The Rise of the Web Series

Posted by Kristal on . No comments.

Television is a failing medium. Granted, TV shows still in pull millions of viewers and ad money, but the truth is that television is moving more and more online and those that embrace it first are going to be the ones to thrive. First there was YouTube, then Netflix Instant, and then Hulu – all online platforms for streaming video content that started off modestly but are now multi-million dollar operations. And it’s not just that they’re profitable, they’re also creating quality content and initiatives that traditional TV hasn’t fully tapped into yet.

While Hulu and Netflix first found success by syndicating and distributing content from the major studios, it is through original programming that they are starting to pull ahead of the online pack.  LilyHammer on Netflix, Battleground on Hulu, and most recently Wolfpack of Reseda on Myspace – prime time quality programming is now moving to these online hubs where they’re allowed more creative freedom and ultimately can reach a wider audience thanks to the convenience of online streaming.

Web series still have a long road to travel before they’ll be on the same level as traditional television, but the groundwork is there. Original web content is no longer just vlogs and America’s Funniest Home Video style offerings, it’s glossy, sleek, concise storytelling optimized for online viewing and sharing. Much has been said about the rise of Social TV, but this move to “independent” television could have a far larger impact. Independent filmmaking blew up on the scene once camcorders and computers made it possible for anyone to shoot a film in their backyard. Now using that same technology and these new online distribution outlets, small television productions could spring up in the middle of nowhere over night.

Not only is there room for new kings (and queens) of industry to get in on web series, there’s also room for entertainment news sites and brands to hit this niche before it explodes. It’s largely ignored by more mainstream sites like /Film and Huffington Post, but smaller sites like Screen Invasion and Alterna-TV are highlighting the cream of the web series’ crop and reaping the rewards. It’s also fertile ground for co-branding opportunities. Viewers are fast forwarding through commercials, but if products are seamlessly tied in throughout the content, it’s a more enjoyable advertising experience for the viewer, and leaves a deeper impact for brand recognition. Wolfpack of Reseda is Kia branded, with the protagonist’s journey running parallel with his car’s customization. What makes it work is that the branding never overshadows the plot of the series. It gets a few shout outs throughout, but is never as overt as ads or even modern product placement in TV shows like Bones.

The field is still new and there are so many possibilities. Web series are on the rise and it won’t take long for them to break in to the mainstream.

Looking to increase awareness about your web series? Hit us up at batphone@corpta.com

Why You Can’t Ignore Pinterest

Posted by Jamie on . 3 comments.


You’ve probably heard about Pinterest by now considering it’s the fastest growing standalone website of all time.  What you might not know is how it could potentially help your business.

A few members of our team have been pinning for a while now (our General Manager even used the site to plan her Halloween wedding last summer), but when it was time to start integrating Pinterest  into our marketing campaigns we had to think about our clients and who would benefit the most from what Pinterest has to offer.

Pinterest’s active user base is approximately 82% female.  We decided that our client whose lifestyle blog covers fashion trends, beauty products and family life would be a perfect fit.  In addition to integrating the “Pin It” button to her daily posts, we brainstormed a creative promotion to engage her audience with hopes of it going viral within Pinterest.  We thought it would be a good exercise and have the potential to do quite well. We could not have predicted that the image launching the promotion would receive upwards of 11,000 pins in four weeks and lead to a 354% increase in monthly unique visitors for our client’s website. Not surprisingly, Pinterest was the number one referrer for the month of February, driving 467% more traffic than Twitter and Facebook combined.

What did we learn? Pinterest’s 11.7 million monthly visitors are not to be ignored!

It is important to note that there is some etiquette that goes along with Pinterest.  We encouraged our client to engage with the Pinterest community and maintain several boards that reflect the content of her blog rather than just pinning images from her site.   Brands like Whole Foods, Martha Stewart and Etsy are doing a great job of finding that balance.

I maintain a food blog outside of work (shameless plug), and I’m still amazed by the power of Pinterest.  Each time I publish a new post, I pin a photo to one of my boards that is dedicated to my recipes.  Within minutes my inbox is flooded with re-pin notifications.  I’d estimate 99% are from women and 90% are from complete strangers.  How cool is that?  Instant blog traffic.  Plus, these images continue circulating within the network long after they’re first pinned.

At Total Assault, we’re excited about the new possibilities that Pinterest creates for our clients – both brand and entertainment – and we’ll keep you posted on what we discover through our campaigns.  Curious how Pinterest can help engage your audience?  Email us at BatPhone@corpta.com.

Total Assault Adds Star Designer

Posted by Melissa on . No comments.

