Disney Video Is An Obvious Win

May 16, 2012 By Leave a Comment

disney-video-betaFile under: Why did this take so long. Disney has released a portal site for kid-friendly video. Obviously, Disney itself has a huge wealth of content to draw from but they also include a nicely curated YouTube section. This alone could be a Godsend for parents who are worried about letting their kids loose on the unrestricted YouTube.

For young people nothing is hotter than video these days so this site makes so much sense for Disney. It’s a great example of a large brand using elements of the social net to great effect. The only thing I see missing are links to purchase the source content. The Disney Video site is a place I can see kids spending a lot of time on which keeps them connected and engaged with the brand.

Filed Under: Blog, Video Tagged With: , , ,

Google Hangouts On Air Challenges Ustream.tv And Others

May 11, 2012 By Leave a Comment

hangouts-on-airUntil now, Ustream..tv has been the king of online streaming video. The Ustream platform has been solid for years and, for the most part, devoid of serious challengers. Until now. Enter Google.

This week Google launched Hangouts On Air for all of it’s Google+ users. Hangouts are online video chats for the Google+ social network. Until now, Hangouts were limited to 10 participants and video chats were not recorded for later viewing. Hangouts On Air provides a true live broadcasting capability with virtually unlimited viewers and in addition, Hangouts are recorded and posted to YouTube for viewing later. This puts Hangouts on par with other broadcasting systems like Ustream and Justin.tv. Of course Ustream.tv has more features, a more mature platform and user base, but whenever a giant fish jumps into a small pond, it’s going to create big splash. Another big advantage for Google, Hangouts On Air are already connected to your growing social network on Google, whereas Ustream.tv does not have nearly the social network features.

What all this means for your business is video continues to grow in new and different ways. It’s a force you will not be able to avoid soon. What kind of video content could your business provide on these platforms?

Filed Under: Blog, Social Networks, Video Tagged With: , , , , ,

Goodbye Neighborhood Video Rental Store

March 21, 2010 By

It used to be we had small neighborhood mom and pop video rental stores. That gave way to the large, big box, mega retailers like Hollywood Video and Blockbuster. Hollywood Video is in Chapter 11 and now Blockbuster is hanging by a thread. Netflix was the first nail in the coffin. Now there is iTunes, Amazon.com, Boxee, and Roku among others. There’s just to need to drag yourself down to a Blockbuster and put up with their silly return rules, let alone hoping the title you want is even available.

RedBox has been a massive hit without large stores because they put their vending machines where people already are, like the supermarket. No extra trip or hassle required. And at $1 a movie, Blockbuster doesn’t stand a chance. It’s interesting that Blockbuster has watched all this go on in the past few years but has not been able to do much of anything about it. They’ve experimented with a few things, but halfheartedly and they have been failures. Someone at corporate didn’t want to hurt the mainline retail business, which was really bad strategy because that business is dead now anyway and they have nothing to show for it.

Blockbuster has misread and misunderstood most every new business reality of the digital age. There CEO talks a good game but somehow I doubt they will have the boldness and smarts to actually do what it takes to catch up. The only thing they have going for themselves is a still strong brand name. If they can just find the guts to capitalize on it.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Filed Under: Blog, Marketing, Technology, Video Tagged With: , , , ,

A Connected World TV From Vizio

July 8, 2009 By

No, it’s not my new video podcast, but an actual hdtv from Vizio with build in wifi networking. The so-called digital convergence has been talked about for years, but here is the first product I have seen that might actually make it a reality. The Television has built in wireless networking and support for Blockbuster, Netflix, Pandora, Amazon Video and an open architecture that will allow for future upgrades and additional services. It even has a remote control with a QUERTY keyboard. Large media companies are in fits over services like Hulu and Boxee but clearly pandoras box has been opened and this kind of connectivity between the Internet and common devices like a television is where things are going. It shouldn’t matter so much to the big media companies, however, as they should realize their bread and butter is the content not the delivery mechanism. The real problem is the incredibly complex and integrated businesses and licensing model this is all based on. Like many other business models, this one is going to have to be completely deconstructed and rebuilt from scratch for the new connected world.

So the question we always want to answer here at Connected World Media, what does this mean to your business? It means the world of the big screen TV may be opening up for you. In the past there was virtually no way anybody but the largest businesses with the most money could get onto television. TV advertising is just too expensive for most businesses. But now, the TV is open to the Internet and services that nearly any business can participate in. Already there is opportunity with YouTube as Apple TV will show those videos. I can’t imagine it won’t be too long before the Vizio connected TV starts supporting YouTube and possibly other Internet video services. You could develop a Boxee application and gain access via that route. Bottom line, there are effective and inexpensive ways for your company, your brand to get onto peoples big screen TV’s. But don’t hit them with the same old garbage from your marketing department (sorry marketeers). You had better be engaging, relevant and entertaining.

