GeniusRocket recently led a series of webinars to provide marketers with guidance on how to implement a successful video marketing strategy, and what the curated crowdsourcing process entails.
We’ve recorded the webinars- if you’re interested in accessing any of them, just click on any of the header links!
Audio-Technica’s Consumer Marketing Manager Crystal Griffith & GeniusRocket President Peter LaMotte explained how they were able to create a powerful “Audio 911″ viral video via creative crowdsourcing.
Topics covered include:
Can you guarantee a viral video?
How can I guarantee high quality production?
What risk does crowdsourcing pose?
What measurements of success did Audio-Technica set to reach with this video?
What strategies are best for sharing and distributing online video?
GeniusRocket attracts clients like Colgate-Palmolive, IBM, Amazon, and Unilever and because they trust us for the quality of the creative videos we provide through curated crowdsourcing. Our innovative model is providing solutions to marketers that didn’t exist before; we provide speedy delivery that traditional agencies have a hard time beating and help clients big and small because we’re supremely agile in accommodating marketing budgets. Most of all, we’re committed to strengthening brand value and ensuring that the video campaign surpasses our clients’ business objectives. This webinar covers case studies of great work GeniusRocket has done for B2B clients.
In this webinar, topics of discussion included
What makes curated crowdsourcing so affordable?
How exactly can you leverage video to increase lead generations?
How can you improve your video strategy to better engage customers?
Curated crowdsourcing can be the single best new solution to fit the needs of advocacy organizations looking to produce a powerful video that their viewers will want to share with others and take action on- all done within an incredibly reasonable budget. In this webinar, GeniusRocket President Peter LaMotte discusses how crowdsourced video can help to bring creativity, high quality, and affordability to advocacy campaigns that clients would not have exposure to using a traditional model.
Topics covered include:
What makes curated crowdsourcing so valuable for organizations to tap into?
How much does crowdsourced video cost?
How can you maintain control over the project and the distribution?
How long does crowdsourced video take to produce?
What strategies can be implemented to make your advocacy campaigns viral?
GeniusRocket Peter LaMotte recently led a ‘B2C video marketing’ webinar featuring guest Audio-Technica Marketing Manager Crystal Griffith. Crystal bleeds the Audio-Technica brand and knows better than any other marketer that it is her duty to enhance and protect it. She had heard about the benefits of crowdsourcing, but admittedly she was initially ambivalent about crowdsourced video being capable of representing the quality of the Audio-Technica brand. It was only after she heard that GeniusRocket vets the creative community and works with only the highest caliber production companies in the United States did she decide it’d be a risk worth taking to work with us. She told us “I used to work in another division with a much bigger budget, and knew that the cost that Peter had quoted us was much less than what was typical. The low cost helped lower the risk and made us feel a lot better about our investments.“
In this webinar, she shares what the crowdsourcing process was like to find a winning creative concept and production company, and how her team was able to engage throughout the process to make sure the brand was always being protected.
The Creative Pitch
CG: In our creative brief, we indicated we wanted to reach the target market and create awareness for Audio-Technica’s Solid Bass Headphones. But that wasn’t our only objective. Audio-Technica is a really well known brand in the professional sector, but not as strong yet in the consumer sector. So we also not only wanted the video to not be just about headphones, but to also be about the brand. We wanted our target market to know that Audio-Technica makes headphones and that it does it well.
We noted that we wanted the video to have some sort of viral quality, to compel viewers to share the video. I didn’t know what exactly that would be, but we put that in a creative brief to try to stimulate the creative people to come up with something that is catchy or has some kind of hook to it. We purposely kept our creative brief simple so that we could give the creative talent extra liberty to spin ideas.
PL: We appreciated that Audio-Technica was willing and open to see what would come out of the creative process; that is how you leverage the power of the crowd to receive the myriad of creative and original concepts. Regardless of how much reliance the client poses on the creative community for ideas, though, we make clients absolutely positive that they are producing the video campaign as a tight and strategic reflection of marketing and brand goals.
The Selection Process
PL: GeniusRocket has a community of nearly 500 production companies including writers and creative directors- we rely on them to source concepts. Using our private and secure platform, we identified and signalled over 32 production companies that we found to be capable of producing the type of work that Audio-Technica was asking for. We received back 31 original concepts based on the creative brief. Through the platform, clients learn about the creative concepts, the production company that created them, storyline, messaging and how that translates back to the creative brief, the casting, music, and location.
[To Crystal] Of all the concepts that came in, what caught your eye?
