In this issue:

- Digital Productions to launch new TVC production service.

- Multi-multi-multi award winning writer buddies up with the team.

- Why successful web videos don’t have to be global, viral sensation.

- Websites and Google replacing Yellow Pages.

Digital Productions to launch new TVC production service.

Since starting up as a web and online focused AV production facility in 2006, we’ve always kept in mind the need to develop into a full service facility.  September sees Digital Productions launch its television commercial service with the completion of two TVC’s for EzyCash Loans.

The 15 and 30 second commercials are graphic heavy, as the outlets are still going through a bit of a make over – but the new, clean brand image is clearly displayed, plus the overall feel delivers a clear message that the team at EzyCash Loans are the good guys of pawnbroking.

With the recession, SME’s and individuals are finding funding from traditional bank services drying up, so the pawn broking industry is gearing up. Nearly 50 percent of loans in the US are now from non traditional bank services – and so EzyCash Loans are giving their business a serious make over and are looking to develop the brand with television advertising playing a key role.

Having our own filming and editing facilities all under one roof enable Digital Productions to offer quality TVC production, for a reasonable budget.

Contact us now for a quote on your next TVC.

Multi-multi-multi award winning writer buddies up with the team.

With Digital Productions finding itself stretched in so many ways by the evolving use of online media, it’s darn handy to find a darn good writer – who’s a darn good bloke to boot and get him to join the darn team!  Introducing multi-multi-multi award winning writer and creative type – John Ferriss.   (Yes he merits multi-multi’s). John is now available to step in and take those creative brief’s by the horns.  As an independent creative who runs his own service – Windup Bird, John is now contracted by Digital Productions to help cover the expanding work load.  Send in those briefs now! Contact us.

Why a great web video doesn’t have to be a global sensation.

It seems that everyday we hear reference to one online video or another.  It is fascinating to see how these spread as an electronic AV virus around the world. The content is usually in reference to some performance, political gaffe or such, and occasionally a commercial, specifically made for the internet – promoting a large brand in a risqué clip.

The key element for many of these video snippets is entertainment – they are brief moments of time out from our day.   Businesses are increasingly incorporating a plan to make the most of the potential that online video presents.  It is an ideal medium to spread the word of a product or service.

However, the key element that is often forgotten is the craft of story telling, and applying some standard creative smarts.

For a business website, you don’t have to make entertainment a priority – someone who logs onto your website is already interested in your product or service, take this as a given.  How long they stay on your site will be directly related to how well you tell your story.  How impressed they are – or how it impacts upon their perception of your brand, product or service will probably be in the style of delivery.

Whilst we can all look to trying to create the next global, online, viral video sensation, it’s probably best to start with some standard video content on your website – then look to flex the creative muscle.  Remember – if you do drive a wave of traffic to your site – make sure it’s up to date and has plenty of video content already on it.

Looking at a specific example, several years ago we had a client come to us with a viral video marketing idea.  The concept was to use one of their spa pools in a stunt – film it and put it online.

The outcome would be a lot of irrelevant traffic, and a broken spa.  There was also the obvious idea of filming bikini clad bodies frolicking in said tub, and how that would draw a crowd.  But it would be the wrong crowd.  Upon investigation it was found that the key purchase decision maker was the wife or partner and typically they were couples, 30 to 49 years of age.

So with this in mind, and as they were on a tight budget, we decided to do a traditional, interview style video, with cut away shots. Simple enough, but we added a twist, the interview was conducted in the spa!

As an example of a “who we are and what we do” type video, this is still one of my favourites. The forum is engaging, informative and there’s just enough humour to entertain.  Best of all, it was a very simple and inexpensive production.  And after three years the video is as relevant today as it was the day we shot it, excellent value!  See www.formeleisure.co.nz

Whilst there’s no doubt that practically every business will benefit from joining the video revolution, how well video works for you will come down to having a good website video strategy, and telling your story well.  To have your story told with a web video – contact us today.

Websites and Google replacing Yellow Pages.

You don’t have to be particularly observant to notice a change in the use of the stalwart of small business marketing – the Yellow Pages.

Whilst the attached picture provides a visual reference to the trend (shows the 2010 directory as being about 15% thinner than 08),  the online data backs it up even more.  There is a steady stream of research, reports and announcements promoting how print based, classified type advertising, including the Yellow Pages, has been hit hard by the swing towards online search services and in particular – Google.

