Now that the year has begun, here are some 2012 predictions for advertising, media, and emerging trends:


 
Hi, Michael Kogon here, the CEO of Definition 6, and welcome to our 2012 video blog. I look forward to talking to you about unified marketing throughout the year, and I want to talk and start the year off with six predictions for 2012. 

1 - Year of Mobile – easy way to say it, but what I really mean by that is, how mobile influences the way we shop, the way we interface with retail, and the way we connect with one another.

2 - Second would be Social Networks.  Not just the mere fact that social networks are here to stay, and that Facebook consumes everybody’s time and life, if you are a meaningful brand you have a meaningful relationship with your consumers enabled by Facebook and others, but the notion that social connections are really informing the way brands and marketers have to work together.

3 – Third would be Video.  Just as we are producing video here, we’re seeing hundreds and millions of hours of videos produced, consumed and sent along all forms of devices and airwaves, as 3G turns into 4G, and we end up with very enabled users throughout the country and the planet, I think video is going to be the way we all choose to communicate and connect with our consumers.

4- The fourth way would be the movement of more money into Display Advertising.   I think Search is going to continue to be a big deal, obviously we’re going to see a lot of our digital dollars go there, but I think more and more of our money is going to be allocated towards display.  Again it’s a little bit of the video, it’s a lot of the social, but more importantly, it’s now brands have figured out how to use display to communicate a deeper, richer message that they can rarely do with direct response search. 

5- Fifth would be Turbulent Consumers.  I think consumers are going to shop on deal, I think deal sites are still a very good way to stimulate purchase trial.  But I think the other thing is that a lot of us are going to feel wealthy, a lot of us are going to feel less than wealthy, at any given moment within the year.  I think that kind of turbulence is going to really have an impact on what we have to do as marketers and time our message with behavior we observe our consumers exhibiting.

6- And the last is the Unknown.  The prediction of #6 is I’m not really sure what is going to happen in the sense that one thing is going to be an inflection point on the year.  Hopefully it’s a positive thing, but it could be a negative thing, like a natural disaster or market correction, but it could be a good thing like the Euro zone corrects itself, the Presidential election shapes up to where the country has optimism.  I’m looking forward to this year with you.  Please come back and see what our customers, our partners, and what the other people here at Definition 6 have to say.  Good luck in 2012. 

All across the internet today websites are taking a stand against censorship. Resources such as Wikipedia, Google,  Reddit.com, and Craigslist are all blacking out  content in protest against the SOPA and PIPA  acts. Washington, DC has already begun to buckle this week towards the public outcry, but that hasn’t stopped a whole lot of people from making a voice for themselves today.

My first trip to CES in Las Vegas feels more like the sandstorm that overtook Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible: it came on suddenly and I left blinded, coated with bits and pieces of silicon.



I have only begun processing the whirlwind of flashing lights called CES and though fortunate to have an opportunity to immerse myself in the future of consumer technology, those 48 hours left me with just as many questions as answers.

When Univision asked Definition 6 to create the new song for their flagship Station KMEX-34, I called Randy Wachtler at 615 Music, Nashville. Randy and I have been nominated twice for the National Emmy Award for original music for TV, so 615 was a natural choice. Along with Aaron Grant and the 615 team, we got to work. 

Univision wanted a “Theme” to celebrate the Latino culture and Mexican heritage of Los Angeles.

So Rene Garza, Alejandro Valencia and I composed a wonderful piece of music based on KMEX’s branding concept, Aqui Contigo. We titled the song with that idea in mind and created a piece of music recorded with some of the best studio musicians in the country. Recently, Chava Garcia, the station’s marketing chief, created a work using the instrumental version of the song against the on air personalities in iconic locations in the City of Angels. In the near future, the entire 2:00 piece, with vocal, will air. Until then, here is a sneak peak at “Aqui Contigo.”

Yesterday I posted Part 1 of my Top Viral Video picks for 2011, which was a great trip down memory lane.  And here is today's list, for the Top 10 Branded Online Videos.  There are some excellent videos here like the Kia hamster dance and Coca-Cola's Happiness Truck, and I applaud the brands that made my list, as their creativity and bravery produced memorable, shareable content. 

So again, in no particular order, I present the best of the online video best:

Top 10 Branded Online Videos

• Zombies: The Ramifications of Yes (Toshiba)

   

Way to capitalize on the Zombie Apocalypse, Toshiba! Rancid milk can do terrible things to a person.

