HubSpot is offering a $30,000 referral bonus for referrals to help them recruit qualified software developers. ZoomTilt offers a social video package priced at $29K. If the use of a widely-shared, demographically-targeted and Hubspot-branded social video series (which we’d be happy to produce) inspires [at least] two great developers to apply to Hubspot, ZoomTilt would save HubSpot $31,000 without blunting the force of their HR-driven PR campaign.
Every company on the cutting edge of technology needs great software developers, right? Hubspot agrees.
This common notion has been emphatically reinforced by Inbound Marketing heavyweight HubSpot’s announcement of a $30,000 bounty for a successful developer referral. Hubspot hopes to fill 15 developer jobs through the referral program, meaning there is up to $450K to be claimed by those possessing an extensive developer database.
Is throwing money in the direction of the problem the best way to attract top developer talent? Generally accepted thought says that monetary compensation is often secondary to developers, who typically care most about things like:
Autonomy
Environments where they can learn and try new things
Creativity in problem solving
Building something that matters
Excellent management
Recognition
Does Hubspot have a culture problem, preventing top talent acquisition? Not from conversations I have had. Two weeks ago, I had the pleasure of talking with three Hubspot developers after an event, all were quick to evangelize Hubspot’s working environment as one of the best in which they had participated.
Hubspot also goes above and beyond to promote great office culture and share culture insights openly. Hubspot’s CultureCode Slideshare garnered over 300,000 views in three weeks after hitting the web.
So why the $30,000 referral bonus? Is there a different way to get the same result?
To answer this question, I reached out to Luis Reyes, video content producer at video game company Nexon. Luis was the creative force behind Nexon’s web series, ‘Testers’, and had this to say about the impact a web series can have on company culture,
“In general, I would say, just having video content that featured the staff, either fictionalized by actors in Testers, or in interviews in Blabber Box (which was our variety show), it helped engage everyone that worked at Nexon. In fact, our Marketing Director from about two years ago sited our video content as one of the reason he wanted to come to Nexon. So I think there is a benefit.
A web series is always good. Its [impact is] two fold. (A) I think that a web series helps put a human face on an industry for a broader audience; and (B) It becomes like defacto entertainment for the current staff, able to articulate the frustrations and emotions of an industry in a way that more blanket entertainment can’t.”
What do you think? Is sharable, entertaining video a valuable recruiting tool internet companies are missing out on? Does spending $29K on a ZoomTilt social video package that results in one qualified developer hire or a developer remaining at Hubspot makes financial sense? What are some other creative solutions to this problem?
Content-loving customers had better take note, because you just leap-frogged blogging and slide deck-styling all the way making a video for your brand. “Video? Isn’t that the future of marketing and like 60% of all internet traffic?” You’re damn right it is, and now your content marketing prowess is on full display to all your customers and social media followers, not to mention a billion monthly YouTube users. WIN. That’s right internet – we’re uploaded, we’re discoverable and we’re in the game with a titanic 88 views in week one. And people, 88 views is just the beginning, because by week two we’ll be making waves with triple digit viewership, am I right?
It saddens me to say that in ZoomTilt’s line of work, I seem to have this exact same conversation on a weekly basis:
Brand: We want a viral video. None of our videos are getting good viewership and we’re spending a lot of time and money on them.
Me: Well, what kind of videos are you making right now?
Brand: Pretty much all documentary-style testimonial interviews and really slick, artsy, color-corrected videos of beautiful, waif-ish people walking down dim hallways showcasing our product.
Me: Would you consider experimenting and cross-testing different types of video creative? Maybe something more relevant to your target demo that’s funny, or edgy, or surprising? Perhaps with memorable, strongly-defined characters? We can define success metrics and perform deep data-gathering and predictive A/B testing on each one.
Brand: Oh no, no, no. We could never do that. Characters? We’re not GEICO, we don’t have a Gecko… the brand IS the personality. Besides, we can’t be a funny brand or an edgy brand, we’re an elegant, sophisticated, reliable, precision-engineered brand whose experience must translate like a haiku told upon the shore of a placid lake. So what can we do like that that’s going to go pretty viral..?
