First, the odds. 48 hours worth of video are uploaded to youtube every minute.

Emerging out of that volume, to hit millions of views, is the goal of plenty of brands.

Here are Alloca’s insights as to how that happens.

1. A taste-maker introduces your video to the mainstream helping things tip.

The infamous double-rainbow video got 23 million views in 2010, but it languished in obscurity for 6 months, until Jimmy Kimmel tweeted about it.

2. Communities of participants take it on, share it, remix it, make the sharing go exponential, because they want to be part of an inside joke.

3. The unexpected, unpredictable, unscripted stands out. Like the NYC cyclist who protested getting a ticket for not riding in a bike lane, by riding in bike lanes and crashing into all the obstructions.

What does it all mean? Alloca says it means we are living in a new kind of media and new kind of culture where the audience defines the popularity. We all own pop culture. And that will define the entertainment of the future.

We can’t help but think videos that go viral are about things we’re making fun of. So, be careful what you wish for. The butt of a global inside joke might not be where you want your brand to be.

Here’s the full talk, for your viewing pleasure.

The aim of TED’s Ads Worth Spreading is to encourage a shift away from “ambushing people’s attention by shoving videos down their throat, and instead to ask them to view by invitation.”

The snow industry has been doing this for decades with ski and snowboard movies. The ultimate branded content, shred films’ traditional MO of capitalizing on pre-season anticipation and hosting screenings and premieres, dialed the invite-and-engage model.

But in today’s SoMoLo world (social, mobile, local), an annual feature film is not enough of a content strategy. Demand for content is constant now, but budgets haven’t kept up.

The solution? Short of finding a formula or quick fix magic wand (send us the SKU and we’ll order one too,) there are some fundamentals to laying down a smart digital marketing strategy.

1. Wizard photography does not a filmmaker make. Just because your superstar staff photographer has a digital SLR, doesn’t mean he can capture a story arc, or single-handedly creative direct a video while simultaneously shooting your catalogue. When you ask her to shoot video and photography at the same time, your most likely deliverable is disappointment, in the shape of sub-standard versions of both.

Video and photography are different mediums: a photographer is more likely to compose a still shot, whereas, someone trained in film looks for movement. Video is about a sequence of events – traditionally with a beginning, a middle and an end. A photo captures a moment. Photography is powerful because it’s stripped bare. Video is powerful because it’s layered: Music. Action. Script.

Doing things well means choosing what not to do, choosing what to leave out. That’s why marketing briefs are always trying to distill things down to “The Point”. What’s your point? What’s the single most important deliverable from a shoot? Pick the medium that will serve it best.

2. Be clear on whether a video is tactical or inspirational. The Content Marketing Institute suggests segmenting your video needs into three tiers, to help allocate your budget.

Inspirational or showpiece videos need to be more timeless and warrant higher production budgets. Tactical pieces will have a shorter shelf-life and warrant a different treatment.

Mike Douglas of Switchback Entertainment talks of hot, warm and cold content.

“Events become dated very quickly. You can tell something was done three years ago because the tricks are all different. Events are what we call hot content. Most ski stuff that came out at the end of January was all around the X Games. There were masses of it. So anything real-time, you’ve got to get up fast. That’s why with Salomon Freeski TV we don’t cover events. We don’t want to be a hot content provider. At Switchback, we’re trying to build things, like XXS or First Timers, that will stand the test of time.”

Do You Remember Your First Time? from Whistler Blackcomb on Vimeo.

3. Have a story. Let it out to breathe. For a more enduring video, have a story. Behind the scenes with the bros, shot fast and loose, with the videographer cueing “hey, say something to the camera, man”, is not a story. It’s popcorn. It’s fast food with a short shelf life.

Last year, Whistler Blackcomb Bike Park did a great job of creating videos that aligned with the story of their print marketing campaign.

Elements of Perfection – Pt3 – Air from Whistler Blackcomb on Vimeo.

Why did the videos work so well they generated 30,000+ views each?

1. Whistler Blackcomb had the confidence to relinquish a marketer’s traditional death grip on “key messaging.”
2. In part, this was because the videos totally integrated with the entire campaign, so tactical pieces could cover off key messaging, and let the inspirational pieces breathe. Video is a show as opposed to a tell medium. It works best when you trust your audience to “get” what you’re showing them… (Mountain biking is fun and freshly raked dirt makes my knees go wobbly. Yep. Got it. See you at the Whistler Mountain Bike Park.)
3. The music choices were killer.

Which brings us to:
4. Don’t chintz on the music.

