Today’s interview with David Mullings of RealVibez.tv came from my request for sources on how video is being used to enable PR & media placements. Actually however, David has become more of the “poster child” for why this topic of New Marketing - encompassing Social Media, PR and Content Marketing - can be the most powerful solution to hit the business world since the fax machine.

Read this comprehensive use of all things New Marketing and you’ll begin to understand the power of these approaches.

In David’s own words…

“Our venture was the official partner for Reggae Sumfest in Jamaica this past weekend, the largest multi-day Reggae festival in the Caribbean, and we handled all their online video PR.

We executed the following:

- Setup YouTube channel and uploaded videos
- Created a video mini-site on http://www.Realvibez.tv/reggaesumfest
- Uploaded promo video in the first ever Caribbean video Facebook application
- Shared the promo video in Facebook groups related to Reggae
- Created and maintain a Facebook fan page and embeded the video
- Uploaded videos to Imeem.com, the 3rd largest social networking site on the web

After the event, we are now rolling out videos from the event on our YouTube channel (youtube.com/realvibeztv), the first official Caribbean entertainment channel on YouTube (we are their first Caribbean media partner), our Imeem channel (realvibez.imeem.com - we are an official partner), the facebook video application and our own portal site, Realvibez.tv

This massively distributed video approach will garner significant publicity for the event and help the brand for next year by exposing the performances of artists like Akon, Beres Hammond and more to a much wider audience than ever before in its 16 year history. Their PR team will be sending out press releases to promote the online availability of videos as well and some of theirs sponsors had included media such as BET J and Vibe magazine.

In my next post, I’ll continue the conversation with David and we’ll learn a little more about his next projects, his foundation system for promoting events and artists and where he’s going next.

I’d love to hear the combination of New Marketing approaches you are using for your clients, your own business or projects/events such as festivals. Comment away and tell us your story.

So TV commercials are less effective these days than they used to be, so say all the industry pundits and analyst reports. Hmmm, no kidding.

In the wake of this groundbreaking news, brands are diverting marketing/advertising dollars at a record pace to branded entertainment projects in hopes of connecting brand with content people want to watch. The question becomes how to go about it. Obviously brands can simply sponsor existing programming. PBS has sustained itself for years in part to this model. And then there is product placement, which is nothing new, but does having a brand X server in the background or holding a Pepsi can really work? Most examples I have seen are so ridiculously gratuitous as to render the result ineffective. Or least I think it is ineffective…I suppose it could be working subliminally, but let’s not digress into that can of worms.

We are also beginning to see a spate of content developed by a brand, which in many cases may have nothing to do them per se, however does embody an image they want you to associate with their brand. State Farm is a recent example that is running ‘programming’ during 30 second commercial TV spots that profile the lives of really interesting Americans. But, is there room for another category?

Is it possible to actually include a brand in a story in a constructive and genuine way? To simultaneously balance the needs of a brand marketer looking to extend a message, with the needs of a network or web publisher to provide interesting and compelling content?

Enter ‘brand integration’. What is the real difference? Well, that seems to be subtle and almost by definition, a matter of opinion. In an article published by New York Magazine, Tom Fontana, the creator of unorthodox series like Oz and Homicide, is quoted as saying, he has never been pushed to integrate brands, but he says he would be open to it. “His defense boils down to three points: verisimilitude, nostalgia, and necessity.

A character who orders Wild Turkey is different from one who orders Basil Hayden’s. If you can monetize that realism, why not? The distinction, he says, “is not whether you do it but whether you do it well. “Is there finesse?”

Patric Verrone, president of the WGA, defined “branded entertainment” for the FCC: “It involves not merely sponsored props but elaborate interweavings of brands into scripts, ads indistinguishable from the show itself.” Many believe the future of entertainment and brand sponsorship will be so integrated, that we will forget the difference. Answer this question:

If you watch an intriguing and entertaining programming that serves to inform you in a way that you feel was a great spend of time, then do you really care whether a brand directly paid for and produced it?

Part 2 of this article will include interviews with some top media professionals to get their opinion of this trend. What are your thoughts? Are brands and content mutually exclusive or can they work together and achieve both goals?

How many people really pay attention to press releases? Answer this question: Which has a better chance of getting a story?

A standard press release for a new biography done in the typical fashion or an online documentary series featuring the author and an on-location, behind-the-scenes look at the making of the book? (read: foreshadowing for the second part follow up to this post)

The answer is as old as time. Everyone loves a great story. From the day of the caveman to the modern day movie it is a form of communication written into our very DNA. Journalists have a need to create compelling stories and the easier we make it for them to accomplish the better chance of success our topic has of becoming news. Ford Kanzler, managing partner of Marketing/PR Savvy in El Granada, CA, believes

“gaining effective publicity value often comes from bringing something new, fresh, newsworthy and interesting to an interest group or online network, while subverting the brand marketing message in favor of ‘sponsor or contributor identification only. The promotional benefits accrue from the fact that your organization or company is the one that made or helped make the story come to be seen. Too many marketers and sponsors don’t get this.”