Stop. Video marketers, 95% of you need to re-think your approach right now, because that one competitor who gets it is smoking your PR and inbound marketing efforts. So let’s cut the small talk and get you started with our field-guide of key video marketing pitfalls to avoid. If you’re making videos for your brand and no one is watching them, here are the ten (10) reasons why:
1. You don’t really know your audience. Knowing who your audience is (say age 35+ working mothers) isn’t the same as knowing their media consumption habits and what content resonates with them – you need to understand both.
Let’s start with a typical customer video from a mainstream, mom-oriented consumer brand:
Ok, darling and highly likable Mom? Check. Solid brand that knows how to do fun video creative? Check (*ahem* Old Spice Guy *ahem*). Video that will inspire anyone to share your message or watch more? Complete miss. Don’t get us wrong, there are great opportunities out there in user-generated content, but why would a mom watch dozens of nearly identical informational testimonials for the same product? And why does Pampers, a globally-recognized diaper brand, feel the need to flood its YouTube channel and crowd out its more premium content with so many different iterations of the same bland, product credibility-builder video that doesn’t create informational or emotional value for their customers? Why would a diaper-buyer watch multiple minutes of this type of video content rather than simply executing a 15 second Google search to quickly skim a credible blog review on the same product? Your customers’ time, convenience and content consumption autonomy are highly relevant to your digital content strategy – respect them.
Now let’s take a look at some of their professional creative:
Strong start here too – who doesn’t love cute, happy babies with bed-head? But ouch, only 6 likes and 3 dislike? What gives?
Well, to summarize the entire campaign message: “if your baby pees or poops itself and doesn’t get changed, it won’t be happy (or have great, disheveled hair) like these happy babies.” What’s new, insightful or interesting about that message, one that more or less restates the same biological principle mothers have known for decades, if not centuries? Sorry Pampers, we already know your diapers are probably a little bit better (and a little bit more expensive) than some of the other brands sitting next to you on the shelf, your single layer of additional protection isn’t boosting brand lift or getting anyone to retweet this.
Want to know who gets motherhood? Fiat gets motherhood:
2. Your content doesn’t create value.
A lot of marketers think successful branded video content needs to have professional, $10,000-per-minute-and-up production quality. It doesn’t. Nor does it even necessarily have to be funny or shocking, although that usually helps. But one thing your content MUST accomplish is value creation for the viewer, which can be either informational value, emotional value or both, like these:
3. Your content generates a low-valence emotional response.
72 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute, so if you make something average it will get skipped and ignored. If you create something on the far end of the spectrum that generates high viewer emotional arousal, audiences will engage with and share your video.
Right (creative) way to make a marketing video for your pizza business:
Wrong (traditional, uncreative) way to make a marketing video for your pizza business:
4. Your video content doesn’t have hooks early and often.
Again, when you create content, your content is competing for attention against an ocean of entertaining video, great music and informative blog articles. You don’t need to perform an epic jump from space like RedBull, but be sure to hook viewers’ attention early and often to avoid drop-off and defection to other content. Nice job Pepsi:
5. Your content has no story arc.
Both of these videos feature heavy men’s business apparel product placements. Which do you think had the better digital campaign return on investment (ROI) and repeat viewer engagement because viewers wanted to know what happens next?
Story:
No story:
6. No one found your great video.
Unfortunately, successful video content marketing isn’t just creating great content, then putting it up on your YouTube page, blog and facebook feed and moving on to the next thing. Videos live and die by discovery, and you need to get a broad audience (and, for that matter, the right audience) looking at your work. I wrote a pretty comprehensive introductory explainer to getting more views on your video here on Quora. Check it out and feel free to leave comments or feedback if it was helpful or you disagree with any of my core points. Whatever you do, don’t make the same mistakes as Cybergeddon.
