The Interactive Video Top 5 List

Now in its second year, The Peloton's Interactive Top 5 Video list is fast becoming a Christmas tradition. It's a list of some of our favourite videos in 2012 that employed whizzbang interactivity to engage viewers. So here it is...as Slade would say....

Number 5.
Foster's Good Call Centre is an interactive platform that offers advice to drinkers with dilemmas.
http://fosters.co.uk/goodcallcentre

Number 4.
The Journey to the End of Coal. A web documentary that fuses interactivity with a conscientious message.
http://www.honkytonk.fr/index.php/webdoc/

Number 3.
It's a video poll on video. But what's different about it is it can be used on the iPad. And it was made by The Peloton - we had to get a plug in somewhere.
http://www.b2bmarketing.net/blog/posts/2012/10/02/interactive-video-poll

Number 2.
Click-to-Buy video goes overground with this beauty video from The Guardian.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/interactive/2012/nov/16/sali-hughes-purple-beauty-tips

Number 1.
British Airways knocked our dandyish silk socks off with this video. Just enter your postcode, sit back and watch a plane taxiing past your home.
http://taxi.ba.com/

adrian@thepeloton.tv
www.thepeloton.tv



 

Top 10 Video Trends

Here's a great blog from our good friends at B2B Marketing about why video is now so vital.
I'm sure you know that already but it does feature comment from ThePeloton's very own Matt Warnes.
http://www.b2bmarketing.net/knowledgebank/social-media-marketing/features/top-10-video-trends

See what you think.

adrian@thepeloton.tv
www.thepeloton.tv

 

Video Campaign Done Well - Part 1

Well played Air New Zealand. This is a case of a brand liking a video idea and then really going to town on it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=cBlRbrB_Gnc#!

And how it's worked. 9.2 million views to date, 58,000 YouTube likes, 10,000 YouTube subscribers. In the UK, it's had press coverage from pretty much every mainstream media brand you can think of. This was launched on 31st October so you can pretty much double these stats in a couple of months.

 Take a look at their other work, they take video very seriously… in a not too serious way.  Bet it's going down a storm in Middle Earth!

jon@thepeloton.tv
www.thepeloton.tv

 

The Age of the Catalogue Film is Upon Us

Our office has, of late, resembled a Blue Peter appeal office, with postcards and letters from fashion retailers all over the UK still strewn across our deep pile carpeted floor.

However, after much heartache, strong differences of opinion and not a little excitement we can announce that we are partnering with the excellent Children's clothing and toy retailer Cissy Wears…. http://www.cissywears.com/

The shooting for a click-to-buy catalogue film will commence at the end of January with the new Spring/Summer collection and, suffice to say, this will not be filmed outside in a playground for fear of starting a flu epidemic in our corner of South East London.

Plans are being put in place, locations searched for and models are being picked for the Spring/Summer catalogue film and we can't wait to see the results in February.

Updates will be posted here. So keep watching.
jon@thepeloton.tv
www.thepeloton.tv
 

B2B Video: What a Difference a Year Makes.

A year is a long time in video. We appeared at the 2011 B2B Marketing conference to a mixture of disinterest and laughter at our jodphurs and monocles. Video? Why do I need video? "I like videos of a child biting another's finger but really, why should I, Mister Marketing Manager, produce a video that doesn't get me ROI and data?"... Of course MM's just love data.

 

2012 is all so different. So what sort of video should I be commissioning? How do I tell my company's story? How much does it cost? Can your really good looking Commercial Director appear in our film? Well sort of...

 

Video (a tad behind social media, they should of course have been intertwined) was all over the conference. In total, over 20 films were shown by speakers. 2 TV crews were there to pick up interviews and all (without exception) saw video as a key component to their marketing plans for 2013.

 

Don't get us wrong, data is still so important (they still want to know all about us) it's just that video and storytelling is being seen as a necessary way to impart information. If that means not knowing the mother's maiden name of the person watching then so be it. Distribution and targetting will be the key points now as companies plot their video strategies. The fun is just beginning.

 

jon@thepeloton.tv

www.thepeloton.tv

 

Fashion Call Out.

Today marks the launch of Fashion Call Out.

We are seeking exciting online fashion retailers for a super new project. Followers of ThePeloton.tv will know that we have developed interactive video. This innovative tool allows users to click within the screen and buy from it. This has now been developed for the HTML5 platform and therefore we are looking to launch our (and possibly the world's) first tap-to-buy film.

 

The aim of this project is to seek the right retailer and to work together creatively and with the spirit and enthusiasm that this project will demand.

 

The end result will be that we produce a number of video catalogue type films that enable users to tap and buy!

 

The first shouts have gone out on social media to recruit the right retailer and we will use this blog to update you dear reader on the progress, tears and rollercoaster of excitement we expect.

Looking forward to the next update!

