All About Vzines : Interview
February 23, 2007 at 8:45 am
In November, eircom was the first in Ireland to introduce ‘v-zines’ into its marketing mix. View it here. A new way of communicating with customers, and the perfect way for eircom to showcase their services, we caught up with the woman behind the initiative, Debbie Byrne, Director of Consumer Marketing at eircom.
What prompted eircom to come up with the concept? How long did it take from conception to execution of the first one? How was your experience of working with video, rather than text?
The key driver behind this project was to showcase the best of video content & encourage our customers to get the most from their broadband connection through engaging video content, increasing time spent on-line & therefore usage of our products & services. As well as show-casing excellent video content & sites, we are starting to develop a library of “How to Guides” targetted at our more Techno-Shy consumers giving them a step by step walk through in video format on such topics as “How to create on-line photo-gallery & send photos”, “How to create, store & share video” etc. This was a 3 month project from inception to sending out the first issue.
What are the main benefits of delivering information to consumers in video format as opposed to more traditional methods?
Altogether more engaging through use of music, video & a presenter.
How have your customers responded to the v-zine? Are you able to track visitor response rates? How do these metrics differ from traditional tracking through email?
Open and click through rates as per with an email. In addition we have tracking in place that shows which content & part of the V-Zine people use.
Some people might be put off adding video to their website because of the perceived lack of broadband penetration in this country. What is your response to that? Have you any up to the minute stats on b/band penetration broken down by business sector?
Broadband penetration is increasing rapidly in Ireland, latest estimates for consumers post the Christmas period are 14/15%. [Business penetration would be much higher.] Obviously we were sending it to people who we know have broadband but anybody else looking to use video can always have a version that can either be video or text based to accommodate dial users.
What is your view on video and vzines as a format on websites? Specifically, how quickly do you think it will be taken up by the Irish market?
Today everyone is time poor. Video offers businesses a opportunity to engage with their clients / prospective clients in a differentiated & engaging way. It allows products to be featured in a less one dimensional way which should lead to better sales.
Finally, do you have any valuable tips for businesses looking to add flash/video to their web sites or marketing mix?
With the advent of Youtube, MySpace etc, video is essential in engaging with younger audiences online in particular. Apple & Mini have had sone excellent online campaigns using video which have enhanced their brand values & created a sense of ‘cool’ around the brand with strong viral effect.
Thank you Debbie. Best of luck with the next Access All Areas. View current one.
Email Design Guidelines
February 22, 2007 at 9:35 pm
Last year we altered the way we design email templates to take account of the fact that a majority of people view emails through the preview panel, and only decide to open based on what they see in the top part of the email (above the fold in old DM terms).
We also include a link to a web version of the email for those poor souls who cannot receive html emails properly (Lotus Notes users, eircom.net users).
So it was with delight that I came across this list of design guidelines for emails. Here’s a summary of what you should be doing to meet each of the guidelines.
- Never use images for important content like headlines, links and any calls to action.
- Use alt text for all images for a better experience in Gmail and always add the height and width to the image to ensure that the blank placeholder image doesn’t
- Add a text-based link to a web version of your design at the top of your email.
- Ensure your most compelling content is at the top (and preferably to the left).
- Test your design in a preview pane, full screen and with images turned on and off before you send it.
- Ask your subscriber to add your From address to their address book at every opportunity.
Read the full design guidelines here.
2007 : Year of Flash Video
February 22, 2007 at 8:11 pm
Or more precisely, the year that flash video shifts from being something ‘clunky’ to being ‘content’.
Video as Content
Our belief is that the time has come for Irish businesses to shift their perception as to what is web content.
Back in the early 1990′s it was all about big images and rotating gifs. Eye tracking studies revealed that our brains process words and headlines. Now our sites are constructed to maximize impact and facilitate large amounts of data going into the brain in as few seconds as possible. View some classy examples here, here, and here.
What we’re very excited about at Brightspark is that we’re moving into a new phase: where video becomes content and key messages are delivered in a way that we’ve known and loved for decades – through video.
