Maxys Max Media and Entertainment

CLIVE ALIVE MEETUP

Funny how sometimes ideas come together so quickly it's like it was just meant to happen, one element the piece that makes the puzzle come together.

We had Gerry Gannon, one of Australia's leading MC's in the studio the other day and the conversation over lunch moved to CLIVE marketing strategy - how we are going to develop demonstrations around vertical market applications and start holding events.

Less than ten minutes later we had a video focused on event registrations.

Event Management 101

Event management is considered one of the strategic marketing and communication tools by companies of all sizes.

From product launches to press conferences, companies create promotional events to help them communicate with clients and potential clients

BUT getting people to know about your event and register can be hard work.  Customer Attention is scarce.  You need to create something that they must attend - that's in their interest.  That your audience leaves with something special and then tells their friends.  In a lot of ways it's no different than a band, a film or any other product.

This article(s) are my personal notes in putting together our first CLIVE ALIVE event and the process we go through.

Intro/ Background

On the 29th July our CLIVE will be one year old - that's given us time to get familiar the latest edition to the family - from a strategy point of view it's now time to go offline and get face to face.

Purpose

Bring together a mix of film and video, technology, media people around our solutions and case studies - create social interaction and foundation for Australian Internet Video Production.

The idea here is that people who come to events are

1. Interested and
2. Likely to talk and share their experience

Putting an event together

Any event is essentially a combination of project management and creative concepts. Elements to consider.

• Purpose of event?
• Target Audience - number, reaching, engaging, registering, servicing.
• Format - date, time, style (theater, boardroom etc)
• Speakers
• Venue
• Logistics
• Marketing - target engagement, registrations.

Purpose

From a business strategy and time management point of view it makes sense to try and talk to effectively to 20 or more people at once then many 1:1's.

Prior we'd experimented with just developing videos online BUT that only goes so far. The fact is people buy from people and everything is about trust and building relationships.

Also, it's socially important to get out from behind our computer screens.

Target Audience

Film, television, media, advertising, marketing, corporates, technologists.

Content

I already know our subject matter "Internet Video" is a hot topic. Most important, what does the audience leave with? The call to action, the message.

Speakers

The first gig I'd like to get Chris in to talk from a Video Directors creative perspective and Nathan in from a client results. I'd like to add one other senior presenter to take a helicopter view and offer their perspective

We have a wide network of potential guests in the pipeline. I love to get Naomi Simson, Trevor Sykes, Holly Kramer, Len Rust, Paul Budde, Iggy Pintado and others to hear their experience of digital media convergence.

Chris to get his film mates, Martin to talk about the Red camera, Hugh, etc the list of potential speakers is endless.

Other elements

One of the key pieces I'm going to use is the number "5" - "CLIVE, ALIVE, FIVE" through everything we do - 5PM, 5 minute presentations, 5th day etc. People remember patterns.

Timing - after work before dinner- 5PM (for 5.30PM) - 7PM

The Format - theatre and network layout. People are time poor, adopt the same process we're using with all our communications, short and sharp, from the broad down to specific (inverted pyramid). Tight time schedule. Intro, 5 min presentation, 5 min Q&A, next guest. 6.00/6.30 Netowrk, 7.00 End.

From a continuity point of view make it once a month, either the 5th Day or the 1st Tuesday.

Venue - the City is most important etc - I search the web, Twitter a question, Nathan suggests NSW DSRD (Event the previous night) - I've presented their before - great location and facilities. In terms of overall strategy could benefit - build government support. My good event management mate Monique suggests a new night club she's doing the marketing for - will look at that for next time - locations can change.

Marketing the event

Usual approach is to target audience by using the news media, hoping to generate media coverage which will reach thousands or millions of people. Also invite their audience to their events and reach them at the actual event.

For our marketing - the check list

• Create the event details online
• Create this web blog (search engine optimised)
• Develop database of potential partners, influencers, clients
• Prepare a press release and distribute through online PR and other online distribution.
• Promote through Twitter through Facebook.
• Email marketing to existing subscriber database.

Til later.

Tsunamis of Change and the Creative Economy 

This is Part 1 in a new creative project I'm working on looking at Australian Digital Media Strategy.

As every business owner knows the economic landscape has been rapidly altered after the stock market crash of last year - it's a bit like looking out the window after the Pearl Harbor attack - most of the destruction done, the full reverberating impact still too early to tell. 

The old supply demand ratio and attitudes (including the much maligned Y-Gens) of the last twenty years has changed, as a result, new thought-models, approaches, attitudes and opportunities will surface and prosper.

In today's market Buyers are now back in full control - cash is scarce and surviving companies must actively compete.  As a supplier you are either a commodity or added higher value - the middle ground will be flattened.

A contracting marketplace offers smart expanding companies the ability to increase market share as their competitors retreat and defend - head in sand, reactive.

From the laggard industrial manufacturing complex through the Information Economy we will move towards an Innovation/ Creative Economy 

One of the biggest impacts will be on the media, advertising and the entertainment/ Internet video space (think how Ipods changed the music industry and how faster broadband wil impact video, film and television).  

