Video Production to Enhance MOD

I recently met with a dynamic marketing media firm called Think Again Media LLC. They are a Baltimore-based production company launched in 2002 with roots in commercials, feature films, and documentaries. They recently launched a division called, HYPE-online.com.

HYPE-online provides affordable video production services to create webmercials and video content for your web site. What makes them unique is the process. Their producers will guide you through scripting, schedule your shoot and ensure delivery within two weeks. What they deliver is a professional video of your company, organization or event that will drive your targeted email campaign, give life to testimonials, enhance your brand and be the buzz of your social networks. All this for as little as $1500 per finished minute.

It's fast and efficient. Smells of On-Demand to me...

Check out some of their sample work by clicking here.

Arm's Length Integration versus Real Integration

I received an email newsletter from LyrisHQ. They had a posting on their blog site by Sean Ryan, the Senior Vice President of Engineering at Lyris. His blog post was entitled, "Does Arm's Length Integration Frustrate You?".

Sean defines "arm's length integration" as, "completely separate applications that use application programming interface (API) calls to exchange finite data. It's as if the applications are standing at arm's length... The difference between arm's length integration and real integration is that real integration isn't about self-preservation; it's about knocking down walls."

Sean adds, "Real integration is about providing a single ecosystem of marketing tools that still do a great job of performing individual marketing functions, but that also work hand-in-hand with the rest of your key tools. It's about letting you login to one site, not five or 10. It's about summarizing all of your key marketing metrics in one place, so you can easily tell which marketing programs are gold mines and which are land mines."

So far, this has been the best summation of Marketing On-Demand Integration that I have seen. Nice job, Sean Ryan of LyrisHQ.

Publishing On Demand? Another Business Model

Here's a nice twist on self-publishing by a California-based company called Printcasting. Printcasting is a new local media ecosystem that lets everyone share in the work, and the rewards. They're supported by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation via the Knight News Challenge. Checkout the simple diagram on the right. I think they've stumbled on the art of "Social Publishing."

A Victim of the Meltdown?

Speaking of Merkle, Inc. (see my last post), a local Maryland database marketing agency, I saw that they just laid off 36 employees yesterday, Monday the 16th. The employee lay-offs were primarily account managers and other employees that serve the firm’s 10 to 15 financial services clients who decided to scale back on marketing (what are they thinking?). Why hadn't Merkle expanded their Service and Solution offering to provide additional marketing on-demand services to provide more stickiness with their financial clients? When I look at their "Direct Marketing Program Management" solutions (see graphic) it seems to imply that they can do a lot to help an organization, as it relates to marketing management. If so, where's the stickiness to provide the additional revenue for client and Merkle alike?

Just wondering...

Challenges with MOD - Email Campaigns

In today's marketing environment, email is one of many mediums to bring cost-effective value to corporate and agency marketing departments and firms. However, according to Merkle, Inc., a Maryland-based database marketing agency, few marketing executives have fully integrated email into their marketing mix due to a number of common reasons, including:

1. Limited resources monopolized by tactical production issues
2. Too little focus on analytics, program design and measurement
3. Lack of an email address acquisition and channel development strategy
4. Email deliverability issues and difficulties in managing ISP relations
5. Complexities associated with managing data and content

Automating the email campaign process and integrating it with other on-demand marketing mediums, would reduce, if not eliminate, many of the above reasons.

How would you address each of those reasons? I'm curious...

MOD and Social Media - Like Red Wine and Steak!

The other evening I asked my 15 year old daughter to check her Gmail account as I was going to send her something to read. She replied, "I use FaceBook for email now." My 17 year old son tells me, "No one uses email anymore. Everyone just sends a text message."

Email among teens now lags behind Social Media sites such as FaceBook, Twitter and MySpace. With regards to FaceBook, check out the global growth graph on the left. The age group with the greatest growth is 35-49 year old males! Social Media and networking is booming in the business world with companies launching their own FaceBook sites and Twitter "follow-me" feeds.

This move to Social Media adds another exciting medium to the whole Marketing On-Demand engine. Companies better start understanding this medium and put their Social Media campaigns together real quick! Time flies, doesn't it?

Where MOD is Headed in the Print World

Imagine a magazine or newspaper that updates its marketing ads whenever new content is available from the advertiser. How about a supermarket shelf tag that automatically reflects price changes and promotions... instantly! This video by BNET correspondent Sumi Das shows us how electronic ink is enabling a new age for marketing on demand within the print industry. The potential for this is going to be huge!

Using Mashups to Bring It All Together

Here's a fantastic "low-tech" video explanation of Business Mashups by Michael Parker, Sr. Director with Serena Software. Marketing on Demand requires a process to link the various independant application modules together. Here is one way to do it!

T-Mobile Ad - Life's for Sharing - Dance on Demand!

This ad was made for T-Mobile and is set in the Liverpool Train Station. I'm not too sure how many of the people are hired actors and how many are "viral" joiners. But the concept is quite unique. Take a look...

Great Insight from Industry CEO - InterlinkONE's John Foley on using integrated campaign management for self-marketing

You don't have to be riding on the turnip truck for very long to figure this one out. However, many print providers get "stuck in the mud" with regards to launching marketing on demand services for the sole reason that, "We're waiting on a customer who needs it". Guess what? YOU are the first customer! The print industry needs more mavericks to step up and use the technology for their own marketing campaigns. Listen to what John Foley has to say...

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO

On Demand Price List for USPS Changes!

I couldn't resist this one. Being an "on-demand" centric blog, I have posted the link for the USPS Price Changes Effective May 11, 2009. Here it is in all of its 44 pages of glory!

CLICK HERE FOR THE REPORT

Have an exciting day! The MOD Director

Take a Quick Poll on Marketing Automation

Please take a minute to click on the below link to access a quick poll about marketing automation. I'm trying to get a pulse on the marketing community.

Thanks for your support in advance!

http://polls.linkedin.com/p/24940/rfcky

Evolution of a Successful Postcard Marketing Company

I have been receiving targeted emails from Joy Gendusa, President of Postcard Mania out of Florida. Take a few minutes to watch her interview on MSNBC. The point I want to make is at the end of the piece. She realizes that Postcard Mania needs to "evolve" and has added additional marketing services to her mix.

You can check out the video clip by clicking here.

Keep looking for ways to evolve!