When the first comment from the community is “what song is that please?” you know you’ve aced it.

5. Embrace friends in high places and frictionless sharing.

In the social world, sharing happens on two levels: the instant share (“I just saw the most hilarious/brilliant/inspiring thing, you’ve got to see it”), and the more calculated share (this content will show people who I am and what I’m about, “I want you to know this about me”.) Those two blur… but what isn’t fuzzy is this: no one is going to share a hardcore infomercial (unless it’s a spoof, that person is getting into a pyramid selling themselves and on the fast-track to alienating all their friends, or it features Zac Galifianakis (see spoof.))

Consider your portals. Viewers have a huge selection of content available and they are increasingly choosy – they’ll trust a portal, a curator, an athlete. Align your brand with brands that also serve your niche – you’ll all enjoy a broadened reach.

So how to you get it out there? We’ll post our top 5 tactics on the blog next week.

As for all your other questions and conundrums like: Is “intern cam” ever okay? What’s the contemporary version of a Video News Release and when should I use it? How do I make my CEO not sound like a robot in his next state of the union address? Did anyone actually think that Twitter Recruiting spoof video was funny? And Cats? Seriously? Do I need to get an office cat for our promo series? tune into our blog for Film Club Fridays, where our resident expert weighs in.

La demande pour les vidéos est à la hausse auprès des consommateurs, des marques, des départements marketing et des chefs des entreprises, mais la création d’un bon clip ou contenu numérique exige beaucoup de ressources. À quoi devez-vous penser avant d’appuyer sur le bouton d’enregistrement pour être sûr et certain de maximiser votre RCI (rendement du capital investi)?

L’objectif des Ads Worth Spreading par TED (Technology Entertainement Design) est de ne plus « gaver les gens de publicité/clip mais bien de les inviter à regarder les vidéos ».

L’industrie des sports d’hiver fait cela depuis des décennies avec des films de ski et de snowboard, jouant des extraits de clip, misant sur l’anticipation de la pré-saison, lançant des premières et des projections spéciales, toutes des stratégies qui entraînent un climat d’invitation.

Mais dans le monde SoMoLo (social, mobile, local) actuel, un long-métrage annuel ne suffit pas. Si la demande en contenu numérique est stable, les budgets n’ont pas suivi.

Même s’il n’existe pas de solution miracle ou de formule magique (si vous en trouvez une, partagez-la avec nous svp), il y a tout de même certains principes de base pour établir une stratégie de marketing numérique intelligente.

1. Une photographe hallucinant ne fait pas un cinéaste. Ce n’est pas parce que votre photographe vedette a un appareil photo SLR qu’il peut capturer l’angle narratif, ou encore tourner d’une main un clip vidéo tout en prenant des photos pour votre catalogue de l’autre. Lorsque vous lui demandez de tourner une vidéo et de photographier en même temps, vous risquez fort d’être déçu, car dans les deux cas le résultat sera sous les standards.

Le vidéo et la photographie sont deux médias différents : un photographe compose des scènes immobiles, alors qu’un vidéaste recherche le mouvement. La vidéo vise la séquence d’événements – habituellement avec un début, un milieu et une fin – tandis qu’une photo capture le moment. La photographie est puissante parce que minimaliste. La vidéo est forte parce qu’elle est complexe : la musique, les péripéties et le scénario.

Bien faire les choses signifie choisir ce qu’on ne fera pas, ce que l’on laissera de côté. C’est pourquoi nos briefs de marketing visent toujours à saisir l’essentiel du « Message ». Quel est votre message? Quelle est la chose la plus importante qui doit être retenue de la séance de photo ou du tournage? Choisissez le média qui le rendra le mieux.

2. Déterminez si le clip doit être source d’information ou d’inspiration. Le Content Marketing Institue suggère la segmentation de votre vidéo en trois parties, pour mieux répartir votre budget.

Les clips plus inspirants doivent être intemporels ce qui justifie un plus gros budget de production. Pour ce qui est des vidéos plus informatifs, ils n’auront pas une longue durée de vie et ne nécessitent pas le même budget.

Mike Douglas de Switchback Entertainement parle de contenus brûlant, chaud et froid.