• Party Rock Anthem-Kia Soul Hamster Commercial (Kia)

There’s no way around it; this song is catchy and those hamsters are kinda cute.

• Imported from Detroit (Chrysler)

   

There is no better way to celebrate American work than the 8 Mile king himself.

• The Force (VW Passat)

If you didn’t want to be that kid, if even for a second, you are dead inside.

• Kenny Powers – K-Swiss CEO Video (K-Swiss) (NSFW)

This ad had people changing their business cards all over the office. MFAD, people!

• Angry Birds Live (T-Mobile)

A gaming sensation plus an actual catapult in the middle of Barcelona? Awesome.

• Go Beyond the Cover (Dermablend Pro)

Obviously, this is the best way to cover up that drunken tattoo you got after the company holiday party.

• Jennifer Aniston Sex Tape (Smartwater)

Even Brangelina was curious enough to watch this one.

• Immortalize Yourself (True Blood) - **disclosure - client of Definition 6

Whether you were a True Blood devotee or a Truebie, you totally squealed when Eric left you that message.

• Happiness Truck (Coca-Cola) - **disclosure - client of Definition 6

Getting a surfboard out of a delivery truck almost guarantees the best summer ever.

So folks - there you have it.  Awesome video work from our clients and others.  Looking forward to more hits in 2012!  Leave a comment below for your favorite either on this list or not!

Has this ever happened to you?  The woman next to you in line at the grocery store -- the one with the full cart standing next to an empty conveyor belt, holds everybody up while she chuckles at her iPhone.  Or the guy in the sedan in front of you who missed the light turning green because he is reading responses to a post he made in a gardening forum -- and will check 19 more times today. 

But let's face it -- it's not him. And it isn't her, either. It is you. And it is me. It's cliché to say we are a distracted people. It is cheap to complain about how our digital lives can lay waste to our personal ones. And it is a sine dicendo to say that when we can't get what we want, when we want it, at the price we want, and where we want it, we are prone to hysterics.

I elaborate more on this in a recent Mediapost article "Why Your Friendly Neighborhood Mobile Technologist Needs a Swift Kick in the Ass."

With the proliferation of tablets, smartphones and other connected devices, we are acccessing content more than ever on the go. So why aren't there more innovative mobile apps or mobile sites that "wow" us? Haven't we come so far that we can at least deliver something that won't make us leave the second we get there because of a fail to load or clunky navigation?

This is not a rant - but simply a call out to mobile technologists and developers to get excited. Get innovative. And to deliver something spectacular.

As holiday decorations in stores change and the first snowfall passes, I can’t help but think about the busiest retail season of the year that is right around the corner.  As an email marketer, this means increased frequency, and a higher tolerance to frequency from your subscribers, as well as promotions kicking into high gear.  However, as an email recipient, the next few months represent the most clutter I get from brands all year long!

I’ve put together my top 6 tips to hold your holiday (and all campaigns in general) together as you finalize your messaging and creative and start sending messages.

1. Reinforce that you know me and get personal. – Use the profile information you gather and personalize your messages to me.  Include my name, information about store hours or shipping windows based on my location, reference prior purchases and cross-sell relevant items to complement what I already own.

2. Understand my buying patterns and deliver timely and relevant messages that match up to them. – If you analyze your data and apply some common sense and a little marketing savvy then it will be easy to segment your subscribers and understand where each group is in the bigger picture.  Let’s simplify this: I bought a warm winter coat within the last year (that should last longer than that.)  This tells you that I need warmth but probably won’t want the same kind of coat.  How do you then sell me winter wear when you have great deals? Market a coat in a different category to me (dress, sport, or something I don’t own), Market other winter items to me – gloves, pants, shoes, etc. if they’re part of your offering.  ** The big key here is don’t tell me that the item I bought last year is now cheaper or technology is significantly lagging because you’ll just frustrate me!

3. Give me something exclusive for being a subscriber: value, content, discounts, etc. – Be unique and tie the exclusive content in your email to the action you want me to take (see below.) Don’t have a 20% off coupon in print, social media, email, and on my website.  If I don’t get anything special why would I remain a subscriber when there are much more passive ways I can get the same deal.

4. Make me want to open your email and load images with interesting visual design that renders well on my client. – Understand if I’m more likely to read my email on my smart phone, tablet, or computer and design so it looks the absolute best there and be different. Imagine what kind of success you could have if your email was personal, focused, and not cluttered!

