Credit: by David Hughes, Non-Line Marketing

For several years I have been urging marketers to kick their dependence on “Moveable Type”.  It was a great way to scale information dissemination in 1439, but the world has moved on.  Ironically it has been the publishers who have managed to seize the video content initiative.  Conservative organisations like the Telegraph have morphed into a CNN/BBC hybrid with loads of video content… and they have even cracked the monetisation with pre-roll forced viewing of ads.

However, few sites have really optimised video/flash for their “successful outcome” journeys.  I was recently encouraging a hotel chain to do more engaging things than “download sample menu PDF” on their site, or think of alternatives to call-out boxes with short text testimonials.  By the end of the session, we’d identified 20 different “rich media” opportunities to bring their hotels to life including…

• Video interviews with the head chef
• Virtual tours of the gardens - season by season
• “Vox Pop” testimonials recorded before people leave
• Welcome message from Hotel Manager

I have a couple of clients who have even dismissed my over-cautious recommendations about “testing” text versus “rich media” because they know that the video/audio stuff is the right thing to do (with search-optimised text transcripts alongside!).  So, why wait?  Today’s digital project for you…Ask yourself: What’s on my web site that would be more successful if it were in audio/video format and how cheap and quick would it be to execute (get your teenage kids to do it for you..they are the video generation)?

I admire the efforts Salesforce.com have done with a flash presentation for each of their target personas delivered by the most appropriate person…it shows an understanding of the need to tune messages to decision makers and that a personal touch is engaging…although it may be a little too cheezy for some puritan British prospects.

I have been a fan of MSN’s Bring The Love Back campaign – watch the latest video installment below.  The idea is simple.  To promote take-up of integrated marketing by having a giggle at marketers who don’t get it… “I did try and look at that Web 2 dot zero stuff you told me about, but I just couldn’t find the exact URL”.

You’ll have to watch the first video to get the point of the second one!  So, MSN are getting across a complex business proposition (don’t be a stupid marketer…get to know and use digital marketing, preferably with us not Google!) through video.  Now, who’d have thought that likely a couple of years ago? Here is the latest video.

This entry was posted on Friday, July 11th, 2008 at 1:33 am and is filed under Social Media. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.