« Un évènement n’a pas une longue durée de vie. Il est facile de voir que quelque chose a été fait il y a trois ans parce que les acrobaties sont maintenant différentes. Les événements peuvent être qualifiés de contenus brûlants. La plupart des produits médiatiques reliés au ski sortis fin janvier tournent autour des X Games et il y en a eu des tonnes. Donc, si vous voulez quelque chose en temps réel, il faut agir rapidement. C’est pourquoi avec Salomon Freeski TV nous ne couvrons pas les événements. Nous ne voulons pas être un fournisseur de contenu brûlant. Chez Switchback, nous essayons de bâtir des choses, comme XXS ou First Timers, qui résisteront à l’épreuve du temps. »

Do You Remember Your First Time? from Whistler Blackcomb on Vimeo.
3. Trouvez une histoire. Laissez respirer. Pour une vidéo qui dure, vous devez trouver une histoire. Le fait de filmer rapidement et négligemment les coulisses avec les chums avec en trame le vidéographe qui dit « Hey! Un mot pour la caméra! » n’est pas une histoire. C’est comme du pop-corn : léger et sans contenu. C’est de la restauration rapide avec une courte durée de vie.

L’an dernier, le Whistler Blackomb Bike Park a réussi à créer des vidéos qui s’harmonisaient avec l’histoire sur les pièces publicitaires imprimés.

Elements of Perfection – Pt3 – Air from Whistler Blackcomb on Vimeo.

Qu’est-ce qui fait que les vidéos ont si bien fonctionné qu’elles ont généré plus de 30 000 visites?

1. Whistler Blackcomb a eu l’assurance nécessaire pour renoncer à l’emprise traditionnelle du pro du marketing sur les « messages clé »
2. Parce qu’en partie, les vidéos s’harmonisaient avec la campagne, permettant aux pièces informatives de livrer les messages clé et laissant les pièces inspirantes vivre. Les clips sont un spectacle, pas un morceau d’information. Il est préférable de faire confiance à vos auditeurs et de les laisser comprendre le message… (du vélo de montagne, c’est cool, et de la terre fraîchement ratissée, ça me donne le goût. OK. J’ai compris. Rendez-vous à Whistler Mountain Bike Park.)
3. Les choix musicaux étaient top.

Ce qui nous amène à :
4. Ne sous-estimez pas le pouvoir de la musique.

Lorsque le premier commentaire de la communauté est « De qui est cette chanson ? », vous savez que vous avez réussi.

5. Pensez aux amis bien placés et partagez avec transparence.

Dans le monde social, le partage se passe sur deux niveaux : le partage immédiat (« Je viens de voir la chose la plus hilarante/brillante/inspirante, tu dois voir ça! »), et le partage plus réfléchi (ceci va montrer aux gens qui je suis et ce que j’aime : « Je veux que vous sachiez cela à propos de moi »). Ces deux types de partage peuvent s’entremêler… mais ce qui est sûr et certain c’est que personne ne va partager une infopub abrutissante (sauf s’il s’agit d’une parodie, ou que la personne ne veuille se vendre et est sur le point d’aliéner tous ses amis, ou encore que le vidéo met en vedette Zac Galifianakis [voir parodie]).

Pensez à vos portails. Les spectateurs ont un choix énorme de contenus et ils sont de plus en plus exigeants – ils font confiance aux portails, aux conservateurs et aux athlètes. Alignez votre marque avec des marques qui visent le même créneau – vous bénéficierez d’une plus grande portée.

Alors, comment allez-vous vous afficher? Nous publierons nos 5 meilleures tactiques sur le blogue la semaine prochaine.

Pour toutes vos autres questions comme : Est-ce qu’une « intern cam » est correcte? Quelle est la version contemporaine d’un Video News Release et quand dois-je l’utiliser? Comment éviter que mon PDG ne parle pas comme un robot à son assemblée annuelle? Est-ce que la parodie du recrutement chez Twitter était drôle? Et les chats? Dois-je me procurer un chat pour faire notre série promotionnelle? visitez notre blogue Film Club Fridays, où nos experts se mouillent.

Zumba is in and Pilates is out, according to more than 2,600 fitness professionals who completed an American College of Sports Medicine survey of the top fitness trends for 2012. The survey results were released today in the “Worldwide Survey of Fitness Trends for 2012″ article published in the November/December issue of ACSM’s Health & Fitness Journal.

Zumba (and other dance workouts) and outdoor activities both made their debuts in the top 20 this year. Zumba and other dance workouts ranked ninth, and outdoor activities ranked 14th.

“Zumba and other dance workouts first appeared on the list of potential trends in 2010, but this is the first year Zumba has made the top 20,” said Walter R. Thompson, Ph.D., FACSM, the lead author of the survey. “While Zumba has experienced a rapid surge in popularity in the past year, future surveys will indicate if Zumba is truly a trend or simply a fad.”

