Valley PR Blog

Blending video into your PR plans

By Charlotte Risch on September 8th, 2008 In Best Practices, Professional Development

A conversation with Jim Hartman of Blended Media in Phoenix on how video can be used in PR.

What do you do?

My name is Jim Hartman and I am the co-owner of Blended Media with my partner, Lainie Triplet. Our company specializes in working with PR professionals and their businesses to create video products that enhance a company’s marketing strategies. Video products can be defined as 30 second commercials, tradeshow loops, uploaded video clips on the internet, archival footage for media use, etc.; any video that helps support or enhance the marketing of a company’s branding efforts.

How can this help PR people?

The use of television for branding is not new; but the diversification of electronic media in general has exploded over the last several years. Video products allow PR people to broaden their levels of service to their clientele. By utilizing video products into their offerings, PR people can take advantage of the multiple electronic media platforms that have developed recently, both broadcast and non-broadcast alike, such as: commercial and journalistic television, the massive explosion of internet marketing, the company website, electronic newsletters, video blogs (”vlogs”); and non-traditional venues like mall kiosks, fitness centers, and even gas stations, which is becoming the latest target of the out-of-home advertising industry. Not to mention the embryonic stage that podcasting is in as an advertising outlet. All these media platforms can be utilized using the same video clips, which not only promotes a consistent branding message to the marketplace, but also eases the investment made in video production through the repurposing of that video.

How can this help their clients?

By tapping into the ever expanding electronic media platforms now available, the branding of a PR peson’s client becomes much more comprehensive in the marketplace; there are more ways then ever to reach your chosen demographic. This is particularly true when you consider the merging of television and the internet. Television in and of itself is nothing new; what’s new is the multiple ways you can repurpose that video, for the internet, as well as other electronic mediums. It’s not just about tv anymore. Last year was the first year deemed the “…year of video on the internet.” But because of the exponential growth of video applications on the net, 2008 has now been deemed, “…the year internet video took off.”  It has become essential that branding efforts include the many avenues of internet marketing, through the use of video.

Can you give us a quick lesson in Video 101 that is relevant to the PR / Media industry?

There has been a conisistent string of inquiries from business owners over the years involving the cost of video production, and the different uses of video. I address both those issues as well as a few others, in my Video 101 seminar. One caveat I like to share is that video production costs can be can be diluted if one remembers that when a production company is hired to produce a product, they do not have to limit their shooting for only that one project. Video shoots are executed in half day increments; so when a company brings their production crew on location (or in a studio) for a half or full day shoot, try to include a variety of shots that may not necessarily be part of the project’s shot list. Use the production company to the fullest of their time commitment. If you are paying for a day, make sure they are shooting for the day. Those extra shots then can be used for other purposes.

Repurposing video for multiple uses has taken on a whole new meaning over the last few years with the development of various electronic media, particularly the internet. Never has the internet been so vital to marketing strategies; as each generation of computer saavy users grows into the next generation of consumers, the internet becomes more important for PR people take advantage of. Research the internet; try to fit your client into the various net avenues, such as building channels on YouTube; creating profiles on the social sites (then creating groups on those sites); utilizing aggregator sites; uploading onto “how-to” sites. The list seems to be endless. Also, look into non-traditional, out-of-home advertising; such as the monitors you now see on the pumps at the newer gas stations, or the commercials projected on the movie screens at the theatre.

If you would like me to speak to your clients or agency on Video 101, please call me at 602-399-0780 or shoot me an email.

What are some of the ways you’ve seen video help a business?

The most useful way for video to help a business is when it is one component of a larger marketing strategy. For example, my company produced 100 one minute long video clips for a website about family crafts. The website is promoted through social sites catered to moms looking for family activities; the clips are uploaded to separate how-to sites, and are posted on YouTube as well as other similiar video-sharing sites. The clips were shot so that they could also be segments in a television show that is currently being shopped around for syndication. All these different channels of marketing are driving viewers to the website, so that the client can not only deliver a worthy product (family crafts) for free, but can then drive them to the site’s store, where the client’s sponsors sell their products.

Another example is when I spent a day shooting the procedures of a skin care facility. This footage was archived, and the press releases that went out to the local tv stations were able to state that “b-roll footage was available.” This made the choice of scheduling the skin care client on morning news shows easier, since the show’s producers did not have to send a shooter out to acquire footage. Their work was already done. This client was on three different morning shows, featured for several minutes at a time, all using the archived footage, in a span of two months.

What businesses could use the help of video in their marketing or PR?

Well, first of all, let me say that I don’t think there are too many companies that couldn’t use video. But to answer your question, a few general characteristics come to mind. Companies with a service or product that can appeal to consumers visually: an accountant may not need video production as much as a custom cabinet maker. Companies that appeal to the general consumer audience: a representative from a drug company may not need video to sell to a private practice like a maker of holiday gift baskets would want a commercial on tv during the holidays. Companies that depend on multiple levels of consumer participation: walk-ins being as vital as on-line sales. Last but not least, those companies willing to take a chance and try something new and different with their branding. One of the pleasures of what I do is meeting a PR person and their client, learning about their product, their branding efforts, and then working with them to create a whole new way of thinking with video. Allow me to repeat: there are not too many businesses that couldn’t use video!

Want Your Picture Icon? Go to gravatar.com and set a picture up to your email address for free. It also works on thousands of other websites, too!