5. Share similar peoples comments and feedback that are like me (because I trust them more than you)  – Pull in feedback on related items from other channels (social, reviews) into your creative.  This is a great way to let your customers be your voice and also grow following and participation in other channels.  It also makes the copy more interesting if it’s from a “regular” person.

6. Inspire me to take action and reward me for it! – Use a clear call to action (never more than two though, especially this time of year), make it easy for me to convert, pre-fill my information, and reinforce the fact that you know how I got into your conversion funnel and reward me as I move through the steps (hopefully 3-4 max).

You may think that it’s too late to implement these steps into your holiday campaigns but as with everything there are varying levels of implementation so start somewhere and pull out a test segment. Let performance guide you to continual optimization and really solid insights move your campaigns into 2012 as you are planning that email marketing strategy and calendar.

In the marketing world we used to always talk about the importance of consistency in message and actions when it comes to building your brand.  This is still largely true but more recently, the marketing world has been obsessed with other "c-words" such as "context" and "content."  At the end of the day, however, the most important rule of all is simply that you're interesting.  And this morning, there is nothing more interesting to me than 8 year-olds in the UK covering "Enter Sandman."


Which brands do you think do the most interesting, and therefore memorable work?

The most fascinating part of the past few weeks for me was the realization that with my 36th birthday came the notion that I could have been born and graduated from high school all over again since graduating from high school.

I’ve always wished there was an interactive marketing version of the reality TV show Shark Tank, or something akin to a digital marketing version of American Idol or X Factor. I’ve also always wanted to be a rock star even though I have absolutely no serious musical talent apart from my claim to fame of briefly appearing as Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady and Action in West Side Story while in high school. Pretty far from Rock Star status. But I recently had both wishes granted and it was an awesome experience.

Last week I had the incredibly interesting opportunity to journey to Taipei to co-host an annual event called Interactive@Taiwan. This event brings together leading interactive agencies in Taiwan to host a meeting featuring select speakers from abroad whose companies have gained some degree of international recognition for their work in order to learn from them. Each agency participating sends a cross-functional team that then competes over the course of three days to ultimately present the best concept based on a Challenge Brief. The featured speakers work with each agency team in workshops to refine their ideas and concepts in a near crucible-like environment to arrive at a final presentation, which then is judged by the speakers, with awards granted to the best concepts.

While previous years they focused mostly on the creative aspects and invited speakers like the ECD’s of companies like AKQA and W+K, this year they wanted to focus on the importance of technology in combination with strategy, marketing and creative… they looked to companies who have really brought technology and creative together in a unified manner to make a difference.

I was pretty honored when they reached out and invited me based on their awareness of the great work we’ve done for Coca-Cola on their Open Happiness campaign and the work we’ve done for HBO’s True Blood.

It was also pretty cool to be in the company of the other speaker, Nathan Martin, the CEO of Deep Local which brought the world the Nike Chalkbot and Nog Pong. I can say that in the course of the week I gained a tremendous amount of respect for Nathan and the work Deep Local does.

We set the stage for the event talking about how our agencies marry the fields of creative and technology, art and engineering, marketing and digital, all while staying true to the importance of understanding the brand, the personas of the target market, the desired business results, and the importance of the insights and big ideas. We talked to them about our different models for how we do this to come up with truly innovative ideas and then be able to execute on those ideas. From there we issued them a challenge that basically involved them coming up with concepts for one of their current clients or prospects that involved both digital and post-digital executions that were “outside the box” and leveraged technology beyond simple basics or common approaches.

For two days straight we met with every team in succession, one after the other, several times a day. They brought concepts for brands like HTC, China Trust Bank, FamilyMart, Heineken, Giant Bikes, Samsung and more. It felt like Shark Tank with the weird aspect of being one of the judges and critics. I’m definitely not always right- just ask my wife, my boss, our CMO, or our ECD. But it was amazing to see how much they valued my input and commentary on how to improve their ideas and executions.

Not every idea was great, and many took a long time to work through to something really cool and viable. But in the end, 10 teams from 10 different agencies presented amazing ideas and concepts. There were a few that were fantastic, others that were great, and others that were good and just needed some work. I definitely learned things. I learned how agencies on the other side of the planet are thinking and operating. I learned areas where they are well ahead of the West like RFID/NFC, QR, and mobile gaming. I learned how they operate against very different demands, budgets, and cultures. I hope they learned a few things from me too.