This is precisely where social media, PR2 and content marketing converge.

A company releasing a product upgrade or hiring a new CFO is not really a story. Not if you want to go beyond your industry trade echo chamber. However, recognizing how your company (and its recent activities) fits into a larger context and seeding the ideas of ingenuity by creating something fresh, a different angle, does create a story.

“What’s important, as in many media relations programs is not having some fixed idea of how the story may be served up or delivered by the media outlet,” said Mr. Kanzler. Too many traditional press releases not only are narrowly focused and one dimensional but are an overt attempt to try and control the message”.

I have had more than one journalist tell me they don’t read press releases at all. This is why we believe so strongly in the use of Social Media Press Rooms over a standard press release. PR superstar Todd Defren of Shift Communications has been credited with pioneering the social media release with the first template released in 2006. He suggests you “put out a well-written “traditional” release over the wires, with a built-in link to the “social media version” at the company’s online newsroom.”

Noted, and all things ‘new PR’ heavyweight Brian Solis, principle in the award winning PR and New media agency FutureWorks is also behind the cause and and wrote The Definitive Guide to Social Media Releases. And, taken to the large enterprise by social media guru Maggie Fox and Social Media Group for companies like Ford Motor Company using their version called Digital Snippets. The writing is on the wall - the SMPR is here to stay. Unlike its predecessor, it gracefully accomplishes the two most fundamental requirements:

• To communicate a more three dimensional and dynamic ‘story’ in context to a larger picture, and

• To give journalists all the tools they may need to run with that story.

A friend of mine is part of a family-owned small group of restaurants. These places are an institution here, the original having been around since the early 1990’s. The newest is in a mid-to-high end suburbs and appeals to well educated, high-tech-oriented 30’s - 50’s something demographic.

He’s trying to grow and make this successful restaurant into an ultra-successful restaurant. Now, he’s also a traditional-marketing-thinking kind of guy. But, he’s realizing, like so many other companies, that his traditional advertising and marketing are no longer having the impact he wants. This target audience does not subscribe to the local paper - they get their news online. They are heavily impacted by social-review sites like Yelp.com. They are Internet-centric people and he has been doing non-Internet-centric marketing.

I’ve been having a very high level conversation with him about some strategies he could implement. What follows are just a few highlights that could provide a better foundation for relationships with his customers - one that extends past the restaurant walls and continues even when they are not thinking about coming that night. As everything I do, it is about trying to connect with and engage your target client/customer in a deeper way than traditional approaches.

NOTE: This is not a consulting client nor is the following a comprehensive approach that we implement for our clients. We always follow our New Marketing Process Map, which takes a client through Planning/Strategy, Training, Policies & Procedures, then Tactical Implementation.

Goals

I can’t adress the specific goals, but suffice it to say that we started with setting goals and how we’d measure.

Primary Website

Like many business websites, it is static, has some functional challenges and isn’t really “connected” to the business. Rather than a wholesale rebuild of the site which will cost many thousands, I suggest only a handful of simple, but key functional and design changes that can increase its usability as a marketing tool.

Since the concept of de-portalization - going to your consumers where they are - is the reality of the day, the current website is only one cog in the marketing wheel.

Blog Content Marketing Strategy

Again, rather than a wholesale revamp of his site, I’m suggesting adding a Restaurant Blog (as a micro-site) that will be used to engage his customer base in a deeper way.

Since he’s new to writing articles/blogs for his business, I suggest using our Content Synergy Method for a content development approach. This helps the business create a topic series that can be expanded as they become more comfortable with regular writing/content creation. It also becomes the foundation for engaging in Social Networks.

Topic Ideas

• The Family Restaurant Story - an ongoing series detailing the history, trials & tribulations, successes and future plans of the restaurant. This needs to be real, genuine - with all the pimples and scars. This not supposed the the usual Restaurant Story that is seen on the back of a menu!
• Focus on Environmentally-Sound Practices - This newest restaurant meets the highest standards of being a ‘green restaurant’. This was not done for marketing, but because it was the right thing to do. I think people should know about this. It can lead to press and a deeper understanding of the passion of the owners.
• Special Events, Promotions and Upcoming Calendar (obvious I realize)

Because of the awesome power of the WordPress platform, this simple blog has a bunch of other benefits, including:

• Allows customers to subscribe via email or RSS - effectively becoming the foundation for an email/RSS newsletter to opt-in subscribers
• It will help local search results dramatically, often coming up higher in Google results than the Review sites and main website.

