Is corporate video enough?
Most creative agencies and businesses confirm that video marketing is a headline feature of their digital strategy over the coming months. But will this be a repeat of the rush to follow the social media movement where businesses jump on the bandwagon without thinking about the what’s and why’s?
Is it enough to simply add a corporate video to your website just so you can tick the ‘online video’ box?
If your venture into the world on online video consists of nothing more than a corporate video, think again.
Be honest, how often have you re-visited a website to watch their corporate video? And if you did, why?
Many corporate videos are lazy, serving little more than the egos in the business. Whilst these videos can work well as internal presentations they often lack the creativity to really draw the audience in enough to watch it to the end, let alone watch it again.
Instead, think about building a relationship with your audience. Treat your website video as you would your other marketing activities with regards to repetition and relationship building.
In other words, drip-feed what you want to say about your business through multiple videos.
By viewing your online video as a series, you can start to think more creatively about its content. Rather than try and create a 10-minute rolling video of flat, headshot interviews and 360 views of your head-office reception, consider shorter edits to push your key messages over time.
Borrow ideas from TV. Consider creating a sequential series of videos to generate a want from your audience to see more. Think about a theme, teasers and cliffhangers. Tell a story. Demonstrate your service or product in different ways with varying treatments and approaches.
Some of the most successful digital campaigns over the past few years have treated video as an ongoing initiative to build a brand. Look at the well-known Old Spice campaign. By integrating a series of short video edits with various social media activities, the brand created a viral storm reaching audiences worldwide.
The video series concept clearly brings many added benefits.
For one, Google loves new content so by keeping your website content fresh and updated, your SEO will likely improve. Google loves video too – in fact, the likelihood of your website being clicked on in Google is significantly higher if it has video.
Secondly, your brand will remain in the minds of your audience for longer. They’ll get to know you better and connect with your business at a much deeper level.
If your videos have a watchable appeal, your audience will also be more likely to talk about your brand and share your videos with their friends on Facebook and Twitter.
Creating a number of videos doesn’t need to be anymore difficult than producing a single one. If you would like to find out more, just give Mallard Productions a call.
A morning with Olympic star Ben Ainslie
In the early hours of the 10th January (a good few hours before the sun made an appearance), I arrived at the doors of the Royal Festival Hall in London to meet up with the rest of the Mallard Productions crew.
Not being an early bird, I managed to get hopelessly lost in the building trying to find the crew. Fortunately I found a friendly stranger to help me out.
That stranger turned out to be no other than Ben Ainslie, the triple Olympic gold medallist (planning to hit gold again for a fourth time in this year’s Olympics 2012) and multi-award-winning Yachtsman of the Year.
I really should have recognised Ben straight away (I blame the, early start for my bleary-eyed ignorance), as it was Mallard Productions who had been brought in to manage the broadcast of Ben’s highly anticipated press conference.
The preparation for this event had been incredible. Mallard Productions had stepped up to the challenge with an incredible confidence, showing off their broadcast and Video PR heritage in every way. It was inspiring.
And so it should be. We were expecting all the major sports media, Sky and the BBC, and the broadsheet reporters to attend, as well as sending a live feed to networks worldwide. It had to be a professional set-up.
From our live-link satellite truck on the ground, to the studio-quality lighting, camera set-up, and editing suite six-floors up, we were ready to go. Even the builders outside paused their noise for our interviews.
Our own director, Chris Hyde, was at the helm, directing Annabel Croft (the presenter), Ben, and his sponsor, Russell Coutts, to ensure everyone knew what to do when the cameras started rolling, ready for the live broadcast.
Ben’s announcement of his new America’s Cup team ‘Ben Ainslie Racing (B.A.R) piqued the interest of the journalists in attendance. Within minutes of the conference, we had produced the final edit, on site, and sent it on to Reuters for the rest of the world to see.
The conference was a complete success and all of the crew at Mallard Productions would like to wish Ben Ainslie the best of luck in the London Olympics 2012.
Unilever chooses Mallard Productions for fourth year
Mallard Productions has been chosen to work exclusively and directly with Unilever’s Knorr for a fourth year on their stock campaign with Marco Pierre White.
The campaign has gone from strength to strength with the company’s recipe videos proving continually popular with home cooks, and fans of the product and chef.
“Mallard Productions has been providing an incredible standard of film for our website since 2007. Our award-winning campaign relies on regularly updated video content, which means we need a great deal of edits. Mallard has worked closely with us to help us find the most cost-effective way of producing high volume content without affecting quality in the process.” Said Jeff Hodgson, Unilever’s Global Brand Manager.
