Project Spotlight – August 2021 Posted by John Assalian on September 13, 2021 VIDEO Autodesk Smart Cities As the global leader in “Design and Make” software for the AEC industry, being at the cutting edge of thought leadership is crucial. Autodesk looked to Viewstream to help craft The Future of Making Things story through a series of videos on complex topics such as Generative Design, DFMA, IoT, Robotics, and their spotlight: Smart Cities. The team at Viewstream took this project from initial discovery interviews to on-site video production at Autodesk offices in Toronto and Boston, through post-production and final delivery. “An in-depth discovery process is crucial to create successful thought leadership videos. Smart Cities is a great example of getting under the hood of a topic through pre-interviews and then reverse engineering to craft the desired narrative. Autodesk was able to approve the exact story on paper before we arrived onsite to roll camera.” Adam Zacek Director of Accountsazacek@viewstream.com ARTICLE 12 Practices To Grow Your Business With Video In the contemporary digital world, video is a popular medium of choice for everyone from Generation Z to boomers. I lead a creative digital agency that specializes in video marketing. Business owners and clients continually report positive ROI using video in their marketing. Users consistently cite product videos as helpful in their purchase decision. Video can be a powerful driver in boosting conversions and increases sales. With the compelling value propositions, video is worth the investment to grow your business. Here are 12 best practices to maximize your ROI with video… Read More John AssalianCEOjohn@viewstream.com CREATIVE PROJECT AWS and Deloitte Microsite PROJECT DELIVERABLES: Microsite Design & Development, 2 PDF Lead Magnets – Copywritten and Designed, Media Plan/Buy/Management + Ad Creative Production Viewstream developed a (digital) marketing campaign for the Amazon Web Services and Deloitte partnership to drive awareness of Mainframe Migration and the overall AWS and Deloitte solution. By creating urgency in the marketplace and communicating how enterprises can transform their mainframe legacy applications and migrate to the AWS Cloud, we were able to deliver high-quality and targeted leads to the Deloitte sales organization. “This whole campaign centered around clearly communicating the benefits to the target audience, including streamlining modernization process, increasing business agility, realizing cost savings and enabling staff transition.” Maureen Serrao ColeVP of Accountsmcole@viewstream.com DID YOU KNOW? Viewstream does “Brand to Demand” Delivering the full creative strategy arc, from brand conception to demand generation. We produce award-winning creative to tell your story, deploy disruptive digital media strategies, and win in the marketplace. This is “brand to demand”. Download our capabilities deck to learn more. Best regards,The Team @ Viewstream
Project Spotlight – June 2021 Posted by John Assalian on July 15, 2021 VIDEO Emerge – Agent Sizzle Video Emerge is reinventing freight procurement. Their Digital Freight Marketplace provides access to benchmarked rates and thousands of trusted partners to maximize cost savings. A key user persona for this marketplace is the Freight Agent. Viewstream was selected to produce a high-energy sizzle video showcasing the innovation of this technology and the unfair advantage it provides to the Agents that use the platform. “We do a lot of explainer videos for tech companies here at Viewstream, but every once in a while we get our hands on a truly exciting innovation. Emerge is doing some really disruptive stuff in an industry full of stale solutions. Putting together this aggressive, energetic piece was a real treat. The in-house marketing team was a joy to collaborate with and bounce ideas off, and the end result was something we were all proud of.” Aiden FishbeinAccount Directorafishbein@viewstream.com DOCUMENT DESIGN Cortex® Xpanse™ – Asset Rebranding PROJECT DELIVERABLES: White Papers, Case Studies, PowerPoint Presentations, Datasheets, Landing Pages, Email Templates, Infographics, Video Titles, Video Lower 3rds, Banner Ad Design With Palo Alto Network’s December 2020 acquisition of Expanse Inc. (a leader in attack surface management), the Expanse brand was primed and ready for a fresh make-over. With an in-house agency overseeing the transition to a new brand name (Cortex® Xpanse™), logo creation, and template development, the Viewstream team was tapped with a massive digital asset creation and rebranding initiative, including the development of over (30+) brand resources including White Papers, Case Studies, Datasheets and more to support and promote the all-new Cortex Xpanse product offering. “The security industry is fast-paced and extremely demanding of marketers — not all agencies can keep up. The Viewstream team is always ready and produces exceptional quality work. They fit in perfectly with our work processes and are a natural part of our team.”Alex Yakubov | Director, Demand