Here’s what I mean…
We’ve always believed that Flash adds value to a site when used to convey complex or technical messages. If you can’t describe it in 150 words, or if you find yourself relying on diagrams and charts, then move it to Flash.
Now we’re seeing Flash blended with video to distil multiple and complex messages, into user friendly videos of no more than 2 or 3 minutes long. My favourite example of this is salesforce.com. Go visit the site, select ‘View Demos’, and see how technical sales messages are being done right now.
Last week in the US, severe weather conditions caused many JetBlue airline passengers to get stranded. JetBlue responded by issuing a video apology - direct from its CEO on Youtube (and its own site of course). Watch it on Youtube and read the responses – people are responding well to Geoff. That’s because he’s coming across as real, concerned, and credible.
The New York Times has been broadcasting audio, video and photographic images of key stories on its home page for some time now. Right now at the bottom left of its home page, you can choose from stories relating to politics, opinion, sport, and of course whether Forest Whittaker is going to win an Oscar for his portrayal of Idi Amin in this weekend’s Oscars.
Yes, it’s a pity that the sites above are all in the US. I found it difficult to find some Irish examples. But I bet that this time next year that will be a very different scenario. I’m reminded of 2003, when I decided to go for a blog on this site instead of pdf downloads of ‘marketing tips’ or other twaddle. Some people questioned whether this latest ‘craze for web diaries’ would last. Well it did. And it has. And blogs have now evolved to be valuable business tools on so many levels.
I’ve got the same feeling about Flash Video. Now’s the time to get into it, so that when everyone’s at it, you’ll have experience and will know what works for you. If you have a message that could best be communicated by Flash Video, and you’d like to know more about the steps involved in getting a flash video on your site, you know what to do: contact us!
Flash Video : Nuts & Bolts
The tools that we use to create Flash video content have been improving and since the release of Flash 8 last year, it’s been really easy to add video to a website. Quality is improved and file size reduced.
At the same time, broadband penetration and the fact that 97.3% of internet enabled computers have Flash readers means that practically everyone can view Flash videos. While the popularity of sites like Youtube, MySpace, and Google Video highlights the fact that there are many millions of people who want to.
Much has been written about consumer generated video content and the mainstream media is now alert to the fact that people are equipped with the tools to record and publish on the fly using mobile phones and webcams, using YouTube and MySpace to broadcast.
Thanks to Tom Green whose series of articles on flash video inspired me to write this!
When advertising kills a web page
February 19, 2007 at 10:25 pm
I wanted to know what date Easter falls on this year, did a search and the first listing on Google brought me to this page. Advertising overkill. I couldn’t find the dates.
Fix your unsubscribe process
February 15, 2007 at 1:11 pm
The following sites should be ashamed of themselves. Why? Because they are breaking the cardinal rule of email marketing : give people the chance to unsubscribe and honour it.
- CD Wow! Once, about 2 years ago, in the days before iTunes serviced Ireland, I purchased a cd from them. Now they send me emails every week, in the run-up to Christmas it was at fever pitch, I was getting game and cd mailings every day. The thing is, when you click the link to unsubscribe, you are taken to the site and you have to know your user name and password to get in and edit your preferences. I am afraid to contact them to get my pw reissued. So instead I just grumble and growl every time I get one of their emails.
- Sony – Yes, you’d expect Sony to get it right. I got 2 mails off them this week alone, clicked the link to unsubscribe, diverted to the members page which had me signed in, but for the life of me I could not find any button to unsubscribe. Can you find it? Click here and a prize for you if you can!
- Dell - because they are so big and I’m guessing that their marketing department doesn’t talk to their sales team, and neither talks to the IT department, and they all have their own separately managed email communications going on . . when you unsubscribe to their email, you are notified that it will take a couple of days to kick in. That’s OK I can understand that. But lo! What a veritable splurge of emails I’ve received since then. The frequency has hotted up in a desperate bid to keep me? I don’t think so. Anyway, I’m still scratching my head as to how they got a hold of me as I’m a proud mac user and will never make the switch back.