“Mallard’s relationship with Marco Pierre White has been invaluable; they really do understand how to work with him – and us – which has made the campaign an enjoyable one for everyone. The crew really appreciates our tight schedule and shows admirable flexibility and work ethic. They do this and still manage to deliver exceptional video, consistently, every single time.”
Mallard Production’s Managing Director Tim Mallard is delighted with the news: “We are very proud to have been chosen to work with the team at Knorr and TMW for another year. It’s always exciting to work with a market leader, especially a global one and one that we’ve come to know so well; it gives us a real buzz to bring their innovations and ideas to life in film. The campaign has been a real success so far and we’re determined to take it up another level in the coming months.”
To watch Knorr’s recipe videos featuring Marco Pierre White, visit www.knorr.co.uk or www.mallardproductions.com
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Mallard Productions is based in London and Towcester (nr Milton Keynes). The crew are renowned in the industry with recent involvement in various commercial, broadcast, TV and events video projects including Land Rover, Aston Martin, The Royal Wedding, X-Factor, Formula 1, Top Gear, Glastonbury and the Dunhill Pro Am.
Budgeting for video production
How much should you pay a production company?
Many companies are pondering that very question as they venture into the less familiar world of online video production.
The expectation for production of TV commercials has remained unchanged. Adverts on television are, in many cases, mini-movies. The cameras, directors, crew and effects are similar to what you’d see at some film shoots and the quality is charged accordingly. For television advertising you could be looking at a couple of hundred thousand pounds. As high as that sounds, it is generally understood and accepted.
At the other end of the scale is the corporate video. Traditionally filmed by a small company, freelancer or internal employee with a handheld camera to a standard that works OK for internal use, you would expect to pay a few hundred pounds for a final edit.
Then there’s the middle ground.
What should you be budgeting for online commercials, web video or video PR?
Online video is currently the digital strategy-de-jour and marketing people are buzzing around it like bees round a honey pot. Because this new wave of online video is just that, ‘new’, it has left confusion as to what to pay a production company to look good on the web.
Where do you draw the line between TV advertising costs and lower standard corporate video costs?
What it really comes down to is what you need your video to do, how you want to use it, how many edits you want and how you want to be perceived.
Ideally, you should be aiming for television programme quality for the web. Anything less won’t do your brand justice. You don’t need the movie quality used in TV ads but you shouldn’t cut corners with DIY quality either. The web, after all, is becoming the new way to watch TV for many. Don’t underestimate your audience’s expectations.
If you want your video to be visually rich, sharp, colourful and professional you need a crew with good cameras, lighting and direction. For that, you’re looking at a few thousand pounds.
If you’re going out to a few production companies looking to compare quotes, and price is the over-riding factor in your decision, go with the cheapest.
If however, you’re looking for real, financial results from your campaign you must consider the other elements in your decision making, in particular: creativity, experience, quality, friendliness, ease, turnaround and flexibility.
They may look like marketing words but, in reality, those additional elements equate to a shoot that runs to time without unforeseen problems and hidden costs. The project will run smoothly, the people you’re filming will be happy and look good on screen, you’ll have confidence in the final result, your peers will see you made a wise decision and the marketplace will respond to it.
It’s the age-old conclusion. Look for value over price and you won’t go wrong. Cheap may save you money up front but may not deliver the financial or campaign results you could get in the long-term if you spend more on the quality. It’s your call.
Celebrating with the Yachting Journalists’ Association
Celebrations continue at Mallard Productions HQ with the news that the Yachting Journalists’ Association (YJA) has chosen the renowned crew to manage and film their annual awards ceremony for the third year running.
As a major event in the sailing calendar, the YJA is depending on the Mallard crew to deliver another memorable event.
As part of their aim to generate greater awareness of leisure boating, the YJA recognizes the rising talents in the sport with the prestigious YJA Pantaenius Yachtsman of the Year Award 2011 and the YJA Pantaenius Young Sailor of the Year Award 2011.
The association represents more than 260 specialist journalists, photographers, TV and radio presenters, and web editors across all the major sailing and boating regions in the world. Mallard’s very own Neil Mallard has been a journalistic member since 1995.
Mallard Productions will be co-managing and filming the event at the historic and elegant Trinity House overlooking the Thames in London.
“We are very pleased to be involved with this fantastic event for a third year. Working alongside the YJA and event sponsors Pantaenius is always enjoyable. The nominees are incredible individuals and we’re very excited to play a part in showcasing their talents and making the event a very special occasion for all.” Said Tim Mallard.
“I’m a big fan of the sport personally and have followed it for years, which certainly helps with the broadcast and PR. Knowing what the fans and local networks want to see has resulted in some fantastic news coverage over the past two years. I’m confident we can generate even more interest this year.”