 

jon@thepeloton.tv

www.thepeloton.tv

 

The Futurists' Futurist

Friend of ThePeloton, wannabe futurist and public speaker, Zohe Mustafa, gave a talk at the E-commerce Expo. Now this wasn't a video speech per se but looked at marketing in 2025 and how we get there. Video of course is integral but it's how it will be viewed and used that's so white knuckle-ridingly exciting.

The talk was entitled 'Are We Really Innovating?'. Firstly, probably not. He suggests we are at somewhere like Web 1.5. Marketers have something like 88 different tactics at their disposal. However the point is technology isn't really here to enable this marketing vision. Typing still rules, touchscreens are limited etc.

Take a look at his presentation he has given us permission to share, it allows an insight into where all of this is going. If we were to summarise...

It could get even more difficult to navigate the world of connected business. There are fine examples here of how retailers and brands can develop to embrace Future Tech. Done well they will leave all competition in their wake. Those that embrace technology will totally transform how we do business. Like Disney and their interactive sofa!

www.slideshare.net/z0he/are-we-reallyinnovatingver1

jon@thepeloton.tv
www.thepeloton.tv

 

Take Part in our Video Poll

ThePeloton has teamed up with our good friends at B2B Marketing to create an innovative video poll and we would love you to respond. It's aimed at media agencies and brands and, in fact, anyone who regularly commissions video as part of their marketing mix. We want to pick your grey stuff about how much video you commission and what kind of content works for you.

It won't take you long, just a couple of minutes, click on the link below.

http://www.b2bmarketing.net/blog/posts/2012/10/02/interactive-video-poll

To make it even easier, we've created the poll in HTML5. That means you can watch and respond on the go via your iPad. Pretty neat hey? And, there's more, if you submit your email at the end, you'll be one of the first to get the results of our poll.

A video on video..how very post-modern.

adrian@thepeloton.tv
www.thepeloton.tv

The Land where Content is still King.

There’s a cracking new video doing the rounds on YouTube. No not the South Korean rapper doing the funny dance. The particular film we’ve been admiring and sharing was made by the B2B marketing agency, Earnest. It offers a host of new statistics that are tinkly music to our dainty little ears. For example, 75% of executives watch videos on business sites every week. And 65% of them then go on to visit a vendor’s site after watching the video. There’s lots more stats where those two gems came from. See for yourself. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=V6Q34ID2n1Q

Meanwhile, creating content is set to be one of the hot topics at this year’s B2B Marketing Conference. Ahead of the November 1st event, we’ve been interviewing some of the speakers and panelists. Some of the interviews are now up on B2B Marketing’s website. Here’s Stan Woods, the MD of the B2B consultants Velocity, talking about the challenges of creating great content.

http://www.b2bmarketing.net/video/b2b-marketing-conference-2012-stan-woods

Team Peloton will be descending en masse to the November conference; filming the presentations and doing a spot of light interviewing. We’ll also showing off our interactive video service which offers polling, data gathering and real-time analytics. And it now comes in HTML5. So be prepared to be wowed. The excitement may even make you want to do a funny dance. But just remember that you may get caught on camera...

adrian@thepeloton.tv

http://www.thepeloton.tv/interactive.html

Tech, Tech and more Tech.

We're going to let you in on a secret, not a brilliantly kept one mind you.... 

Our production team has just finished filming the super Becca Laidler and the East Anglian hunk Matt Downton fronting the latest episode of Tech News. It's a weekly look at the more eclectic, mind bending and some times nonsensical world of erm.... Tech.

Written by a team of hacks and the well informed (yes a team, just like some of those US comedy shows, one or two of which are funny), Tech News has now reached episode 30. And, get this, the latest viewing figures from the viewing figures machine suggest that each episode is watched on average 100, 000 times; most of which are UK tech nuts only. 

Web sites like Reevoo and Tom's Hardware take Tech News and benefit from a nice piece of content and, as they say in the world of marketing, a more engaged viewer. Here's a taster..
http://content.bitsontherun.com/previews/Q9c6P6wQ-FcwV6SdG

So there you go, a secret that once was, and now isn't. Now, our Creative Director Matt Warnes has got a secret and it sounds a bit painful. It involves steep inclines and aching thighs. Watch this space for more.

jon@thepeloton.tv

www.thepeloton.tv

Peloton 3 - Bradley 1.

The champagne is flowing at ThePeloton.tv this week. We are celebrating our 3rd birthday and crikey, what a 3 years it's been.

We launched ThePeloton.tv as we saw that there was a space for a team that could make broadcast standard video at the kind of cost that traditional production companies would have turned their backs on. We saw that online media companies were the commissioners of the future and that video content would come from traditional content creators

Cycling fetishist Matt had started ThePeloton with a camera and a mac. Bus man Jon quickly partnered with Matt to bring in some much needed clients and our first ever job was created for publisher IDG and IBM. It was the sign of things to come.

Taxi fan Adrian turned his back on the TV industry having seen that ThePeloton.tv were making waves in the world of online video. He looked to add a little intellectual panache and editorial rigour to what was now hours and days' worth of video content leaving ThePeloton Studio every month. His first project with HSBC is still lauded today.