Lastly, my hat is off to the people and culture of Taiwan. I did not deserve it, but they treated me like a rock star while I was there. They are some of the most hospitable people on the planet, I have rarely felt so welcome and well taken care of, and I would do it again in a heartbeat.

I only wish everyone back here in the U.S. thought I was as smart as everyone over there did.


Added bonus: While I was there it was Taiwan’s 100th anniversary. Fireworks abounded. Very cool to see. Watched it from the top of a building in Taipei thanks to a guy named Mouse and his company Webgene .

Last week Definition 6 threw a wildly successful soirée in the trendy Virginia Highlands area of Atlanta, GA. Located at The Warren City Club, one of the few members only clubs in the city, the location deemed to be a perfect setting matched with the amazing southern weather that comes along in the beginning of October. If your dying to see pictures head over to our Facebook page to view!

It was a great evening to celebrate another year of supreme work with our clients over drinks and some delicious food prepared by the amazing staff of The Warren. 

The buzz of the night was the brewing excitment over Dad's Garage Improv comedic performance. The party would not have been the same without the fine gentlemen from Dad's Garage. The Marketing team was fortunate enough to attend a show several weeks earlier while in preparation for the party and after all the laughs, they knew the right crew was found for the gig. Shout out to Lucky and the rest of the guys!

We also want to thank the great sports for going up on stage and interacting with the show: Jeff Katz & Paul McClay from our Definition 6 family and Amy Pedersen from Coca-Cola. You guys were great!




We are so thrilled that everybody was able to come out and have as much fun as we did. There is nothing better than getting together with our favorite clients and sharing a night of laughs among some of the best people in our business. We're on the edge of our chairs waiting for the next Definition 6 Party... and we can't wait to see you there!

There's been a lot of coverage regarding Facebook's recent changes, but what do these updates mean for marketers?  Overall, the key features that Facebook announced place a huge emphasis on engagement. The key takeaway is that it will be increasingly important for marketers to create and share compelling content and experiences on a consistent basis in order to stay relevant. 

Below is an overview of the main changes and their relevance for marketers.
   
Timeline: Timeline will replace users’ old profile pages, and allows users to aggregate and organize all actions taken on Facebook that matter most to them. Users can highlight important life milestones and group content and actions (videos/photos/posts) with that milestone. It also allows users to edit their timeline, even back to the time they were born. Facebook applications can also display actions taken with that app in the timeline (if user permission is granted). 

What it means for marketers: Actions that are most important to users will appear on the Timeline – think status updates and photos rather than day-to-day actions like ‘Liking’ a brand. These day-to-day actions will be shown in the Ticker (see description below). That means that brands will need to find ways to appear in the timeline, and one way to do that is by creating social applications that engage their audience. 



Timeline cover: (increased image space to customize)
Source:  Facebook.com/about/timeline

Social Apps: Social applications allow users to add storytelling into their timeline. Think verbs instead of nouns. Instead of ‘liking’ a band, users can express they are ‘Listening’ to that band; ‘reading’ a book, ‘running’ 3 miles, etc. Additionally, now brands can create custom social actions like ‘flying’ ‘cooking’ ‘drinking’ or any other verb. These apps all utilize Facebook’s Open Graph, and users can give permission for these apps to post their activity on the Ticker and Timeline. 

What it means for marketers: Brands have the opportunity to create social actions through branded applications. The action won’t only say “Ashley ran,” but “Ashley ran 3 miles with Nike+.” All of these actions will appear in the Ticker (see below), but brands can request that the actions appear in the Timeline (increasing exposure). The goal for brands will be to generate frequent actions within users’ timelines.

In addition to creating branded applications, advertisers will be able to deliver sponsored stories against social actions, and even segment for more accuracy. For example, it will be possible to promote to all "listens" from the band Coldplay. The new sponsored stories will only be generated from applications, but advertisers don't need to own the app where the action takes place to target against the behavior. 
 



Example of social apps within a user’s Timeline: 
Source: Facebook.com/about/timeline

News Feed update & Ticker: Facebook updated the news feed, changing how stories are presented to users. The Facebook homepage is now organized by Top Stories and Recent Stories, with Top Stories being displayed much more prominently than recent stories. The first updates that a user will see when logging in are the most relevant posts since their last visit – whether that was 3 days or 3 months ago.
   
