., 15% is the difference between a "C" grade and a solid "A" on your transcript. This metaphor is the first point. The second point is that it's not just having something there that makes the difference. The differentiator lies in the execution. I digress.
EXCERPT: "Kickstarter projects aren’t required to have videos, but we highly recommend it. Video is the best way to communicate the emotions, motivations, and character of a project, and the sincerity and seriousness of the creator. It’s also more fun. Whenever I click on a project only to see there’s no video, I’m immediately disappointed. The project feels less complete, and it’s easier to question someone’s commitment to their idea.
These assumptions are supported by the numbers. Of the nearly 1,000 projects that have completed funding so far, projects with videos have had a success rate of 54% while ones without have had a success rate of 39%. A striking difference.
Of course it’s not the presence of a video alone. It stands to reason that creators who took the time to create and upload a video probably put more time into other parts of their project as well. And of course plenty of projects with video have not been successful — just having something there isn’t enough."
Read the rest of the post here: http://blog.kickstarter.com/post/284778147/the-importance-of-video
Here's to another joyous New Year for 2010.
Barbara Melville wrote up
Screaming Panda for ScopeOnline's Web Site of the Month feature. During the interview she told us about experiencing the site as an outsider. She described where she went on the site and how she felt it invited her in to our world. We soaked up that feedback. Why? Because we wanted delivery confirmation. We had worked to hone the copy, design, and video. We had focused on strengthening the user experience. She hooked us up with a detailed account.
Human feedback massively enhances analytics. Emotions and experiences add juice to life. They inform our decisions. They elevate content into something one actually takes away. The digital realm has grown to facilitate this process through storytelling and navigating. Yet, we drew from that conversation the added importance of dialogue.
The conversation invigorated us and gave us detailed information about how the site allowed her to grasp what we did in a nutshell. Discovering that people get the message and appreciate how we delivered it reminds us of our commitment. We live for connecting with our audience. Thanks, Barbara! Read her article
here.
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here.
ARTICLE:
Scope us out in the latest Skidmore Scope Monthly. Scroll down past that section on the lead actor of Paranormal Activity, and check out the Panda.
Story Strategy + Video Production