Parc Entertainment - A Video Production Company - Birmingham, AL

Our free e-newsletter is distributed every first Monday of the month. Included in each issue is the “Public Parc,” a forum for discussing different topics pertaining to sales, marketing, advertising, and branding. Subscribers to the newsletter and readers of the blog are encouraged to get involved in the discussion by posting their comments here. You can also post your thoughts on Twitter, using the hashtag #PublicParc. Here is this month’s Public Parc discussion:

In this month’s issue we posted an article about the importance of alleviating fear to pave the way for a sale. In your experiences, has there ever been a time when a particular company representative went out of his or her way to ensure that your concerns were addressed? Can you describe the situation and how the company’s efforts made you feel as a consumer?

Our free e-newsletter is distributed every first Monday of the month. Included in each issue is the “Public Parc,” a forum for discussing different topics pertaining to sales, marketing, advertising, and branding. Subscribers to the newsletter and readers of the blog are encouraged to get involved in the discussion by posting their comments here. You can also post your thoughts on Twitter, using the hashtag #PublicParc. Here is this month’s Public Parc discussion:

In this month’s issue we posted an article about E-Consultancy, a company who decided to put a live Twitter feed on their home page to see what people are saying about their brand. Comments are not filtered and may reflect positively or negatively on E-Consultancy. Do you feel that this decision was good or bad for the E-Consultancy brand?

Our free e-newsletter is distributed every first Monday of the month. Included in each issue is the “Public Parc,” a forum for discussing different topics pertaining to sales, marketing, advertising, and branding. Subscribers to the newsletter and readers of the blog are encouraged to get involved in the discussion by posting their comments here. You can also post your thoughts on Twitter, using the hashtag #PublicParc. Here is this month’s Public Parc discussion:

When you are faced with a purchasing decision, what is it that prompts you either to buy or to shop elsewhere?

Periods of uncertainty often plague both the freelancer and the small business owner. Staying motivated is key, and everyone has their own methods of self-inspiration. Many people surround their work area with inspiring quotes, just to maintain an aura of postivitity. Here’s a little nugget that I keep taped to my desk. I refer to it from time to time when negative thoughts start creeping in. I’d be intereted to know how you stay motivated.

This is the beginning of a new day.

God has given me this day to use as I will.

I can waste it or use it for good.

What I do today is very important because I am exchanging a day of my life for it.

When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever, leaving something in its place I have traded for it.

I want it to be gain, not loss - good, not evil,

Success, not failure in order that I shall not forget the price I paid for it.

Ameriquest Mortgage created a memorable TV campaign with a series of spots centered on the theme “Don’t Judge Too Quickly.” Each spot features someone in a perfectly innocent situation that doesn’t seem so innocent to other characters who walk in at just the wrong moment.

The campaign has a solid theme which is executable in a variety of fresh ways. Each spot is funny, simple, and memorable. However, when I first saw these spots I was a little surprised that they were advertising a mortgage company. The creative approach to each ad just didn’t feel right, considering the client. Take a look at a some of the spots below and tell me whether you think the strategy was smart move for Ameriquest.

I was listening to an internet marketing podcast recently and the hosts of the show were discussing how E-Consultancy is using Twitter to join in on public conversations related to their company. Here’s a quick synopsis of E-Consultancy, as stated on their website:

Econsultancy is a community where the world’s digital marketing and ecommerce professionals meet to sharpen their strategy, source suppliers, get quick answers, compare notes, help each other out and discover how to do everything better online.

Founded in 1999, Econsultancy has grown to become the leading source of independent advice and insight on digital marketing and ecommerce.

Our reports, events, online resources and training programmes help our 80,000+ members make better decisions, build business cases, find the best suppliers, look smart in meetings and accelerate their careers.

E-Consultancy searched for what people were saying about them on Twitter and placed a live feed of those tweets right on their home page. And there’s no content filtering, so if there are people out there with negative feelings toward E-Consultancy, those thoughts will show up right on the home page.

Just a few years ago, this practice of exposing potential customers to potentially negative reviews would be a no-no. However, in today’s social media world, this transparency might be refreshing. It demonstrates to the public that this company listens to their customers and strives to be prompt in addressing all concerns. It shows that they are engaged and tuned in to conversations about their brand.

This doesn’t mean that you have to put a live Twitter feed on your home page, but it does illustrate the point that as business owners, we have a responsibility to the people we serve. You need to be engaged in what people are saying about your brand. Listen to them. Respond in a timely manner. And always look for ways to improve your brand.

What are your thoughts about E-Consultancy’s move? Good or bad?

