Here to stay…

Partners that is.  Yes we don’t often mention what goes on behind the scenes here at VMG but the truth is VMG Cinematic was founded and is owned by four passionate and unequivocally devoted individuals (myself included) who strive each day to produce the best work we have ever done, and then best it the next.  But we used to be five, and our missing fifth man is Mr. Brent O’Hagan (pictured).  But don’t worry this isn’t a sob story, just a melancholy one.  You see Brent isn’t dead, he’s not even in coma. In fact right now he’s probably blazing a trail across the trans-Canada highway heading west in his old Jeep YJ (or was it a TJ?) and not giving a damn about where he might end up along the way.

Brent resigned a few weeks ago.  He had been with us almost from the beginning helping build VMG up from a small, basement operation into the successful company that it is today (and yes we have moved out of the basement).  I went to school with Brent, we were in the same Film Studies program at Western.  It was a terrible program, underfunded, understaffed, and dull.  So dull in fact that Brent and I and several others realized that if we were going to learn proper filmmaking technique there was only one thing we could do: teach ourselves.  And that’s what we did.  We wrote scripts in between essays, borrowed equipment between classes and begged favors from anyone who would listen. Those were heady times. We won film festivals, not big ones but significant enough to convince us that we had something, something that could be developed.  And from that hard knock, teach-yourself-education, friendships were forged, good ones, long lasting ones. The kind that inevitably define your life in some way for years afterwards.

Brent didn’t leave in anger or disgrace.  He wasn’t kicked out because of a raging coke habit or a pimp that would call late at  night demanding to know where he was and how much money he was making.  No, Brent left for his own reasons, and they are his to know and his alone.  As the character Laroche said about his fish collecting hobby in Susan Orleans’ “The Orchid Thief” (and later Spike Jonze movie “Adaptation”)- “done with fish”.  Brent was “done with VMG” and it was simply time to move on to see what else life had in store.

God speed good friend.  You helped us create something truly unique and you will be missed.

- Evan

We’ve all heard how great and efficient online video is for your business and how today it’s a must in your marketing mix optimization. Yet some business owners are still skeptical about online video benefits and ROI, while others are rushing into it simply to keep up. But do marketers really know the value of online video? As the consumer becomes smarter with a shorter attention span, steeper pockets and vastly increased options, the brand should aim for a solution to an expansion and customer interaction, followed by the ultimate acquisition. And today, it looks like online video marketing is the paramount way of doing so…

One of the main reasons businesses are hesitant about investing marketing dollars into digital is because they simply do not know the best way to break into the online world with success or do not have enough knowledge about the industry. Here are a few steps to help those souls out….

1. Identify (and know) your consumer.

Consumer research, insight and marketing are at the core of marketing communications. Yes, online video is the future and relevant to about 90% of markets but if you’re advertising primarily to men in their 70s, perhaps online video isn’t the best way to go…. Then again, it also completely depends on the product. Either way, understand your market.

2. Define the role of online video in your marketing mix.

Clearly know what it contributes to brand objectives. Online video exposure resulted in 44% aided brand favorability (compared to 35% for TV) so the high impact and preference is apparent. However, this doesn’t mean you must completely abandon traditional media marketing. Integrate and optimize!

3. Create advertisements relevant to the medium.

Say you do decide to integrate your television and online video campaigns. Make sure you do not simply distribute the same video on TV and online. TV advertisements fail, for the most part, to establish a deeper relationship with the consumer where as online strives on building that same consumer relationship. By producing separate more interactive content, you will only win in the long run.

4. Create a measurement plan.

Now that you fully understand your target market and have a clearly defined role for online video, measure your success. Quantify your goals and exactly what you want to achieve through online video. Is it to increase brand awareness? Improve perception? Drive sales? Prioritize your goals and make sure the video is distributed through the correct platforms maximizing the reach.

5. Contact VMG to create the most effective online video for your brand.

Kidding… somewhat.
The agency plays an integral part in your marketing campaign. Your creative, production, distribution, and strategy all rely on the team you hire so it’s everyone’s best interest to hire experts in the field.

Sources: Millward Brown

Awhile back I attended a copywriting workshop where the instructor proposed a question regarding the constant evolving marketing industry and technological advances. As he went around the room seeking an answer, he wanted our input on what we thought was the best business to consumer strategy. While I looked around, I could see people staggering to his question unable to provide a solid response realizing that perhaps it was no longer so easily defined… As we all further discussed this, the only concrete observation we were able to conclude with indicated that companies are now more than ever investing in 360 marketing and incorporating new nontraditional media channels. Social media and digital distribution are becoming a necessity as they are now greatly integrated with TV and print in attempts to continuously engage the public and acquire every possible wandering eye (and finger) …

So which one is most effective? Well that’s yet another question to which the answer is not straight forward but speculations often lead in the same direction. The speed in which trends evolve on the internet can often be baffling; however, with more and more Canadians increasing their time spent online specifically on social media websites, social media marketing is definitely experiencing a steady and fast paced accumulation.

Marketing Magazine hosted a study which found that social networks get a lot of press and are becoming the dominant communications tool therefore making the increasing concentrations of people at these types of websites very attractive to online marketers and businesses. For example, 56% of all online Canadians now have a social network profile up from 39% just 18 months ago and of those with a social network profile, 85% are with Facebook.