Educated and experienced fitness professionals claimed the top spot in 2012 for the fifth consecutive year. Outcome measurements and clinical integration/medical fitness both dropped out of the top 20 this year. Outcome measurements, a way to quantify progress in clubs and wellness programs, had a five-year run in the top 20 and ranked 13th in 2011. Clinical integration/medical fitness, perhaps tied to last year’s national health care reform, only appeared in the top 20 in 2011 and claimed 18th place. Pilates, which first dropped out of the top 20 for 2011, remained off the list for 2012.

“The U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics is predicting that jobs for fitness workers will increase much faster than other occupations,” said Thompson, an exercise physiologist at Georgia State University, a Fellow of ACSM and a spokesperson for the ACSM American Fitness IndexTM. “Educated and experienced fitness professionals – such as those with professional certifications – will have the best chances to get new jobs in an increasingly competitive field.”

The survey, now in its sixth year, was completed by 2,620 health and fitness professionals worldwide (many certified by ACSM) and was designed to reveal trends in various fitness environments. Thirty-seven potential trends were given as choices, and the top 20 were ranked and published by ACSM.

The top ten fitness trends predicted for 2012 are:

Educated and experienced fitness professionals. Given the large number of organizations offering health and fitness certifications, it’s important that consumers choose professionals certified through programs that are accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA), such as those offered by ACSM.
Strength training. Strength training remains a central emphasis for many health clubs. Incorporating strength training is an essential part of a complete physical activity program for all physical activity levels and genders.
Fitness programs for older adults. As the baby boom generation ages into retirement, some of these people have more discretionary money than their younger counterparts. Therefore, many health and fitness professionals are taking the time to create age-appropriate fitness programs to keep older adults healthy and active.
Exercise and weight loss. In addition to nutrition, exercise is a key component of a proper weight loss program. Health and fitness professionals who provide weight loss programs are increasingly incorporating regular exercise and caloric restriction for better weight control in their clients.
Children and obesity. With childhood obesity growing at an alarming rate, health and fitness professionals see the epidemic as an opportunity to create programs tailored to overweight and obese children. Solving the problem of childhood obesity will have an impact on the health care industry today and for years to come.
Personal training. More and more students are majoring in kinesiology, which indicates that students are preparing themselves for careers in allied health fields such as personal training. Education, training and proper credentialing for personal trainers have become increasingly important to the health and fitness facilities that employ them.
Core training. Distinct from strength training, core training specifically emphasizes conditioning of the middle-body muscles, including the pelvis, lower back, hips and abdomen – all of which provide needed support for the spine.
Group personal training. In challenging economic times, many personal trainers are offering group training options. Training two or three people at once makes economic sense for both the trainer and the clients.
Zumba and other dance workouts. A workout that requires energy and enthusiasm, Zumba combines Latin rhythms with interval-type exercise and resistance training.
Functional fitness. This is a trend toward using strength training to improve balance and ease of daily living. Functional fitness and special fitness programs for older adults are closely related.

The full list of top 20 trends is available upon request in the article “Worldwide Survey of Fitness Trends for 2012.”

The American College of Sports Medicine is the largest sports medicine and exercise science organization in the world. More than 45,000 international, national and regional members and certified professionals are dedicated to advancing and integrating scientific research to provide educational and practical applications of exercise science and sports medicine.

The key take-away (apart from the eyebrow-raising statistic that 39% of respondents willingingly admitted that they use their smart phones while going to the bathroom) is how integrated smart phones have become to consumer behaviour. The Huffington Post reports:

Search engine sites were the most popular type of site that users visit, and ninety percent of mobile searches ended in an action of some kind, such as buying a product or visiting a restaurant. Smartphone users also love both shopping on their phones and using their phones to get help in buying goods in the real world: 79 percent of users use their phones for the latter, comparing prices, finding stores, or looking at related items.

That’s the data. But what’s it mean for marketers? Google says that 79% of top advertisers don’t have a mobile-optimised website. “It’s important to build a good mobile user experience because if we see a mobile ad, we tend to click on the ad (42%), visit the advertiser’s site (35%), make a purchase (49%) or call the business (27%),” making mobile marketing a new opportunity to connect with consumers.

Just 3 weeks ago, our Interactive Director posted this story on developing a mobile strategy.  It’s a glass of cool water in the face of such feverish hype. And the calming advice is this: size up the mobile bandwagon before you make the leap.

Look before you leap onto the mobile bandwagon...