Generation, Cortex “The 90-day rebranding initiative was an all-hands-on-deck project that tested Viewstream’s talented resource capacity, and we were able to meet the challenge head-on. In the end, the Viewstream team was able to successfully deliver 100% of the Cortex Xpanse assets on time and on budget. It was truly a huge win for everyone involved.” Jeff CarterAccount Managerjcarter@viewstream.com DID YOU KNOW? Viewstream does Remote Video Production How do you produce a documentary in the age of COVID-19? Using the Viewstream Virtual Studio, of course! The pandemic has made video production, from Hollywood features to corporate video content, difficult to produce. While we haven’t found a solution (yet) for contactless blockbusters, you CAN keep the conversation about your product alive, with the Viewstream Virtual Studio. Best regards,The Team @ Viewstream
Project Spotlight – May 2021 Posted by John Assalian on June 8, 2021 VIDEO Lexus Collision Assistance Lexus wanted an ultra-modern video to show off the collision assistance feature in its new app. Viewstream created a semi-futuristic 3D environment and made a complete 3D model of a Lexus vehicle to show viewers how the collision assistance feature works. “The middle section of this video features an interactive sequence where the phone user is performing a number of tasks in the workflow. To make this human-phone interaction sequence look true to life, Viewstream filmed a hand model in our production studio to make sure we get each swipe, each tap, and each gesture. In post-production, we accurately sync the hand movements to the pre-recorded app workflow.” Andrew AssalianSVP Accountsaassalian@viewstream.com WEBSITE Prosimo.io Launch Package Prosimo has come up with a radical new way to empower a true multi-cloud infrastructure strategy that allows users to deliver apps that are fast, secure and cost-optimized. As part of the full launch package production, and in addition to being tapped to design and develop the Prosimo.io website , Viewstream was tasked with distilling their technical offering into infographics that could transmit their value proposition cleanly, quickly, and beautifully. Deliverables: Infographic strategy and design, diagram design, presentation deck design, eBook design, website information architecture, design and development, video and motion graphic production, interactive infographic design and development, interactive assessment design and development, banner ad design. “It’s always a thrill to work with early-stage technology companies, but the Prosimo launch was particularly engaging. Conceiving of visuals and interactive experiences that communicate complex concepts such as “Application Experience Infrastructure”, was certainly a challenge, but we are incredibly proud of the end result. This project touched almost everyone at Viewstream at one stage or another. It was a full team affair and is a great example of the wide production skillset we offer.” Aiden FishbeinAccount Directorafishbein@viewstream.com Best regards,The Team @ Viewstream
Viewstream Recognized for Creative Excellence with Eleven 2021 Telly Awards Posted by John Assalian on May 26, 2021 Viewstream, the Brand-to-Demand Agency, received numerous accolades at the 42nd Annual Telly Awards. The Telly Awards, a premier award honoring outstanding creative work in video, film productions and digital marketing, presented Viewstream with 11 Telly Awards this year. Among tens of thousands of entries, Viewstream was recognized for its creative work supporting the products and brands of some of the largest companies in the world. Viewstream was presented with four Gold Telly Awards – the highest honor – for the agency’s work with Adobe Target, Scholastic Learning, Vistage Executive Summit and Global Touch. Viewstream added three Silver Awards and four Bronze Awards for 2021. “Our primary focus has always been to exceed our clients’ expectations with exceptional creative work in the area of digital marketing content,” said John Assalian, CEO of Viewstream. “Viewstream focuses on digital video tailored to our clients’ needs and thus, the awards demonstrate the range of our creative work. The customer needs drive the creative.” Viewstream’s Telly Awards Adobe Target – AI & Personalization 2021 TELLY AWARDS GOLD Craft-Use of 2D Animation for Promotional Video Toyota – Fleet Telematics 2021 TELLY AWARDS BRONZE Craft-Use of Animation for Promotional Video Pre K On My Way 2021 TELLY AWARDS GOLD Craft-Use of 2D Animation for Promotional Video Paypal Hyperwallet 2021 TELLY AWARDS SILVER General-Financial Services/Banking for Promotional Video Global Touch: Your Business Success 2021 TELLY AWARDS GOLD Craft-Motion Graphics / Design for Online Commercials Adobe Connect: EMS Training Center 2021 TELLY AWARDS SILVER General-Remote Production for Online Commercials Envase: Embrace what’s next 2021 TELLY AWARDS SILVER Craft-Art Direction for Promotional Video https://vimeo.com/488206517 Meet Zazu 2021 TELLY AWARDS BRONZE Craft-Use of Stock Footage for Online Commercials Standard