Facebook’s algorithm will play a role in determining what are “Top Stories,” but users are able to edit their feeds, either by unmarking a Top Story, or marking a Recent Story as a Top Story. (Screenshot below). Facebook will then learn from this behavior and serve the most relevant content as Top Stories. 
 


Ticker – Facebook has also added the “Ticker” to the top right corner of the newsfeed. The Ticker streams live updates – think day-to-day activities like tagging a photo, liking a brand, commenting, and other Open Graph actions. The thought here is that less important updates are displayed in real time, and don’t distract users from the more relevant stories. Users can join the conversation by clicking on one of the stories in the Ticker.



What it means for marketers: Users now have more control over their news feed, so it becomes more important for brands to share compelling content (rich media, like photos and videos, help to naturally boost EdgeRank – Facebooks algorithm). Brands with irrelevant updates will have lower visibly (but will still appear in the Ticker). Facebook's EdgeRank algorithm will play a major role in determining whether brand updates are seen, but branded social applications and sponsored stories can increase the likelihood of a brand message reaching a mass audience. 




Here are some resources for more information:

http://www.brandchannel.com/home/post/2011/09/22/Facebook-f8-Timeline-Announcement.aspx

http://mashable.com/2011/09/22/facebooks-changes-marketers/

http://www.brandchannel.com/home/post/Facebook-Timeline-Social-Apps-Branding.aspx

http://www.allfacebook.com/facebook-feedback-loop-2011-09

What do you think about Facebook's changes?  Let us know in the comments below, or reach out to us on Twitter at @ashleyhreed or @accarrino.

Recently, I had the pleasure to attend the ExactTarget Connections 2011 Conference in Indianapolis, IN.  One of the sessions I attended was for insights on designing email marketing to be actionable.  I learned a few ways to get subscribers to engage more with email marketing rather than just read it.

What’s in a number? If we’re talking about a bank account then quite a bit. But when it comes to email marketing, there are a lot of differing opinions. Some might say that the sheer size of the subscriber list is the driving force behind a successful campaign. The more subscribers they have, the better the campaign. I’m sure this has worked for many companies at one point but now it’s really time to rethink the shotgun email approach because frankly, I can’t take it anymore.  Recently I attended ExactTarget’s email marketing conference, Connections 2011, and the theme for this year’s event was “The Power of One.” One thought, one action, one individual. If each has the power to change the world just think about what it means to your company. It’s no longer acceptable to market to the masses with one message.
 

• Segmentation and Relevancy: Your customers are unique and the interests of one may not be the same as the interest of another. When you group your subscribers based on similar traits and characteristics, your message becomes more relevant. A relevant message will keep them coming back to their inbox again and again. One thing to remember is that what someone tells you they’re interested in may be very different from what they’re actually interested in. You’ll have to find the right balance between quantitative and qualitative analysis and optimize on an ongoing basis. Subscribers will never stay in the same segment forever so you have to be agile and keep up with their ever changing demands and give them what they want. 

• Trim the Fat: There could be many different reasons why people suddenly stop opening your emails. Maybe their interest has changed and your message no longer pertains to them, or maybe they’re just not that into you anymore. Whatever the reason, try to target them with a re-opt in campaign before you let them go. Give them the opportunity to tell you why they’ve been so distant lately. It could be hard to accept but if they unsubscribe, they’re no longer a liability to your reputation. If they’re still not responding then it’s time to let them go.  Update their status to “unsubscribed” and call it a day. Stay focused on those that really want to engage with your company because that’s where you’ll see the most return on your investment. 

The Apple IIe to my current array of Apple devices are just a few of the things my mind ran to when I heard the news of Steve Jobs passing early yesterday evening.  From an irony perspective, I was in the midst of finally upgrading my MacBook Pro to Snow Leopard so that I could go to Lion when the news came across.  I sat back and had a chance to reflect, as the disc whirred in my optical drive.

My first computer in the early 80’s was an Apple IIe.  My mother was a Math teacher at the time and she was on the forefront of the technology curve and was embarking on her own path that would turn her into a Technology Specialist.  Besides writing ‘go sub’ routines my favorite pastime in Computer Class was opening up the CPU and pulling the audio cord so we could play “Hard Hat Mack” and “LodeRunner” without the teachers knowing.  From the IIe I moved on to the Macintosh SE.   For those of you that don’t remember, that was the first ‘all in one CPU/monitor’ package, and it was fairly popular in the schools.  At this time, I was also introduced to Apple Talk and the ability to network 5 or more computers together and even add in a shared printer!

