Nov 15

Content Marketing is King for B2B

By Heather Timmerman Digital Media Trends, Internet TV, mobile Comments Off

According to 400 marketing professionals is the preferred marketing method for B2B marketers (entrepreneur.com). This was based on a study by HiveFire that indicated traditional marketing strategies such as print advertising, search engine marketing, and PR were not nearly used as often as content marketing.

“In fact, 82 percent of respondents now use content marketing in their programs, which makes it more popular than search marketing (70 percent), events (68 percent) and public relations (64 percent) and over two times more popular than print, TV or radio advertising (32 percent)”  (getcurata.com).

Content marketing defined as “the creation and publication of original content — including blog posts, case studies, white papers, videos and photos — for the purpose of generating leads, enhancing a brand’s visibility, and putting the company’s subject matter expertise on display” (entrepreneur.com).

Marketers aiming to engage customers and prospects, increase website traffic, or even sales are focusing more on content curation efforts. This means finding, organizing, and ultimately sharing content. As mentioned in “The Secret Ingredient for Enaging Content” the content marketing process begins with creating content worth sharing.

B2C marketers are ahead of the curve when it comes to incorporating into marketing plans as video enhances the tangible product experience . It draws the consumer into the message they are trying to communicate. Touch and feel is replaced by entertaining or informative content.

The same logic can be used for B2B marketing, as the same appeal for moving images and graphics versus text applies. Only a shift in the content creative strategy remains. At the end of the day, businesses are made up of people who are consumers. Curating content worth sharing should involve both informative as well as engaging content.

About Preview Networks

Preview Networks is Europe’s largest preview distribution network. We serve websites, ,  apps and . Our content is available on MSN,, , The Times, MySpace, The Guardian, El Pais, El Mundo, Le Monde and more than 2,300 other online . We work with more than 300 brand and companies. Learn more on previewnetworks.com

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Oct 11

UGC, AFP, and WTMI. Introducing the Online Video Dictionary app.

By Ervin Draganovic Internet TV, mobile, Products, Technology Comments Off

Do you support a large amount of metadata? Can we use on our channel? What about engaging an solution? What does pseudo streaming mean? Knowing and understanding the terminology can be a challenge. There is WTMI (way too much information) moving at the speed of light to keep it all straight.

No need to drop facts about how rapid the space is redefining itself, there are plenty of articles about that. At this point it’s more relevant to shed some light on the ever growing number of terms that online professionals are adding to their vocabulary. Most of us in the online industry are being constantly pushed to improve our jargon to be able to clarify technical setups, explain challenges and emphasize opportunities.

While we are fighting to keep up with the developing online video expressions, our partners and clients are having problems doing the same. Regularly, when meeting potential clientele the reality strikes, when the majority of the time is spent on explanation rather than on valuation of the solution. Furthermore, delivering in-depth pitches or presenting new solutions often lead to new terms being used and result in complex and easily misunderstood messages.

This got me thinking about what can be done to close this vocabulary gap. The first thing that came to my mind was “There must be an for that?” After some research it was pretty obvious – no for that. From here it was pretty clear that an had to be brought to life.  So I created one.

The solution is called the Online Video Dictionary app. With this app, users can quickly and automatically, browse the dictionary or search for specific terms when they are in need of an explanation. The dictionary is based on the most common used terms in the online video industry. The app is free and can be downloaded from Market today. If there are enough requests an version will be made available.

Available in Android Market

Ervin is a guest blogger and has been with Preview Networks since 2007.  He helps Danish content and media owners realise the opportunities of online video.

About Preview Networks

Preview Networks is Europe’s largest preview network. We serve websites, ,  apps and . Our content is available on MSN,, , IMDB, , The Times, MySpace, The Guardian, El Pais, El Mundo, Le Monde and more than 2,300 other online . We work with more than 300 companies including Sony, Fox, Disney, Warner, Universal, and Paramount. Learn more on previewnetworks.com

 

 

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Oct 06

The Role of Brands as Media Companies

By Heather Timmerman Digital Media Trends Comments Off

Burberry’s Spring/Summer 2012 runway show in London last week and the subsequent media buzz and participation they received afterwards, raises once again, the idea of brands becoming more and more like media companies. This concept was discussed after Sean Corcoran, an analyst at Forrester Research made the distinction interactive marketers need to increasingly make between Owned, Paid and Earned Media when determining their online strategies.