Imaging 2021 TELLY AWARDS BRONZE General-Corporate Image for Promotional Video Adobe Connect 11 – What’s New? 2021 TELLY AWARDS BRONZE Craft-Use of Graphics for Promotional Video For more information, see the press release where Viewstream is noted. About The Telly Awards The Telly Awards are like the “Oscars” to digital and online video content creators. A prestigious judging panel of over 500 accomplished industry professionals, each a past winner of a Silver Telly and a member of The Silver Telly Council, judged the competition, upholding the historical standard of excellence that Telly represents. The Silver Council evaluated entries to recognize distinction in creative work – entries do not compete against each other – rather entries are judged against a high standard of merit. Less than 10% of entries are chosen as winners of the Silver Telly, while approximately 25% of entries are chosen as winners of the Bronze Telly. About Viewstream Viewstream is a digital B2B marketing agency that conceives, develops and engineers marketing for brands that include UPS, Microsoft, Adobe and PayPal as well as a range of startups and mid-market businesses. If you would like to schedule an interview with the CEO of Viewstream, John Assalian, please contact Phillip Bergman. See all award-winning Viewstream videos here and get in touch today for your next award-winning video!
A No-Fluff Guide To Branding Posted by John Assalian on April 8, 2021 If you’ve sat through a branding meeting recently, you’ve probably seen it: the slide deck filled with fuzzy, all-caps words like “authentic” and “caring,” fancy slides labeling your company as the “feisty underdog challenger” and all sorts of other fluff. (“Fluff” is the polite term for this type of thing; I can think of another word.) This isn’t branding. Or, at least, it’s not what branding should be. At its heart, a brand isn’t about a series of pretty words, but rather owning a favorable position in the customer’s consciousness. Do that and you’ve won the branding game. Here’s how: 1. Start With The Customer And Competitive Landscape Customers typically want to know what they can get from you, and why they should get it from your company instead of from someone else. Cut through the color schemes and fonts and lists of core values and ask yourself the following: What are people looking for from your company? And what are you already delivering? The answers to these questions are far more important than any buzzword or cliché. Think for a moment about the world’s best-known brands and you’ll see just how clear the customer value proposition is in your mind. For instance, I can’t list Apple’s core values off the top of my head, but I can tell you the company is known for creating beautiful, user-friendly devices. I can’t tell you anything about Nintendo’s latest branding deck, but I can tell you that it’s one of the world’s leading companies for family-friendly gaming. That’s what effective branding looks like. Remember that brands exist in a larger ecosystem. This is the real reason that design decisions like color schemes are so important — they set your company apart from the competition. I’ve seen branding decks that include a competitive landscape matrix where nearly every box next to the company’s name is checked off. This is a major red flag. If a branding agency is trying to convince you that your company can be all things to all people, it’s time to go elsewhere for your advice. 2. Prioritize Substance Over Style Many people think of branding largely in terms of logos, websites and other design elements. But you can have a sleek, modern design and customers still might not have any idea what your company does or why they should care. That’s why it’s important to start with strategy and then let that drive your design decisions. Another common mistake: People get bogged down with lengthy conversations about things like purpose, promise, tone and core values. Yes, these are important, but the leader of a company should be able to articulate these four things fairly quickly. This should be the easy part. The branding team should spend the bulk of its time and effort on more tangible things like competitive landscape, brand architecture, customer value proposition, customer pain points and go-to-market messaging. Even more importantly, these branding decisions must be backed up by action. Look at a company like Southwest Airlines. The brand is anchored by the idea that it takes care of its customers, but this lofty ideal doesn’t live solely in a branding deck. Instead, the airline takes concrete steps, such as allowing customers to change their flights without paying a fee. Any other airline can claim to be caring, but when customers get charged an extra $100 to switch to an earlier flight, they’ll instantly see through the branding nonsense. 