The Mallard Productions crew is in charge of bringing the event together visually. Leading up to the awards on the 10th January 2012, nominees will be interviewed and footage gathered, edited and scripted ready for the AV presentation screened on the day. The Mallard team will also be in charge of supplying and arranging the plasmas, lighting and camera set-up, floor managing and choreographing the ceremony.
With a mobile editing suite onsite at the venue, editing, production and satellite feeds can happen on the day. Mallard will be using their highly regarded broadcast expertise to liaise with the local and regional UK networks to ensure good coverage of the event.
The final edited video of the event will be featured at www.yja.co.uk, www.pantaenius.co.uk and www.mallardproductions.com in January 2012.
How to improve your SEO with Video
‘Video’ and ‘SEO’: the two most popular words in marketing over this past year. So, what could be better than the two working together?
‘Online video’ has been the buzz-phrase of 2011. There aren’t many in business, marketing and PR who don’t now understand the importance of online video for promotion.
Where once it was just the domain of teens uploading and watching poor quality, DIY home videos on YouTube; now 75% of C-level executives are watching and sharing high-definition business videos online every week.
Featuring video on websites is no longer a nice-to-have but a necessity
The reasons are obvious.
Video can convey a message quickly and more richly using audio and visual alongside traditional text content. It has become so familiar and easy to use online that it has become the preferred choice for information. Because it’s quick, visually stimulating and, often, requires less effort than reading, video can demonstrate how a product or service works instantly.
So how is it helping businesses increase their search engine rankings?
According to recent research, your website is 50 times more likely to appear on page one of Google if you have video on your homepage.
And, those search results that feature video are more than 40% more likely to be clicked on than those who have only text on their site.
The wonderful thing about video is that it can be easily added onto your website or your Facebook page from your YouTube or Vimeo account. You can put a link in your Twitter feed, on your Linkedin Page or in your blogs and press releases. The point is: video lends itself to being shared perfectly.
This incredible rise in popularity of online video does of course result in more videos generally so differentiation is essential. Think creatively, keep it watchable, and, above all else, make sure your video is produced in high quality. People are now used to seeing television standard production on the web in full screen. If you’re a big player, you need to emulate the quality of TV to fully showcase your brand.
The basics of SEO do still apply of course. Video alone won’t increase your SEO. Make sure you tag your videos with relevant keywords, title them well and link them to relevant websites, marketing communications and social media platforms wherever you can.
To find out more about using video for your promotion, please contact us today.
Measuring Video PR
The video news release (VNR) has a mixed reputation due to its promotional nature but, whatever way you look at it, whether you’re a company, broadcaster or PR agency, the day has come to embrace it as a powerful tool.
VNRs, whilst marketing a brand, can give the broadcaster unique, difficult-to-secure, expensive footage for free. These days VNRs aren’t the overt sales pitch they once were. Instead, they feature subtle product and logo placement, and professionally arranged interviews in nicely edited, slick productions.
Or at least, that’s what the good video production companies are doing.
VNRs have grown in popularity thanks to the increase in video as a communication tool. The Internet is bursting with video thanks to YouTube, Vimeo and the many other websites and social media platforms set up to enable easy access to video through computers, mobile phones and tablets.
There simply isn’t any argument for using video in PR anymore. The question is – how can the success of it be measured?
Video can spread like wildfire. It can be distributed by networks and used worldwide in seconds by anyone. That’s the great thing about it however that has posed problems with monitoring usage.
Because of the unknowns, coverage reports have, historically, been based heavily on assumptive calculations.
Until now.
The clever people at Red Robot have developed a unique and powerful way to track the path a video takes, wherever it goes.
Their technology includes Video Watermarking and they exclusively monitor Reuters global news broadcast subscribers.
Using an invisible, indelible code, it is now possible to embed each video, follow its distribution and track where it’s used – everywhere.
The watermarking enables you to precisely verify airings of your videos and track the number of times your release has been featured, for how long it ran and how many times it was viewed.
This means you can now quantify exactly how successful a video news release, commercial or event broadcast has been, accurately.
Of course, thanks to Red Robot’s globally exclusive deal with Reuters, watermarking is only half the picture…
Traditionally, news was stored on the FTP server of a PR agency or production agency and many journalists just weren’t prepared to take the time to ask for the downloads. With Red Robot, each VNR is separately listed and easily accessible by genre, brand, topic, etc. And, to make the journos life even easier, all subscribers are notified in advance of new release VNRs in line with their preferences or field of specialism.
Each video distribution has a dedicated VNR Feed Producer – one central person who works closely with the news desk and manages, notifies, watermarks, tracks and reports on news releases within 24 hours, 48 hours and at 7 days after launch, depending on service type required: In other words, the complete media service.