Image courtesy of Burberry's YouTube Channel

Owned media includes things like a company’s website, blog, or Twitter account. Paid media includes any sponsorships or advertising campaigns, and Earned media in the traditional sense is PR and quickly evolving into viral word of mouth promotion made by customers predominately on social media networks like Facebook. According to Corcoran, “earned media is often the result of well-executed and well-coordinated owned and paid media ” (blogs.forrester.com, 2009).  One look at the way the latest Burberry runway show was communicated across Twitter and broadcasted on their website via live stream is proof of that concept in action.  According to their Chief Creative Officer, Christopher Bailey: “Burberry is now as much a media-content company as we are a design company ” (mashable.com, 2011).

Brands are waking up to the possibilities of their digital assets and using them to broadcast their message using the latest forms of technology.  Take Ralph Lauren, for example. In 2009 they produced an online-only fashion show for their Rugby brand that allowed the average viewer to see looks in real time, for the first time.  One might say that the company, under the influence of David Lauren, has been leading in this space for some time. “Our intention was never to launch a website,” David says, “Our intention was to build a media brand ” (fastcompany.com, 2011).

The message is coming through loud and clear. Whether it is a 3D holographic runway show in Beijing (Burberry), a 4D light show on Madison Avenue (Ralph Lauren) or an e-commerce initiative for iconic red carpet gowns (Roberto Cavalli) brands are realising the power of digital and utilising it to earn media exposure.

About Preview Networks

Preview Networks is Europe’s largest preview distribution network. We serve websites, ,  apps and . Our content is available on MSN,, , IMDB, , The Times, MySpace, The Guardian, El Pais, El Mundo, Le Monde and more than 2,300 other online . We work with more than 300 companies including Sony, Fox, Disney, Warner, Universal, and Paramount. Learn more on previewnetworks.com

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Aug 18

Online Video is Content Marketing of the Future

By Heather Timmerman Digital Media Trends Comments Off

It’s no secret that video has exploded in the online space, nor that it is more effective than plain text and graphics. According to The Motion Effect Theory, human beings have an inherent preference for moving objects (Sundar and Kalyanaraman 2004) which is one reason why TV has been so popular for so long.

Image courtesy of Content Marketing Institute

With the evolution of the internet into our daily habits, it is only logical that as human beings we are drawn to moving objects on our computer screens as well. I’m not talking about moving ads vying for attention on the top, right and left of the content you are reading online. It’s the well done, well played online video inserted into editorial pieces and commerce pages that adds context and depth to any piece of information you may be interested in. “The combination of moving images, still pictures, graphics, sound, and text – with interactivity and mobile devices – appeals simultaneously to multiple senses making online marketing video the ultimate way to communicate, engage, and capture consumer attention” (Rick Dearborn, B2C).

According to Forrester Research, online video is 50 times more likely to appear on the first page of search results because of optimisation tactics like blended search and according to comScore, YouTube continues to be the main driver of online video content growth with 147.2 million unique viewers in the U.S. in May, 2011. Luckily for brands, videos are becoming increasingly easier and more affordable than ever to make. The important thing to remember is to create video content with a clear strategy in mind. If it is quality content, it will always find a place in the mind of the consumer. Reaching the consumer in more places than search engines and video platforms however, is a matter of strategic distribution and content management. Something we happen to know a little bit about.

About Preview Networks

Preview Networks is Europe’s largest preview distribution network. We serve websites, ,  apps and . Our content is available on MSN,, , IMDB, , The Times, MySpace, The Guardian, El Pais, El Mundo, Le Monde and more than 2,300 other online media. We work with more than 300 companies including Sony, Fox, Disney, Warner, Universal, and Paramount. Learn more on previewnetworks.com

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Aug 01

Playing Nice in the Video Sandbox

By Heather Timmerman Preview Networks PR and News Comments Off

As the video industry continues to expand and become more complex, one constant that remains is Preview Networks‘ ability to adapt to the changing environment and latest technologies. One example of this flexibility is our recent integration with The Times in the UK. We have been working with this renowned media for over two years which in industry terms is a lifetime.

As any major media outlet, The Times has stayed on top of the latest video technology in order to provide consumers with a high quality editorial experience. So it comes as no surprise that The Times is also the first media partner to combine our feeds with Ooyala video player technology. In other words, the next time you go to a Film Review page and watch a movie trailer, you will be viewing Preview Networks content through the Ooyala video player.