Since then, IT interviews, awards, makeovers, fashion gurus, Prof. Brian Cox, nervous breakdowns, a studio full of 4 year olds, interactive video, cycling, bussing and taxi-ing has seen us through this exciting three years.

Despite rumours of takeovers and million pound investments, ThePeloton.tv resolutely remains focused on creating top quality content. Quality rather than budget is now the key and we have continued to invest in kit, people and techniques. And that means that we stay on top of our game... for you... forever.

Now if you don't mind 'Oops Upside Your Head' has just come on and Adrian is at the head of the train...

jon@thepeloton.tv

www.thepeloton.tv

The Peloton: We Get Around

September is upon us, summer holiday memories are receding, it’s time to get back to some serious graft. And it’s looking like being a busy, varied and adventurous start to autumn for The Peloton’s team.

Glam Media has commissioned us to shoot and edit a series of makeover videos for Rimmel. Meanwhile, our editorial chief, Adrian is working in the Middle East helping with the launch of a new news channel.

He’s spending some time in the city of Erbil, the capital of the autonomous region of Kurdistan which is based in Northern Iraq. It’s safer than Manchester. Well that was according to the taxi driver who picked Adrian up at the airport. The driver should know, he once lived in Wigan.

The Kurds are an incredibly welcoming bunch and are rightfully proud of their culture. They could also teach some UK video producers a thing or two when it comes to filming, editing and telling a great story. Adrian reports that one documentary currently being edited is as good as anything he’s seen on BBC World or Al Jazeera. However, there’s a lot of bad TV in the Middle East and Adrian has been brought in to help ensure editorial and creative excellence for his new Kurdish friends.

But, as you can imagine, The Peloton is not just about glamorous shoots with models or film-making in exotic places. We’ve got videos lined up for AstraZeneca, Kodak and Dell plus more editions of our much admired ‘Tech News’ series.

As for Adrian, he says the only downside of working abroad so far has been  dining alone in a virtually empty hotel restaurant whilst being serenaded by a cabaret singer. It’s like being in a Kurdish version of Phoenix Nights.. supposedly.

www.thepeloton.tv

Fashion Video Victims

While you were lying on the beach supping cocktails and rubbing in the Piz Buin, ThePeloton boys have been mixing with the fashion crowd. We have been in far flung glamorous hotspots shooting the good looking for our fashion retail chums.

Yes, fashion companies are alive to video and all that it offers to the image conscious online user. The IMRG Capgemini E-retail Sales Index revealed that fashion accessories and health and beauty were two of the main reasons why internet sales rose over 17% year-on-year in July.

The fashion industry was one of the laggards into getting their brands online, this is all changing now and video is behind this rise. Video allows the clothes to be viewed as they are supposed to be - worn by someone moving, rather than as stills on a page.

The emergence of click-to-buy 'interactive video' will be another poke for internet fashion sales and we fully expect to be spending the next 18 months hanging out on the beach with Kate Moss and mates filming that season's latest looks all to be bought via video.

Gucci were one of the first to bring this style of video to computer screens, take a look and see what you think....

http://www.gucci.com/us/worldofgucci/shoppable_video/shop-this-video-cruise-spring-summer-2012

With internet sales growing 4 fold on mobile, its lucky for you that ThePeloton has developed this technology in HTML5 too. Shopping from a film on an iPad round the pool...it's surely what the internet was made for.

jon@thepeloton.tv
www.thepeloton.tv

Clicks Win Prizes

Us creative types never turn our noses up at the chance to create a visually stimulating campaign for  a sexy brand. In fact ThePeloton's team is busy producing one as we speak. However, our usually cold hearts were warmed by the news that Xerox and its agency Young & Rubicam had won a gong for its 'A World Made Simpler' campaign. They won the Grand Prix Content Award at the Braves - the Oscars of the branded video world - at a red carpet event in central London.

http://thebraveawards.com/winners/

Business video is often where the greatest challenge lies; how to create a compelling narrative around a seemingly dry subject. And subjects don't come much drier than photocopying. Amidst the more glamorous winners such as Hyundai and Sony, the Xerox film stands out as a great example of a good visual idea combined with strong storytelling with emotional resonance.

The film uses Xerox's iconic copier paper to build a narrative about how technology is making life simpler. Its marketing message is how Xerox has transformed itself from a copier company into a leading business service provider. To date, it's had over 650, 000 views on YouTube. Not bad for a business video on a dry subject that - unlike some of the other winners - clearly didn't have an astronomical budget.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEnRQAz2Fqg

So congrats to Xerox, a worthy winner. We'll never think of you as just a photocopying company again. See, it worked on me!

www.thepeloton.tv
adrian@thepeloton.tv

The Science of Social Video.