Our Interactive Team put that strategy into action developing Whistler Golf Club’s first mobile site which went live today.

Optimised with an e-commerce platform to allow avid (and let’s face it, smart-phone-attached) golfers to book tee times, to touch-scroll through a mobile photo gallery, and featuring a complete hole-by-hole guide with maps, fly-over video, yardage, par and handicap information, m.whistlergolf.com was designed for the person who is barely separated from their mobile device even when they hit the greens. Now they won’t have to.

“The furious activity to accomplish more with less exacts a series of silent costs: less capacity for focused attention, less time for any given task, and less opportunity to think reflectively and long term.”

Simple, of course, doesn’t make for easy. And it hasn’t been easy for Schwartz and his colleagues at The Energy Project to transform the corporate cultures of organisations like Wachovia, The Cleveland Clinic, the LA Police Department, Sony and Ernst & Young and IBM – organisations that enable dysfunctional behaviours, and even encourage them through policies, practices, reward systems and cultural messages that drain the energy of their people assets, running down their value over time.

“A growing body of research suggests that we’re most productive when we move between periods of high focus and intermittent rest. Instead, we live in a gray zone, constantly juggling activities but rarely fully engaging in any of them — or fully disengaging from any of them.”

This week, on his blog at the Harvard Business Review, Schwartz keeps it simple, even binary, with a list of 30 things the world needs more of, matched against their shadow side. So, how often are you choosing the Dark Side?

But the “less is more” mantra is most elegantly illustrated by an old-school employee handbook from Nordstrom’s, a Hall of Fame member of Fortune magazine’s “100 Best Companies to Work For.”

Once upon a time, they had the confidence to provide their employees with an uncluttered single 5-by-8-inch (130 × 200 mm) gray card containing 75 words:

Welcome to Nordstrom

We’re glad to have you with our Company. Our number one goal is to provide outstanding customer service. Set both your personal and professional goals high. We have great confidence in your ability to achieve them.

Nordstrom Rules: Rule #1: Use best judgment in all situations. There will be no additional rules.

Please feel free to ask your department manager, store manager, or division general manager any question at any time.

Where do TripAdvisor and YouTube factor into the decision-making process? Recently, we were questioned on how many people actually consult YouTube and TripAdvisor when making holiday decisions. This discussion was prompted by a post on the near death of the travel brochure by our Creative Director, Danielle Kristmanson.

Last year, Google shared study results on business and personal travel planning in a presentation called The Traveler’s Road to Decision. The video is posted below, and the study it references confirms the rise, and the importance, of online resources for travel planning.

The key takeaways from the presentation are posted below (if you do not want to spend the next 45 minutes watching):

• 79% use internet for travel planning vs. 32% use informational brochures
• 41% made travel plans based on reviews and experiences of others
• 36% users watch travel videos on the internet (up from 15% from 2008)
• 63% used video when thinking about a trip
• 60% used video when choosing destination
• 64% used video when looking for activity idea

What about TripAdvisor? With 47+ million visits a month, TripAdvisor undoubtedly owns a sizable share of the 41% of travelers who make their decision based on online reviews and experiences of others.

Why YouTube? Even with the plethora of online video options, 79% of online video watchers still use YouTube.

A deadly duo when it comes to travel research? Those who rely on print, or even just their own websites, to get the word out about their travel and tourism product need to consider the stats. – Rory Tucker

De quelle façon avez-vous planifié vos dernières vacances ?

Jusqu’à quel point TripAdvisor et YouTube affectent le processus de décision ? Tout récemment, on nous a demandé quel était le nombre véritable de gens qui consultaient YouTube et TripAdvisor avant de prendre une décision pour leurs vacances. Ce questionnement a été initié par la publication d’un post de Danielle Kristmanson, notre directrice de création, sur la mort possible de la brochure de voyage.

L’année dernière, Google a fait paraître les résultats d’une étude sur la planification de voyage d’affaires et de voyage personnel au cours d’une présentation intitulée The Traveler’s Road to Decision. Cette vidéo est affichée un peu plus bas et cette étude confirme la progression et l’importance des ressources en ligne dans l’organisation de voyages.