3. Embrace Simplicity Beware of branding bloat. A client recently asked us to do specialized branding for their human resources department, but we turned down the project. “You already have a brand,” we told them. “Use the strength of that brand to recruit new employees.” Also, it’s usually a mistake to include a very large group of stakeholders in brand meetings. It’s great that branding is no longer just a marketing function, but conversations can quickly become muddled when branding teams are trying to please people from sales, human resources, corporate social responsibility and other departments. Make branding a strategic function that starts at the top. Finally, be incredibly skeptical when an agency rolls out an overly complicated branding methodology. Branding may not be “easy,” but when it’s done right, it tends to be fairly simple and straightforward. If a branding agency’s approach seems complex or tedious, cast a wary eye. And if they ask you to define 25 different terms before you even get started, run away. By taking a pragmatic, business-focused approach to branding, you can connect with your customers, set yourself apart from competitors and cut out the fluff — or whatever you want to call it. Read the full trends article here.
Project Spotlight – March 2021 Posted by John Assalian on April 8, 2021 VIDEO Verimatrix App Shield Viewstream partnered with Verimatrix to rename and re-brand their popular app security offering now known as App Shield. Changing the name from ProtectMyApp to App Shield provided the opportunity to create an explainer video for this SaaS product and assist to re-brand and modernize the brand identity and messaging. Verimatrix App Shield is doing something that no other company in the world is doing — offering professional-grade mobile app protection in a SaaS model. The App Shield video by Viewstream tells this story. “Communicating about cybersecurity offerings and data obfuscation in a succinct and attention sustaining video required advanced storytelling abilities. The Viewstream creative approach blended 2D and 3D animation, motion-graphics and iconography to reflect concepts like protecting devices across the stack and making available the highest level cryptographic shielding to everyday app developers. Nuanced VoiceOver and a custom audio backing tracks set the mood and kept the pace lively.” Andrew AssalianSVP Accountsaassalian@viewstream.com MOTION GRAPHICS Scholastic Pre K Scholastic has created a complete educational program that is suitable for both the traditional and the virtual classroom. With a bright and colorful brand, our team had the opportunity to create a fun yet educative video showcasing some of their most famous characters. What a treat! We really wanted to highlight some of the best features the program offers, as well as the variety of solutions available to get your little ones ready for their next scholastic adventure. “As a father of young children, having the opportunity to work on a video for Scholastic Pre-K program was truly a gift! It was a great opportunity for our team to break away from the more typical work we do for high-tech or medical companies. Our team of designers and animators really embraced this opportunity, and ultimately, delivered a fantastic video we are all very proud of!” Ben LopataDirector of Productionblopata@viewstream.com VIRTUAL EVENT Global TouchPartner Profit Journey Calculator Global Touch helps their clients grow through partners and building new capabilities, so when asked to help on something that plays a key factor in that, Viewstream couldn’t resist. To play a role in an important part of a clients business is what gets us excited over here at Viewstream, so developing and making consistent updates to the Partner Profit Journey Calculator has been a great experience. “Working with our developers to execute the Calculator and ensure Global Touch is getting the exact information they need has proven to be a smooth process with great results!” Tarah Kraft Account Managertkraft@viewstream.com Best regards,The Team @ Viewstream
Five Flywheels For Go-To-Market Success Posted by John Assalian on February 10, 2021 Go-to-market is your overall marketing program to win in the marketplace. A successful strategy needs to communicate to audiences your unique value proposition, get prospects into your sales cycle, and then continuously earn revenue from them over the longest possible period of time. As Peter Drucker, the founder of modern business management, emphatically wrote, “…the business enterprise has two—and only two—basic functions: marketing and innovation.” This article covers the first function: marketing. How do you effectively promote not just awareness but trust between customers and your business? Think of the flywheel model, coined by author Jim Collins. Business leaders understand that putting in the work upfront — always with the customer at the center of your operation — is key to later success. Once you push the flywheel far enough to build up momentum, eventually it will continue to turn independently, allowing you to enjoy the well-earned spoils of your success. Take the time to build that strong bond with your customer base, and it will pay off in your dividends down the road. Here are five key flywheels to keep your go-to-market