Total Assault has added to its staff, bringing on board Andrea Keeble as a full-time designer. Andrea comes to Total Assault from Detroit, Michigan where she honed her design skills at the College for Creative Studies, and also worked on projects for Nike, Coldwell Banker and various start-ups. Her ability to not only bring concepts to life, but take them beyond client expectations will round out Total Assault’s  Design and Development department, providing clients with first class logos, websites, and advertising creative.

Since joining the team on February 1st, Andrea has produced pieces for Samsung Mobile, Bowers & Wilkins, Bauerfeind, as well as musical acts Shane Harper, Van Halen and others.

If you find yourself in need of fabulous design, feel free to e-mail us at BatPhone@corpta.com.

Artists!

Brands!

Why more people talk about Google + than use it

Posted by Bobby on . One comment.

Google, one of the most important tech companies of this decade, has gone into the social space for the third time.

Countless opinions are circulating about the product, whether it’s fascination with a feature or thoughts on their corporate strategy.

Common press outlets are echoing the same message:

Will the tech giant destroy the Facebook Empire!?

Who knows. In truth, there’s no way to really know the viability of the product with such limited information about its performance. Yet it continues to stir up article after article for each little feature adjustment.

Rather than bore you with another glorious review of Circles, or a discussion on how Google+ added billions to their market value, let’s dig up the stats that matter.

The founder, Larry Page, announced very positive results: 10 million users in two weeks. But, what should they be tracking here? More relevant metrics would be active users, average time spent on platform, or Zuckerberg’s recent focus on “sharing frequency per user”.

Google didn’t need to put big dollars into marketing Google+. They have a built-in user base of millions, eliminating the friction of a registration process (this explains the 10 million captured users). Their focus was giving Google users a compelling reason to join the service (group videochat? Yes!) and driving great results with goals they knew could be achieved.

Unfortunately, they aren’t focusing on per-user metrics. Why should I share things here instead of Facebook or Twitter? I need to build ANOTHER profile? In designing Google+, they haven’t shown users a compelling reason to stay.

For us, it’s no surprise that Google+ is suffering from a user retention issue only four weeks after launch. The news came out recently from Bloomberg:

“Total Google+ visits fell about 3 percent to 1.79 million in the U.S. in the week ended July 23 from the prior seven days, said New York-based Experian Hitwise, which tracks Web traffic. Google+ had risen 283 percent in the week ended July 16. The average time spent on the site in the most recent week declined 10 percent to 5 minutes and 15 seconds, the research firm found.”

We feel Google’s innovative approach to the social space is worth the controversy. It’s interesting to learn how one of the most important companies of the decade looks to change our lives even further. However, at the end of the day, maybe people don’t like to categorize their friends?

Up next: Google+ for businesses on the next rollout. Many businesses have already tried to use Google+, only to have their profiles wiped out. Keep a look out for our critiques once the service finally ships.

The Rise of QR Codes at San Diego Comic-Con

Posted by Kristal on . No comments.

Last weekend was essentially geek heaven down in San Diego. More than 125,000 fanboys, geek girls, and overall pop culture enthusiasts descended upon the town to indulge in everything genre and sci-fi related. With such an enthusiastic crowd, it should come as no surprise that attendees are at the forefront of consumer technology who consider themselves early adopters. Every year, new gadgets, and therefore practices on how to incorporate them on the exhibit floor and in panels, pop up to get everyone buzzing about the latest in television, movies, video games, and yes, even comics. Two years ago it was Twitter, last year it was FourSquare, and this year it seems that a new trend had come to roost.

This year, the new belle of the ball was QR Codes. Every booth seemed to have a QR code to scan. Instead of entering giveaways with an old fashioned pen and paper, people would scan the QR code with their smartphones to enter to win. Want to watch the trailer for the WB movie you just passed a poster for? Scan it to pull it up on your phone. One booth was even having a scavenger hunt throughout the convention center via QR codes, where one scan would direct you to the next, and the first to the end won a box set of comics and prizes.

On top of the tangible prizes, entertainment check-in service Get Glue got involved in the fun too. For a few of the TV and movie panels, those inside got a postcard with a QR code to scan to receive a Comic-Con exclusive Get Glue sticker. As a social media enthusiast, I live-tweeted the panels I attended and these Get Glue stickers are so desirable that random people on Twitter were asking me to post the picture so they could check in too. They searched out people tweeting about certain panels in hopes they’d respond with the pic to get that coveted check-in, regardless if they were actually watching it or not.

As Comic-Con is essentially a gathering of 125,000 of those at the forefront of technology, it’ll be interesting to see how QR Codes continue to be adopted and utilized in less tech-savvy gatherings. Given their success at this event, I expect to see them shape even more event experiences in the future.