Most of us who go online use a search engine every day to find everything from aborist’s to zoo’s.  And why wouldn’t you?  Just type in the key word of a product or service you are after and generally, click – there’s your answer.  However many of the businesses that benefited the most from Yellow Pages advertising are missing out on this quick and low cost marketing opportunity as their prospective customers struggle to find them, particularly if they are a smaller, local service.

The first reason is that many small businesses still don’t have a website.  And many that do have a site are not covering the basics of search engine optimisation.  At the least you should ensure you clearly display your catchment area suburb by suburb, not only on the site but also in your key words and tags.  It is also a common theme with sites to have a separate “contact” page.  This is still important – but so is putting your key contact details, in particular your contact phone number/s clearly at the top of the page.

Often people are just looking for your website as a quick solution to getting your phone contact – and it becomes a very frustrating process if they find themselves having to troll through pages to find it.

Ideally your business is in both the Yellow Pages and has its own website – but with use of the Yellow Pages dropping off, it may be that you need to seriously review how well your business stacks up when it comes up ( or not) on Google or other search engines.  For a free SEO audit on your business – Contact us.

Digital Productions nominated for 2010 People’s Choice Awards, New Zealand’s largest conference and event awards programme

A big thank you to the client who put forward our nomination for the category of “Best video production” for this years conference and event awards. Our nomination is based on grading for positive feedback, qualifications and industry merit and the highest standard of customer service. The team at Digital Productions work hard and take pride in the work we do for our clients – and award or not, will always do the best we can. So, to help us keep up with the good work – please click below and vote for us!

Three conferences and an RFP

It’s been a busy month with conference bookings for live, big screen feeds plus recording the event for later distribution via online and DVD. If your company is looking to stage a conference, contact us for a competitive quote for a video feed to the big screen, and prices for editing into DVD’s and hosting online segments.

Interview special takes off

Conferences aside, Digital Productions special offer for interviews has proven very popular. The demand for well priced, professionally filmed and edited interviews and short segments to camera has allowed us to streamline this service – and a big thumbs up to Sovereign Insurance, with Sovereign Insider making great use of this facility. Have a look at their website to get a few ideas for your business, then book your interview from $599.00 ex gst.

http://www.sovereigninsider.co.nz/Video-List.aspx

Recently, a fairly decent sized RFP from a very large international company, saw a leading New Zealand computer and IT support brand contract Digital Productions with a specialised video demonstration brief. We can’t yet say who the company was, but the feedback we have received was that the video component played a critical part in the presentation’s success. So, for your next RFP, rather than tell them – show them! Contact us for a quote for a video component to your next business presentation.

Coming up: Keep watching for the launch of a new web channel, news of a short film and more.

Keep it online!

Cheers

The Team at Digital Productions.

The iPad – better to wait for version two?

Whilst Apple are reveling in all the hype of the iPad, and it’s sales success (or over-success for those on wait lists), poor old Microsoft and Fujitsu must be scratching their heads, wondering what they did wrong.
You see – the concept of a table PC has been around for quite some time – in fact I was the proud owner of a Fujitsu tablet PC way back around 2003.

The Fujitsu Stylistic was an awesome machine.  Whilst it was a little bigger, and a little heavier than the iPad, it was overall, I believe, a better machine because it had one function the iPad does not; a writing tool.

With its stylistic pen, I could call up a conventional A4 lined writing pad and scribble notes to my hearts content – and never run out of paper.

Best of all, I could review back over years of notes and easily find the page I was looking for.  I had researched thoroughly, and the Fujitsu model had the best overall reviews for writing functionality – and my personal experience was it lived up to and even exceeded its billings.

When some lowlife broke into my car and stole the tablet – it proved impossible to replace (stock not available anywhere due to low sales). So when I finally replaced it with an HP laptop with swivel screen -was not too surprised to find that their model performed poorly for stylistic writing.  Actually that’s an understatement – it was so useless that I gave up on this feature.

For the iPad not to have a quality writing feature is a very large oversight.  With this simple function it would become irreplaceable in every business persons folio – and the iPad could then not only threaten books, but would jeopardise sales of A4 writing paper world wide.  A real “save the trees/planet” marketing opportunity missed.

Microsoft and Fujitsu must be wondering about the fadnatisim type sales the iPad is experiencing despite its shortcomings – guess it was just that the tablet PC put out by them wasn’t looking cool.

