Conversations start with something interesting to say delivered in an interesting way

By racetalk

To recap, this is where marketing communications has got to go…

Interruption marketing (stop right there for 30 seconds while I hit you with this message even if this message is totally irrelevant to you) is dead.

Your brand and reputation is defined by everyone’s experiences with your organisation and their compulsion to share those experiences with others.

You simply have no choice, you have to converse. Dialogue is where it’s at. If you’re into monologue, then it really is the same thing as staying at home and still thinking you’ll get the girl.

So I thought I’d focus here on how to present your conversation starter rather than the content per se.

Multimedia engagement is one of the most compelling and interesting ways to start a conversation about something interesting. Just think what’s grabbed your attention online recently. The 30-second TV ad may be as relevant today as monetary policy, but the 300-second roll on the Web is perfect for the niche audience out there with whom you really want to engage and who really wants to know more about what you’ve got.

So what kind of multimedia are we talking? How can we spark the conversation by communicating the really interesting thing we have to say in an interesting way? There’s no formula (that I know of!), but here’s a couple of my favourites to stimulate your “PR 2.0″ synapses, one film and one animation. I’ll follow up this post some time soon with my favourite interactive-game-with-a-point-to-make and call-to-action-social-microsite.

Unfortunately, neither of these examples here direct you to the conversation (other than company name / URL). Imagine however starting a conversation this way, hosting it and then keeping the fire lit.

Film

Here is a film about advertising. (So that’s an interesting choice for a PR consultant.)

First off, it assumes you’re only watching it because you want to, so doesn’t stick to any specific duration, but at the same time keeps the pace up so keeping you 100% glued. It also fits the bill here in giving you other ideas for how to kick-start that conversation.

It’s a conversation starter for sure… and you are going to have to play it more than once or keeping hitting that pause button.

Animation

From Studio aka, a BAFTA-winning animation production company that can do no wrong in my humble opinion, even if serving clients’ perceived needs for half-a-minute or so of prime time advertising is their bread and butter.

Imagine however that your company has a vision, a unique perspective on life with which to explode convention. Now imagine presenting it as beautifully as this. How could your intended conversationalists refuse?

(Click here for Studio aka’s semiotically outstanding communication of BUPA’s reason for being. It’s a shame however that BUPA doesn’t fully appreciate the benefits of social media and prepare the ads for social syndication.)

Add comment February 23rd, 2009

Still a Nation of Couch Potatoes? Nielsen Says: Average American watches more than 151 hours of TV per month, an all-time high

By Kyle Austin

Nielsen has come out with its A2 / M2 Three Screen Report for Q4 today, and the findings are pretty interesting. While some may hypothesize that TV viewership is waning as consumers turn online for video, Nielsen is reporting today that the average television viewer watched more than 151 hours of TV per month in Q4, an all-time high. Consumers are watching more video online (2 hours and 53 minutes on average per month in Q4 vs. the  2 hours and 31 minutes recorded in Q3), however the findings seem to indicate that this video watching is occurring in addition to watching more television. In fact, Nielsen found that 31 percent of Internet activity occurs when consumers are also watching television.

Not surprisingly, the 18-24 demographic (key for marketers) are spending the most time online watching video: 5 hours and 3 minutes on average per month. Mobile video watching is also on the rise with the adoption of iPhones and other video-friendly, mobile-Web devices. Nielsen reports that 11 million Americans, an increase of 9% versus the previous quarter, are now watching video on their handheld devices.

In addition, the report spotlights (once again) that 9-5 during weekdays is still primetime for online video. A trend that has media executives scrambling to produce online shows for the “lunch at desk” crowds and marketing executives looking into moving some of their spend away from primetime and into lunchtime (via the Web).

1 comment February 23rd, 2009

Shaq Calls Out His Twitter Followers

By Ben Haber

With some big-time celebrities using Twitter the distance between them and their fans is getting smaller and smaller, some by request. While THE_REAL_SHAQ was in a diner last week, he sensed that he had some Twitter followers in the area and invited them over to his table.

The two guys had been following Shaq’s tweets and realized they were close by, so they decided to go and check to see if it was really the multi-million dollar basketball player running his Twitter account.  Upon entering the diner they became starstruck and were afraid to stop by his table until Shaq all but dared them to.  After saying hi and snapping a couple quick pictures, Shaq called them out for being afraid to approach him.

While Twitter can be a great tool for communicating with people via text, I think this is an example of its even better use, finding people in the real world and connecting with them.  Imagine being stuck in the airport because your flight has been delayed or canceled (a very realistic scenario) and being able to form a connection with someone else on that flight via Twitter. While you may be sitting in the same area as them, there is something cool and unique about connecting with them on Twitter first, because following that flight you can still ‘follow’ what that person is up to.

What do you think?

1 comment February 23rd, 2009