Monday, December 28, 2009

You never know when a concert will take place!

An impromptu concert started in the RMI accounting department on Christmas Eve. Bryan Sih (our temp/high school senior) brought in his guitar to recreate the “Let it Snow” holiday card. Lead singer Lisa Davis is backed up by Kathy Duggan-Josephs, Debbie McLain, Tally Maffucci and Kathy Englund. Debbie Mclain proved to be the one with all the words, Aidan Howell (Alison Howell’s son) is the one showing no interest in the adults making fools of themselves. Enjoy!

I can not wait for the New Years Eve Auld Lang Syne Sing-a-long!

Labels: holiday, video

Friday, December 4, 2009

Get warm & fuzzy with the Pink Glove Dance

What a great way to start a Friday... Our Kathy Duggan-Josephs forwarded me an email this morning. One of those where she got it from a friend who got it from a friend, which probably has a poem and a picture of a puppy in it. But instead, I found this message and an awesome fundraising and awareness video for breast cancer:

Go Pink!

Our daughter-in-law, Emily Somers, created, directed and choreographed this in Portland last week for her Medline glove division as a fundraiser for breast cancer awareness. This was all her idea to help promote their new pink gloves. I don't know how she got so many employees, doctors and patients to participate, but it started to really catch on and they all had a lot of fun doing it.

When the video gets 1 million hits, Medline will be making a huge contribution to the hospital, as well as offering free mammograms for the community. Please check it out. It's an easy and great way to donate to a wonderful cause, and who hasn't been touched by breast cancer?

Ann Somers

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEdVfyt-mLw

Hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Go pink!

Labels: fundraising, nonprofit, video

Friday, November 13, 2009

Ingenuity!

This year has not held positive news for the publishing industry, there have been numerous press releases about publications closing or consolidating. So when I heard about the “augmented reality” feature that Esquire is building into its magazine, I wanted to learn more.

The basic definition is a layer of data (audio, video, graphics and animation) over live video. With webcams on most computers, this technology has been used in other applications - but Esquire put it into their publication for the subscriber.

I went to Esquire's website and watched the brief video on how the marker on the cover turns the magazine into a live video. Not only does Robert Downey Jr. come alive, but there are jokes and fashion pages which change based on the weather.

I am absolutely intrigued and I will be making a stop to pick up my copy of Esquire. It may turn me into a subscriber.

Labels: publishing, video

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

RMI adds videos to 90 datacards on NextMark

If you know RMI, we've always been on the cutting edge of video marketing - not to toot our own horns - but we've had some great success with it. And today, we're on a mission to take our initiatives a step further.

In a press release and blog entry posted by NextMark this week, the company announced the addition of a new platform to host videos on its datacards, along with RMI's comments and level of involvement.

"To the brokers' advantage, datacard videos provide an additional stream of information on demand. Determining factors such as limited time offers, mail packages and seasons, and market penetration will aid in the research and selection process," noted Becky Terhaar, Marketing Director at RMI. "From a client's perspective, this is an excellent opportunity for our sales force to connect with brokers during the peak of their interest - increasing the likelihood that the list will be included in a recommendation."

You can check out some of the videos produced here on NextMark's free search site, which simulate one-on-one presentations with the account manager: Easter Seals, Guideposts, Time Inc Corporate Database, VFW Non-Member Donors*, Active and Affluent American Political Donors, Alaska Sportsmen Anglers and Hunters.

*The VFW Member List is not available.

Labels: datacard, video

Monday, March 30, 2009

Bask in the glow of video stardom

Advertising Age had a great article in their e-newsletter this week about how to make your online video go viral. Definitely a good read if you want to exploit your friend's embarrassing faceplant - or promote a corporate video. Either or.

Here are the cliff notes:

1) Speed smartly: Post it where you're most likely to find the right demographic
2) Think deep, not wide: Post to 3-5 sites, reach out to targeted press and users, and aim to climb that "most watched" list at a handful of sites
3) Don't spell it out: from a creative standpoint, leave room for interpretation

Labels: video, viral marketing

Friday, December 12, 2008

This holiday season, caroling gets extreme

By now I'm sure many of you have seen our Santa's Little Helpers holiday video of RMI's participation in the Extreme Caroling Association... Now, take a look at some photos from behind the scenes as we spent a few hours doing push-ups, throwing hot chocolate, and screaming in the office. I'd be lying if I said it wasn't an absolute blast.

