The year was 1982. As an MTV-obsessed pre-teen, I would sit patiently in front of the television, poised to hit record on the VCR the second I heard the beginning strains of Duran Duran’s “Hungry Like the Wolf,” or any number of big budget music videos from artists like Prince, Michael Jackson and Madonna, until my Memorex tape was filled. I made these compilation tapes for two reasons: I wanted to be able to watch my favorite videos whenever I desired and I wanted to share them with my friends. 

Fast forward to 2008. Digital video has emerged as a vital communication tool inspiring conversation and increasing exposure for products, causes and services 24 hours a day. During PRSA’s Digital Impact Conference, we learned that when it comes to video, it’s no longer about big budgets. Some of the most successful case studies show how a small budget, clever video and well-planned strategy can go a long way. Other notable campaigns relied on user-generated content and viral communication to help spread their messages. It was stressed during the conference by many of the speakers that online videos must not only be creative but highly-engaging in order to reach online audiences — audiences that are growing at a rapid pace. In the session “Digital Video: A Potent Catalyst for PR’s Conversations With Audiences,” Lynn Bolger of comScore informed us that as of March 2008, 138 million people were viewing online video regularly.

In the session “Speak to me…not at me,” Matthew Snodgrass of Porter Novelli told us how indie rock duo The Bird and The Bee increased their popularity with their song “Again and Again” thanks to online video. Oh, not with their professionally produced online video that cost somewhere around $100,000 to create. No, the “Again and Again” video that garnered more than twice as many views and four times the comments on YouTube was created by Dennis Liu on his MacBook Pro. Liu, an NYU grad hoping to become a full-time filmmaker, was inspired to create his own Apple commercial. The result was a compelling video that showcased Apple’s functionality and the band’s catchy tune, not to mention Liu’s impressive editing skills. Liu’s out of pocket expense? Approximately $100.  The value of the exposure gained for Apple, The Bird and The Bee, and Liu? Priceless.   

Continue reading " The Ever-Changing World of Video "

By T.J.Walker, president, Media Training Worldwide. He is “the leading media and presentation trainer in the world,” and “the #1 expert for executives seeking guidance on speaking to the public and media” according to quotes from Viacom and Bloomberg TV. T.J. has trained thousands of executives and government officials over the last 20 years.

Join Walker for his on-site seminar, Media Training: Control your message to get the quotes you want, on Monday, June 23, 2008 in New York, NY! Click here for more deatils on T.J Walker’s Media Training seminar or visit http://www.mediatrainingworldwide.com/prsa/ !

Continue reading " One of the Best Techniques for Dealing with the Media "

It turns out that at the very moment we were attending this session, thousands of Californians were being evacuated from their homes.  The Red Cross was sending out messages via Twitter, telling people where they could find shelter and what they needed to do.  They also were using their regular channels, including a purpose-built blog, as well as local radio and television.  But even local media were turning to social media platforms to get the word out.

Gerald Baron is CEO and Founder of AudienceCentral, which makes the online crisis management software Public Information Emergency Response (PIER), and is also the author of the blog CrisisBlogger and the book Now Is Too Late 2, was the session presenter.

Building Trust in a Crisis

Baron said that you have to do two things during a crisis situation to build trust:

1. Do the right things
2. Communicate them well

Communicating well includes getting the word out fast; communicating directly; and communicating honestly and transparently.

Continue reading " Breakout: Building Trust During a Media Maelstrom "

Diane Gaysesk Ph.D., associate dean at Ithica College and founder of Gayesky Analytics, shared her tips on connecting with Nexters. A generation born between 1982 to present. Nexters are generally idealistic and moral. They learn by playing, are team oriented, will hold out for meaningful work and were born in a trophy child era.

Online Videos by Veoh.com

Read Diane’s original post about Nexters too.

Continue reading " Video: Connecting With Nexters Part II "

One of the first breakout sessions after lunch on Monday featured Duncan Wardle, VP Global & WDW Public Relations. Duncan talked about how media is changing and how Disney finds authentic stories at their theme parks and showcases them in the traditional/non-traditional media.

Duncan started off his presentation by showing the EPIC video from Poynter (remember 2005). I had not watched EPIC in a number of years, so it was fun to revisit the predictions and see how many are arriving ahead of time.

Continue reading " PRSA International Conference – The Communications Revolution, Duncan Wardle, VP Disney "