Maxys Max Media and Entertainment

Design - From the broad to the specific

Like a lump of clay on a spinning wheel the Australia's Most Influential Photo project is beginning to take shape.

With any new idea you need to start with a broad idea in mind, let it spin and take shape. 

What do you want to do?  What is the objective of the exercise?  How will success be measured?

Objectives

• Increase awareness of CLIVE and generate sales.
• Incorporate online social media marketing into the marketing process and use as a case study.
• Incorporate my photography (particularly portraits) interests into customer engagement process (build photography skills and customers).
• Start now

Action

So, what have we done today.

1. Further conceptualisation of the project.
2. Created a website page for the project.
3. Created an Influencer submit form on the CLIVE website (using RSFORMS) for people to submit.
4. Created a Flickr Group
   
5. Created this blog entry - this will automatically feed into Twitter, then into my Facebook; RSS feeds etc.

What to do next?

1. Fire these links off to a few friends and start to get a bit of traction.  Note to self:  This is not a short term project so it is going to take a year or two to really evolve.
2. Short-list my own influencers and contact them (this will enable me to work through the next part of the process).
3. Develop some database reports and marketing ideas

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 haven't blogged for the last month (but in a weak defense I have been Twittering). 

I know the blogging experts say "regularity" is one of the most important elements to creating a blog subscriber base but I reckon there's no point writing just for the sake of it.

 Anyway, there's a whole lot of excuses I can pull out - my laptop crashed, I was chasing the last bit of budgets out there that wanted to be spent,  Xmas drinks and more drinks but probably the greatest consumer of energy and time was the plan to shoot a photo a day and post on my Flickr

It's said that it takes something like 21 or 28 days to create a new habit and that day 10 -12 is usually where the enthusiasm wanes and other things take priority.   Yep, the December photo shoot thing suffered the same demise.  The thing I began to realise is that constant quality takes constant practice.

By forcing yourself EACH DAY then you develop quick skills, patterns and work flows.  From a photographic point of view then to quickly identify photos that might work and delete the rest, adjusting levels, reducing noise, a nice blur to focus attention on the key subject etc.   

Anyway, that's enough of the writing for today - an old poem to share the New Year-have a great New Year and all the very very best.

Speak soon 

Maxy

Return to White

From white to black and back again
Like the tidal flows and monsoon rain
Circles drawn and spiral chains
While Pavlov's dog sleeps tight

Awake asleep as night is day
As rivers run and children play
Dreams and thoughts they quietly say
of ‘more than this' we know

A diamond lost but love of gold
A higher ground of giving souls
Honest men the world behold
She gently touches thee

A flower blooms for eyes that see
Of beauty thanks a planted seed
From giving earth a reaching tree
To branch the light we share

A thousand notes a melody
On chord lattice a rhythmic field
A waving progress we touch and heal
Play the note we feel.

So lay your hands to the sun
A new day brings another one
A movie forth will be fun, And we party with a smile.

Make yourself feel good!

G'day, Scott Maxy here - I've had this thing growing on my lip for the last month - let me tell you its gets bloody itchy but its for a good cause.  

Anyway Movember is about increasing awareness of mens health - ie depression, prostate cancer etc. 

Simply most blokes are too macho to go to the Doc when a quick visit could save lives.  

Anyway, make yourself feel good and you can donate here.

https://www.movember.com/au/donate/donate-details.php?rego=1386066

cheers
Maxy