And we were all totally impressed with everyone's acting abilities. There were just two lines scripted in the entire video, the rest was all spontaneous! But, no worries - until we find a proper manager and feature film to star in, we'll ignore Hollywood's beckoning call and stick to our day jobs diligently devising mail plans, selling lists, and pushing orders. We are however signing autographs on demand, with leaderboard ad space available at $35/M. Contact Hillary for more details.

So, what do you think... if RMI was to hold an Academy Awards, who would you vote for?

Labels: employees, video

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Video on video

This is jaw-dropping - and possibly a little scary with what we can do with technology these days... Programmers at Stanford University have developed a software that enables you to upload your image/video onto any surface within any existing video.

Imagine, as an advertiser, paying the owner of the hottest YouTube video for ad space to insert your promo directly into their video - which will appear as natural as if it were always there. And you're done quickly and easily with just a few clicks.

You can log-in and play around with it yourself, or check out a gallery of already created inserts.

Thanks to Darryl at Brandflakes for pointing this out.

.......ejiwfg

Sorry, glitch in the matrix.

Labels: technology, video

Monday, September 15, 2008

Have you seen our video on YouTube?

Last week the mice at RMI produced a great video illustrating how well they work while I'm away. A well oiled wheel, serious noses to the grind stone. A real tribute to upper management.

I feel like Alfred E. Newman of Mad Magazine fame -"What, me worry?"

Check it out.

Labels: employees, video

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

And while we're on the ad subject....

Who out there hasn't at least looked at the Sobe Life Water in their local deli since the Super Bowl ad with the dancing lizards was aired? The "Thrillicious" video features a troop of multicolored iguanas complete with all the moves of Michael Jackson's back up dancers and one even bedazzled with "grills" on its teeth. The human female dancer is superfluous.

I wonder if the Thriller CD has seen a boost in sales since the ad aired?

Labels: advertising, video

Monday, March 17, 2008

We all have something to learn from Apple

Recently I've realized that I've become numb to most ads on TV. The constant barrage of car ads, skin care, cereal and household cleaners has me oblivious to the differences. Then there are the all too hip ads which feature perfectly chiseled men and women with some abstract message so weird that I can't even remember what they were advertising. Maybe a fragrance or clothing or a dating website... I really don't know.

But over the weekend I noted a really good ad. Apple's new MacBook "Air" commercial is very catchy. The ad is clean, smart and to the point. No glitz. It's just a very pleasant ad.

The simplistic commercial is complimented perfectly with a song called New Soul by Yael Naïm. Now normally, I’d be the last person to ask about contemporary music… which leads me to my point. Not only does Apple always remain ahead of the curve with its media, but is masterful in intertwining its channels together. I watched the commercial, logged onto the website, found the MacBook Air, and was offered to download the New Soul song from the ad - and iTunes if I didn’t already have it.

The takeaway? It’s important to disperse your advertising dollars among multiple platforms with a clear message. But what’s even more important is the connectivity and fluidity between them.

Labels: multichannel marketing, video

Friday, February 29, 2008

Tassimo takes it to the office

What do Kraft and RMI have in common? We both use office videos to add to our marketing efforts. First of all I love the Tassimo product and second, I love the whole "office" take off. It's a very creative, interactive approach to capturing a new audience.

Labels: video

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

I dream of Sales Genie

After the parade for the victorious underdog NY Giants, there will only be a few who remember vividly the entire game. Sure in sports bars all over NY and Boston, the die hard fans will re-play each exciting moment of the last 2 minutes. But for me, what I will remember are the commercials.

To me the Super Bowl is like the new fall season of TV; a harbinger of commercials to come. So I was a little disappointed by the line up this year. In particular, the Sales Genie campaign. Who's their target audience? Serious business people or Saturday morning cartoon watchers? Maybe I'm too close to it but I found them to be degrading. Also, the ads play into the hands of those who feel like there is no oversight in our industry. That thousands of names are just available for the taking, to anyone who wants them, without taking proper security measures and background checks.

I imagine that only time will tell how successful (or unsuccessful) the campaign is, but the potential damage to the DMA's efforts to protect privacy is already out there.

Labels: privacy, video

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

The key to viral marketing: become your audience

Decio, our network administrator, pointed out this really great quote from a DM News interview with Adam Deringer. The VP and chief digital officer of the Brownstein Group talks about a successful 26 video viral campaign launched for SuperPretzel.

"To play in this viral world of social marketing, you can't take yourself too seriously. This is something that is really difficult for a lot of traditional companies to accept. You need to become your audience as opposed to being a brand speaking to your audience. This, in turn, generates interest in the brand. Being genuine is most effective in viral marketing."

Well said.