The viral video isn’t dead it’s just grown up a bit and been renamed ‘social video’. Social videos are proper content that engages audiences. They’re shared around because they’re so compelling. And the good news for brands is that they’re being consumed, enjoyed and shared despite being for used for marketing purposes.

 http://www.unrulymedia.com/blog/2012/6/28/social-video-lab-launch-brand-prevalence-has-no-negative-eff.html

Our good friends at Unruly Media are taking it so seriously that they’ve set-up the World’s first social video laboratory. Its ambition, no less, is to turn social video into a science. They intend to find out about what kinds of content is most likely to be shared and allow brands to predict the effectiveness of videos before they’ve invested in a campaign.

http://www.unrulymedia.com/news/2012/6/27/unruly-opens-worlds-first-social-video-lab.html

Well us shiny, happy Peloton people don’t get to wear white lab coats very often (which is a shame). But if we did, we’d tell brands to make stuff that’s visually stimulating, emotionally resonant and offers interactivity (and possibly a damn good tune).

An excellent example is the new BA ad campaign; Take a Plane Down Your Street. Firstly it asks you to enter your postcode. Then, using Google Street View, you can witness a BA jumbo jet going past your front window.

http://taxi.ba.com/

 It doesn’t take rocket science to see why it’s already become one of the UK’s most shared interactive video. It’s just a shame that you can’t watch it on your iPad. Watch this space for a major announcement on HTML5 and interactive video. 

Adrian@thepeloton.tv
www.thepeloton.tv

ThePeloton.tv; A Rallying Cry.

ThePeloton.tv were fortunate enough to film the B2B Marketing Summit this week. We have worked with the team at B2B Marketing for some time and jolly decent they are too.

While capturing wonderful content from various delegates extolling the virtues of their various marketing concepts, our business cards were being ripped out of our hands (at one point a fight broke out between up to 10 middle aged marketing managers, keen to get their hands on our contact details). B2B marketing is getting mighty keen on video.

We have been working in the B2B marketing sector for a couple of years and there lies the rub. We are always happy send over our recent work to new contacts which of course we will... really happy if it wasn't so...erm.....dull.

Now, please don't look upon this as a reflection on us. We try and push people to be more creative and spend a little more than we are usually offered as they will get better production values and a more engaging film by doing so. The B2B sector however is (fair enough) enormously budget conscious and often accepts the norm of getting some middle aged experts - some with tie, some without - to talk about their chosen topic.

It looks OK and is technically sound... it's just really boring. That's the problem, boring film = bored audience = little gain is made. Just because this has become the norm in the market, it doesn't mean this is what you should be doing.

Our rallying cry therefore is this: B2B marketing sector you can make great gains in thought leadership if you start getting more creative with your video (and that doesn't just mean infographics). Take a look at news and business TV channels. Similar features can be written and be highly thought provoking. Every business has an interesting story to tell and potentially beautiful pictures to go with it. Let's start telling the tales and using these pictures.

jon@thepeloton.tv
www.thepeloton.tv

Feeding the Family.. And their Subjects.

You are about to have 4 days off work, the country has turned extremely patriotic, the nation's high streets are a dazzling red, white and blue. So, when you have your friends around this weekend, what do you cook them? ThePeloton.tv's friend will be getting spaghetti bolognese as that's all we can cook.
But William Sitwell at John Brown has come up with a very classy alternative. He's been working with top chefs to develop the Jubilee dish for 2012, Jubilee salmon, click on the link below to see how to impress all and sundry. Naturally, the filming was carried out by ThePeloton.tv. The crew can vouch for the recipe, they got the chance to try it out for lunch.
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJLfUkpCSU4

Content Connection

It is very apparent that brands, like Waitrose, are now content creators and they're distributing their stuff through YouTube channels, customer publishing, Facebook apps etc. What are publishers doing about this? Brands are now stepping into their space and, in more than a few cases, beating them to it. ThePeloton.tv wants to know more.... Can they live side by side? Will the user buy into branded content as independent? We think a gathering is needed to get to the bottom of this and we're going to host it. Clear your early September diaries, we'll be sending out invites soon

jon@thepeloton.tv
www.thepeloton.tv
 

The Peloton Visits Google

We are often asked to give our thoughts on digital video. It's mainly because we're really good looking and say things like zeitgeist.

No less than Google invited us into their offices and, of course, when Sergey and Larry ask (well kind of) who are we to thumb our noses. We were taken up to the best conference theatre we have ever been near and asked to take our seats (on our way, we walked through the canteen and someone was eating mussels in the staff canteen... And it was free, served by their own chef!!).

The great and good of the advertising industry made their way to their seats, high-fiving and piss-taking each other as they went. This was looking pretty scary.

Google has launched its new player technology that essentially allows users to view just the first few seconds of the pre-roll ad (the often overly long TV ad you get before content starts). We were asked to debunk the myth of TV advertising. Mostly about cost and the rest about process.

We reeled off examples of TV advertising producers charging oodles of lolly and then having no money to distribute and we generally cocked a snoop at some of the more outlandish extravagances that are not required when creating a digital video ad. Then we showed some of our perfectly formed but inexpensive ad work and aired some thoughts on how ads should be produced with the new Google technology in mind.

No-one hit us, no-one booed and all in all a thoroughly enjoyable time was had. (Adrian was the best, Matt talked too much and Jon, didn't really say anything of any use).