CG: I was really surprised and pleased to get in there and see the number of different concepts; it was very difficult because a lot of the concepts were REALLY good and very creative. We formed a team of people not only from the marketing department, but also a couple of folks from the marketing communications department and even a couple of the “cool guys” in the office to get a gut check to make sure we were heading in the right direction in hitting our target market.
We needed to be assured of the professionalism of each agency we were seriously evaluating. GeniusRocket’s platform gave us the ability to view agency portfolios. We also had the ability to interact directly with the agency, so the companies showed us YouTube clips of their specific work that was similar to the concept they were pitching to us. A few companies even created unique videos on the fly to show us what they could do for us as a starting point. That was really impressive to us.
We moved to the storyboard round with a few concepts we liked; the professionalism of the storyboards was also amazing to us. We were able to narrow it down to 2 concepts: 1 funny, the other one being the Audio 911 concept. The comedy one was good, but ultimately, it didn’t fit the style that the brand was looking for; we could have probably gotten away with it just fine because Audio-Technica wasn’t fully established in the consumer’s minds yet, but we still wanted to portray ourselves as a professional audio company.
We decided to go with Audio 911. What was really nice was that all the pieces fit. Aside from making sure you always have the target market in mind, the biggest piece of advice I can give to marketers is to always have one or two questions that you go back to throughout the entire process. Ours were “will it resonate with the male 18-32 crowd?” and “will the video give the type of exposure that we want to give to the product?”. For Audio 911, we were able to confidently say yes at every step. DVI pitched dancing and music concepts that would have resonated with our target audience regardless of who did the dancing- we just got supremely lucky to have found Marquese Scott [a YouTube sensation known for his dancing skills]. Lucky for us, we ended up with the perfect storm for all things.
PL: By using a curated crowdsourcing model using vetted professionals, clients are taking advantage of the overcapacity of some of the best production companies in the country. DVI typically does work for big-budget brands, but they had the time and resources to devote to Audio 911. It was a great synergy involving a great idea with great timing with a production team that could pull it off.
Pre-production
PL: During pre-production, we make sure everything is set in place and in agreeance with the brand team; the cast and location are confirmed, and video scenes and scripting are reviewed. Our process differs from a contest where you remove yourself from the process and come back in 30 days receiving a finished product that you pray will work. We give clients the opportunity to give a thumbs up or down on every single aspect.
CG: Peter probably won’t want me broadcasting this, but throughout every step of the process there is a way to exit it and not sink all of the money you invested in the video production. The process is designed so that as a client, I wasn’t to feel uncomfortable in any possible way.
Production
PL: We firmly encourage our clients to be on set. Production companies have their hands full on the quality aspect of lighting, sound elements, etc. The GeniusRocket team will be on-set as well in order to ensure brand elements are incorporated as envisioned, but at the end of the day, brand managers know their brands best and there may be certain elements they’re looking for that GeniusRocket and the production team may miss.
CL: I appreciate that GeniusRocket advocates this; I was honestly hesitant to go on set since I was busy, but Peter persuaded me to participate. And being on set, I stood there as a representation of my brand. There were certain things pre-production that people in the office talked about that they really liked in the video concepts and felt passionate that it be included; I was able to make sure those things were done and didn’t get cut out of the process. Even if it didn’t get used in the end, I felt good knowing I was the voice of the brand and the voice of what our expectations were.
Distribution
PL: So we had a high quality video after a few short weeks- the question now was what do we do with it? The goal was organic growth. Fortunately for us, Marquese Scott was quickly rising to fame. We arranged to have him place the video on his YouTube fan page, where the target market already was, as well as placing the same video on Audio-Technica’s fan page. In addition to YouTube, GeniusRocket, Audio-Technica, and the production company all leveraged our PR agencies to get the media and thought leaders to write articles, blogs, and journals about the video.
CG: We really appreciated the amount of expertise GeniusRocket brought to the table; they were wonderful in helping and coaching along to find the right keywords and post the video in the right way so that it engaged with people in the right away. We did quite a bit of PR which included showcasing the video in tradeshows.
Results
CG: This was wildly successful for us. The hits increased awareness in ways we had only hoped for. We had customers speak fanatically about how they didn’t know the brand before but now they did, and how much they loved the headphones and the brand. The video helped us to get product placement in stores that we were closed out of before and we continue to find placement in new channels.
The video gave awareness to a virtually unknown product and an unknown brand. No one had known that the headphones were beautiful if not for the video. The headphones had actually been on the market for almost a year, and sales were not good. We had tried Google AdWords, web advertisements, PR- but any force we were putting into it was not working well. The video worked because we honed in on our target market so specifically, and we knew YouTube would work since our audience was there.