- MCD - love their work, hate their online presence. Everything about them shouts low budget – we don’t care about the web and we couldn’t be bothered making it work. I’ve been banging on for years now about how they don’t have an unsubscribe on their emails, nor on their site, and they don’t even have a contact us button where you can address a strongly worded email. Boo!
Before anyone suggests that I take this up with the Data Commissioner’s office – I did, a long time ago and was told that since I was the only one objecting, they didn’t give a flying. . . . . “Would I please put it in writing and someone would get back to me.”
Skype Etiquette
February 9, 2007 at 1:46 pm
I’d like to begin a bit of a chat about Skype etiquette. Most of us use it more and more because after all, who wants to be faced with a massive phone bill for dealing with overseas calls, and those interminably long mobile calls – to the UK, US, etc?
But I do think it’s time that we ‘all’ agreed on some form of etiquette. It can be quite annoying when you’ve left a skype IM chat and it keeps beeping to bring you back . . . or when people on the other end of a skype voice chat don’t give it that mili second to kick in.
I’d like to get the ball rolling by making a rule about closing skype IM chats. When the person who called you says things like, “Bye Now”, “Talk to you later”, “Ciao”, or “See ya”. . . . the polite action is to respond in 1 line - you may choose to use words echoing that of the person who called, or icons 
or a combination of both.
Person 1: I have to go now. Bye.
Person 2: Bye
[At this stage person 1 is making to leave skype and on to some other application]
Person 2: Have a great evening
[Person 1 feels they ought to respond out of politeness]
Person 1: Yes. You too. Bye now.
Person 2: I’m looking forward to working with you on this project.
[Person 1 is getting a bit irritated. They've had to leave their other app again. Person 1 chooses to ignore this comment because after all they've said good bye twice, pleasantly.]
A few seconds pass….person 1 is working on a document elsewhere. . . the skype thing starts jumping up and down (mac users will know what this means)
Person 2: That’s it from me. See ya!
[Person 1's blood pressure gets a little high. If Skype let you do a virtual hand to talk to, Person 1 would be doing it right now]
You see this kind of thing isn’t necessary. When someone says see ya, know that it means: get off of my screen now, you and your skype avatar, I’m done with you, moving on.
Have you got any other points of etiquette to add?
Have your say on Enterprise Board
February 6, 2007 at 4:57 pm
Dublin City Enterprise Board is looking for feedback on its proposed new tag line. If you visit the site, there’s a poll down the bottom right. Have your say.
I was quite surprised when I looked at the poll results – the real wordy nerdy ones are getting the best response so far. That’s why I’m blogging about it here. You’re a connoiseur of style, copy and substance, so get on there and vote for the tag line of your choice.
Year of the Early Riser
February 2, 2007 at 9:05 am
I’m only back a short time but already I’m noticing a huge increase in the number of early morning meetings in this town. I’ve had 2 in the last 2 weeks, and have just signed up to another one next week at 7.30am!!
I don’t mind at all – am good early or late – just don’t expect me to do early and late in the same day! But oh how we have changed in Ireland. When I returned to this country from Australia in 2001, I remember the reaction when I innocently suggested an 8 o’clock meeting. Silence in the open plan office. Phones stopped ringing. Conversations stopped. Tumbleweed blew through the office. It just wasn’t done to have early morning meetings back then. Or maybe it just wasn’t done in the bank that I worked in?
So what do you reckon? Has our working culture changed in Ireland to embrace breakfast meetings? Or has small business always been like that and big business not?
New Crayola Site
February 1, 2007 at 6:24 pm
I’m only getting around to posting now at 6.30pm because I’ve just been playing on the new Crayola site. It’s great fun, makes you wish you were a kid again. Try the Digi-Colour tool, it’s way better than the games. When I was a kid I’d have markers on the go, or colouring pencils, not stampers (boo! because no-one ever bought them for me . . and yes, they were invented!) But I’d never have all three colouring ‘devices’ available for my creative pleasure. With the Digi Colour tool, I have erasable markers, colouring pencils, crayons, stampers, and more. Take 5 mins out of your adult life and remember what it’s like to be a kid creating again!
