Luke Skywalker dies in the Star Wars film ‘The Last Jedi’.
The location will be at Malin Head, Ireland. He will have trained/guided the soon to be Jedi (~ Rey) thus preserving teachings learned, in using the ways of the force, but in a more balanced way than the last guy. (r.i.p Han)
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Hard selling through many digital mediums is quickly becoming an activity of the past. In the connected age we now live in we find the world changing at a relentless rate on a daily basis where story telling, genuinely useful content and engaged social media followings are now crucial online.
Content Marketing seeks to build consumer affinity regardless of industry and draw a customer in closer to a company brand with genuinely useful and engaging information.
With so much info available on the web to the consumer today it is becoming imperative for Irish businesses to distinguish themselves with unique content relevant to their industry in order to stand out from the considerable online crowd.
There are many effective techniques to market your brand using content like:
• An Engaging Website • Blogging • Infographics • Quality and Relevant Landing Pages • Social Media Competitions • Microsites • Quizzes • FAQ’s • Native Advertising • Videos • Photos • White Papers • E-Books • Cartoons • Memes • SlideShare Presentations • Webinars • Podcasts
Thanks to the digital age we now live in sales/conversions acquired from web traffic as a result of content marketing campaigns can now be tracked, credited and measured effectively using different online attribution models now available.
This provides a more accurate way then ever before to quantify the value of investing in different digital advertising mediums. Ultimately this brings commercial justification to content marketing allowing for informed decisions on budget allocation allowing you to maximise your ROI from your digital spend.
Effective content marketing can help with improved SEO and social engagement resulting increased brand awareness with a more loyal type of consumer resulting in more targeted online traffic – generating more leads – ultimately increasing sales. #ContentIsKing
There is a buzz of excitement in the wearables landscape at the moment as Google announce their next round for the Explorer Program.
Glass & the program is designed for people who want to get involved early and help shape the future of Glass. There are currently a number devices helping make up and control the Internet of Things; from fitness bands and anklet baby monitors, to smartwatches and other devices using Android Were
Expanding little by little. Too little too late?
Google Glass reviews were good, but is it hard to explain, unless you part with $1,500 for a prototype product? And the earliest advocates, like Robert Scoble, have turned away from it dues to lack of updates / transparency about its roadmap.
Initial concerns of it not being a fashion item are understandable. Have they done it this time? They are experimenting with different ways of bringing new Explorers into the program. You can sign up here and they will let you know if a spot opens up.
Ok, so in conclusion, have a look at the website, sign up & ignore Robert Scobles descension. Then go ahead and shell out your $1,500 for this second stab at the computer on your face. I’m gonna stay here and Watch for the next big thing. Is it the right time to buy into wearables!?
A little more Content Creation & Collaboration please
Over 400 extras appear alongside Pharrell Williams in the 24hoursofhappy.com video, including several celebrities. What makes you listen to and watch it over and over again? ( … I’ve watched it for about an hour so far)
Pharrell’s ‘Happy’ is wonderful, I think http://t.co/R7WHFSLEN8. I hope you are all having good holidays. Thank you for our job. CM
… thats the exploratory nature of this content – Magic Johnson, Steve Carrell, Jamie Foxx and Jimmy Kimmel and many fantastic dancers. All of them hand off to one another as the song continues in a loop. Williams appears in the video 24 times, at the top of every hour, and then followed by 14 additional performances in the same hour. Now think for a second … what if this format could tell the story of your town instead of L.A ? Galway stepped up.
#IrelandInspires & The Wild Atlantic Way: Féile Pádraig 2014
Thousands of people have been featured in Kamil Krolaks video series and they have all been from Galway, yet inspired by the Content delivered by Pharrell Williams in the 24hoursofhappy.com video. A part of the success in this video content is that Kamil Films is supported by all the social media channels, engaging the local audiences, especially Galway Media & council. This ensures that those featured in the Videos are interactive and social media facing which is vital for audience engagement & extending networks.
Is this the Future of Video Content?
I think so.
Over the past number of years, I have worked with multinational Media companies, brands & startups on Content Strategy & Content creation. There is one thing that has always stayed true and that is that you need to be a great storyteller. Being a board member of Fahy productions in Ireland has showed me that great stories involve the audience, generate discussion and enable everybody to tell their stories. I plan to support the digitisation of these legacy stories that inspire the 70 million at home and abroad to come and explore Ireland.