7. You didn’t test your video(s).
Traditional video content marketing – particularly branded entertainment – can be high-reward, but also moderate risk. Even with significant investment in seeding and paid media, big branded content efforts can crash and burn because the creators missed their audience or couldn’t quite pull it together on execution. At ZoomTilt, our branded entertainment media buying process is closely-integrated with video A/B-testing, so that not only do advertisers get to compare multiple creative variations based on the same brief or campaign objective, but they can also make data-driven predictions about targeted audience engagement and content virality prior to committing their full production spend. Test your videos, don’t just pull the trigger on a $300,000 media buy because your 24 year old intern down the hall who wears skinny jeans thinks they’re epic.
8. You’re not amplifying or complementing the conversation.
During prime time, up to 60% of the conversation happening on Twitter can be related to TV. Yes, successful TV shows can create global hashtags in real time. While digital isn’t at that scale and more fragmented, it’s also not as ephemeral here-and-gone as a TV ad, and that’s a big opportunity for marketers to capitalize on. Create companion content, connect your videos to product promotions or product launches, integrate hashtags and then measure it all. Entertaining storytelling is a huge catalyst for social media activity and engagement, so don’t silo your videos from your overall social media marketing efforts.
9. You’re missing the long tail.
Just like search engine optimization (SEO), strategically targeting the long tail (and long tail keywords in your video title, text description and metadata) can pay off big, particularly when your video has little relevant competition but really strikes a chord with a spirited niche. Get it right, and next thing you know your content gets picked up on Mashable and your sales go through the roof. Just ask the OraBrush guys:
10. You’re the 1,000th brand to hop on a content-competitive trend.
Don’t go head-to-head on replica content with Fortune 500 marketing giants (unless you yourself are a Fortune 500 marketing giant) if you can’t bring something really new, fresh and novel to the table:
This wins (#JeffGordonisonFire):
This doesn’t (#sorryHubspot):
The difference a little creativity and the scale of your audience reach [a solid celebrity cameo that doesn't bust your budget usually doesn't hurt either] collectively make on the success of your content cannot be understated.
Now let’s go out there and make successful branded videos people love.
When Michael Shlain was a kid, his dad bought one of the first VHS camcorders that came onto the market. “That became my first high-tech toy,” Michael remembers, and he quickly went down the rabbit hole of making stop-motion animated movies with his friends. Later, he would foray into the literary world as an agent, and then start his own representation business.
Jason Milligan had a later start, but only slightly. When he finally got a camera in high school, he was “all about making bad movies all the time.” Eventually, he found himself doing TV news in Louisiana, but within two years, he’d moved to LA to pursue animation, and his passion for storytelling. There were a few rough years, but eventually, he managed to find work in comics and video production.
Fast forward some years, and the two of them started Butcher Bird Studios with partners Steven Calcote and Travis Stevens, leveraging what had become somewhat diversified talents into a space that they’ve found to be ripe with opportunity. Together, their skill sets are complimentary and comprehensive. They can cover the spectrum of production, business, and special effects all within the confines of their independent company.
Asked what a typical day at Butcher Bird looks like, Michael says:
“Right now, we’re doing a lot of reaching out to businesses and other potential clients. We’re working on cutting a new reel, updating our site, and so on. We spend a lot of time doing the work to find the work.”
Jason adds that the “Studio” is very much a virtual office right now. Most of them work from home offices, which they share when they need to. There are advantages and disadvantages, of course, but for now, it helps them stay flexible, and keeps the cost of their operations to a minimum.
Michael and Jason’s company has attracted a wide diversity of clients, but their bread and butter is short-form branded content. Their biggest client recently is Nexon, the Korean company behind the game Maple Story, “which has been going for a decade.” They’ve also been working with Ubisoft and Mad Cow, which was responsible for The Daily Show.
Michael says that most of their work has come as a result of significant changes that are happening in the industry.
“It seems like there’s a very interesting world emerging–one that ZoomTilt is clearly aware of–as advertising leaves the traditional model and goes online, becoming more personalized. We’re trying to succeed in this new space.”