Filed Under: Blog, Technology, Video Tagged With: , , , , , ,

YouTube and Apple: Together We'll Take Over The World

July 1, 2009 By

Well the online video world at least. The latest statistics on the new iPhone 3GS and YouTube are staggering. The iPhone has a history of taking something that has been around for awhile on other mobile phones and blasting it into the mainstream. Browsing the web was nothing new on a mobile phone when the iPhone was launched, but Apple took it to such a level and made it so easy and fun to do, mobile web traffic has exploded since. Now it’s happening with video. Nokia phones especially have always been great for taking video, but it has taken the new iPhone 3GS with it’s built in video capabilities to make it massively popular. Again, Apple takes mobile video to the next level by allowing simple on phone editing and super simple distribution to YouTube. I’ve always thought mobile video was going to be the next big thing and it looks like the new iPhone is going to confirm that thought.

What does it mean for your business? All this new video is going to drive more people to YouTube to watch. It will solidify YouTube’s dominance in the online video world. If you are doing any kind of video for your company and you do not have a YouTube channel yet, you are passing up a massive opportunity. You simply cannot afford not to be on YouTube. You should also be watching and monitoring YouYube for videos about your company or your industry. What are people saying, what are they thinking? This is the best market research/customer opinion lab you have ever had. You may not like all the content, but you had better pay attention and be ready to respond and engage.

What kind of opportunities are you giving your customers, your raving fans to share their videos? Maybe you should share the best YouTube videos on your main website. What other ways can you encourage people to create good video content about your company? These are the kinds of things you should be brainstorming with your social media consultant. Don’t have one? You might want to give me a call, I’m happy to help.

Filed Under: Blog, Mobile Computing, Video Tagged With: , , , ,

An Overview of Online Video Services

June 23, 2009 By

I’ve been experimenting with video more, as you can see by my Connected World TV episodes. I am learning on the fly and there is a lot to learn, so again I thank you for your patience. Part of the learning curve is determining how to distribute video on the Internet . There are a vast array of services that you can post your video to, all with their own particular advantages and disadvantages. Here I offer you an overview of some of the more popular sites.

YouTube is the granddaddy of them all and is an important platform to be on because that’s where the numbers are. YouTube has far and away the largest numbers of viewers. I don’t think you an afford to avoid YouTube under any circumstances. YouTube is also compatible with both Apple TV and the iPhone so there is another large and growing channel.  The video quality is decent, maybe not quite as good as other services, but the HD video looks on par to me. YouTube also makes it super easy to post videos to your blog and has a customizable player.

Viddler is another good site with some unique features. Video quality on Viddler is very good and the real draw is the built in ability to overlay your own logo onto the video. This custom branding of videos is very desirable for any brand.

Blip.tv has very good video as well and it’s unique feature is that it can convert video into multiple formats at one time. Upon uploading of a video it will crate a Flash video and, if you choose, an iPod compatible version. Blip also has some mild personal branding of their player but nothing as good as Viddler. Blip has very good sharing, allowing you to post your videos to your blog and even to Facebook.

Vimeo is a popular site with some because it’s video quality may be the best of all. I have not used Vimeo much at all and it appears to be somewhat limited in it’s capability other than excellent video.

An important thing to remember are the upload restrictions when dealing with these general purpose video sites. YouTube is pretty generous but has as limit of 10min. Viddler and Blip have decent limits and Vimeo has the most restrictive. HD uploading is sometimes different than non-HD video. Many of these sites will allow you to upgrade your limits with a premium paid account. Check each site for details.

Ustream is a good platform if you are going to be doing live broadcasting. Ustream is strictly a live platform. You don’t upload pre-recorded videos although any live videos you to shoot are saved to the service for viewing later. Among the live broadcast services, Ustream has the largest audience and a good set of tools, including an interactive chat room along side your video. Ustream doesn’t have a strong mobile client yet but for shooting with a built in webcam, it works well.

Qik is a specialized service for cell phones and is an amazing live mobile video service. It works really well from a jailbroken iPhone and you can even view Qik videos from a special iPhone web page. There are also Qik clients for many other cell phones including most modern Nokia phones. I use Qik for all my live mobile video.