I look forward to the next few years in this currently molten digital landscape. I aim to support local creators and artists in digitising their stories & working with thought leaders for the discovery points to encourage debate & discussion across each piece of content created.
We will offer hope, visibility and inspiration to everyone who has a story to tell. It could be about where they have come from and what the Wild Atlantic Way will mean for Sport, Home life, Arts, Education, Traditions, Business, Music, Food, Theatre & Technology. This series will be delivered as part of a multichannel (Facebook, Direct Mail, YouTube, GooglePlus, Vine, Twitter, LinkedIn) approach and will span the discovery points of the Wild Atlantic Way.
Can Inbound and Content Marketers , Growth Hackers, Social Media Managers, Community Engagement Officers all learn lessons from local community theatre? Yes! Think of your content streams & campaigns in terms of chapters in a play, you will soon realise that there is magic in engaging with your audience and driving a message and waiting for their reactions. A production company like Fahy Productions has a core aim; “To stage Northern Irish voices and confront social issues in rural and urban communities which can be brought to an International audience.” This production company and the teams that work with them understand the craft that has been built within these multi-skilled teams. From design, to build, rehearsal and performance: it brings together a nexus point of Commerce & Art, through storytelling and Culture.
” It’s the glue between us and the audiences. Lets generate engagement and ignite conversations within our community. Lets do it ourselves, Lets light the fire.” – JP Conaghan
Fahy Productions are a theatre company based in Northern Ireland which strive to produce new and innovative theatre whilst exposing social issues. Together we work to create breath-taking plays to satisfy an audience’s theatre needs. Design and build productions of any scale, size or dimension for theatre. Fahy Productions also offer Artistic Design, Production & Delivery Services.
With Digerati never really being disconnected anymore, the mobile device enables great content from personal networks, to be appear at the press of a button. Now, we have the ability to read, watch or listen to stories, anytime and anywhere. With the upcoming House of Cards Season Two and VGHS Season 3, these audiences know what they want.
Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal have spoken about the effect of technology on storytelling and filmmaking. De Niro called video-sharing app Vine an “interesting thing,” and seems open to the possibility that it could be a very clever and creative tool.
“Six seconds of beginning, middle and end. I was just trying to time on my iPhone six seconds just to get a sense of what that is. It can actually be a long time. One one-thousand, two one-thousand, three one-thousand, four one-thousand, five one-thousand, six one-thousand – you can tell a whole story in six seconds.” – Robert De Niro
Last year’s Tribeca festival featured a Vine competition where users can submit their six-second videos for consideration in a wide range of categories. So these stories didnt exist in this capacity 12 months ago. The content, experiences & conversations were non existent. Now, because the cost of creation and production has been lowered, we have a convergence of owned, earned, shared, paid media.
So how do we differentiate the content? The real value is in the craft of how the story is told. These are the ideas, discussions and conversations that intrigue and engage with the audience. If you are in Derry, I recommend you see some of this great content and attend this upcoming show ‘All There Is’ more information below.
All There is – 10 February 2014 – 15 February 2014
TIME : 8:00pm, VENUE: The Playhouse Theatre, One of Ireland’s leading multi-disciplinary community art resource centres.
When presented with a problem, there is an intuitive solution that comes to mind for Don Draper, its normally the most immediate and easiest resolve to this problem. But for better engagement and group buy in, what normally happens is that he taps into the observations, perceptions & memories of Richard (Dick) Whitman and reveals them. We actually see two different characters that you really get to know while watching the series MadMen.
Don Draper and Richard Whitman are clearly identifiable, they have their own beliefs, they make choices. As shown in this clip, both a #system1 and a #system2 thought process is revealed during this Hersey pitch. You can see in just under 4 minutes the audience experiences an unexpected joy or inspiration, followed closely with the painful experiences and very similar automatic association of painful tales of Richard Whitmans childhood.
The biggest lesson that can be learned from the Hershey’s pitch is that “Everyone has their own story to tell”. That is what makes us human and this is what connects us. Look into the statistics, look at the sources where the most engagement comes from, look at what types of conversations and what types of content is being shared right now. What is the context of this human message or affection? If your delivering high quality content, then this lowers the barrier to entry. Actually being able to identify the context in which decisions, conversations and observations are made by your audiences/users, will drive systematic improvements.