Audio-Technica’s Audio 911 video garnered over 1 million views across 2 months and continues to gain media and consumer attention. You can access the video here. Have questions for Crystal or Peter? E-mail info@geniusrocket.com and we’ll be glad to forward them on to the respective contact.
GeniusRocket just took crowdsourced video to a new level. Its one thing to crowdsource a video. It is a whole new idea to have the top ad critic take a look at the ideas before they are produced.
Says our press release:
GeniusRocket Names Bob Garfield Critic at Large
Veteran Advertising and Media Expert Joins Crowdsourcing Agency Advisory Team
Bethesda, Md. (PRWEB) April 24, 2012
GeniusRocket, a curated crowdsourcing and video advertising content agency, today announced that Bob Garfield has been named Critic at Large. In this role, he will serve as the chief consultant providing qualitative feedback and assessment of the creative direction for GeniusRocket’s crowdsourced advertising projects.
GeniusRocket’s model brings together the energy of the crowdsourcing world –speed, value and talent — with the security, privacy, and creative direction of more traditional agency models. The company uses a unique platform with a staged, curated and client-driven project selection, collaboration, and production process, utilizing a fully vetted community of creative professionals.
“Marketers and advertisers have a huge opportunity in crowdsourced content, and GeniusRocket’s particular platform is especially attractive,” said Bob Garfield. “The idea isn’t to sort through haystacks for needles, but to help established creators understand a brief and deliver sound results. Yeah, there are more misses than hits. That’s why I have a career. But the solutions are sometimes extraordinary – and extraordinarily unlike what agencies are apt to produce.”
Garfield will not advise GeniusRocket or its clients on media strategy or tactics, but will offer guidance on both specific ad executions and the integration of GeniusRocket output into marketers’ overall efforts. “Not to let the cart pull the horse or anything,” Garfield said, “but when 20 teams work a problem — as opposed to one — the chances increase of finding something profound.”
Since 1985, Garfield has been a columnist and critic for Advertising Age. For the past 11 years, he has co-hosted NPR’s radio program on the media, titled “On the Media.” Garfield has been a contributing editor for the Washington Post Magazine, Civilization and the USA Today op-ed page. He has also written for The New York Times, The Guardian, Playboy, Sports Illustrated and Wired. As a lecturer and panelist, he has appeared in 36 countries on six continents.
“We have no doubt that the addition of Bob Garfield to our team will help our clients refine and improve their crowdsourced ads,” said Peter LaMotte, President of GeniusRocket. “Bob’s approach works in tandem with our commitment to push the boundaries at the intersection of messaging, medium and creativity to the point where audiences are not bored by the content but instead crave it.”
If you are interested in learning more about our latest value-add to our clients, contact us at hello@geniusrocket.com.
Business to Business Webinar: Affordable Ways to Boost Your Sales Through Video Marketing When: Thursday, April 26th @ 2:30PM EST (1hr)
GeniusRocket attracts clients like Colgate-Palmolive, IBM, Amazon, and Unilever and because they trust us for the quality of the creative videos we provide through curated crowdsourcing. Our innovative model is providing solutions to marketers that didn’t exist before; we provide speedy delivery that traditional agencies have a hard time beating and help clients big and small because we’re supremely agile in accommodating marketing budgets. Most of all, we’re committed to strengthening brand value and ensuring that the video campaign surpasses our clients’ business objectives.
Join GeniusRocket President Peter LaMotte for our webinar so you can learn about how curated crowdsourcing can absolve the pain points you’re experiencing when it comes to creatng B2B video.
Topics covered include:
What makes curated crowdsourcing so affordable?
How exactly can you leverage video to increase lead generations?
How can you improve your video strategy to better engage customers?
What success measures really matter?
Once you register, you will also receive credit towards a premier focus group service that will help assess impact of your video on your target audience if you collaborate with GeniusRocket on a future video campaign. And don’t worry if you sign up and can’t attend; we’ll make sure to send you the link to view the deck and recording after the webinar is over.
Other upcoming webinars:
Call-to-Action Video Webinar: How Crowdsourcing Can Simplify Your Job in Creating Call-To-Action Videos When: Thursday, May 3 @ 1:00PM EST What: Learn how through the power of the crowd, you can easily create compelling call-to-action videos that charge your target audience.
GeniusRocket is proud to present the free and live webinar:
Creating Video Content Brands Can Be Proud Of: A B2C Case Study with Audio-Technica
Audio-Technica approached GeniusRocket with the need for a brand-strengthening viral video that would get buzz from their target customers. Through careful collaboration, GeniusRocket delivered. Within 6 weeks of the concept pitch, the finished “Audio 911″ video went live and generated close to 700,000 views in less than 4 weeks. It didn’t hurt that the video cost Audio-Technica half of what it would have cost them if they had gone through traditional methods either.
