Retailers create their own online TV channels
More and more online retailers (e-tailers) are turning to video to showcase their products.
With outstanding examples from shopping brands such as Marks and Spencer, you can see how online video can not only bring a product to life but convey brand values like never before.
The quality of video on the M&S TV site is stunning. They aren’t messing about. It truly is online TV. There’s no doubt they’ve invested a serious amount of their online budget to production quality. And it looks like their video initiative is paying off.
Visitors who watch video on the M&S site reportedly spend 25% more than customers who don’t, spending twice as long on the site and visiting twice as often.
We all know about the social media opportunities for sharing video and generating brand buzz, but the case for bottom line ROI from video is becoming stronger too. And, at the end of the day, an increase in sales is what really matters.
Other big fashion e-tailers are following the M&S example. Debenhams now has its own online TV channel which has seen over 1 million views in a year, with those watching video on the channel spending on average 12% more than those who don’t. ASOS and Net a Porter also provide simple but effective video catwalks to showcase each of their clothes items.
But it’s not just the fashion world that stands to gain from online video demos.
Our own client Knorr has been demonstrating how to use its stockpot products in home cooking with online video for over four years. Other food manufacturers, beauty brands and technology leaders aren’t far behind.
There is a clear increase in the amount of online retailers now using video on their websites. Whether they’re demonstrating their products, or featuring interviews, behind-the-scenes mini films, consumer advice, adverts or interactive promotions, v-tail and vCommerce have arrived.
Online video gives customers a much more engaging shopping experience and it enables them to view and understand products to a much greater detail than ever before. It’s the closest experience to high street shopping so far.
To find out more about creating a web TV channel or online video series for your brand, contact Mallard Productions.
How to keep celebrity endorsers happy
There are many great advantages to using celebrities for product and service endorsements.
By choosing high profile individuals with likeable qualities, companies hope to associate those positive traits with their own brand. And it’s been shown to be very effective.
Celebrities can grab the attention of specific, sometimes hard-to-reach, audiences and, according to studies, featuring a celebrity can increase the recall rates of advertising significantly.
But there are risks.
If a celebrity suffers bad PR it can impact negatively on a brand. Similarly, if the relationship between a company and their endorser turns sour, the campaign can fail and money could be lost.
Celebrities don’t come cheap. As every marketer knows, endorsements take up a significant part of diminishing marketing budgets. Because of this, brands spend a large amount of time and money finding and retaining the right celebrities for their promotional campaigns.
Hourly rates for celebrities are high so it is essential that time spent filming is kept to an efficient minimum – without upsetting the star. Keeping celebrities happy on set is critical.
Unfortunately, many marketers and production companies don’t realise there’s a problem with their celebrity endorser until it’s too late. It’s much better to prevent relationship breakdowns from happening in the first place.
Here are 5 tips to help you get the most out of your celebrity relationship and keep your stars happy on a shoot:
- Be clear with your brief before the shoot and encourage input from your endorser – they may be able to offer some valuable ideas and it will make them feel more involved with the campaign
- Be crystal clear with direction on the day. Celebrities aren’t mind readers so prepare them well, stick to the plan and communicate without ambiguity
- Get to know your celebrity’s strengths and weaknesses. They may not be that comfortable in front of the camera. If they struggle to speak or perform on screen, work to what they can do and plan in extra editing time
- Remember celebrities are people too. Performing in front of a camera under hot, bright lights is tiring. Look after your endorsers and plan in breaks and refreshments
- Consider using multiple cameras to save re-shooting different angles over and over, wasting the time of the celebrity. It will also enable you to film more edits in a day.
If you want to find out more about working with celebrities for online video and digital marketing campaigns, call Mallard Productions today.
The art of filming fast-moving sports
With the Olympics 2012 drawing ever nearer, and the recent announcement by Formula 1 of their dedicated channel with Sky TV, our television screens will be filled with high-octane, fast-moving images of cars, boats, bikes and track sports throughout the summer.
If you haven’t managed to get tickets to go to these events, you, like millions of others, will be relying on the skills of the broadcasters and production companies to bring you the excitement of these incredible events to your TV screens.
It’s something we all take for granted, but can you imagine how disappointing it would be if the filming of these events didn’t capture the drama?
With F1 and the Olympics, it is paramount that the buzz from the track, field or sea is captured on camera – and that’s no easy task.
First, there’s the equipment.
You need the very best kit, with long lenses that can film in tight. For example, when we film motorsports, we always use professional 72×1 lenses trackside to get the close up detail you need of the wheel-to-wheel action. And we make sure we’ve got them everywhere.
As with any live production, you need to make sure you have your most reliable equipment there on the day. Any problems or breakdown in camera equipment could result in missing out on that critical piece of footage. So, keeping your tried and tested, familiar, kit maintained to optimum standards is essential.
The same goes for the camera operators.
You need the best. Nothing else will do. That means using the people at the very top of their game filming sports. The races you’ll be watching on TV from the London Olympics will be filmed by cameramen from countries the world over, flown in especially for their exceptional skill and expertise.
Then there’s the psychology.
Capturing the buzz of a sporting event is notoriously difficult. Not many manage to convey the same excitement of being at a race, on the screen. It requires a real understanding and genuine passion for the sport you’re filming.
This means you need to predict where a person, vehicle or yacht is headed and how it moves. The camera needs to be able to film in tight without missing sudden movements, following the race from every angle, without confusing the audience so that they can follow and feel every peak of emotion throughout the race.
The camera operators and editors need to be able to think as the audience do, knowing what the viewer wants to see next – whether that be from the air, on the water, on the track, close up or wide angle.
Too often, event filming relies simply on the equipment used, rather than the sports-fanatic eye of the operators and that can mean the difference between great looking film, or stunning film filled with the thrills and spills of the race that takes you on a roller-coaster ride of TV watching.
If you want to find out more about filming fast-moving sports, contact those that have been doing it well for years. Call Mallard Productions today.
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
***
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.
RSS Feed