So what is the best route to success?
“Keep producing, keep producing, keep producing. That’s the advice we’ve been giving ourselves. No amount of contact is going to be worth anything if you don’t have something valuable to show and offer.”
Check out the following projects to see how diligently they’ve been following their own advice.
The Butcher Bird team is no stranger to branded entertainment either, with an Ubisoft Hip-Hop Dance game video that’s already topped 115,000 views.
A third Butcher Bird project is Silver Moon, a werewolf western. What more do you need to know?
“We’re also in early production on our first feature,” Jason confesses. “And now that I’ve said it, we have to do it.”
Well, guys, get to it. And we wish you the best of luck, because in addition to talent and hard work, we all know that filmmaking takes a generous helping of good fortune.
When one of Stacie Capone’s friends told her about an odd job she once worked trying to set up hapless single guys for success on the bar scene, it was a set of facts that, to Capone, seemed well worth exploring further in fiction. The result is “The Pick Up Chicks,” a romantic comedy web series that follows three female friends as they juggle some less-than-typical small business obstacles: falling in love with clients, being hired by ex-boyfriends and getting accused of running a brothel out of their Brooklyn apartment. For Capone, an actress and producer whose work spans everything from feature-length films and web series to theatre appearances and interative soap operas, there are few more unique settings than New York City nightlife venues, where eccentric, quirky and larger-than-life characters abound.
Brought to the screen collaboratively with co-creator, business partner and award-winning writer Jason Nunes of storytelling studio Small Media Extra Large, Capone’s “The Pick Up Chicks” follows roomies Darcy, Emma, and Jane as they embark on a light-hearted journey through launching their unconventional startup, coping with its comedic up and downs and navigating the unexpected consequences of startup success. Capone thinks “The Pick Up Chicks” is a story that both audiences and advertisers can fall in love with. For viewers, the series’ savvy writing, memorable personalities, evolving character relationships and easily-relatable singles-scene settings are sure to deliver a highly enjoyable viewing experience in the spirit of popular digital series “Dating Rules From My Future Self.” At the same time, Capone sees the show as a great match for brands and advertisers, more accessible and less off-beat than HBO’s Girls with plenty of opportunities to feature clothing, accessories and consumer products for the coveted young female and male urban lifestyle demographics.
Eager audiences should get started by liking “The Pick Up Chicks’” soon-to-be Facebook home (bear with us for a few days if it’s a little minimalist, Stacy and Co. just made it through Hurricane Sandy and have a fair bit on their proverbial plate). Fan faithful can also learn more about Stacie and her work at StacieCapone.com and on twitter by following @stacie_capone. You can also keep up with her production team at Small Media Extra Large, a transmedia studio that has produced content for film, television, the web, and mobile for clients like Viacom, Reuters, and Allstate. You can follow SMXL on twitter at @SMiXeL
“My life is completely upsidedown,” exclaims Brazillian filmmaker Flavio Alves excitedly, currently in the swells of dozens of phonecalls regarding permits and other pre-production pursuits for his next film, Tom in America. He explains that 1% of his film career starts with, “and the award goes to…” and the other 99%, people don’t see. Alves estimates receiving 500 phone calls and 1000 emails every day. Still, he says he enjoys the entire process of being an independent filmmaker. “Every film sets new challenges and that’s amazing. It
makes me value every victory that I have.”
Alves attributes much of what he has achieved to luck and being in the right place at the right time. Ironically, he was granted political asylum in the United States in 1998 with the help of the Immigrants and Refugee Rights Clinic at NYU’s School of Law. With a political science degree from Columbia and experience working as an assistant to then-NY Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and former Congressman Anthony Weiner, he decided to return to school to study film production at NYU. Alves found that he could bring into filmmaking more of his personal life and passions that got lost in the world of politics.
“Media is very powerful. I believe in human rights and making a difference through politics. But I can also make a difference by making films.”
