Archive for podcasts

The Swine Flu: If It Comes Back, I’ve Got a PSA Ready.

Once upon a time, there was the swine flu epidemic. Well, almost.

It came in the mid-seventies– documented cases of the swine flu.

(Now,it may be coming around again. Let’s hope we avert it.)

For  the ’70′s version we were hired by the State of Wisconsin to produce Public Service Announcements warning of the potential tragedies of the imminent swine flu, and urging people to get flu shots.  Problem was simply that no one had ever heard of a swine flu, and those that had, well, they thought “Swine Flu” sounded pretty funny.

People weren’t paying enough attention, and it was our job to get attention.

First, we did a spot featuring an interview from a survivor of a real swine flu epidemic in the 1920′s. We did another with a couple of Green Bay Packers doing some locker room talk about “taking out” the swine flu (this was before the Reggie White / Brett Favre Packers, and ten years after the Lombardi era.)

Finally, came my turn. I decided that we had to emphasize the risks of not getting a flu shot. To do this, I featured a gambler, standing under the proverbial 5000 lb weight which was hanging from a rope.

Here’s a foggy copy of what transpired.


Swine Flu PSA: The Gambler from brienlee on Vimeo.

I can tell you this: at the end of that 30 seconds, I was scared. I thought I had killed the talent, Larry Roscioli. So did the crew members at WTMJ-TV4 in Milwaukee.

Luckily Larry emerged from the studio smiling and asking, “Need another take?”

No. But I did need a drink.

Which is why I don’t remember whether I got my flu shot or not.

24 Hour Demo Station? Meet Mogulus

To the right of this entry (at least until I write another entry) is something I call my “24 Hour Demo Station.”

If you click on it, you’ll join (in progress) a continuing loop of my company’s greatest hits, plus the occasional live break or pre-recorded commentary thrown in for good measure (starring, well, me.) It’s a service called Mogulus.

I’ve been playing with Mogulus for about a year. It has had its quirks, but seems pretty solid now. You essentially upload the various clips you want, then either “DJ” them live (with a camcorder pointed at your head), or simply set them up to play continuously, or on demand.

You can have as many play-lists as you want.

There are so many paradigms for web video these days– live, YouTube, Vlog, streaming, play on demand, and now this, that you have to wonder if there’s room for them all. So far, the answer is yes.

There are variations (or perhaps Mogulus is the variation): Stickam, Ubroadcast, MeTV, TV.com, and many others. I’ve played with them all, but Mogulus, despite its steeper learning curve, seems to offer a more permanent ongoing presence.

I’m not sure of its SEO value… I’m going to check into that. After all, what good is a tree broadcasting in the woods if nobody tunes in?

More on this story as it develops.

Back to you, Keith, or Rachel, or Brian, or Bill, or….

“Custom Creative Content”: A Web 2.0 Concept that Makes Sense

If the buzz on the web is to believed, Custom Creative Content is the next new thing.

A Company's Vision or Sales Concepts must be transmitted on many different levels.

A Company's Vision or Sales Concepts must be transmitted on many different levels.

But it really isn’t. What it is, really, is a manifesto of a company’s need to shift it’s marketing into “Web 2.0″ mode– a credo of engagement, involvement, and discussion, all spurred by the use of various media methods to create interest in you and what or whom you represent (product, personality, cause, service.)

It includes web presence and interactivity, from blogs and podcasts, to video casts and regular marketing videos, all offered for free as in the form of valuable information that may or may not include your product or primary message. What’s important is what the customer wants to know. In the case of a brand, it may be the brand’s history or culture. In the case of a product, it might be how the product is made. In the case of a service, it might be getting to know the people who provide the service.

All this revolves around a MIX of media, from web based, to directly marketed or presented. A website, YouTube, a blog or a forum, even Twitter and photostreams (and slideshows- remember them?) But also a DVD, a direct (snail) mail, TV Spots, newsletters (web and paper), and viral campaigns.

It’s not enough to simply hire a web specialist, programmer or a video producer. Your consultant must know how all of these activities intersect. They must have been there, and know where next to go. They have to know your story and feel your vision. They have to be able to create content.

We’ve been doing that since we were kids. But we’ve been forward looking just as long. We’re no stranger to video, meetings and presentations, audio, streaming, blogging, or  RSS feeding. We listen. We analyze. We propose. We execute. All the media, all the details. We measure, report, respond, refine and enhance. We grow your page views, enhance your image, get you applause and earn you the response you require.

What is Custom Creative Content? It’s a story, on many different levels.