We still have the presentation somewhere. Get in touch if you would like a copy. Otherwise, we'll see you in Cannes xx

jon@thepeloton.tv 
www.thepeloton.tv

The Peloton and the B2B Marketing Summit

The Peloton will be filming the B2B Marketing Summit on June 14 at The Brewery in London. Why should you attend and what's it all about...well read on.

Social media marketing.

Do you know that you can generate an additional 18% of traffic to your website if you let customers share reviews of your products in social networks? Just one good review on Facebook can pull in 2.5 times more visitors than all ‘Likes’ collected per month.

Good feedback can do wonders for your business.

The latest research has revealed that positive reviews in social networks are the second most popular deciding factor to buy from you. One in three people are more likely to make an order after reading through good reviews of your brand whilst 38% still consider the price the most important criterion.  

It’s good to have bad feedback, too.

Surprisingly, a negative review is not as bad for your sales as you think. Seven out of 10 customers trust online reviews more if there’s both bad and good feedback available in social networks. Moreover, 38% tend to read only negative reviews of products before making a purchase and 95% will still buy a product or service despite negative feedback. And finally, what one B2B customer considers bad can be a positive thing for another one. You never know!

There’ll be a lot more valuable information on social media marketing at the B2B Marketing Summit held on June 14. The event will be filmed by the highly reputable ThePeloton.tv and is going to cover 4 hot topics: content marketing, social media, data insight and lead generation strategies. You can find more about the summit, presentations scheduled and bookings here at www.b2bmarketing.net/summit2012 . It’s time to go social! 

www.thepeloton.tv

adrian@thepeloton.tv

 

Paid for Comment, Part Fifteen.

It's all change in Publisherland.

We hot footed it over to the PPA Conference at the rather grey Hilton on a rather grey day to hear some thoughts, plans and tactics underway at some of the UK's leading magazine and digital publishers.

When listening to publishers you get the feeling that life hasn't been that kind to them over the last few years. You also get the feeling that they are (in general) trying to do something about it. Publishers have had to cope with revenue disappearing on both fronts - reader revenue and advertising revenue. This has led to heavy cost cutting and generally defensive measures. But this year there was a sense that if you did a good job you were likely to see the results.

Traditional publishers have generally been useless at riding the internet wave. They are stuck in a print model and find it difficult to break out of it. Last year there were one or two exceptions to this. This year that list has expanded.

The Economist talked about the rise of the intellectual trend and clever ways to reach them.
Haymarket and Dennis showed off some some jolly good apps.
And Future talked up the tablet.


We got the chance to interview some of the great and good at the PPA Conference. Here's the CEO of Future talking about the exciting challenge of creating video content.

We also finally heard from senior people that their teams are making branded content solutions and this was to be an important revenue generator. Hoo bloody rah. We've only been saying this for 3 years but there you go.

So as well as patting ourselves on the back for being right all along and generally quaffing as much wine as we could at the free bar, we left Bauer's Mark Frith to answer what his favourite TV programme is and wandered into the rain soaked streets of London with a realisation that Paid for Comment has done its job and it's time for a new series.

So keep an eye out for the first instalment of Video Click - it's all about interactive video don't you know.
jon@thepeloton.tv
www,thepeloton.tv
 

Paid for Comment, Part Fourteen

Two recently published studies have rather shaken the foundations here at Peloton Towers. We aren't usually ones for hyperbole and take surveys with a pinch of salt as they always tend to favour the businesses and associations that commission them. It's like when Adrian of Peloton fame announces that East Dulwich has been voted the number one area for young families in London. When you drill down to the facts you realise that the only people polled are on the East Dulwich forum... and his cats.

Anyway. First this turned up from Reelseo..... http://www.reelseo.com/embedded-youtube-indexed-google/.... For some time web video peeps have been bandying around the fact that video on your web page makes you lots of percent more likely to appear on front page rankings. However what that didn't say was that you have to be a tagging SEO king to make that work (and many of them couldn't).

According to Reelseo all this has changed. Google are now indexing video, and not just video that appears on YouTube. Therefore, when searching for example for The Peloton, two of our video thumbnails appear beneath. This is big news and, given Google's push for YouTube as being their growth revenues, maybe not so surprising.

