I needed a laugh today and nothing can more funny than a bad car commercial. I've only seen a handful of creative car commercials. My favorite, and some what controversial, is the Trunk Monkey. As always, humor is selective. Some people find it funny and some do not.

What do you think?



Here is a really bad, locally produced commercial. At least they tried to be different...creepy different.



Now, here's a local Dayton, Ohio car commercial.



There is nothing wrong with this spot, but is it memorable or engaging?

I've heard some people state that even if the commercial is annoying, it's still doing its job. I'm not sure I believe that. I understand the concept, but I have never run into anyone (no pun intended) who has actually shopped somewhere from a commercial that annoys them.

Have you? If so, I'd love to hear about it.

Visual Media Concepts is fascinated with the idea of creating engaging content for businesses and organizations. Tell us your wacky ideas and we promise not to produce an annoying spot.

Having video on your website is one of the most important marketing decisions you can make today. The democratization (to make something available to all people) of video has been with us since the 80s, but now, more than ever, it is truly in the hands of everyone. The dominant platforms are cell phones and flip style video cameras. Anyone can shoot and upload video to the Internet.

What I’d like to discuss is when and when not to use Flip (I will use “Flip” as a generic term for any kind of lower grade, hand held video camera) cameras to promote your business or organization.

Let’s start out with the advantages and disadvantages of using a Flip or hiring a professional. We’ll look at just a couple of the most important for both.

The advantages for the Flip are:

It’s small, easily accessible, and fast.

The disadvantages for the Flip are:

Picture quality (not using proper lighting techniques being the main reason).

Poor audio quality because of the built in microphone.

Less production values.

The advantages for hiring a professional are:

Proper picture and audio quality.

A better planned production with more production values.

The disadvantages for hiring a professional are:

It’s not fast, more expensive, and takes more time.

Let me say this, I love Flip cameras! I’ve been in the video business since 1992 and I’ve seen all the equipment get smaller and better throughout the years. Also, it is possible to use a Flip camera to create great productions. The video of Luci, my Great Dane, on my home page was shot with a Flip camera. The real question to ask is what does this project call for and what are you trying to do?

Here is the biggest thing to keep in mind…audio is 90% of video. Weird huh! People will except and watch a bad video imagine, but they will quickly stop watching a video with bad audio. The message is the most important part. Hearing, clearly, what people are saying is the most important part of the video. The main reason audio is so poor with a Flip is because it’s a small, inexpensive, built-in mic that picks up everything in the room you’re taping. It’s set to “automatic levels”. So it will “fight” back and forth between all the noises in the room. It can be very distracting.

Another consideration is lighting. When uploading video to the Internet, by default the encoding process zaps the luminance value of the video. Basically, it makes the image darker once it’s online. If the videos you’ve shot on a Flip camera are already dark and hazy, then the final product will not be what you want.

If your message is important, then hiring a professional and planning will solve all of the above problems.

So, in conclusion, shoot with your Flip cameras and have fun! Knowing the weaknesses of the camera will allow you to decide if you should or shouldn’t.

Here’s a checklist for minimizing problems shooting video with a Flip camera:

-Shoot interviews up close (2 to 4 feet away) and in a quite room.

-Hold the camera as still as possible, use a tripod or set it on something static.

-Be aware of the lighting and always try to move your subject into good lighting.

-If you’re going to edit the video, leave 2 to 3 seconds of “slop” at the beginning and end. This will give you more freedom to cut, dissolve and use fades.

-Have fun and experiment!

Keep in mind though; you do not eat at a 5 star restaurant wearing cut up jeans, flip-flops, and a stained T-shirt. Choose a professional, like Visual Media Concepts, when you need a top-notch production to engage your audience and keep them coming back for more.

Check out this SlideShare Presentation by PermissionTV

Alright...here are some new numbers for blogging and ebooks.

U.S. Blog Readers, 2008-2014 (millions and % of internet users)
2008 91.4 45%
2009 102.6 48.5%
2010 112.7 51%
2011 122.6 53.5%
2012 133.8 56.5%
2013 141.6 58%
2014 150.4 60%
Source: eMarketer, August 2010


U.S. Bloggers, 2008-2014 (millions and % of internet users)
2008 22.9 11.3%
2009 24 11.3%
2010 26.2 11.9%
2011 28.1 12.3%
2012 30.1 12.7%
2013 31.6 13%
2014 33.4 13.3%

It's no surprise about the number differences between the consumption of blogs and the creation of them. I guess the one big question to answer soon will be what's the difference between a website and a blog. A lot of current "websites" are really blogs by definition.

In my mind a "website" changes very little, while a "blog" changes frequently-if not hourly in some cases. Then there are the hybrids. Our website also has a blog built in, but most of my site does not update. However, Visual Media Concepts does swap out video examples every so often.

Basically, the term website and blog is interchangeable at this point. I often tell people where they can find my "content", rather than use either term. This is confusing to some people, so use whatever terminology your clients understand.

On to ebooks...