  • Level One: Concept. What is the plan? Who is the audience, where are they, what turns them on?
  • Level Two: Words. The blueprint to all else that will follow.
  • Level Three: media selection, based on the above.
  • Level Four: Design. Make sure there is a common look and feel to all your content.
  • Level Five: Creatively exploit each medium to its fullest, in light of your strategy. Testimonials? Interviews? Flow animations? Mind Maps?
  • Level Six: Place the messages where they will be found. Web-Centric? Direct? Mass media? Auditorium? Trade Show? Brochure, free DVD, YouTube?
  • Level Seven: Before paying for exposure, maximize your free exposure. Keyword optimization. Forum presence. Street Crews. PR. Speakers Bureaus. Viral Video. Word of Mouth.
  • Level Eight: Track the action. See what works. Modify. Your keywords. Your creative. Your media placement. Your web presence. This is the thing…. you can make changes– even in video– overnight.
  • Level Nine: Build on Your Success. Now, YOU’RE the expert. Be interviewed, appear on other people’s podcasts. Become the go-to-person locally or nationally on your subject.
  • Level Ten: Never stop listening and conversing. All of tis has to be two way, whether you hand type your own responses, use autoresponders, or virtual assistants.

In the advertising business, this used to be called a campaign. But an ad campaign was simple. This is a Hydra. This is Now. And this works.

How Long Should a Video Be? PODCAST

Okay, this answer is a bit longer. Right click the Mp3 below to save, or subscribe to the podcast with one of the buttons on the right. Or use the player below.

Download longshort96.mp3

Summary: Determining the right length of a video is a matter of examining your audience, the viewing circumstance, and the audience’s desire to be there. We also discuss real vs. perceived length, and provide tips on how to make percieved lengths "feel" shorter.

Some Videos are Timeless– The Anthem

This video was produced nearly nine years ago for a Walgreens meeting. The Chairman requested a live singing of the national anthem, so we produced this "wrap-around" to provide context and focus. Suffice it to say, it took on a life of its own. The video–shown on three screens– originally included a two-minute music bed for the singing of the anthem; we have eliminated that here so you don’t have to watch a waving flag for two minutes.

The world has changed, but some things– some emotions– stay the same, no matter what your politics.

The "Anthem" video is available for rental and customization for your meeting. Call for details.

Selling Video… Seeing is Believing

One of the reasons we get into a business that often prepares videos for large groups is the possibility of instant feedback. Getting a group to respond at 7:45 in the morning isn’t always easy. But it can be done, and its very rewarding for the client, for the next speaker, for the audience, and for us.

I was reminded this on a sales call for a meeting opener and closer the other day.

Selling custom programming is difficult because there is never a "perfect" sample you can show a client that will mirror exactly what he or she (or their boss) wants.

In this case, the potential customer showed us what they had done at their last big meeting some years ago. It was a closing video that included shots from thoughout the meeting’s on and off-site agenda, including footage of the opening video and the staging effects and crowd reaction.

Similar to dozens of things we’ve produced over the past decade or so.

Confident we could see them and raise them so to speak, we pulled out a DVD with a recent very "large" closing video we had done in Las Vegas that was wildly– I mean wildly– successful. Part of the success was the fact that the lead singer of the original music we produced suddenly showed up live on stage toward the end of the closer– he lead the crowd in clapping, dancing, and singing– both pre-taped on the big screens, and live in person on the stage.

I hit play. The video ran. About two thirds of the waythrough, peering out from under my glasses at our potential client’s reaction,I realized there had been a major mistake. See, we had cut together a subsequent version of this video that including the on-stage excitement and crowd reaction. But what was being played now was the original version of the video, with no live footage or crowd reactions. It just wasn’t the same.

The room was quiet. "Well, that’s not exactly what we want," said one of the client team. While I knew we could deliver exactly what they wanted, I couldn’t at that moment show it to them.

When I returned to the office I dug up an old demo we had used to sell some meetings with four or five years ago that our Editor Dan Ramsey had put together. It features lots of crowd reaction. I updated it with new scenes and that’s what I’d like you to review here when you have a chance.

Now that’s more like it!!

The Two Fat Guys: Chapter 3

There's a moment of reflection occuring at the Chili cookoff, when Fat Guy Paul hears a crunchy beat on the overhead public address system. Suddenly, in the words of Steve Martin, he has "happy feat!" Watch as the "Fat Guy's Dance" is unveiled… and unnoticed.

Once again, produced by Paul Isham, shot and Edited by Dan Ramsey, both of VideoStory.

The “Two Fat Guys”: Chapter 2

Things warm up as the Two Fat Guys head to Chicago for the "Chili Willie", a chili and salsa competition. Once again, produced by Paul Isham, shot and Edited by Dan Ramsey, both of VideoStory. Given all the video mediocrity on the web, you have to admire Paul and Dan for doing such a great job with this slice of real life. Go to iTunes and you should be able to download this to your iPod, under podcasts.

Two Fat Guys: Chapter One

Meet the "Two Fat Guys". Produced by Paul Isham, shot by Dan Ramsey, and published by VideoStory, Inc, this is the first in a series ofiPod ready videos featuring the Chilly– and chili– adventures of a chili and salsa making duo roaming the chili contests of the midwest.