Pepsi – Social Media Gamble or High Stakes Win?

Pepsi has recently announced that they are pulling their traditional multi-year, multi-million dollar Super Bowl ad campaign and trading those dollars (a whopping $20 million!) for Social Media with the Pepsi Fresh Project.

A year ago, it would have seemed crazy to leave an established Super Bowl TV crowd, especially this year with the Colts/ Saints match-up.  But in just 12 short months, online viewers, users and consumers have experienced the excitement that’s brought on by social media.

Integrated media is more than just showing your online video on your website or You Tube.  Integrated media is taking your branded messages, NOT just one message, and delivering it across multiple platforms and achieving the most creative goals you could have ever imagined!

When marketing initiatives include more than just brand and ad exposure, marketing managers and corporate communications teams can literally all work together and create a seamless message system under the same house.  What?!  You mean inter-departmental flow!  Say it ain’t so!

Yes, that was a bit sarcastic, but we’ve all experienced what it’s like when one hand doesn’t speak to the other!

Now, Pepsi is able to:

• increase their social media campaign through integrated media aps
• increase their sustainability with a global message that reaches the world within seconds of posting
• interact with their very customers by encouraging brand engagement and excitement
• AND they are able to increase their global community initiatives through this Pepsi Refresh Project… And who doesn’t need money these days?!

The Pepsi Fresh Project is about getting the global community to nominate projects that need funding in local communities.  You upload your video / project profile, gather as many votes as you can by reaching out to the social media atmosphere and the top projects will win finding from $5k multiple times per month up to $250k a few times every month.

I’m looking forward to seeing the engagement levels and watching how the campaign pans out for Pepsi. Hopefully it’s a massive win for them!  But still wonder if they should have kept the Superbowl ad to tell the TV viewers about this campaign?

Let’s see how Coke responds?!  Good Luck Pepsi!

Til Next Time…

Emilia Andrews

Beholder Productions

 

2010 Planning

As we are finally delving into the meat of business after the holiday season, we find that alot of folks are just now planning their 2010 marketing and learning initiatives.

It’s quite different from past years in that budgets aren’t fully solidified and corporate clients find it very frustrating to think ahead without a budgetary guideline.

In an effort to help our clients, partners and continue to be a general source of information, Beholder created an informative Whitepaper that offers research information and suggestions on how to Leverage Video in 2010.

For more information, visit:  http://www.beholderproductions.com/BP_whitepaper/

We look forward to working with you in 2010 and continue to offer you marketing, learning, training and entertainment solutions through quality video production, motion graphics/ animations, web and interactive media services.

Call us toll free at 1-877-280-7245.

Til next time…

Emilia Andrews

 

Brand Integration

Ever since we began working on the Wilde Media Network programs, we’ ve encountered a lot of questions from traditional marketers when it comes to fully understanding what is “Brand Integration“.   For many, it traditionally meant Product Placement… but just like many other marketing applications, this has evolved, too.

Wilde Media programs enables a multi-platform viewing presence including TV, web, and new media applications.  Meaning, us, the viewing audience, does not have to be confined to one location to watch a new show.  We have developed our viewing preferences to be available when we are… not when the networks air the program.  ie:  here comes DVR, online video… like Hulu, etc., plus the fact that many TV shows are now sharing their placement.

I mean, I can watch “Family Guy” on Fox, TBS, myPHL, etc. and that’s only in the Greater Philadelphia market area.  How many other stations that I’m not even paying attention to?

SO… I found a few testimonials as to how major industry leaders are tackling branded integrated media head on…

“Vertical networks are emerging as one of the most important advertising innovations in online publishing. Pairing established media brands with high-quality long-tail content is the first thing I recommend to publishers as part of an overall ad revenue strategy.”

Greg Stuart
Author and former CEO
Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB)

“We recognize that vertical networks, networks that combine content from or across a complimentary group of web properties – are the next logical evolution for publishers seeking to expand their advertising solutions for customers. They are quickly becoming an important way to develop scale for our marketing clients.”

Beth Comstock
President, Integrated Media
NBC Universal

Even though these quotes focus on the producers/ publishers, it gives clear guidance as to how brands and marketers should evolve and review their strategies to avoid the viewers ability to skip their brand all together.

As we continue to develop and produce our programs, we look forward to the ability to work with your brand and develop some great synergy between the program’s format and your brand message.