Is this taking the job away from the PR agencies? Far from it. Any assumption on potential coverage is history as the watermarking and reporting shows the PR agent exactly where the VNR has aired, providing an accurate picture of what is needed for the follow on campaign. Above all, efficiency is vastly improved, time is saved and results are achieved.
To find out more about this technology and our exclusive partnership with Red Robot, please call us.
Knorr: “Marco’s Little Black Book”
Unilever’s leading brand Knorr set themselves the ambitious task of increasing traffic to their stockpot website and turning that traffic into £millions in sales of their new stockpot range of products.
After a previously unsuccessful venture with another production company, Knorr sought the talents of the Mallard Productions crew to work directly with their celebrity chef Marco Pierre White, alongside leading London digital agency TMW.
The brief was to produce regular, short films for Knorr’s website featuring Marco cooking seasonal dishes, from scratch, using Knorr’s stockpots as a main ingredient of each recipe.
In essence, the campaign would function as a TV series, encouraging repeat visits to the website – as if tuning in to watch the next episode of a favourite cooking programme.
As such, the critical element of the campaign was to film each video in high-definition TV quality, to give the viewer the same experience online they would expect to only see on television.
This was music to the ears of the Mallard Productions crew who strongly believe standards of video production should be improved online. Mallard always use the same crew, cameras and technology for online video as they do for TV without compromise on quality regardless of platform, network or channel.
The campaign owes a great deal of its success to this stunning quality of production but wouldn’t be where it is today without the trusted relationship forged between Mallard and Marco Pierre White.
This mutual respect between the crew and chef has transformed the shooting schedule and efficiency of the project enabling each recipe to be shot in just one take, from beginning to end, without any cooking trickery or costly delays.
As a result, ten recipes can be produced in a single day allowing Knorr to spoil its loyal visitors to the website with a great choice of videos to watch.
The campaign has truly exceeded everyone’s expectations.
Knorr won a prestigious marketing award for their online stockpot promotion, smashed their sales targets by £millions, generated a staggering increase in web traffic and secured many loyal fans of the product.
And three years on, Mallard, Knorr and Marco Pierre White continue to attract the big viewing figures proving how valuable high quality video production is for website content.
If you want to find out how online video can help your website, call us for a chat.
Web content and the rise of online video
There’s been a lot of chatter surrounding online video this year.
According to countless reports, online video advertising is growing faster than all other advertising – at the expense of historically untouchable television advertising budgets.
So, why the sudden shift in focus?
In a world where time is precious, a culture for ‘instant’ information has been born. Video conveys more information per minute than any other media so its rising popularity makes complete sense. But to who?
It’s no big shocker that the YouTube generation prefers to watch video. With Facebook and Twitter added to the mix, you can see why their patience for reading more than 160 characters is pretty low.
What is surprising however is the attitude of senior decision makers towards video.
A study conducted by Forbes found that 60% of business people would watch video before reading text on the same webpage, with 22% preferring video to reading text at all.
Online video is, apparently, the popular choice for everyone.
And why not?
Online video has the ability to engage an audience on a website far more than a text-only site. And, with added features and mechanics, the online video experience offers an interactive, measurable experience that traditional TV simply can’t touch.
The cherry on the cake with video is of course the social and viral aspect. Make a good video and the world becomes your sales force – sharing your brand and your message with everyone they know.
That is why online video is the strategy you simply cannot ignore in 2012.
The cost of online video production
Calculating the cost of online video production poses an interesting dilemma.
Do you spend out on a top crew for TV quality, high-definition video even though it’s only for the web? Or, do you keep the budget low and ask a start-up video company to do the best they can with a hand-held DVD camera?
It all depends on the image you want to portray, the standards your audience expects to see, and what you want your video to do.
The case for spending money on your web video is pretty clear.
Firstly, it’s worth considering that a growing number of people are turning to the web to watch their favourite TV programmes courtesy of websites such as BBC’s iPlayer and Channel4OD. Consequently, these viewers are becoming more and more used to seeing quality video on their computer.
Secondly, with the rise of online video advertising increasing faster than every other advertising medium, competition is going to get tough. Showing cheap quality footage will make your product look inferior compared to those who have spent the money doing it properly. In fact, forecasts and studies show that companies are now shifting their TV ad budgets to online video to make sure that is the case.
It’s not just about the cameras used either.
When you pay for a crew who know what they’re doing, you get the creative input, project management, scheduling, assistance, set-up, direction and expert editing that will make your video look incredible – rather than forgettable.
Yes, you can save some money if you’re looking to produce an in-house corporate video. Experiment. See how it comes out. But don’t cut corners on the video you plan to use online.
Good quality film makes a video watchable, repeatedly. Bad quality video, amplified on a poor resolution screen, will simply turn a viewer – and your video – off. The detrimental cost to your brand could end up being far greater than anything you pay out for production.
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