Secondly, we have been swaggering around claiming that we have been in content marketing for more than anyone else ever. Not strictly true of course. However it has to be said, as video makers, we think that well made video can replace gaudy sales messages and unsubtle advertising as the route to the nation's hearts and minds. This study from Emarketer seems to confirm that this content marketing trend is on the rise.... http://www.reelseo.com/embedded-youtube-indexed-google/

So c'mon kids. Jump on our bandwagons. We're driving and what were once dirt tracks are now nice smooth re-laid b-roads.

jon@thepeloton.tv
www.thepeloton.tv
 

Click-to-Buy Video is the new Black

OK it's been around for a while, but click-to-buy video is finally finding its feet. Retailers, in particular fashion brands, are waking up to the potential of this technology that allows viewers to gain more information about a product by hovering over the item and then clicking through to the e-commerce site to buy the chosen product. For example Tommy Hilfiger has launched a series of clickable videos that generate product information and link to its e-commerce system. And Gucci has hopped on the bandwagon and just released this video.
http://www.gucci.com/us/worldofgucci/shoppable_video/shop-this-video-cruise-spring-summer-2012

Click-to-buy video and fashion are a perfect fit so what's been holding it back? In the past the technology was clunky, users were maybe not ready for it and retailers found it expensive and difficult to manage. The whole experience was not a cool one so what's changed? The commissioning of video has come down in price and video makers are getting more creative. Instead of just adding hotspots, they are integrating the technology in a myriad of imaginative ways. Take this example for the Only fashion brand.
http://onlybecausewecan.com/

So what's next? Well, no doubt we'll see more of it as brands take on board interactive video as a new sales channel and as success stories are shared. To date a lot of this technology has been developed in flash. The advertising community is snubbing flash now due to the incredible rise of mobile devices. Therefore it will take a smart company with what is already a great interactive product to develop that product in HTML5.

So does anyone know any smart video content companies with a great flash product that could develop it in HTML5 by early Summer? Hmm I wonder...
www.thepeloton.tv
The Video Content Company

adrian@thepeloton.tv
 

Tales from a Dark Room: HTML5 Video

Part 1: HTML5 and why bandwagons can be costly and dangerous.

As HTML5 Video is the big thing for clients at the moment, it’s important to remember that HTML5 is an unfinished specification.

Smart clients can see the next thing coming and HTML5 is a big thing coming. It will help define how we interact with information and media for the foreseeable future; it will power online commerce and business systems for at least the next decade and is fundamental to this generation of mobile devices and even to the next generation of desktop operating systems. So I can understand the clients' desire to get on board but jumping on to a bandwagon which is also an unfinished code specification is very risky especially something as essential as HTML5 is to the future of media consumption.

So I said it was unfinished, to give you some idea at the end of last October it was announced by HTML5’s governing bodies W3C and WHATWG that they were dropping the <time> function and creating the <data> function, for more information see goodbye html5 time hello data. The reaction from developers was predictable to say the least.

Now there were two camps of vitriol from us web monkeys; the first was from developers that were playing in the cutting edge, grumbling about time systems in their cool new app not working. And the second and much more worrying camp was from developers that were forced to rely on <time> functions due to demand from user and or clients for the mobile bandwagon and that’s where the problems lie.

For now the mobile bandwagon is a whole other bandwagon and that’s for another post.

The 15 ton red plaid diplodocus in the room is mobile device companies using HTML5, an unfinished specification as underlying structure for their devices. Couple this with the boom in both media consumption and mobility and it has cultivated a vocal mobile device user base that heavily relies on HTML5. In turn this forces clients to push developers for live production level systems, sites or apps incorporating functions like <time> which that can be dropped from an incomplete architecture at any moment by the whims of 2 different governing bodies.

A situation for developers that at best can be described as problematic and at worst as mind melting development chaos.

Now, a few weeks after it was dropped, it was revealed that <time> would be re-added to the W3C specification and was re-added to WHATWG specification in February, this was due to pressure from clients, developers, users and even members of both governing bodies. When the <time> function was returned it was also different, a new version of <time>, later stated as an amalgamation of both the <time> and <data> functions. For developers this is a hair ripping nightmare.

This also sets a dangerous precedent that any modifications of existing functions or the creation of new functions in HTML5 can be reversed just by public outcry. This has given both of HTML5’s governing bodies very little room to manoeuvre on finishing the specification.

The bottom line of the HTML5 <time> fiasco is that circumstances like these cost time and money for everyone involved clients and developers alike.

So what has all this got to do with HTML5 video I hear you ask? This is a media company’s blog what am I talking about <time> for? Well a similar thing is happening with the <video> function at the moment. Yep HTML5 video is about to change.

What they’re doing is adding DRM enabled content delivery to the specification, obviously under pressure from certain sections of the media industry. I’ll save that rant for another time.

Now we don’t know how they are going to implement this, how much of the video specification is going to change and what effect it will have on content delivery and how that will affect the end user. These are important questions that need answers before further development in HTML5 video can continue somewhat risk free. We pretty much know nothing on what’s going to change in the coming months. DRM could just be bolted on and nothing would change, just a Boolean true or false command or they could have to rebuild the whole video function from scratch and that means trouble to everyone who has invested time and money into HTML5 video.

All this is compacted by Adobe who is now starting to phase out Flash but that is yet another blog entry that I’m saving for another time.

With the end of Flash ruling the online video market on the horizon, online media companies are going to have to develop for HTML5 video and they have to start now to keep in the game. But even starting now without the changes to <video> coming in the next few months, there are still many problems already inherent in HTML5 video.