He advises aspiring filmmakers to be consistent. “Get a trusted audience expecting certain things from you.” His trademark? Sexual identity and old people.
Alves says he gained so much from growing up with his wisdom-wielding grandparents in Brazil and developed a fear of getting old age only once he left his country. “After I came to America, I found that elderly people were often neglected by society. They are disconnected from their families and marginalized just by being invisible.”
Fighting the feeling that older generations are no longer valued as necessary in society, Alves makes the unique aspects of elderly living a major focus of his films. His next film, Tom in America, an elderly man finds a discarded male doll, which winds up haunting him and seducing him. It is a story of dreams versus reality for a man who dearly loves his wife of 50 years, yet finds himself facing his inner desires.
After chasing his own true passion, Alves founded the New York film production company, Queens Picture LLC. “I don’t know what I would do if I couldn’t make films. I do what I like to do.” He expects to work every single day, including his birthday, Christmas, and New Years. But being an independent filmmaker has its perks. Alves carefully selected every single crew and cast member for Tom in America. After many rejections and budget woes, he is ecstatic to have Academy Award Nominees Sally Kirkland and Burt Young (Rocky film series) starring in his film.
In the last 5 years, Alves has directed and produced more than 20 films, including The Secret Friend, which received 24 awards, including Best Short Film at Cleveland International Film Festival, Amsterdam Film Festival, Palm Springs International Film Festival, and Savannah Film Festival. Only a few days left to back his Kickstarter campaign for Tom in America! And don’t forget to call your Grandmother, Nonna, VoVo, Babushka, or Abuela today.
As a kid, Evan Buxbaum let his imagination run wild with stop-motion animation. “The minute I realized I could make my LEGOs come alive with film, I was like, this is it.” He continued to make short films throughout high school and college, and took a year off from all things technological to travel the world. Escaping the digital world of Smartphone and constant connectivity, Buxbaum brought with him only a 35mm camera. “I wanted to be in a different world, sort of a last respite from electronics.” His travels, which he documented along the way, added fuel to his future in film. “It informed my life and my filmmaking. It’s always great to get as much experience as you can outside of film.”
With strong festival runs for his short films, including Anything You Can Do (Audience Choice at DC Short Films Festival), and La Línea (watch in full), on which Buxbaum and Iyabo Boyd are basing their first feature film, Sun Belt Express. The comedy is a year and a half in the making and brings the timely but controversial issue of illegal immigration into a new light on a roadtrip with four Mexican hopefuls in an American family’s trunk. It takes passionate indie filmmakers to bring this kind of attention to topics that are at work now, in our time.
“The road is not short or easy.” Once you’re sure you want to get into filmmaking, he says, “then just do everything.” Buxbaum gets his hands on anything from commercials to music videos with the team of filmmakers at Thank You Keith Productions. Whether it be lending a hand with other people’s films, getting involved in the business side of things, or working part-time as a production assistant, Buxbaum says to get engaged.
“Who knows where inspiration comes from, but in my case it comes from people I see on a daily basis.” As an independent filmmaker, Buxbaum has built a strong network that he says has paid off. “Once you already have a relationship set up with somebody, you know what youre getting, which in film is so rare. Anytime you can predict what you’re gonna get, it’s a wonderful thing.”
Buxbaum prefers to be independent and welcomes the unpredictability of producing indie films. He admits that making movies for nickels can eventually push you to your limits, and wonders if he could bring his indie sensibility into the high pressure world of Hollywood. “What you get in the independent world is a strong emphasis on the quality of script and depth of chararacters. At the end of the day you don’t have special effects and flashy numbers to rely on.”
Today’s entertainment environment calls for immediacy and short flicks. “It’s a weight off your shoulders with short films and webseries. You can play and have fun. I think that’s why all of us are in this business anyways. In this industry you get to have fun and make less money. You better have a lot of fun, otherwise you’re in the wrong industry.”
