This article by Rick Martin and Rob Friedman (Online marketing experts) hits on several key points regarding the benefits and utilization of online video:

“Studies show a 12% to 30% increase in online purchase conversion rates among shoppers who view a video product tour compared with those who don’t.”

I'm a huge fan of almost every video Ericsson puts on it's YouTube channel. They're making great use of on an ideal combination of edgy documentary style and compelling social messages to shake their previously stiff, cold corporate image. We didn't produce their videos, but this combination is truly Myrick Visual's sweet spot.  We love to tell stories for these kinds of companies.

 

BMW sent a crew (not ours) all over the world to make mini-documentaries about some of it's loyal customers.  They've created a great little series called: "BMW Unscripted"  It's a great example of building a loyal fanbase by using engaging testimonials.  Driving music and strong imagry aside, viewers gravitate to the inherent truth of each person's story in the series.

See it here on their site

This front page article from The Onion, a popular satirical newspaper, attacks print media with a heavy dose of sarcasm and humor.

Myrick Visual still does print work for marketing clients on occasion, and while we think there are still many great uses for print, we've seen a strong push against print media in the last few years.  I'm going to go out on a limb here today and say that direct-mail advertisments have reached an all-time high for market saturation and an all-time low for effectiveness.

Now combine the onion article with the following excerpt from an interview with Tony Jone's of JOPA Productions, a social media consulting group, and you start to see where people are moving some of those print advertising dollars....

 

If you're a business leader and haven't watched David Logan's TED Talk on Tribal Leadership, this is 16 minutes well spent.

 

Last November, I (Ben) was Game Room/b-roll camera operator for a series of online vignettes which featured the MN Vikings sharing their excitement for the newest installment of the popular x-Box game Halo.  It was a blast.  I came to realize that these guys take any competition seriously, not just pro football. 

When it comes to deploying video clips, it’s important to create context. Video clips work better when there is some context for the video in the page. Some Ideas about context:

• Integrate the video into an article about the same topic.

• Put the video on pages that include descriptive content.

• Allow comments and ratings so users can create their own context about the video.

I (Ben) was B-Camera Operator on Jessie Ventura's Conspiracy Theory TV Show.  The Gov came back to MN to investigate FEMA Camps and Homeland Security's over-reach.  Later we investigated the redistribution of the Great Lakes' water supply by private corporations.  This is what I love about my job: every day is different.