The main problems faced in HTML5 video development are no native fullscreen support; no native adaptive streaming, no support for HTML5 on XP machines when using IE as the browser, different browsers and platforms offer varying states of accessibility, command and codec support. I could expand on this further but LongTail have already written a good article on the state of HTML5 video in browsers and platforms so I will not bother rewriting the wheel. The document can be found here The State Of HTML5 Video. It’s well worth the read and will clear up some misconceptions about market shares.

With all this is it worth investing in HTML5 video development? The answer is yes but until any of the questions posed are answered, browser and platform compatibility is improved, issues are resolved and the HTML5 specification nears completion it is a risky venture. But unfortunately due to the media consumption landscape it is a necessary long term goal for all working in field of digital video media.

Next time on Tales from a dark room...The client's guide to the internet.


www.thepeloton.tv

IBM @ AOP B2B and the like..

As the video partner of B2B Marketing magazine, we take an interest in all things business-to-business. That's why we thought it wise to attend the Association of Online Publishers' debut B2B Conference and film some of the industry leaders at the podium. The subjects of the presentations ranged from brand awareness to the belief that audience data is now a publisher's greatest asset. However, the star of the show was Caroline Taylor, VP Marketing for IBM UK and Ireland. B2B Marketing's editor Joel Harrison jumped at the chance to interview Caroline on the way the B2B sector is changing.
And here's the interview. If you want to see and read more about the AOP's B2B event, go to this website.
http://www.b2bmarketing.net/

www.thepeloton.tv
adrian@thepeloton.tv

Publishing Expo

The renowned business TV producer Adrian Smith spoke at last week's Publishing Expo to over 100 publishing executives on the need for production quality and storytelling ability when it comes to creating digital video content.

Following an illustrious career at CNN, Sky and ITN, Adrian has spent the last 2 and a half years becoming a thought leader and flag waver for publishers and brands to think clearly about what they want to achieve with video.

He concentrated his talk around 3 key themes.

1. The need to prepare. Adrian offered some thoughts about what it takes to make a good film and why it all starts with what you want the film to achieve and work back from there.

2. Don't hide your video in YouTube or in a company website. Promote it and trailer it. Follow the examples of the BBC and ITV and let users know what's coming in.

3. DIY or get the professionals in? Sometimes a short film for soundbites or a more edgy product demo can work. If however you want a level of quality to reflect on the business, get the professionals in. Whilst they are in, get them to help direct and train your own staff - saving money in the long run.

If you would like a copy of the presentation please get in touch with jon@thepeloton.tv. Or prepare for Adrian to visit a seminar theatre near you soon.

www.thepeloton.tv

The Peloton at Publishing Expo

It's awards season and we're getting in on the act. The Peloton is going mob-handed to Publishing Expo 2012 at Earls Court 2. Come and see us on stand B:13 where, on Wednesday 29th between 10.00 and 11.30 am, you will get the chance to hold an actual Oscar...yes, a real one.

It was won by an associate of The Peloton, the late Ken Weston, for his work on Gladiator. Swing by our stand and take up the opportunity to have your photo taken.

And if you fancy a bit of intellectual nourishment, head over to the Production and Design Theatre on Tuesday 28th between 15.10 and 15.50. The Peloton's Adrian Smith will be taking part in a seminar on web video. We hope to see you there.

www.thepeloton.tv

Yinka Shonibare MBE

The Peloton is immensely proud to have helped produce the latest film work by the artist Yinka Shonibare MBE. The film is part of an exhibition in New York's James Cohan Gallery which opens February 16th and is running through to March 24th. In this multi-part exhibition of new work, Shonibare explores the concept of destiny as it relates to themes of desire, yearning, love, power and sexual repression.

The film, Addio Del Passato, (“so closes my sad story”) features the character of Frances Nisbet, Lord Nelson’s estranged wife, singing the eponymous aria from the last act of Verdi’s opera La Traviata. Shonibare finds a parallel in the story of Nelson’s betrayal of his wife and his passionate love affair with Lady Hamilton to the feelings of loss and yearning as expressed by the opera’s heroine Violetta on the eve of her death.

Yinka Shonibare MBE lives and works in London, UK. He received the prestigious Fourth Plinth Commission in Trafalgar Square from the Mayor of London in 2009.

The Peloton is a video production company that specialises in business communication.

For further information, please contact Jane Cohan by e-mail or by telephone at (+) 212.714.9500.
http://www.jamescohan.com/exhibitions/2012-02-16_yinka-shonibare-mbe/press-release/
www.thepeloton.tv
matt@thepeloton.tv

Paid for Comment, Part Thirteen.

Publisher + brand + good idea + results = award.

We love a success story, it makes us all warm inside. Especially when we
can say that we have contributed to that success.

Leading global sci-tech technology website The Register has built a
tremendous following in that it publishes news and thought to an audience
of highly engaged IT professionals. The brief from Microsoft was that it
wanted to position itselves as thought and technology leaders in cloud
computing. It wanted to combine this with a lead generation element. The
Register's solution included a new content channel on cloud computing
including a forum. With news, features and integrated Microsoft content
this was published in the channel, a mobile app for all smartphones, an
iPad and a tablet app. Video was integral to the campaign and included: a
series - produced by us - on businesses making a difference through their use of
cloud solutions; expert live broadcasts and one-to-one engagement
with The Register's IT professional readership.