There will be an accelerated shift towards online video advertising and marketing away from conventional television, newspapers and magazines.

A great little video from PRBlogger

How PR works online

Adobe Flash Player not installed or older than 8.0.22!

This then raises the question of who are Australia's most influential Internet users?

How would you create a list? Some initial thoughts...

• Top 100 Australian Bloggers - how many subscribers?  How many comments? (any list needs to be contextual and relevant)
• Facebook and Linkedin - how many friends/ associates - engagement and influence?
• Google - number of articles and links etc
• Corporations/ Government - The Telstra's, News Ltd's, Seven Sunrise, politicians and celebrities
• Twitter/ Flickr/ Youtube and so on 

Engagement

Once you have your list how do you engage?

In sales, the best customer is through a trusted third party referral.

For example, hey Scott, you're in marketing do you know a good event management company?  Absolutely - Monique at Creative Stars.

Most people begin any new purchase with a search (see How PR works online above).

The question is how do you engage influencers without trying to sell them, ie jamm a message down their throat like historial repeat and interupt advertising?

WIIFM  - What's In It For Me?

1. What is your product or service? (keywords and message)
2. What does it mean to your customers (wants and needs)?

Inspire

In the online world original, quality "content is King".

Find a creative approach, create something new and share. [Goes for swim and walks to coffee shop]

At coffee this morning the idea crystallizes.  I've been looking to incorporate more of my photography interests (particularly portraits) within my work.

Implementation

1. Broad scope campaign -the 6 w's - Who/What, How, When, Where, How much, Why?
2. Research lists and compile
3. Create holding content pages
4. Begin target engagement
5. Market/ Share/ Engage

I like it.  A new project for the year (stay tuned)

 

From a marketing point of view  businesses are increasing looking at the Internet to increase brand awareness, communicate and get closer to their customers and increase service performance whilst lowering overheads.

The Internet marketing mix covers everything from website design, search engine optiminisation (SEO), to blogging, banner advertising, Internet video to online social technologies such as Facebook.

For many businesses at the moment many online social communities feel a bit like small islands or countries seemingly not connected or if they are, the migration (visa rules), are not seamless/ user friendly/ aware.

In the future we will see a move from this individual island perspective ("I'm on Facebook" and "I'm on Twitter" statement) towards a greater seamless integration (interoperability) of adaptive open social technologies - ie single user login and unified messaging portal - many devices > one login > multiple feeds (in and out).

With that will come greater contextual advertising, derivative information and aggregated services, the linking of similar communities and interests and consequently a market rationalisation of base platforms.

Innovation will move up towards higher value services, more effective communication for the time poor and greater creative quality expression.

In the technographics ladder we will see the user type distribution curve move up as users become more technology conversant and literate ie "technacy"

For businesses now it means allocating resources and experimenting with these new communication channels.

The week that was!

An "interesting" week in the wide world of the web -

• Sensis (Yellow Pages/ Telstra) concedes defeat dumping it's search engine for Google search results; 
• we sat in on the Australian Broadband Conference and learnt more about the Australian National Broadband Network NBN shamozzle;
• there was a US Presidential Election (smiles) - the first tech savvy President!
• we had our first CLIVE Sales Partner conference and
• we tapped into the Web 2.0 Conference in San Fransisco.

How are the events related?

During the week Internet marketing guru Seth Godin, wrote a piece on "marketing lessons form the 2008 Presidential election."

One of his points "Influencing the Influencers"  

Seth writes,

Motivating the committed outperforms persuading the uncommitted. The unheralded success factor of Obama's campaign is the get out the vote effort. Every marketer can learn from this. It's easier (far easier) to motivate the slightly motivated than it is to argue with those that either ignore you or are predisposed to not like you.

To get a deeper understanding of this we need to take a few steps back and understand

1. The evolution of society and economy from nomadic to agricultural, industrial, informational towards the Creative Economy (see HP's Phil McKinney's presentation)
2. We are currently transforming from an industrial based economy to informational (see Morgan Stanleys Mary Meeker Web 2.0). Key points are
   
   1. An 81% correlation between GDP and advertising growth.
   2. Undermonitezed social networks/ VoIP and Video which is driving powerful usage growth
   3. Facebook and Youtube gained 500 basis points of relative share while Yahoo and MSN lost share over the last two years
   4. Focus on BRICS (Brasil, Russia,India, China and South Africa)
   5. Companies with cogent business models that provide consumer value should survive/ thrive.  consumers need more value than they have needed it in a long time and the Internet should be the best place to find it
3. An understanding of Groundswell - Internet user technographics - from "inactives" to "creators"

 So what does that mean for Australia?

Australia is currently looking to implement a National Broadband Network (NBN).  One needs to understand that the Creative Economy of the future is based on the broadband infrastructure of today.  The challenges of an aging population (e-health); skills shortage (e-education); green (carbon reduction); economic (global service export) are underpinned by a world best practice broadband infrastructure.

With the basic world class broadband infrastructure in place, innovation will prosper.  Australia has the opportunity to take a global leadership position in the development of the Creative Economy.