To film or not to film...

Being at the forefront of creating video content for brands to help them communicate with consumers is both exciting and frustrating.


I have blogged before about the dangers of launching yourself on this discipline without due care and attention (not to mention expertise).


Brands are embracing this 'new' discipline with ever more fervour which is good but there is a danger here of ignoring opportunities that are literally right under their noses.....



When I meet a new client they often tell me that they have no idea how they are going to get to grips with producing branded content, much less distribute it digitally.


They seem to believe that in order to get involved they must start from scratch in this 'new' genre  but brands have been producing branded content for some time now, they just don't know it!




I'm talking about anything that is staged in the brand's name. That could include  events, press conferences, TV commercials, CSR initiatives, Video News Releases even webcasts.


All of these are  established as brand activities and yet they are not often filmed with a clear strategy in mind. They are often an afterthought, essentially a record of events and not used as the basis for  producing engaging and distributable content that delivers substantial viewing and even direct calls to action on a large scale.




With a bit of care and attention you can create an extension to your existing campaign while developing a long term communication strategy with your audience that sits nicely alongside your existing efforts.


You could turn a PR event into a viral sensation, a VNR into a guaranteed editorial hit or even a dry web chat into a global marketing campaign.



Combine editorial know how with the ability to create real entertainment. Utilise an online distribution strategy that covers pure editorial, social media and viral networks and you'll have the keys to unlocking your online video content potential.




It's all about producing things that people will want to watch, very simple  in theory and yet not quite so easy in practice!

Bumptop swallowed up by Google

I have really enjoyed going to presentations over the last year. Not just because I am a pitching machine who loves the thrill of the chase (although I am of course) but because every time I open my Macbook, the other guys/girls in the room say....

"Ooh. what's that?"

It is of course my desktop as completely revolutionised by Bumptop. For those of you who are not aware of this superb application it is a 3d realised version of a 'real' desktop which allows you to view your desktop files in a more human, ergonomic way.

You can personalise your workspace, arrange file icons, make piles and throw them round the desktop. You can make individual file icons bigger and smaller. Files' movement are governed by the physics of their size. You can stick them on walls, label them...oh it's fantastic.

See it for yourself here



It has changed the way I use my Mac.I only realised how much when it accidentally closed last week and I was left with my old fashioned desktop with row upon row of faceless files. I felt as if I'd been transferred to cold war Berlin, I was so depressed. If I was ever to lose Bumptop I would be bereft.

So I thought I'd blog about how good it was and get others to feel the benefit and then I found out that Google have just bought the company!

The reporting on this out there is a little bit ambiguous but it seems that you will not be able to download it anymore and there wont be any more updates for it.

I can only assume this is because Google are deciding what to do with the technology as they surely must have plans for it?

I am sad on two counts...

1) that the technology that has genuinely changed my way of working more than any other application might be gone forever.

2) That Google, in buying this cute little piece of work is now going to make it visible to everyone and they'll all buy it and then I wont feel like a cool early adopter in meetings anymore!

Customer Experience going backwards

Posted via email from oliversrussell's posterous

At The Big Shot we spend our time evangelising about content as a means for brands to engage with their audiences.

We tell our clients that by treating their audiences well in this area they will see results in positive awareness and ultimately in tangible results whether that be registrations, views or direct sales.

 It's a very powerful form of customer communication and it's great that brands are really embracing this exciting area of marketing.

I am getting rather concerned that while brands are adopting this relatively new area of customer engagement with open arms that some might be falling short of communicating in the same way in other areas of their CRM.

Linked in - A rather complicated Business Card exchange?

At the outset let me say this is not yet another guide to getting the most out of Linkedin - you know the ones....


"first find a picture that reflects you. It mustn't be too serious but also not too frivolous. This is a serious business networking tool after all".....hmm.....yes well I guess the site has to cater for all sorts of people and on that note I've noticed that they seem to be divided into certain types.