Social Media & PR Strategy

• Engage in Reviews sites. It is important to make a regular presence in these sites. If a restaurant takes a ‘no comment’ approach, it only hurts their reputation. I think being honest and sometimes vulnerable makes a big impact. Take a stand here!
  • Yelp.com & Others
  • See a great listing here
• Build a Facebook Page and allow people to connect here. Obviously Facebook is growing dramatically and, personally, I see huge benefit for engaging here early. It may be experimental for a restaurant of this type. But, I think it is worth taking this step because if you can engage an audience here, it could be huge!
• Monitor SM through Google Alerts
• Local food & community blogger/press outreach - Invite them to a special party or provide key influencers a Free Dinner Pass - Let them experience what this restaurant is all about.

Tell me what additional ideas or strategies you would have for this business. I’d love to ‘crowdsource’ the ultimate plan for him since he’s a good friend!

Aaron Bramley of Ridgewood Associates Public Relations, Inc. began creating multi-media press releases for their clients some time ago. “We were particularly successful with a client of ours called Crown Acquisitions. They’re a California-based firm that rehabilitates apartment complexes in high-crime areas and turns them into safe, affordable housing. But we needed to show that this was more than a real estate venture, so we used video to demonstrate the tremendous support from law enforcement and the community.”

“By including video in our press releases we’re able to really tell a story and show a reporter why he/she should spend the time to cover the story.  I’ll cut right to the chase: This multi-media press release produced a “Top Story” on the 10:00pm news of the local CBS affiliate.”

Here is the story:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbLzMeNrGiM

A solid case in point for PR. Our broader supposition is that press rooms are being viewed by more than just the press…i.e.: partners, investors, advisors and customers. What do you think? Have you experienced a higher level engagement with this technique? Disagree?

Kendall Wayland, an Account Executive for Vantage Communications, a high-tech public relations agency began implementing videos into their PR campaigns about a year ago. They have had tremendous success by shooting, editing and uploading videos onto both client websites and free sites like YouTube and Revver.

“We have two RFID clients that we shot and edited videos for. After uploading them to YouTube and other video sites, we were contacted by a major RFID publication asking to have the rights to utilize the video to their website. Our client’s videos were the FIRST ever used on this site. Along with placing them on the publication’s website, they also included them in their weekly newsletter, significantly increasing the video’s total viewership.”

“We have also noticed that editors are visiting websites like YouTube and searching for business-related videos more and more. Over the past year, we have been contacted directly from editors interested in learning more about our clients, based on viewing a YouTube video.”

Has this concept worked for you?

Scanbuy.com, a provider of mobile marketing solutions, did just that. Scanbuy put together a brief video demonstrating its iPhone application, which uses the camera to capture 2D barcodes and provide instant feedback about products and services right on a mobile device.

“Once the video was uploaded we did targeted and proactive outreach to key blogs” said Anna Floch of Cohn & Wolfe, the agency representing Scanbuy for the campaign. “We got a lot of buzz around the video include 23,000 views on YouTube solely from the blog outreach program.”

YouTube video: http://youtube.com/watch?v=qMFucpGn55E

• Generated over 23,000 views solely from targeted blog outreach
• Video embedded on dozens of blogs, including
  - Mashable
  - TechCrunch (plus CrunchGear and MobileCrunch)
  - Silicon Alley Insider
• Ranked as high as #18 on Most Watched YouTube videos in France for the Science and Technology section. Also ranked in Top 100 for Science and Technology section in New Zealand, Ireland, South Korea and The Netherlands.

What are your thoughts? Would you consider YouTube for your company or client’s PR strategy?

• I believe Content Marketing tied with Social Media can be the most powerful marketing force in existence - for Fortune 1000 corporations to solo experts.
• Whether it is called Online Community, Social Media/Networking or any number of other buzzwords, the whole goal is about truly engaging with your core audience and fostering them to engage with you and each other.
• I believe Social Media Marketing is about showcasing the people behind companies - their business views, expertise and personality.  People are ready for real communication with real people.
• Yes, some form of transparency is vital to Social Media Marketing. But, this needs to align with a company’s policies and sometimes people need to keep their personal, political and religious view to themselves. Stop blathering - not everyone wants to hear it!
• Social Media and Content Marketing are not ‘experimental ideas’. For a company to benefit, they must truly learn what this means for them, align the approaches with their goals and gradually change how they approach the market. Nothing happens overnight.

Tell me your thoughts… agree or disagree… I want to hear.

This is certainly how companies have reacted in the past anyway. In my humble opinion however, a fundamental shift has a taken place that requires – demands – that companies take a wholesale different approach than has happened in previously turbulent economic times. The genie is out of the bottle, so to speak, and pretending as if everything is peachy is not only disingenuous but who is going to believe it? Nope, those days are gone. Those who haven’t yet embraced social media, the primary tenet of which is genuine, transparent communication, then your day has come. And those companies that have only dabbled in social media because it is trendy or sexy, time to step it up.

It has never been more important to step out from behind the corporate walls and embrace the opportunity to engage, inform and converse with your constituents. In a market where we can’t even depend on the viability of credit markets, it seems particularly silly to stick to outdated notions of controlling the corporate image. Those that ignore the opportunity, do so at their own peril.