PR - now with video!

You've sent out your latest press release and you're waiting for the queries to begin. And you're waiting... and waiting...

It's becoming harder and harder to get attention. There's just so much information out there. And press releases can be pretty ho hum. One way to generate more interest in your message is to include a video with your PR.

A short video can paint a much clearer and more detailed picture than a press release. I'm not advocating abandoning the traditional press release. A video link on a release – or better yet, an embedded video in an electronic press release makes a much more compelling case for your company, your product, or issue.

You are using video to support your PR efforts, right? Of course you are. This is just one more way to get the word out to people who are hungry for good stories.

Click here to see how Cisco uses video in their latest release.

Super Bowl Ads 3 months later...

Think quick - what companies advertised during this year's Super Bowl?

Can't name many, can you?

If I'd paid $2.7 million for a thirty second spot, I wouldn't be pleased.

This year's game was a classic (unless you're a Patriot's fan) – and viewers stayed with the game until the very end. That's what advertisers hope for when they spend big bucks for their spots. And that $2.7 million just covers ad time for the spot. It doesn't include the creative, the production, the special effects or talent fees (wonder what it costs to get Justin Timberlake to do a spot?)

So what's wrong with these spots? To me, the focus is on making them memorable – cute concepts or special effects that don't tie back to the product or brand. It seems that some advertisers forget that it's all about making a connection – making people remember you, your company or your product.

I'm not opposed to funny spots. I loved the Bridgestone spots (would I have thought twice about running Richard Simmons over?) and thought they were some of the most successful.

What do you think? Did you enjoy the spots or do you want those thirty second chunks of your life back? Need to jog your memory? You can see all of the ads here.

Brainstorming

I was talking to a designer recently about the creative process. Her favorite part of any project is brainstorming. I agree. It’s an opportunity to really think freely and play off each other’s ideas.

We do this often when starting projects. We look at the available materials, the audience, the message and we let the ideas come. It’s incredibly exciting to be in that flow – you come up with an idea, someone else picks up on a little detail and takes it somewhere else, and then someone builds upon that idea. There’s a lot of energy in the room at that moment. And everyone knows when you’ve hit upon an idea that could work.

As an example, a long distance company was looking for a commercial for their calling plan. The plan was called “Triple Play”. We started talking about things that come in threes, which led to “good things come in threes” which led to ideas about poker (three of a kind), which ultimately led us to the idea of a slot machine. The client wanted to promote the idea of big savings. A visual of dollar bills coming out of a slot machine sealed the deal.

A Picture is worth...

It's remarkable how often people misunderstand what we're trying to say. You'd think we're speaking entirely different languages, there's so much miscommunication.

In our business, pictures really tell the story. And communicating your idea with a picture is the best way to go. From getting the client's buy in on a concept, to conveying your vision to the DP, pictures are something people can easily hold onto.

During our creative process for the Teddy Ruxpin spots, we tossed many ideas around. But it wasn't until we all looked at the first drafts of the storyboard that we all had the same vision (we were all on the same page).

Read this description: "Fade up on a darkened room. It’s nighttime, and we see someone reading a book under the covers by the light of a flashlight – they’re definitely up past their bedtime. We hear someone telling a story."

Pretty descriptive, right? Now look at this image. I'm sure it's different from what you envisioned. Now take a look at the spot and see how the first shot turned out.

I don't know how many words that picture was worth, but it got us the job and paved the way for a very successful spot.

Who Controls the Message?

Chevy claims their recent Chevy Apprentice campaign is a huge success – 21,000 ads were created and the commercials were emailed over 40,000 times – not bad for a “viral marketing” campaign.

Chevy asked people to create TV commercials for their new Tahoe SUV. Chevy provided video, music and places to add text. The results were interesting, to say the least. Spots blamed Chevy for global warming, complained about the war in Iraq, and some were sexually explicit. What was Chevy thinking?

While the company claims that over 80% of the ads were positive, the remaining 20% could have a very negative impact. We spend hours, days, sometimes weeks coming up with concepts for our clients. Some say “there’s no such thing as bad publicity, “ but these ads associate Chevy with issues I’m sure they’d much rather avoid.

Working with color

A client’s style guide is our bible when we’re working on motion graphics for a video, a menu for a client’s DVD – just about anything to do with design.

But what if they don’t have a style guide?

There are plug-ins galore for Photoshop, Illustrator that help with creating a color palette. Two great online color tools make color choices easier.

Color Scheme Tool is a great web-based tool that offers a variety of palettes including monochromatic, complimentary, and split complimentary.

Colorblender doesn’t let you choose a specific type of palette, but does create a blend of six attractive colors. As a bonus, you can download this palette as a Photoshop color table, an EPS for use in Illustrator or send the blend by email to a colleague or client. The site will also make a suggestion for a Pantone® color match. Very helpful.

Some interesting reading on color theory can be found here.

Keeping it Simple

By now you've probably seen this clip from utube showing how the Apple's iPod packaging would look if designed by Microsoft.



Obviously, the creators of this video had some fun at Microsoft's expense. Garr Reynolds uses this video as springboard to discuss design by committee on his Presentation Zen blog. He makes some great points, but the video had me thinking in a different direction – how do you inspire your audience?

Often we try to squeeze too much into our marketing messages – whether it's a brochure, a website or a video. Look at the screen captures from the video. Which ones do you find more inspiring? It doesn't matter whether you're a fan of Apple or Microsoft, I think most of us would agree that the images on the left are simpler and evoke a feeling/response more effectively than the images on the right.

It's a challenge we face everyday. When we put pen to paper, when we design, write a blog entry – even send an email – we need to get to the heart of the matter and communicate our idea efficiently and effectively.

It's something we consider with every project we create, and every one is a challenge.