Like Pardot have shown in this infographic, there are ‘innovations’ in Marketing Automation. These technologies are in the marketplace to support the large corporations traditional Models. Which is fine, because the budgets that are being spent doing the same thing that has always been done, are normally greenlit by Fat Hippos that are disconnected customers. But imagination and creativity cannot be plotted on any graph.
The landscape has changed and the way we do business must also change. Is it possible that shifting focus to listening and collaborating with the customer, will have the biggest effect? Consider the new ways in which people make decisions about consuming information, where to spend and which brands are having most success? Engagement comes from an unexpected insight. A surprise.
What is very clear from the clip and infographic is that the MadMen vs MathMen both embrace their faults. But todays audiences and users expect more. They will give objections, new data forms or open responses in order to make improvements.
Brands just need to listen. Show that they are open to learn lessons from audiences, without constantly just broadcasting or selling at them. Is this what they deem as the collaborative economy? Should we be shutting the hell up and first simply listening, then building processes that embrace this sharing environment where “Everyone has their own story to tell” ?
A Fridge, mobile, tablet, laptop, Wearable Device or a Table in a local Bar – The Internet of Things is an exciting contextual stream of Data, but at what cost? Imagine you walk into a bar, and place your mobile on the table and enjoy while a PersonalContextual Assistant (PCA) greets you. By the magical powers of The Internet of Things: mobile payments, NFC, WiFi & Context, you can order, eat,enjoy, pay, tip & review, whilst getting the best service YOU could ask for.
“Hello [First Name], Welcome to [Bar Name, followed by Slogan] What can we get you today? Shall I order you a [Your preferred Beverage] while you look at our menu?”
I imagine the above said in Scarlett Johanssons voice from the Movie ‘Her’.
We want all the things that we have now, and plus more stuff … GIMME STUFF! Yes, all that extra relevant content is where the awesome sauce is at. BUT, heres where things get a little bit tricky. I also want you to make it more relevant to me, suggest things that people in my Network like, provide me with options based on people I trust, communicate with and follow.
Oh, and also give me the answers, to everything, everywhere, at anytime on a Fridge, mobile, tablet, laptop, Wearable Device or a Table in a Bar that I’m at … but also please respect my privacy. “You’ve almost finished [Your preferred Beverage], would you like another? *finger swipe* Thank you, Just one moment and I’ll add that … [Bar Name, followed by Slogan] [Your preferred Beverage] is on its way – if you need anything, just ask” – said the PCA to everyone. #creepy ?
“Turn on a TV, it does not know what you watched on it yesterday, or what you like” #sillytv#context
Now indulge me for 20 seconds and think about how you found this article. A clicked hastag, an email or maybe you just noticed the candid author photo by Susanne Skretteberg Andersen in Norway. Does that matter? Whos analysing that? As a content creator, this journey is more important to me than it is to you, right? So what about our entertainment and our ever increasing Internet Video consumption.
Think about your favorite Netflix season or your favorite Youtube channel … yes that one that you secretly enjoy (as do millions of others, so its ok) and then place yourself in a different location while consuming this content on a Fridge, mobile, tablet, laptop, Wearable Device, at a bustop or on a Table in a local Bar.
I like to think theres an algorithm working while I am watching this content. Hopefully there is a scaled attribution model that is sending out signals/code, so that in the future relevant content will present itself to me when I request it. So this makes me think, is this the future of interactive content & advertising? If at the end of the above short video, you realised there is a series or season linked to the video, would you commit your time to it? Now think about a thoughtleader, celebrity, character or brand that you follow. Take Michael Jackson for example, *pours out drink*, if he delivered this service to you, would you be more inclined to engage with it?
I love that movie #wheresmyhoverboard … ahhh so yes, the exciting thing is that the landscape hasn’t fully formed and is still molten. As with all of these shifts in Technology, Social & Media they still require abit of legwork.
Which reminds me I’m off to another fun project! Wish me Luck … or Context!
Cat Beardage is a wonderful example of narration that demands engagement. Below, I outline simple tips for anyone crafting engaging content, digital experiences & contributing to ongoing conversations. In this post, lets first agree that Content Marketing is important for 2014. And Cats … well of course cats, because they’re Magical … Right? [Click Bait]
Content Strategists and User Experience Consultants in both B2B & B2C are scrambling to get ahead on forecasting – The Future of Marketing 2014. The ‘What does the Future hold’ books and “Over 9,000 ways to win at Social Media Marketing … ” lists are being touted as they excitedly return from the holidays. As if to find meaning in what the New Year brings, they are planning, testing and bench-marking new standards, based on warm fuzzy feelings of what has always worked and what they are comfortable with.