So the door remains open to them to take the new wave of tablet acceptance, and come back fighting with a relaunch of a modernised version of their functional model.  But should Apple get the feedback that I believe they will, and load a writing tool into the next generation of iPads – their market share lead would leave tablet PC’s in a very low runners up position, probably forever…

As YouTube celebrates its 5th Birthday, and online video content evolves, the case for web based business video is compelling, if not conclusive: Online video is booming, globally, 16 billion videos are viewed every month – and online video is showing strengths to rival, and even exceed that of television.

International studies have shown that after viewing online video;

• 55% of respondents indicated they checked out the web site.
• 30% said they went to the store
• 24% made a purchase.

(Data reported by Kelsey Group USA)

• 52% of viewers took action after viewing a video ad
• 28% looked for more information on the product or service
• 16% purchased something

(Data reported by Marketing Sherpa)

• Conversions from site visitors to sales improve by 15%

(As reported by Internet Retailer)

Video provides powerful search benefits. Video is 50 times more likely than a text page on the same topic to appear on Google’s first page of search engines.

And as YouTube is now the number two search engine in the world – it is clear that searchers are turning to video for answers. And whilst the majority of viewers of YouTube videos click out in the first minute – more than 70% of authentic business profiles are viewed to the end.

With the development of more affordable editing facilities, the cost of having a professional video filmed and edited are a fraction of what they were before YouTube was formed. Tell your business story – and get more sales today! Contact Anthony at Digital Productions on 021 678 799, or 09 360 0511

Digital Productions

If improving your websites look, effectiveness, and Google ranking is on your list of things to do for 2010, then having video on your site is a must do.

Whilst the communication benefits of video have been promoted for decades, and more so since the first video content was posted on the internet, the case supporting the use of video on most business websites from a cost/return perspective has only just been settled as we start the new decade.

This year – online video content will evolve from its perception as an entertainment and communication fad, and develop to establish the medium globally as a full blown entertainment channel – and a must have feature for every business website.

Whilst Google is the worlds most used search engine, it is no surprise that YouTube, also owned by Google, is the second most used.  Back in 2007, such was the perceived value in online video that Google purchased YouTube for about 1.5 billion USD.

When looking to develop your sites search engine optimisation, it appears that Google now rank video higher than audio podcasts and blogs.  This fact alone is a compelling case for website video. Even more compelling, is the fact that Google now translates the voice track on a video into searchable text.  In other words – what you say on your video can now impact directly on its potential to rank as a stand alone result in a related search.  This could result in the video alone drawing users to your web site.

There is also data that also suggests you should have more than just the one video, especially if it’s on your home page.  It would appear that Google defaults home page videos as promotional, and videos on secondary pages as informational.  So, whilst a home page video is an excellent facility for providing an overview of your business and what you do, which is important, so too is the use of a more specific, informational video loaded further within your site.

To date the case for a website video has been very much bundled around the communication strengths that an AV presentation provides.  Now, the data is compelling.  Anyone interested in increasing traffic to their website should be planning their web video marketing now.  The key thereafter is to ensure what users see is relevant, and of a quality that backs up your business or service.  In this fickle age of online consumerism, when it comes to web video – the viewer can be very quick to change channel if they are not happy!

Welcome to Issue 2 of The Digital Age – your regular upload for all things for download. The Digital Age is published by Digital Productions Limited, your online, web video specialists. We have a quick look at Ziln, who launched last night with 23 different web channels. And if you thought your week was busy, take a look at the week that is for TUANZ. And for those of you who enjoy distracting their day with a bit of video, check out our popular links to web videos that you may find entertaining!

Welcome to the Digital Age!

Check out our website at www.digitalproductions.co.nz or visit our YouTube page: www.youtube.co.nz/digbrand/

This issue:

• Online TV gets a big boost with the launch of Ziln
• A big week for TUANZ
• Our web picks

Please do not adjust your set – Ziln has launched.

Convergence of television and the internet took a step closer last night with the launch of Ziln (www.ziln.co.nz ) an online webcaster providing 23 different web content channels. Internet video watchers have just had their choice increased dramatically with Ziln’s offerings, which include international news channels, language channels and nine channels of local content. This local content; an extreme sports channel, outdoor channel, travel channel – the list goes on, is where the opportunity for solid viewer numbers to be clocked up, providing Ziln with the sort of statistics that appeal to advertisers.

One of the problems encountered when one online optimist conducts an interview with another, is how the conversation spirals out of control and into the realm of all the things that could be – and this interview was certainly one of those! Having said that, Ziln are targeting some very pragmatic viewer numbers (100 000 per month), so there are some solid reality checks along the way.