My brother Steven turned me onto this spot from American Airlines and I thought I would share it here. I think this spot works for a number of reasons:

1. Premise - It’s a simple idea: a film producer trots around the globe with her eccentric director scouting locations for a film. She’s exhausted, but because of American Airlines new international business class, she can enjoy some much-needed rest while traveling the world. In your own marketing and advertising efforts, keep your strategy simple and on point. Find that key selling point you can wrap a campaign around.
2. Problem & Solution - Notice how the commercial sets up a need: busy world traveler wants some quality rest. The solution is the new international business class from American Airlines, which offers seats that can transform into a small bed.
3. Characters - The eccentric, quirky film director is stereotypical, yet funny and memorable. Even in a thirty-second spot, characters are important.
4. Pacing - The cuts are quick, but they don’t confuse the viewer. And they add to the humor in the spot. The style of edit should match the subject matter of the piece and support the mood you’re trying to achieve.
5. Comedy - The movie is about Parisian squirrels who ride scooters. The premise of the movie is irrelevant to the overall strategy, but it provides the quirky comedy necessary to help the spot stay memorable.

And as always, feel free to leave your impressions on this commercial in the “comments” section.

The term “virus” or “viral” has such negative connotations, and usually, for the sake of your health, you want to stay away from any kind of virus. But in the world of online marketing, you want your brand and your campaign to be viral. You want people linking to your content, retweeting your thoughts, embedding your videos. Viral marketing is all about spreading your identity across the web, increasing your exposure to the world.

The premise sounds simple enough: create compelling content that people will be inclined to pass along to others. But devising that content in a blogosphere numbering in the millions is far more tricky. On his blog, Thomas Baekdal shares his “7 Tricks to Viral Web Marketing” and posts several examples of successful campaigns, including a short online film series from BMW, called “The Hire.”

Now, I realize that not all of you have the money to invest in a campaign of this magnitude. Most likely you will need to create a concept that can be repeated quickly with minimal cost. In a post on this blog a few years ago, we discussed the success of the “Will It Blend?” campaign, whose concept could be produced over and over again, with minimal cost.

Take a look at the videos on Baekdal’s site. Maybe that will jump start your creativity as you think of ways to best market your company and services. Feel free to look through our archives for other interesting articles on utilizing video to propel your marketing campaign. And be sure to comment on your favorite viral videos and why you think they’re successful.

Everyone has their own system of filing and archiving, but whatever that system is, be sure to adhere to it. Otherwise things could get messy down the road, because you never know when a previous client will call you up and ask for a file on a job that’s at least five years old. That’s when your filing system is put to the test.

This morning I came in to the office and checked email (as I always do). There in my inbox was a message from a one-time client, needing files for a job I did back in 2005. I immediately thought, “There’s no way I have a copy of that. I gave everything to her.” So I went and checked the job file, and sure enough, I had filed away an extra copy for my own records. Let that be lesson #1 - Always keep duplicate copies for yourself. Don’t give everything to the client.

Here’s a quick run-down of how I store and archive client projects:

• Once the job is complete, I leave all elements on my hard drive for 45-60 days.
• When I get approval from the client and I see that no more work is needed for that particular project, I do two things: 1) Make a master copy of the project onto both tape and DVD, and 2) move all raw elements to an external hard drive for archiving.
• Over the next several months, I wait and see if the client will use any of these elements for various projects. If there are no repeat jobs for this client, I usually remove all the raw footage from the hard drive to free up space for new jobs. However, I still retain all the project files from my editing system. That way, if I need to revisit this project again, all I have to do is reload all the old footage. My logs, edit points, effects, titles, etc. remain intact because I saved the project files.

In video production it becomes very important to have an efficient and organized archiving system, because video files take up so much hard drive space. Your system is probably different from mine. Some people put everything from a single project onto an external hard drive, then label the drive and store it on a shelf. Some people use big rubber maid tubs to store everything from a particular client. Me? I use a CD/DVD tower to organize my clients’ master DVDs, tape racks for all raw footage and master tapes, and file folders for all paperwork. It’s important to find a system that works for you.

I’d be interested to know what everyone else is doing to archive old projects.

We all know that politics can be a very volatile subject. In the months leading up to the election we heard some heated debates from both sides. And now that the election is over, we have a group elated beyond belief, and a group depressed beyond hope. We all feel strongly about our views on the issues, but the question is, “Can those views hurt you in the business world?”

I’ve been reflecting a lot on this question recently. As any business owner will tell you, word of mouth and strong client relationships are the key to operating a successful business. If any of these two things break down, the business will be sure to follow. Now that we’re in the age of Web 2.0, anyone can voice their thoughts and opinions on the internet for the world to see. Is it wise for a business owner to blog about his/her political views when such opinion might offend a potential client/customer who reads them? I’ll admit that I am politically conservative. I will also admit that I enjoy blogging, but I am also working hard to build a successful business. Should the business owner keep quiet on such things, or should readers understand that we all have varying opinions and we don’t have to see eye to eye on all the issues?