As the new Filmmaker Liaison intern with ZoomTilt, I am quickly learning that this MassChallenge startup is kicked into gear and packs a punch. I am Lily Keyes and I am buckled in for the digital entertainment revolution. Are you?
Last week, ZoomTilt was named one of the top 35 tech startups that TechCrunch missed. We found ourselves in a sea of tech-savvy schemes all taking advantage of the seemingly leveled Internet playing field. We all use the Internet; it is where we do our work, entertain ourselves, and socialize. In an article outlining seven unexpected uses for social media, number two was helping the homeless find equality on Facebook. Everyone on the Internet, regardless of social standing, is granted the same basic opportunities to connect, share, and become a part of the digital revolution.
But the fact that we can publish every pondering that pops into our consciousness with the push of a button, does not add value to these ideas. The bottom line is that there are still bad ideas, better ideas, and game-changing ideas. Catalyzed by our growing network of independent filmmakers, ZoomTilt is a game changer, and we’ll soon have you scoffing at your friends who just bought that new 65” flatscreen TV. Should have sprung for this giant iPad 2. (photo by Steve Chazin)
Going down StartupPlay’s list, we’re proud to be grouped with such fresh ideas, especially the ones which, like ZoomTilt, are creating new opportunities for independent creatives. Chartburst allows unsigned musicians to have their music picked up by labels like Sony, and Warner Bros, and provides structured feedback. Kbuuk opens up a whole new world for modern readers and independent authors to share books and to work on their marketing strategies. Just like these startups, ZoomTilt relies on the creativity of indie filmmakers and the support of our growing network: you. We work to connect the Internet users out there, hungry for quality entertainment, and the independent filmmakers eager to share their creative works with the world. And just like Chartburst and Kbuuk, we provide help with the business side of things and promote the indie content like crazy.
ZoomTilt is alive. It is constantly growing and evolving, and it is part of something much bigger; something the online video incubator Bedrocket Properties calls “next-generation” media. The Internet calls for connectivity, collaboration, and creativity, and the digital revolution calls for ZoomTilt.
British philosopher Francis Bacon once said, “In every great time there is some one idea at work which is more powerful than any other, and which shapes the events of the time and determines their ultimate issues.” This revolution will not be televised, and it won’t be under the rein of Hollywood insiders — it will be built by thousands of filmmakers and millions of viewers like you. Watch the season premiere of Dead Man’s Trigger, visit The TV Reset Project, and send in your pitches to ZoomTilt.com. Help us get this revolution in digital entertainment going!
YouTube recently announced it will spend $200M marketing its $100M worth of original content. They announced it at their YouTube Brandcast event, in an effort to convince brands that YouTube is a good place to spend their advertising dollars.
Their $100M went out to two groups, Hollywood and YouTubers, and these new channels have been slowly rolling out since January. The marketing spend surprised some, but is roughly in line with Hollywood movie budgeting, where film studios spend about as much on P&A (prints and advertising) as they do on production.
This is very different from how many brands and independent filmmakers spend their dollars. In each of these camps, most spend money on production and hope to go “viral” — but the chance of being seen by millions without any marketing behind your video are near zero.
I recently had a great meeting with Pixability where they were showing off their new (and very impressive) analytics tools. Their data shows that 45% of videos published by companies get less than 1000 views. With no marketing behind them, videos are not worth the price of production. But if you are willing to spend a bit on creative social media and other marketing, video can be worth far more than you spend creating it.
BMW’s The Hire series brought them a 12% sales increase; Degree antiperspirant’s The Rookie series brought them a 22% sales increase; Blendtec’s Will It Blend videos brought them a 500% sales increase; and there are many other stories like these.
The best story is Red Bull — their extreme sports content is so popular that they make more money from other advertisers advertising against their content than they spend creating the content. Their content is a profit center.
The moral of the story? Don’t create video for the sake of having video. Don’t keep up with the Joneses — be at the cutting edge. Create great content (crowdsource through us to get lots of options for a great price), and save some of your budget for a smart marketing campaign.
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