Ooyala is US based with global operations offering companies another way to manage their video content. What makes the Preview Networks video offering different from Ooyala and the others out on the marketplace is our ability to customise the offering to our customer or partners needs due to the flexibility and openness of our content management system.

Think Google versus Apple.  Whereas some video companies offer a closed technology solution to manage content, requiring use of their player – we offer an open content management solution. Meaning, regardless of whether or not our video player is used, content owners can still use our distribution technology to manage their content or ask us to manage it for them. As far as media owners are concerned, that means we not only offer the technology, but the content as well.

About Preview Networks

Preview Networks is Europe’s largest preview distribution network. We serve websites, ,  apps and . Our content is available on MSN,, , IMDB, , The Times, MySpace, The Guardian, El Pais, El Mundo, Le Monde and more than 2,300 other online media. We work with more than 300 companies including Sony, Fox, Disney, Warner, Universal, and Paramount. Learn more on previewnetworks.com

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Jul 11

Inspirational Brand Generated Content

By Heather Timmerman Digital Media Trends Comments Off

Brand generated content tells a story. It shares a vision, inspires, and connects with consumers in a way that makes them want to interact, know more, or share with their friends. It combines editorial with video and sometimes links to e-commerce but in a subtle way. 

The Anthropologist is an example of how brands have begun to use this content in a digital fashion. The website is an extension of Anthropologie – a retail store that sells women’s clothing, accessories, and home decor – but the purpose of The Anthropologist is to “support the work of inspiring individuals.” In an article posted by Mashable earlier this year, the brand and concept was examined: “The look, feel and essence of the curated content epitomizes anthropology itself, the study of humanity, and in that it truly personifies the Anthropologie brand. If guests click through to their e-commerce site, or arrive at their website because of the search results populated by the words of Anthropologist, that’s simply a bonus and not the goal.”

Some would say The Anthropologist was inspired by Louis Vuitton’s website, NOWNESS which “previews the latest in fashion, art, cinema, entertainment, culture, music, gastronomy, design, travel, and the world of luxury.” Unlike The Anthropologist which has a name very similar to its brand and a link to the retail store on the website, NOWNESS is rather anonymous. Nowhere on the site is Louis Vuitton listed, but rather the focus is on whether you Love or Don’t Love the latest daily exclusive. Combined with artistic graphics and a cultured magazine feel, this branded content definitely gives me a feeling of wanting to know more.

About Preview Networks

Preview Networks is Europe’s largest preview distribution network. We serve websites, ,  apps and . Our content is available on MSN,, , IMDB, , The Times, MySpace, The Guardian, El Pais, El Mundo, Le Monde and more than 2,300 other online media. We work with more than 300 companies including Sony, Fox, Disney, Warner, Universal, and Paramount. Learn more on previewnetworks.com

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Jul 04

Perrier Pushes Interactive Video Limits

By Heather Timmerman Digital Media Trends Comments Off

We have been keeping an eye on great examples of interactive video campaigns and once again, yet another has busted onto the scene. To refresh your memory, great past examples have been Tipp-Ex white out and Desperados tequila flavored beer. Two very different products, but one great concept. These brands have decided to use interactive video in their advertising campaigns which in turn, has caused the videos to go viral.

Perrier bottled mineral water has now taken it to the next level…or maybe just applied a different method to the same concept. The more people that watch their video ad online, the hotter the party at “Le Club” gets. I watched the video when it first came out and there was a decent crowd and girls with melting makeup slowly walking through the steamy party and of course the Perrier product placement to cool themselves off with. But one week and 9.9 million views later the party has definitely kicked it up a notch with more people, more melting, and lights exploding.

The question now becomes, will the views ever stop? Will the party continue to get longer, more packed, more steamy, and more explosive? It’s an interesting way to keep the consumers coming back for more and use the advertising concept of effective frequency for product awareness. However, one could argue that if the content is good enough the first time, the consumer will want to see it again and again on their own anyway.

About Preview Networks

Preview Networks is Europe’s largest preview distribution network. We serve websites, ,  apps and . Our content is available on MSN,, , IMDB, , The Times, MySpace, The Guardian, El Pais, El Mundo, Le Monde and more than 2,300 other online media. We work with more than 300 companies including Sony, Fox, Disney, Warner, Universal, and Paramount. Learn more on previewnetworks.com

 

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