As I entered the business world I drifted away from Apple at about the same time that Jobs drifted away from Apple.  But, as my business world changed so did my ability to experience the change of Apple’s market strategy, which included Jobs re-entry to the company.

I have been an early adopter ever since.  I remember ‘spinning’ the slide wheel on that first, bulky iPod and
realized how much the world was about to change.  With each successive release it seems like I have upgraded until I moved over to the iPhone and was able to integrate my phone and audio devices together.  I was on the original list for the iPhone4 and waited in line to pick mine up on day one.  I am typing now on my MacBook Pro and am the proud owner of not just an iPad but also the new iPad2.  I have also spread the ‘Apple fever’ to my children.  My girls, 11 and 9, both have iTouch 4’s and our favorite thing to do is FaceTime at night before bed as we live a 1,000 miles apart.  That smile I get from them and the ‘live’ kiss sums up for me what the mind and spirit of what Mr. Jobs means to me.  He, and Apple, have helped ‘connect’ the world in ways that we only dreamed about less than one generation ago.

 
The above image is from www.Apple.com

Last week I attended a great interactive marketing conference in Indianapolis (and yes, got a side dish of Katy Perry while there!) Of all the things I learned about unified marketing, one of the most interesting sessions I attended was about Email Design in the Mobile Inbox Age.  The presenter was Chris Studabaker from ExactTarget.

The Definition 6 team at the Katy Perry concert from ExactTarget Connections 2011.

Chris answered the question “What is mobile email?” with the following explanation: Email + mobile.

Jon Accarrino, Michael Pinckney, Donna Drake and Frank Radice on the red carpet.

WILLiFEST 2011 took place this past weekend in Brooklyn, NY with over 100 films premiering in four different venues over the course of four days. Despite the rainy weather, there was a great turnout Friday night for the hip hop horror film premiere of "You're Nobody 'Til Somebody Kills You," - a film directed by Michael Pinckney and executive produced by Spike Lee.  Donna Drake from the TV Show "Live it UP!" was on the red carpet collecting interviews with the cast and crew.

Locomotive Distribution hosted a private screening at the Knitting Factory where the film's stars showed up to dazzle the red carpet, do interviews and watch as this long-awaited film project launched.  One of the film's top actors, Nashawn Kearse, plays Manchild, a rap star who is the potential next victim of a serial killer on the loose aimed at hip hop stars.  Other stars in attendance included Assiatou Lea, and Jacinto Taras Riddick.

The Hitchcockian film had the right mix of a thriller and hip hop movie with special appearances by rap icons Doug E Fresh, Big Daddy Kane and Ed Lover. 


Nashawn Kearse on the red carpet.

Jacinto Taras Riddick being interviewed at the premiere.

After the film screening, Locomotive Distribution hosted an after party at Trash Bar, a local joint in Brooklyn, where the director and many of the film's stars partied the night away. 

On Saturday, WILLiFEST continued with a block party and some amazing panels which showcased the importance of sound in film, as well as distribution for independent film makers.

Frank Radice moderated a panel entitled "The Sound and the Fury: Music for TV & Film from Some of the Industry’s Best – From Sonic Branding to Creating the Mood." Panelists included Michael "Boogie" Pinckney, director of the movie and founder of Black Noise Media, Mark Constanzo, a well-known foley artist, and Chad "Kotchy" Curlow, a sound editor at Definition 6 who worked on the music in this film.  Mark Constanzo was recently interviewed on the Today Show describing what he does on a daily basis.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

This panel showcased one scene from the "YNTSKY" film where we showed the clip "naked" (with dialogue only), then with foley added to it, then with music tracks mixed in, and then finally with it all together, highlighting the mood changes and importance of how sound can change a scene.

The second panel was hosted by Locomotive Distribution's Gabriel Gornell and Colleen Seldin, talking about the importance of packaging when it comes to making your film/TV show marketable for distribution.  Gabriel pointed out some key things to consider while making your film, like where does it fit in the landscape of the market you are interested in distrubution?  Colleen also pointed out that while you are probably putting all of your money into the film to make it spectacular, you should always consider leaving a portion of it aside for marketing, allowing you to create a potential pitch-tape in order to get your production out to potential buyers.