Director Gresham Bradley agrees that with the launch of Ziln, they are entering into some unchartered waters, but they have the industry experience and smarts to make the most of the new opportunities online video provides. Ziln evolved from E-Cast, an online educational platform that is actually the backbone to a lot of the IT support Ziln relies on. There’s no doubt that the people behind Ziln know what works with the hosting and download/streaming of video content – but the business of providing content to the public can be fickle even for the broadcasters that have decades of experience.

Initially content will also be a challenge – Bradley admits that some channels will start up very light on content, but sees this as an opportunity to get a lot of good material gathering dust on shelves back out into an on demand arena – a perfect example will be the Archives New Zealand Channel. Other channels will provide opportunity for more local content to be produced and viewed, but funding could be an issue – perhaps more so with a smaller start up audience. Regardless of the many challenges, the opportunity is overall far greater, and worth public support at every level – so, make sure you check out Ziln and pass the word around, the world wide web just got a lot more interesting.

Big week for TUANZ

“Surely Mr Newman has something to say this week for his video blog” we asked of Louis Van Wyk, communication and marketing manager for TUANZ.

Whilst he agreed Ernie had plenty he wanted to say – this is a big week for TUANZ, with After 5 Networking events in Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland. Mr Newman is also at a two day conference in Wellington on mobile termination rates, plus there is the Innovation Awards on Thursday night, followed by a board meeting on Friday. So yes, a bit busy this week – so we will plug Ernie’s last video blog on termination rates – click here to view.

YouTube Favourite Videos

Paradise Cove Vanuatu

A tropical setting, unlike any other… stunning white sands… turquoise waters, lush, tropical bush… An idyllic, waterfront estate… private, spacious… luxurious…

Check out Digital Productions recent property video done for the stunning Paradise Cove estate. Plus over 75% of the site visitors (www.paradisecove.co.nz) viewed the video.

Welcome to Issue 1 of The Digital Age – your regular upload for all things for download. The Digital Age is published by Digital Productions Limited, your online, web video specialists. We kick off with a little crystal ball gazing, and look at how the internet will integrate more with our daily lives. There’s also a few links to web videos that you may find entertaining!

So welcome to the Digital Age!

Check out our website at www.digitalproductions.co.nz or visit our YouTube page: www.youtube.co.nz/digbrand/

This issue:

• News
• YouTube favourites
• Editorial comment: Web on TV, the shape of things to come
• Online video viewing in New Zealand on the rise

News!

The launch of 2 degrees raises prospect of multiple mobile phones per user. With their launch this week, the challenge faced by the highly communicative public of New Zealand, is highlighted by Ernie Newman from TUANZ (click here to view video).

Window 7 left open. It’s happening to the movies, it’s crippled the music industry, and it’s happened to Microsoft, who have confirmed a Windows 7 “Special Product Key” has been leaked. Apparently Microsoft plan to trace any computers using the errant product key number, and will prompt the user directly to give themselves up! Or the software at least, but you can’t help but wonder when some headline grabbing prosecutions are going to appear just like the recent music download cases.

Is this rumour on Twitter yet? Word has it that Google, owners of web video phenomena YouTube (see article below), at whittering sweet something’s into the ear of twitter…stay twuned.

Local website launches Charity self help website. With all the recent, well deserved, negative publicity about the call centre donation – I almost said scam, but, lets call it expensive donation drives – the door is wide open for services like Gift Aid (www.giftaid.co.nz). This is a self help type website and provides a conduit for people to donate to a preferred charity. It also helps charities to promote their cause and generates donation support at a fraction of the costs of the telemarketing model. Gift Aid is run by Richard and Louise Peters and free for any charity to sign up to.

United Statslooking at nationwide ban on texting and mobile phone use whilst driving. Still a hot topic here –and no doubt will remain one is the issue of texting whilst driving. In the US they are looking at imposing a nationwide ban on the practice – but, looking at California, which has banned texting whilst driving since the beginning of the year, enforcement is the issue. Very few tickets are written for driving whilst text, it appears the activity is fairly easy to conceal…

(News items lifted from a variety of sources, free from the www).

YouTube Favourite Videos

Web on TV, the shape of things to come.

Every day, many of us will be on the internet. And one of the functions which we will perform will be to make an online search for a keyword or phrase. In fact, of the over one billion people on line, half will conduct a search function every day, and of these, a significant majority use Google.

Increasingly though, with the phenomenal growth in the volume of online video, searchers are finding answers to their questions in a video, rather than a text based result. Type any word or phrase into the video website YouTube, as you would with Google, and you will often find multiple videos of your search topic.