“As the consumer continues to spend increasing amounts of time in the digital world, businesses and marketers are paying increasing attention to the Internet,” says study author Mark Laver. “However, online social networks tend to be extremely personal and this creates a dilemma for marketers and businesses—how to communicate in a personalized setting without upsetting the target audience.”

This leads us to the next question:

How (and why) should marketers use social media to their advantage?

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Surrounding are constant reminders that digital promotion is becoming an integral part of the marketing mix and spreading through the business horizon. The latest innovator to jump on the digital marketing bandwagon is Hollywood and well, as the old saying goes “if Hollywood’s doing it, it must be a good idea”…

For the film industry, box office attendance and DVD sales remain flat at a steady pace and it’s known that the industry also faces some serious upcoming challenges and changes. Presently however, studios seem to be already productively adjusting to the future as they apply their industry knowledge and observations and embrace new technology to their advantage.

As a matter of fact, at the rate the online spending appears to be increasing in film, the term “embracing”  does no justice in effectively articulating the passionate relationship between online advertising and Hollywood. It seems as though the two are going steady, becoming an item, moving in together….. You get the point.  Quantitatively speaking, film digital ad budgets reached $1.2 billion in 2009 and are expected to grow in 2013 swiftly reaching an impressive $2.7 billion.

Today, almost every film marketing campaign leverages both traditional and new media channels with online film marketing increasing simultaneously in popularity and sophistication. Since there is an overwhelming pressure on studios to generate buzz about the upcoming releases, it only makes sense to go to online marketing for providing effective results. After all, the costs are comparatively minimum and the market reach is comparatively maximum. And it looks as though this is just the beginning – the future holds even more sophisticated online marketing tactics that will continuously assist marketers in turning “Hollywood glitter into box office gold”.

The ways in which online marketing and the film industry intertwine varies from interactive websites, early trailer releases, “fake” releases and online video promos – just to name a few. Here’s a few of the prosperous examples:

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YouTube is the premier destination in watching and sharing online videos. Increasingly companies have been jumping on the bandwagon and using YouTube in order to reach their target markets, as well as develop interactive relationships with their audience. It appears as though everyone has migrated online.

The core reasons for YouTube’s success lay in unique areas that cannot be covered by traditional marketing methods. YouTube is more effective for both the consumer and advertiser because of an instant lead to a product/service through a website, an interaction with the audience (unlike TV + print), cheaper cost,  and it’s unrestricted availability 24/7 at the consumer’s convenience. What other method of advertising can you say that about?

Success stories:

“ Family Guy”
Seth MacFarlane of “Family Guy” and Media Rights Capital knew they needed to be creative and break through the online cluster so they created a web-only collection of episodes called ‘ Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy’. Instead of simply building a website and hoping people stumble upon it, they pushed the content to the public by creating YouTube channels that were distributed through out YouTube and Google’s Content Network.
End result? In just a short time, ‘ Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy’ became one of the most popular phenomena on the web.

Lionsgate
In promotion of “ Forbidden Kingdom”  Lionsgate  did not simply want to be airing trailers on TV. They also made sure to take their Internet presence beyond simply the film’s website. The Google ad network extended the reach everywhere from search ads to buzz targeting. It gave a reason for the audience to “come back” to view the brand. And come back they did, 3 million times.

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We recently finished a micro-doc for Waterfront Toronto outlining new plans to build a sustainable community and green space in the Lower Don Lands. The project would be a much needed face-lift to an underused yet highly relevant area of the city. Architect and urban designer Ken Greenberg takes us on a short tour of what we can expect in the coming years (and it looks awesome!).

VMG Cinematic has a brand new addition to the team! I am pleased to introduce myself as the new social media viral marketing guru – wait, that’s what I was hired for right … ? Jokes aside, I am very excited to join a knowledgeable (and fun) team of film and marketing professionals as well as bring in my own communications industry expertise. Looking forward!

My first contribution to this blog involves pointing out the most common mistakes in viral marketing. I have stumbled upon an interesting article which scolds failed attempts of brands like Motrin and Gatorade in using viral videos but also provides a viral success story from none other than Dove.

Next time you are thinking of using viral marketing make sure to avoid these three downfalls which may be holding your company back from success in the digital world.

The first rule of viral marketing is …

#1 – Do not alienate your audience.
Keep the consumer in mind at all times when making the video.
Common concept? Yes. Common mistake made? Also, yes.

#2 – Do not fail to associate your brand with the message.
The main goal of any viral campaign is brand awareness. Make sure the video concept makes sense and has a connection to the product advertised.

#3 – Do not make a TV commercial.
Audiences generally don’t like TV commercials because they feel it gets in the way of their program watching. This is why it’s essential for viral videos to be original and establish connections with the audience.

Stay innovative,

Marina.

Via Adverblog: New Autobahn stunt viral for the Mini Cooper Clubman has a sense of humour…

I recently read an article from the Wall Street Journal about Viral Video that instantly sparked some interest. It focused mainly around Judson Laipply, or as most would know him, the guy from “The Evolution of Dance” video. The article explains that when he uploaded his video on YouTube in the spring of 2006 he had little to no idea what a viral video was or the amount of success he was about to receive. Without any advertising at all the video spread across the Internet eventually reaching 100 million + views.

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