Til next time,  you can reach me at emilia@beholderproductions.com to review your marketing goals and the various programs that will work well for you.

Emilia Andrews

 

Twitter – How to make it work for you?

Hey everyone,

Hope you had a pleasant and peaceful Memorial weekend?!  Mine was jam packed with 60th and 70th birthday parties, dancing my anniversary night away, a kids sleepover party, a BBQ, and a trip to the local carnival.  And with all of this, I plugged away on my cell phone a few characters at a time to let my followers know what I’ve been up to.

Best part is my twitter account is connected to my facebook… so:  cell phone text message = tweet = facebook status change… all done with a click of the send button.

I found a pretty cool blog posting on one of my twitter followers blog page.  Please check this link out:  http://mytwittertips.wordpress.com/2009/05/16/25-tips-increase-follower-twitter/

So, once we get twitter down… I ask you to click on this link and  follow me at http://twitter.com/emiliaandrews

Til next time, get to tweetin’!

Emilia

 

PhIMA panel on online video

I had the pleasure to attend my first PhIMA – Philadelphia Interactive Media Association event last night.  It was jam packed with interactive designers, programmers, advertisers/ agencies and content providers.  And as for it being my first time, it made quite the impression.

The panelists included execs from PointRoll, Hulu, Digitas Health, WebMD and Tremor Media.  All of whom gave great background on their company’s situation as it stands right now in regards to online video.

Now, I’m not going to recap what happened, as it was a long evening… and you really should plan on attending one of their next meetings.

But the conversation truly surrounded the complexities of planning around a medium that was created for immediate gratification (web); however, the learning curve required by advertisers/ sponsors & agencies is missing.

Here are a few key points:

1)  Content – advertisers are looking and demanding for professional standards; not UGC – User Generated Content.  I can’t blame them… I mean, what advertiser wants to put their brand up next to “kid skateboarding and breaking his leg.”  But it’s no longer a one hit wonder either… that’s the You Tube’s of the world.  The web media networks enable the viewer to now become engaged to the point of wanting to come back to the same portal/ website and continue that experience.

2)  Storytelling – to piggyback off of #1 – the content needs to be in the lines of how the industry “used” to produce.  Tell the audience a story.  Take the time to prepare your content and think about it’s relevance to the market.  Build the brand of your programming content and even though it won’t be a 20MM hit off the bat… it will bring a following.  A following that the web can rely on, expect and in the long run, the web can be patient enough to have a “If you build it, they will come model.”  Now that doesn’t mean online media networks won’t have to do their due diligence when it comes to marketing and advertising their content – they sure do.  But with a story, comes an audience.  To have a goal in mind, which is to build that audience base… is what advertisers crave.  Longevity and recognition.

3) Traditional vs. New Advertising – the traditional web ad model – the Pay Per Click model…  is done.  Everyone on the panel agreed that it is an archaic method of building your brand.  And that’s why most advertise… to build their brand.  There are at least 50 different means to market your product or service on the web… and many more to come.  The differentiating factor is what metrics based system does your firm/ agency follow – and is it the right way to go about it.

For example,  you may have an ad right next to the online video playing.  The average length of time we find folks staying on sites with online video to be at about 22 minutes.  That’s the length of a traditional half hour program – minus the commercials.  That entire time that the viewing audience was engaged with the online video program, they had your ad sitting next to them the entire time.

Let’s break this down further… in a standard TV show – your spot may air once for 30-seconds.  No one clicked on it… they just saw it.   However, online, they saw the same program, and saw your ad on the page for the entire 22-minutes.  At the same time they watched the program.  Now… they may have NEVER clicked the ad… but they were engaged with the program… your ad was part of their EXPERIENCE… which in turns leads to the ultimate behavioral model – which is INTEGRATION.

OK… I can go on and on… and if so… give me a call and we’ll set up a time to chat.  But for now, I’m excited that our model for Beholder’s professional standard productions and the distribution and online media network we created through Wilde Media Network is on the right path… if not ahead of the curve as compared to those who were on the panel.

You see… because we create and control the content… we have the luxury of working with the brands to help create an integrated brand experience that the big boys… NBC, Fox, etc.  just can’t do.

Advertisers – be open – do what you say and truly think outside of the box.  You might find the results to go beyond your expectations.

Til next time…

Emilia Andrews

Beholder Productions is a full service integrated media production company. www.beholderproductions.com