Videos, video podcasts and video blogs are the next phase of the digital revolution. That’s probably why Google paid a just over one and a half billion for YouTube in 2007. And at that time they were already looking beyond computer users.

Convergence of online video with television, whilst still sluggish, is set to expand at a pace that mirrors the explosive growth of video content online. Both the upload of web video and download of video from the internet have increased at astronomical rates since 2006. YouTube went from 10 million video clips downloaded daily in 2007, to 100 million daily video downloads in 2008. Upload of video content to YouTube is currently at 20 hours loaded every minute. And with the launch of the new iPod, there was an increase of 400 percent in the upload of video content from mobile phones. In fact, mobile phone video is set to become the largest single source of video footage, world wide.

With this volume of video content, the world is not going to accept watching video on the laptop or desktop – hence the fast tracking of integrated television with the internet.

YouTube is set to become for entertainment and “infortainment” what Google is for sourcing information by key word or phrase. Whilst the video content on YouTube is currently limited in duration, with broadcast rights to MGM Films, and more agreements on the way, the site is preparing itself to be the global default supplier of online video content.

And with Google now looking to take on Microsoft, developing an operating system of its own, it will soon be ready to advance the battle from a bit of a digital revolution, to online and live global domination.

In the meantime, the next stage of the digital revolution may very well be the convergence of YouTube or other live video linking websites.

Whilst our time online is already very high, with convergence of the internet and television, the potential is there to spend more of our time online than in any other activity – bar sleeping (if only just).

Very soon, our television viewing may be as follows;

Imagine after returning home from work, you will not switch on television, instead you will “log in” to the TV, and the default window, or channel menu, will most probably be YouTube.

You decide to watch a sporting event, and upon entering the sport name in the search bar of YouTube, find yourself presented with dozens, if not hundreds of options of video content, ranging from films, to professional production, to homemade documentaries.

Having selected your preference of online video entertainment, you settle comfortably back in the couch with a cold one. Then, mid game – the Skype icon flashes up, you hit pause and have a video call, face to face with a friend, who may just be watching the same thing – because they logged on and saw what you were viewing.

At the end of the call, the video resumes – or perhaps you chose to split the screen and watched the game and had a chat simultaneously – the options, like the internet, are practically limitless.

The video revolution is not just limited to entertainment. Online education via stored and live video will become a standard format. Online surgery using live video links, online driving lessons – linking virtual cars to video screens, online pizza orders – where you get to see the ingredients going onto your pizza in real time, all aspects of our everyday lives are going to become digital video.

And whilst we are getting our heads around the current online video revolution, its implications and potential, what is really mind boggling is that the founder of the internet, Tim Berners-Lee, has said that so far we have only seen about five percent of what the net can deliver.

Up and up and up…online viewing in New Zealand on the rise.

Research shows that we are watching far more online content than you would think, and with online movies, TV shows and even homemade documentaries becoming more prominent the stats are just going to go up and up…

A study conducted by AUT shows;

Of the 78 percent of New Zealanders who use the internet:

• 66 percent have broadband
• 77 percent check their email every day
• 28 percent use social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook
• 25 percent have made a friend online, and half of those have gone on to meet an online friend in person
• 13 percent maintain their own website
• 10 percent have a blog

The study data as announced by AUT’s Dr Cole, concluded that New Zealand’s internet use compared very well with other countries, with New Zealanders reporting the highest internet penetration of any country surveyed this year. The internet was rated above television, radio, newspapers and other people as a source of information.

Researchers at AUT University asked 1430 people about their internet use as part of the World internet Project, a California-run initiative that tracks how people around the world use the internet. The AUT study showed broadband access was better for younger, wealthier and urban-dwelling New Zealanders than for older or poorer people, or those in rural areas.

The survey highlighted the impact the internet is increasingly having as a source of video entertainment. Sixty-one percent of New Zealand respondents said they used a website service to watch videos while only 47 percent downloaded music.

Furthermore, a survey commissioned last year by network technology company Cisco, highlighted that New Zealanders with broadband connections spend much more time surfing the net than watching TV. Those who do have high-speed access are spending an average of 22 hours a week online, compared with 14 hours watching TV. This trend will be expected to accelerate as broadband speeds pick up and content improves. Whilst these stats are impressive, this research is already somewhat outdated, so expect to see new trends and social websites come online with the likes of twitter and whatever else is just around the corner.