Pour ceux qui ne veulent pas regarder le document de 45 minutes, voici les chiffres clé de cette présentation :

• 79 % des gens consultent Internet pour la planification de voyage contre 32 % d’utilisateurs de brochures informatives
• 41 % ont planifié en fonction des critiques et de l’expérience d’autres voyageurs
• 36 % des utilisateurs ont visionné des vidéos de voyage sur Internet (15 % de plus qu’en 2008)
• 63 % ont visionné des vidéos quand ils pensaient partir en vacances
• 60 % ont visionné des vidéos quand ils choisissaient leur destination
• 64 % ont visionné des vidéos quand ils regardaient pour des idées d’activités

Au sujet de TripAdvisor. Avec plus de 47 millions de visites par mois, TripAdvisor contrôle assurément une bonne partie des 41 % de voyageurs qui prennent leur décision en se basant sur les critiques et les expériences des autres.

Et YouTube ? Même avec la myriade d’options vidéo en ligne, 79 % des gens qui regardent des vidéos en ligne le font encore par YouTube.

On voit bien qu’il s’agit d’un redoutable duo dans le domaine de la recherche du voyage. Ceux qui se fient à l’imprimé ou simplement à leur site web pour diffuser l’information concernant leurs produits touristiques doivent réfléchir à ce que les chiffres indiquent. Rory Tucker

This spring, a UK survey conducted by Total Media and reported on by the Telegraph.co.uk, confirmed what we’ve been seeing for several months: holidaymakers are now booking trips based on online travel reviews rather than glossy publications.

According to the survey, e-pinion reviews written by strangers on independent websites such as TripAdvisor, search results on Google and word of mouth advice from family and colleagues are more influential than brochures, advertising, media reviews and advice from travel agents when it comes to booking holidays.

The survey of 1,375 consumers found a quarter of potential travelers now use online reviews by strangers to determine their travel plans, compared to 13 per cent who used travel programmes and 11 per cent who used magazines and newspaper supplements. The results also found that almost 50 per cent of travelers over 45 are using websites to recommend or warn fellow travelers by posting a review of their travel experiences online. The survey states:

“The impartial online opinion of travellers who have firsthand experience of a destination is second only now to what you hear from friends, family and work colleagues. Almost 70 per cent of consumers use the internet to book their holidays, compared to 23 per cent by phone and just 8 per cent chose travel agents.”

Interestingly, we received these survey results right about the time our long-term client, Tourism Whistler, traditionally briefs us on their annual vacation planner brochure. The briefing never did come. A decision driven by a long-term and resort-wide focus on sustainability, increased pressures on marketing budgets, and anecdotal findings that supported a move to on-line channels killed the brochure that had been printed annually since Tourism Whistler’s inception in 1989. There was a brief memorial ceremony conducted in our studio, attended by a handful of staff. It lasted about a minute before our growing contingent of digital evangelists said, “Cool, let’s spend the money integrating online contesting in Facebook and do some fun video to seed in online communities.” The mourning was over. There was, after all, very little to mourn. The creative restrictions, the static images, the homogenized tourism content, the dead trees…all of it seemed so “last year.”

As an interesting side note, the report found Expedia was the leading online destination for UK consumers planning longer trips over 5 nights (25 per cent), followed by TripAdvisor and Lastminute.com (22 per cent). Lastminute.com however was regarded as first choice for short trips. – Danielle Kristmanson

BTW – if you are already a Friend of ours on Facebook, Make sure you ‘like this‘.

At Origin Design + Communications, we subscribe to a philosophy of utilizing Open Source, Social Media, and other 3rd party applications and platforms wherever and whenever possible.

The benefits that come from this are as follows.

1. Why reinvent the wheel: If developers have already created functionality that satisfies your requirements, it seems silly to try to do it yourself. If what they have done is solid and been ‘debugged’ there is a lot of efficiency in plugging in.

2. Updates and Scalability: 3rd party solutions and open source options both benefit from the fact that there are always people working on, fixing and updating the application. Features are continuously being added as technology and trends evolve. Security issues are handled swiftly. Once again, a small team of developers are not burdened (read: $$$ for the client) with constant maintenance. In the case of multimedia applications, negligible or non-existent fees provide bandwidth and server resources beyond the scope of what a smaller site could employee to manage weighty content.

3. Multiple channels: It used to be that if you had a Youtube video embedded on your site, it was viewed as an amateurish cop-out. Now with Youtube and social media sites garnering most of the web traffic, if you do not have a presence you are missing out. The beauty is that through technology we can now use these platforms and integrate the content back onto our own site. Now we do not need to duplicate our content. We can simultaneously feed separate audiences with the same content – efficiency is the word here.

4. Customization: Most 3rd party and Social Media services have extensive instructions and capabilities to integrate their service into your own site (and even others through sharing and syndication) in a fashion that does not necessarily come at the expense of your own brand [Vimeo video player example here].

- Rory Tucker