Join our webinar featuring Audio-Technica’s Consumer Marketing Manager Crystal Griffith & GeniusRocket President Peter LaMotte, as they explain how they were able to create “Audio 911″ via curated crowdsourcing. The short conversation will be followed by a Q&A.
When: Tuesday, April 17th @ 1:00PM EST (1hr)
Topics Covered on the Call:
- Can you guarantee a viral video?
- How can I guarantee high quality production?
- What risk does crowdsourcing pose?
- What measurements of success did Audio-Technica set to reach with this video?
- What strategies are best for sharing and distributing online video?
Here at GeniusRocket, we maintain anything but the status quo. We love change and embrace it, especially if it means it’ll bring more value to our clients and our creative talent.
The 1st Version of the JESS3 Design
The change we implemented recently was the relaunch of our site, complete with a redesign, enhanced user interface, and features to increase visitor engagement. We wanted the website to truly reflect our brand identity, and with our friends at the JESS3 creative firm we
were able to over-accomplish on that task. Through our site, we wanted our client to clearly understand that we’re fun but serious about and damn good at what we do. One of the solutions that JESS3 came up with was just brilliant: a sleek, fluid interface that mimics a rocket launching as your advance from page to page. Not only is that fun, it’s also completely different- JESS3 essentially captured our brand identity AND market positioning all throughout this one major concept.
So aside from making the website easier and more engaging to use, what else does the website do that creates new value for our clients and creative talent?
The deeper meaning behind the website doesn’t lie in its new design or functionalities; it’s really about its symbolism representing the changes in our company. The new website is smarter and more cohesive- just like our start-up company as we’ve made mistakes and learned and grown from them. By simplifying our business model we’ve managed to enhance it, focusing primarily on video production. The market demand for online commercials, viral videos and the like has exploded in recent years, and with high production costs and budget constraints, brand managers are stressing out in figuring out how they can meet this demand and reach their customers. GeniusRocket not only offers solutions that are significantly lower in cost, it offers more solutions that are of premium quality on par with some of the best agencies out there. Our business model just makes sense to our clients in today’s economy and consumer trends in online engagement. There’s nothing more to it.
Note: Keep an eye out for the “official” video on the GeniusRocket homepage which should launch in the next couple weeks.
Final Version of the Site at the time of Launch
The Launch Party
We celebrated our site relaunch at a launch party last Tuesday night at the most appropriate venue in Washington, DC, the Rocket Bar, with the most appropriate crowd- our good friends, clients, and creative talent- all firm believers in the work that we do. Despite the day-long torrential downpour Mother Nature spat down on us, the turn-out was as strong as it could have been on the sunniest of days. Sure, free beer can entice almost anyone to come out- but we truly know from the deepest of our sappy hearts that in mingling with our many guests throughout the night, it’s the love and loyalty they have for GeniusRocket that motivated them to celebrate with us. We hope that with the company’s enhanced model and our firm commitment to creating new value for our customers and creative community, we’ll continue to rapidly grow our loyalists. We’re looking forward to the next time we hold a party and struggle with the dilemma of finding a bar big enough (and preferably rocket- themed) to handle our gigantic network of fans.
Thousands of creative people around the world have submitted their ideas to be evaluated by Quirky’s members. The crowd votes on the best ideas and then chooses names and taglines. The best products go into production and are available to purchase. Its a stellar example of practical crowdsourcing. Today’s guest blog is from Quirky user Gretel Truong. Read on to learn more about Quirky and her experiences…Read more…
In recent months several new music tools have entered the scene in the United States, providing radical new alternatives for enjoying and listening to music. Two in particular, have a unique crowdsourced (and somewhat curated) spin to them: Spotify and Turntable.fm. Read more…
The curated crowdsourcing company that is GeniusRocket is going through some changes. We have a new website launching in a few weeks, new projects with major brands going public, and internal staff changes – like me. Read more…
The benefits of crowdsourcing are often broken into two categories: value and choice. When we created our curated crowdsourcing model, we decided that quality had to be part of that equation as well. In order for crowdsourced video to really become a reliable option for brands and causes, quality must improve beyond the typical contest-model of crowdsourcing.
Yet the most important benefit of having all three—choice, value, and quality—is often overlooked by brands and causes. It’s the ability to dramatically extend your reach and engagement with specific demographics through video content.