Gabriel Gornell and Colleen Seldin of Locomotive Distribution

All in all, this was one weekend jam packed with excitement and creativity.  If you missed out on WILLiFEST this year, keep an eye out for next year's schedule!  And if you would like more information about the "You're Nobody 'Til Somebody Kills You" movie, please contact Locomotion Distribution at info@locomotivegroup.com.

The days of an artist continuously, if ever, going platinum and multi-platinum are behind us, but that doesn’t mean the people aren’t listening. Existing and emerging platforms continue to help shape the music business every day.  Take for instance a young new hip hop artist out of Pittsburgh who at the tender age of 19 has over 135,000,000 YouTube Views on his channel… and he is not signed to a major label, but has stayed loyal to his independent label Rostrum Records.

So, you've been downsized or made redundant. But you're certainly not ready to throw in the towel.

You've been paid lots of money over the years by some big company where you learned and refined the exact skills they needed you to have in order to make their business work.

Now it's your turn to do it for yourself. But where do you start? You've always had the company to give you business cards, cell phones, laptops, desktops, probably an office or a cubicle, and maybe an assistant and an expense account.

Now it's all gone!

But it's really not if you know what to do.

The most important thing to remember is...Your Name is your Brand!

Your skills are still there and your experience has taught you how to hone them.

Here are 5 practical starting points to get your personal brand going.

1.  Register yourself as a company or a partnership (first name last name company) This is easy to do, but you may have to wait in line at City Hall for a while.

2. Get your own URL. (You can lock that down at any number of place like name.com. Own your name if you can with your first name & last name.com (joeschmoe.com). Make a basic web page (you can do that a places like use.com).  Make it simple and use your new URL as the title (JoeSchmoe.com)

3.Get your own e-Mail address appropriate to your URL. firstname@firstnamelastname.com (you can do this for your business at google Apps) (Joe@joeschmoe.com)

4.  Print business cards that are very simple. Your name, your URL, your e-mail address, and your mobile phone number

5.  Start a Facebook fan page and a Twitter Page for your company. Show links to them on your website. Make a Linkedin page and get someone to do a Wikipedia page for you.

After you have populated your sites and pages with your expertise, experiences and some examples of your work (make sure you use video), get out there and network.  

Hand out your cards, talk up what you can do for a potential client.  Get their card....and then...Follow-Up.

A great example of personal branding is the recent campaign by Matt Epstein called "Google Please Hire Me" where he created a website and a video all focused on landing a job at Google.  He even worked his personal brand into the URL playing up the double entendre of "ME" to reference his initials.



TalentZoo also released an article last week entitled, "10 Strategies to Reinvent Your Personal Brand" which outlines many of the topics I touched on above.  In fact, it even further discusses ways in which you can improve your personal brand by being a catalyst or being a source of great knowledge.  In this day and age, you need to market yourself even more to differentiate yourself from the ever-growing talent pool.

Of course you need a strategy and you must understand how to use all of these tactics...but you've got to start somewhere.

Now let's get this party started.

Jamie Christner, our Director of Analytics, took to the podium last Tuesday with the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) to speak about data. Being my first event as a Definition 6 employee, I was truly psyched to take it all in, including the Maggianos. 

So what exactly IS sexy about data once your strip it down? As marketers, we see a lot of data ranging from click through rates and conversions to engagements and social media ROI.  But what makes that data "sexy," Jamie says is when that that data in turn produces an appealing body of facts which call out applicable and actionable insights. 

And once you have collected the data as it relates to your business goals, the real gem is what you can forecast with that data.  But, NOT all data is sexy. Poorly tracked, lost, incorrect, un-trusted by users and knowingly repurposed data skews results and is of no use in trending actionable insignts. Keep the reigns tight on what exactly your analytics should be tracking, always referring back to your client's KPIs. Some key takeaways include:       

• Every business rates “applicable” or “actionable” in a different way. Sexy is in the eye of the beholder
• In this economy, announce your successes.  Let the numbers tell the story. Company budgets are being slashed left and right, so speak up on the positive effect you are bringing in
• Budget justification must be sexy enough to catch the interest of stakeholders
• Start pulling data out from analytic software applications if you haven't already 
• Web analytics can help close the gap between cross-channel marketing tactics
• Data reports should be short & sweet
• Don’t provide the client with unnecessary information but if you need more reduce your KPI’s   

Data isn’t going to be beneficial or attract the listener if it focuses on one single feature. Evaluate and measure performance across all brand interactions and your client will feel more like you slipped them a Maxim Magazine than a data report.