Little Fat Bitches believe its time to deliver their next batch of puppies.
Yes, basically, for those Little Fat Bitches, they believe that its time to deliver their next batch of puppies. NO! No-one wants to see the same shit repackaged from last year, because the context has changed. Consider; Snapchat gets MoMoney from Investors. After Facebook tries to buy them. When there is considered to be more Mobile Devices Than PCs for First Time – Ever! Shouldn’t everyone be thinking about how we now use Facebook, Linked in or Twitter? We could argue cats & dogs all day about which channels are best suited to which content. The fact is that the audience of new urbanists, millenials and even old school MySpace-ers are no longer all in one place for you to shout at. This is now the Age of Context: mobile, location, sensors and soon we will suddenly be wearing it, if we are not careful.
Oh Shit -wheres my charger? Look, I cant leave without my mobile char … oh here it is.
Battery permitting, the rapid rise of apps, internet of things, wearables and messaging technologies mean we hold Twitter, Snap Chat, Vine, Google+, Facebook and Keek close to our hearts all day long.
Within six months, Vine has surpassed any other app by a long margin. The magical part in the below Cat Vine is not that it has branded product placement or that it features a well known film. This is a Magic Cat Vine because it is well crafted by the Storyteller. Your Content must be deeply linked to your strategy, create an Emotional Connection, whilst also being contagious, malleable & uncontrollable.
Go ahead and involve your audience, ask them a question – engage with them about the content, encourage debate or conversation, by lovingly using #MagicCatVine. If you allow your content to be accessible to everyone, let it be inherently mobile and allow the audience to have a voice/conversation with you – then that’s where the goodness is at. …. Part 2 to Follow #AllThereIs [2/2]
It might seem crazy what I’m about to say … A slow roll StediCam tracking shot in L.A with a song overlaid. That is the HOW in the story. Now for the WHAT? The Video will show dancers/singers being happy. OK, that’s it, easy right? Yes … kind of … here is my take on how the Internet was won.
If you do the Math: 24 hours x 60 mins = 1440 mins of Branded Content. Now lets put this in context – The song lasts about 4 mins for each song clip, which means over 450 people are involved in this “World First 24 Hour Music Video” In addition, layer in the futuristic time travelling digital dial player for anyone to select different times of the day and suddenly travel in time and this musical portal will link seamlessly to the song. The internet was won. #allthepoints
Is this the begining of realtime video entertainment and content delivery? Growth Hacking of this kind can be argued as Better or Worse than whats currently on offer. Imagine 24 hour News was accessible from Google Glass – it could be equally a 24 hour broadcast of the Individual and their life.
Whether you are walking, running, skiing , driving or other, imagine letting the world see how you are feeling at any given time. Is this just hype or is this a monumental change in the relationship between Intertainers and their already established audience?
The future of Intertainment
Take Google Glass for example – They continually improve and invite interactions with users/audiences to report mistakes when they find them [Not too dissimilar to ‘Sharing a moment’ from this video]. Now imagine a world where we are invited to contribute and collaborate to tell a continual story.
A little more Content Creation & Collaboration please
Over 400 extras appear alongside Pharrell Williams in the 24hoursofhappy.com video, including several celebrities. What makes you listen to and watch it over and over again? ( … I’ve watched it for about an hour so far)
Pharrell’s ‘Happy’ is wonderful, I think http://t.co/R7WHFSLEN8. I hope you are all having good holidays. Thank you for our job. CM
… thats the exploratory nature of this content – Magic Johnson, Steve Carrell, Jamie Foxx and Jimmy Kimmel and many fantastic dancers. All of them hand off to one another as the song continues in a loop. Williams appears in the video 24 times, at the top of every hour, and then followed by 14 additional performances in the same hour.
Each person WILL want to browse and compare different moments in the song. Everyone can pause, rewind, fast forward and share these moments to your social network – just choose from the 24 hours of content. But what is clear here is that Pharrell has broken new ground and you will most likely become a Pharrell Williams advocate, enjoy the search through time, whether or not you find something worth sharing)
These are experiences, feelings and moments that really capture Happyness very well 🙂 *Goes to find the Jimmy Kimmel version* HAPPY! … Clap along if you FEEL that happyness is the truth.