Seesmic is a special case. Seesmic is really for video “conversation”. Videos on Seesmic are usually recorded by webcam and are very short. You might think of Seesmic as the Twitter of video. People watch videos and often start conversations with videos going back and forth, all in a public stream. The problem with Seesmic is it’s a walled garden. Inside Seesmic, you can meet good people and have interesting conversations, but video from Seesmic rarely gets outside of Seesmic. It’s a very limited audience. The other big problem with Seesmic is it can take a great deal of time to view all the videos in a conversation. A 5 video thread with each participant talking for 2 min would take 10 min of time to view. And that’s just one conversation. I don’t use Seesmic anymore as I don’t have time to view and respond to all the videos. Conversation on Twitter is faster and more efficient. Seesmic is an interesting idea, but I don’t think it’s going anywhere.

That is a somewhat technical overview but, of course, the other shoe to drop is what do you actually do with these services? How does this help my business? Stay tuned, the answers are forthcoming.

Filed Under: Blog, Video Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Dominos YouTube Disaster

April 18, 2009 By

From the past post, we learned how damaging video can be to a brand online. What’s even worse, is when employees do it to their own company. This video, originally posted to YouTube and since taken down, features two Dominos employees in North Carolina doing disgusting things to the food during preparation. They thought this was very funny and posted it to YouTube. A marketing nightmare.

Fortunately for Dominos, someone notified them of the video and they took quick action to get it taken down. They also did a great thing by putting their president on video with a response, also posted to YouTube. The president is great in this video. He is serious, a little angry and authentic. Domoinos did well limiting this disaster but it brings up several points.

  • Brand monitoring: It was very fortunate that someone notified Dominos of the video, but Dominos should have been monitoring social media sites themselves. They might have been able to catch the video even faster.
  • Training: It is now critical to train all employees on the use of social media while at work and while not at work if it involves the company at all. Sensible guidelines for all employees will help safeguard employees and the company.
  • Speed and Transparency: The big lesson here is the speed of response and the transparency and open honesty. Dominos did not try to hide anything that happened or sugar coat it in any way. They dealt with things head on.

Filed Under: Blog, Marketing, Video Tagged With: , ,

Offline Marketing Mistakes Amplified Online

April 17, 2009 By

One of the many effects of social media is to amplify things. Your successes can become bigger and your failures can become disasters. Pepsi ran a promotion with the New York Yankees that involved giving away baseball tickets along with Pepsi gear. They promoted 200 tickets were to be given away. Hundreds of people lined up and waited for hours upon hours. When only 100 tickets were actually available, the crowd went crazy, chanting Pepsi sucks and throughing Pepsi cans in the gutter.

This campaign was completely offline but has been dramatically effected by online as this video is now on the net and making the rounds. You couldn’t ask for a more damaging spectacle. Pepsi, for their part has admitted they completely blew it and are trying to make amends, but the damage is done and thanks to the Long Tail of the Internet, this video will live on for a long time.

Filed Under: Blog, Marketing, New Media, Video Tagged With: , , , ,

Hulu, Boxee and the Future of Internet TV

February 19, 2009 By

Hulu is the newest and best place on the Internet to watch TV programs, but they are pulling out of the innovative Boxee software service that runs on PC, Mac and Apple TV. What it all means for Internet video and the future of television.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Filed Under: Audio, Podcast, Video Tagged With: , , , ,

The Communal Inauguration

January 22, 2009 By

CNN/FacebookDespite claims to the contrary, new media does not herald the death of old media, not necessarily. When done right, new media can greatly enhance old media. Case in point was the job CNN and Facebook did teaming up to cover the Obama inauguration in a way never seen before. You could watch a live stream of the CNN television coverage and on the same screen be live chatting with Facebook friends. This was an amazing new way to experience a live television event. It felt like a communal experience, even though my Facebook friends are spread out around the world. It was also a textbook example of new and old media blending together, both enhanced by the strength of the other. This was the true power of possibility for the future.

I can imagine lots of other great applications of this kind of blend. How about the Super Bowl? How about The Oscars or your favorite tv show? Can you imagine the producers of Lost getting realtime reactions and feedback from their audience as they show is airing? Want to bring people back to the live show and stop them from watching on Tivo? Make the live experience unique and exciting, something you cannot get on Tivo.

The CNN/Facebook experiment was a watershed event with far reaching implications. I have been very impressed with CNN lately and their progressive use of new meida. They were the first network to use Twitter to interact with their news audience during broadcasts.

Filed Under: Blog, Technology, Video Tagged With: , , ,
« Older Posts