The result was that The Register successfully delivered a big lead target,
and the website was also the first in the world to host content pulled from
the LinkedIn API. You can see the channel here...
http://www.theregister.co.uk/cloud/

To cap it all off, it won the IPA Media award for Most Effective Online
campaign. Our invite for the awards night sadly got lost in the post.

Leading publishers in their field are in a unique position to ensure the
success of content marketing campaigns. If worked with properly and in an
equal partnership they can deliver content to their audiences as The
Register has done and truly deliver results in a way that's not available
through any other medium.

Publishers are reacting to a slow advertising market and are looking to offer
solutions. If you are clear on your objectives and what the success metrics
should be, you can clean up.
www.thepeloton.tv
jon@thepeloton.tv

 

Paid for Comment, Part Twelve.

The Paid for Comment team have been quiet recently and some of you may have been concerned as to their well-being. Its OK, they're fine. People keep paying them for comment, hence been a bit quiet. However a month is along time in Content Marketing and branded video.

So rather than review 2011. We feel that it is time to look forward with excitement, a touch of anxiety and a tear in our wind-beaten eyes so here are some of our predictions for what B2Bmarketing.net (http://www.b2bmarketing.net/blog/posts/2012/01/06/video-%E2%80%93-one-watch-2012??utm_source=twitter) call the Year of Video.

1 - Content and context. Though there is a pretty unanimous opinion that producing engaging and professional content will be the focus of marketing depts. in 2012, what does get forgotten is its distribution. There is a horror story of a corporate brand who paid £100,000 to make a superb film related to the brand's identity which, after 2 months, had received 21 plays on its Youtube channel. Before any content is made, the distribution of the film has to be planned. It can (and should) affect the story of the film.

2. Publishers are your Partner. Publishers have the access to your audience and are also great content makers who know how to communicate to the audience. Use them. They can be your content team. Quite often the leader in a field might be too costly and charge big premiums for access. However smaller and more niche publishers will always work twice as hard and for nothing like the cost of the leaders.

3. 2012 is the year of video. People are more and more time pressed. Execs. need information quickly, website users have a lower attention span (sadly). Video get the information to the recipient quickly and saves on reading through reams and reams of information until they get to the best bit. It's amazing how much can be communicated in 3 and a half minutes

4. Jobs aplenty. For all of those journalists, copywriters and creatives that have hit skid row, fear not. If your redundancy money can still keep you, there will be work from brands, publishers, content agencies and The Peloton which will be able to put a smile back on your face and allow ideas to flow all over again. It may not be permanent work but then everyone does their best work freelance.

5. Get social, get mobile. Taking traditional desktop content and reformatting for a mobile screen doesn't help anyone – you or your audience. When someone is visiting your website from a mobile device, they need content that fits their mindset, Quick, easy, digestible, actionable and retraceable. You can't ignore mobile devices for your content delivery so plan it in early.

6. Interactive video. Video, as everyone is predicting, will be rife in 2012 and beyond. How rife will it be though when it can be measured and the video commissioner gets tangible results. Interactive video does that. We agree with Joel Harrison editor of B2B marketing when he says 2012 will be the year of video... only we think that interactive video is what could drive it into the stratosphere.
jon@thepeloton.tv
www.thepeloton.tv

Property Week and The Peloton

LONDON, January 4, 2012 -- /PRNewswire/ --Giles Barrie invites PropertyWeek.com's audience to take part in its first ever interactive video survey, capturing the market's opinion on European retail.

Launched the same week that MAPIC, Europe's premier retail event opens its doors to thousands of delegates, Giles Barrie asks what the future holds for developers, investors and retailers via an innovative medium - interactive video.

The interactive video poses the viewer a variety of questions which they answer by clicking on the video. Questions vary from asking what will be the best emerging retail property city in the next three years, to the impact of online retailing.All viewers will take a different path through the interactive video depending on their profession, be it developer, investor or retailer, with targeted questions for each sector.

Positioned within a dedicated microsite for MAPIC, this survey aims to involve property professionals in the biggest questions surrounding retail at this time.With the retail industry embracing the age of technology in a bid to evolve and survive the changing buying habits of consumers, Property Week aims to use this innovative and simple interactive video as a source of engagement which will reap valuable results for its audience.

View and take part in this interactive survey now at http://www.propertyweek.com/news/industry-events/MAPIC-2011

This video was produced by the Client Solutions team for Property Week in conjunction with The Peloton.

The Client Solutions team at Property Week magazine create bespoke target solutions for clients using our expertise across print, digital and live channels.To create your own interactive video or marketing solution with Property Week Client Solutions please email martin.hurn@ubm.com or call +44(0)20-7560-4291.
http://www.thepeloton.tv/interactive.html
adrian@thepeloton.tv
020 31426761