Are your ebooks primarily produced in place of or addition to print editions?
*In addition to print 65%
*Unsure 20%
*Instead of print 9%
*Other 6%
Source: eMarketer, August 2010

What are the biggest challenges bring to market?
*E-Reader Format/Compatibility options 21%
*Distribution channel issues 19%
*Digital rights management (DRM) 16%
*Overall cost of ebook production 13%
*Quality of the converted content 12%
*Cost of backlist conversion 10%
*Unsure 7%
*Other 2%
Source: eMarketer, August 2010

I'm not an ebook reader at this moment. Kobi, my wife, loves it! She received a Barnes & Noble Nook Ebook Reader for her birthday this past December. She's read countless books and has shared books with her friend, who also has a Nook. I'm a gadget geek, so I'll get a Nook also, only because it makes the most sense because of the sharing feature.

I have to say though, I'm not a huge fan and really prefer the feel of flipping through a book and magazine.

So what is your take on these numbers and your feelings about blogs and ebooks?

State of the Vlogosphere 2010 by the MeFeedia Blog

I just read another great article, by Frank Sinton, about the current trends for video podcasters or vlogs or vloggers or whatever you'd like to call it. I hope that one day the online-web-video jargon will standarize it's use of terms.

So, what are some of the highlights? YouTube is still the champion, but it seems that other video sharing sites are starting to gain some traction. Blip is up to 14% of the market and Independent publishers are 18%. I think these are exciting trends. There are quite a few other sites like Viddler and Vimeo that offer it's users tools that YouTube does not offer. I hope that they'll someday get the press that they deserve.

Video consumption is also expanding into the mobile marketplace. The iPhone, Android, and Blackberry smart phones have all been upping the ante on the competition of eyeballs hungry for content. I remember way back in the day (like 2003) saying that no one would want to watch a jerky, buffering, gainy video stream! Ha, I have been eating crow ever since. The future is mobile and more.

I can't wait to see what companies, maybe Netflix or Apple, will be working on next. Hopefully, our broadband loads will be able to increase in size and decrease in expense to allow a great user experience!

So, where do you go? What are your trends on watching online video? Desktop, laptop, smart phone, iPad, iPod, Zune...where are your eyeballs?

Here are some new numbers. Sorry for the time between posts.

U.S. Podcast Audience (2008-2013 millions and % of Internet users)

2008- 17.4 (9.0%)
2009- 21.9 (11.0%)
2010- 26.7 (13.0%)
2011- 30.6 (14.5%)
2012- 34.6 (16.0%)
2013- 37.6 (17.0%)

Source: eMarketer, Feb. 2009

Digital Social Media Activities of Small Businesses in North America (March 2009)

Responding to Customer Questions- 64%
Networking- 57%
Reference/Education- 44%
Messaging?Commenting/Tweeting- 37%
Advertising/Promotion of Business- 33%
Creating and Maintaining Profile- 32%
Blogging- 27%

Source: Sage Research by AMI-Partners, April 8, 2009


Pocasting Audience:
I feel that the podcasting numbers are a significant reflection of the industry. It's still been a steep learning process for most business owners. Podcasting is still a technology "buzz word" and my experience has still been educating potential clients. They sort of understand it and are still weary to take the plunge.

The strongest selling point for promoting "podcasting" is if the business has a superior content that they are willing to share. But, "sharing" is often misplaced for promoting and/or advertising. Educating clients about the difference can still be very challenging and confusing. There have not been very many break out concepts that can be referred to...and that are appealing to most clients.

Hopefully 2010 will supply us with more examples and inspire businesses and organizations to flex their imagination.

Digital Social Media Activities:
These numbers took me by surprise! "Responding to Customer Questions" was the biggest surprise to me. I wish it was defined a little more. How would be my first question? And, with what application would be my second? I'm also surprised Advertising, Promotion, and Tweeting were not higher.

To me, Blogging can be the most controlled of all, so why that is not higher is a mystery. Networking feels right and is the easiest. I think Reference and Education will be the next wave of success. The costs are must cheaper that traditional methods, so I would expect this to rise even further in the future. Messaging and Tweeting will also continue to build momentum. It's easy, fast and cheap...so, most companies will grasp it very quickly.

How do you feel about these numbers? Do they represent your organization? Visual Media Concepts is pursuing these new technologies to help businesses increase their visibility and in the end...make more opportunities!

WOW! I appologize for not keeping up with my blog.

Here are some interesting new numbers:

U.S. Adult Twitter Users, 2008-2010 (millions and % of adult users)
2008- 6.0 (3.8%)
2009- 12.1 (7.4%)
2010- 18.1 (10.8%)

Source: eMarketer April 2009

Top 10 Video/Movie sites by Total Streams/Unique Viewers
YouTube (6,139,358/99,045)
Hulu (348,310/10,672)
Megavideo (74,848/2,767)
blinkx (73,408/702)
MSN Video (48,049/6,077)
Dailymotion (40,738/6,298)
Metacafe (37,502/6,389)
Veoh (30,625/1,546)
Break (30,111/2,020)
Justin.tv (26,540/987)

Overall online video usage-U.S. Home & Work, June 2009
Unique Viewers 134,310,000
Total Streams 10,091,824,000
Streams per viewer 75.1
Time spent viewing per viewer 188.8 minutes

All data from Nielsen Online, Video Census, U.S. Home & Work, June 2009


Looks like a lot of viewers out there looking for quality content.