Leverage Social Media By Knowing Which Network To Use

Wordless Wednesday Post: 

Video Boosts Brand Engagement, Study Reports

by Dave Sniadak

We've seen a dramatic shift since 2010 in how advertisers are using video campaigns - online, interactive, and through traditional media buys. Accordingly to an Adap.tv industry survey of 638 agencies, brands, publishers and ad networks, nearly three out of every four advertiser (73%) is setting out to build brand engagement with their video initiatives. This shouldn't come as a surprise to those of us who advise our clients how to utilize video in their marketing and advertising efforts. 

However, what is slightly surprising could be that in the past 24 months, the attitude towards online video has shifted so dramatically from brand awareness to brand engagement. How dramatic? In 2010, only 18% of advertisers saw value in brand engagement with video. In just two years, attitudes have spiked by 55% in favor of engagement. 

The cross-platform integration of video - thanks to the strong saturation of tablets, smart phones, and even smart TVs - allows companies to deliver their message simultaneously on a multitude of mediums. No longer are companies forced to simply buy a flight of cable spots that go out and fall flat. Now, for example, we can buy the cable time on ESPN, while coordinating buys on ESPN.com, and even ESPN's mobile app.

The ability to hammer home a message with video has never been greater than it is right now. However, do advertisers run the risk of over-delivering content to a video soaked consumer base? Fresh content is crucial to ensuring a successful campaign. Keep that in mind as you dial up your next media buy.

Mr. Bubble Does it Again!

by Natalie Bell
@nebell90


Bragging is often frowned upon, but sometimes you just have to toot your own horn.  Last month our team at Axiom was thankful for winning the PRSA Classics award for Mr. Bubble's 50th Birthday Bash. We now have received more good news about the party -- we are finalists for the PR Daily Award for Best Event Marketing!  All the hard work of our team and members with The Village Company paid off. This gives us a chance to reminisce with these highlights from the Mr. Bubble event:

• Creating Bubble Land in Water Park of America with giant bath tub and world's largest bubble bath.
• Filling the water park and lazy river with Mr. Bubble beach balls.
• Inviting Mommy bloggers from across the country to enjoy the party.
• Presenting (and savoring) the Mr. Bubble replica cake.
• Fox 9 News joining us for the event and showing live footage.

All in all, the day was a huge success and something to remember.

Mr. Bubble and his cake.

Children enjoying the giant bubble bath.

The "New" Addiction? Tablet Users Report Peace of Mind, Creative Boost, According to Viacom

by Dave Sniadak

@dsniadak

Very interesting findings were just released from Viacom this week, talking about how tablets are now the "second screen" of choice for television viewers. The media and research company calls this latest trend "Tabletomics," or the science of using tablets to consume media, technology, all while enhancing creativity. Move over laptop, there's a new screen in town. But beyond that, it seems that tablets are the new "cup of coffee" we so often need to have attached to our hands - without it, we start to get jittery and shaky.

Viacom found that tablet owners feel an emotional connection to their devices. Research findings show that more than 50% of respondents said their tablets bring peace of mind, almost half (49%) said they're managing their daily duties better, and by simply having a tablet in hand, almost 4 out of 10 people feel more creative (39%). Sound familiar? I feel the same way about my morning can of Pepsi.

This video posted on Stuart Schneiderman's blog on Viacom.com shows how consumers are using their tablets to perpetuate the consumption of media beyond simply sitting on the couch and watching their favorite shows. What it doesn't show is how our addiction to tablets is creating a divide between personal connection. I'm alarmed by the footage of the family sitting on the couch, all using a different mobile device, instead of sitting on the floor, playing with toys or board games.

Is it time we have a technological intervention? When do we pull the plug and force ourselves, as a society, to say "We've consumed enough technology for one day! Turn it off!"? I guess we'll simply have to ask our Facebook friends what they think, right after I update my calendar on iCal and finish this documentary I'm watching on my Whispersync app.

April showers...make for a great time to watch online videos!

by Nick Egner

How does this have over 5 million views?

With Youtube being as vast as it is, it can be hard to find good content. With social media being saturated with an overwhelming supply of content, how in the world are you going to find the good stuff? Lots of video sharing sites and social media channels are basically just user generated filters that allow people to update and share the videos they find most interesting. Are you yearning for more high quality, on-line video content? Well, I can’t promise you that, but here is a look at a few places on the net you might find yourself lost in a sea of cute cats, laughing babies, and Tupac’s ghost at Coachella.

Pinterest.com
I know Pinterest at first glance looks like every girl on Facebook’s place to pin their dream wedding dress, or those cute shoes she saw at Neiman's, oh and I know that purse Sally just pinned would look great with them too. Being a guy on Pinterest is like going to the department store with your girlfriend/wife every single time you log in. But there is hope. Pinterest has taken strides to be a player in the realm of video sharing. In fact they just added Vimeo to their pinning prowess. Pinterest has also added a hot link on their opening page to go directly to a page of recently pinned videos. With Pinterest becoming an on-line market place, is it gearing up for marketers to add more content? For now it is just a nice addition to an already addicting website. Take a look at a (very manly) video pinboard I created to get an idea: http://pinterest.com/nicholase/videos-to-show-you-are-cool/.

Chill.com
I was just introduced to this site. It has a very similar feel to Pinterest, but is strictly for videos. You are able to follow people (like Pinterest) whom you feel have similar tastes as you. Through creating “collections” of videos, users are able to group videos together. There is even a “chill” button you can add to your bookmark bar for easy sharing. Ok, no joke, this is Pinterest. It is exactly like Pinterest for video content. And really, that isn’t that bad of a thing. I could see falling into a time warp on this site. Nice big thumb nails on the home page, user comments are easy to access, and it seems to be quite a streamlined style even though there are a ton of little icons that I have no clue what they are for. I don’t know, I say give it a shot.

Reddit.com/r/videos
OH MAN! It’s the holy grail of time you will never get back! This is the Steven Hawking level of accelerated time. Honestly, if you haven’t heard of reddit, you might want to think twice about checking it out. The idea is that people post videos they like. The reddit community then up or down votes the content depending on if they like it or not. So all the best posts rise to the top while all the worst fall to the floor. Rebeca Black is hanging out in the basement of Reddit. This is a tried and true method of discovering really top notch content out there in the depths of the interwebs...and some cat videos.

With Youtube, Facebook, and Twitter being the crowned juggernauts of social media sharing, it is nice to step away and explore some alternatives. And when I say “step away” I mean sit in your chair and be as unproductive as possible! Enjoy your total waste of time!