strategy ahead of the curve: 1. Define your brand and go-to-market value propositions. Your brand is more than your visual identity; it is the communication architecture through which your business is understood. Start with the big “why” at the top of your brand and support it with your value propositions from product all the way through to customer success. Ask yourself: What specific need am I filling? What products am I offering to fill that need? How will those products improve our customers’ lives? Answering these questions defines your go-to-market value propositions — the reason why a customer should choose you over the competitor down the street. Those value propositions become the raw materials you can draw from to forge your unique brand. Make sure to keep your brand simple and congruous. Focus on what makes you stand out in the marketplace, and ensure those unique value propositions are front and center. Remember the flywheel. The first push is always the hardest, but it is worth putting in the effort in these early stages. 2. Create content that tells your brand’s story. Remember, the sales cycle is no longer a funnel; it is an hourglass. What does this mean? You need to continuously tell your marketing story from brand to purchase, all the way through to customer engagement and renewal/upsell. Marketing should do far more than engage a customer’s wallet. A strong marketing story should engage a customer’s heart. You are trying to inspire loyalty and become a topic around the dinner table — the next “great thing” someone shares with their friend or co-worker — not just sell a product. So, how can you most effectively tell that story? As the founder of two award-winning digital marketing agencies, I have spent my career unpacking that question, and the answer is constantly evolving. Today, maybe that content is an eye-catching website and dynamic social videos. Tomorrow? That’s the art and science of marketing. The most important thing is to always let customer need drive your content marketing strategy, continuously pushing the flywheel forward. 3. Create your target contact list. Third, create your TCL (target contact list). Remember, B2B (business-to-business) marketing is ABM (account-based marketing). When developing your marketing plan, always think in terms of target account ecosystems. Who are the most reliable players who can best support your bottom line? These should be the prospects at the top of your TCL — the accounts you woo above all others. For B2B, you can get to the contact level, building a direct line of communication and trust between you and your target accounts. Because of this hyper-personalized approach to marketing, your strategy must remain flexible to adapt to whatever ecosystem in which you are selling. These targets will become the customers that keep your flywheel turning. 4. Get your message into the world. Fourth, do marketing activities to get your message into the world. Splash your brand across the right channels like digital, television, and direct mail. Your strategy will be unique to your target client list and value propositions. Which activities should you choose? The truth is you won’t always know until you try and measure. When you are first starting out, stay laser-focused on your target audience, but consider casting a wider net in terms of the channels by which you reach audiences. Once your message is out in the world, you have reached the final stage of the flywheel. It is time to execute your go-to-market plan, sit back, and let the flywheel carry out what you built. 5. Keep turning the flywheel. Measure, iterate, refine. Try, try again. The important thing to remember about the flywheel process is that it never stops turning. It is crucial to constantly talk to your customers, whether through market research, data analytics, or a simple cold call. The moment you let yourself or your business get complacent is the moment the market leaves you behind. Keep your finger on the pulse and always be ready to pivot and adjust when the moment demands it. Follow these go-to-market flywheels and you will be on the path to success. Veer off course even a little, and you have lost your way forevermore! Okay, maybe not forever, but marketing takes resources and dedication and can make or break your business. Read the full Forbes article here.
Project Spotlight – January 2021 Posted by John Assalian on February 2, 2021 VIDEO Celsius Energy Drink Celsius asked Viewstream to showcase the growth of their line of energy drinks in a way that matched the energy and zeal of their consumers. Our creative team developed a look and tone that speaks to both the lifestyle and fitness sides of their brand, using fast-paced editing and type animation to tell their story in a bold and exciting way. “Working with new clients is always exciting, especially when it’s a fresh project like this. Nailing the right tone and visual look for the video was quite challenging, but after breaking through those initial challenges it was a joy to take it to the finish line. I’m really proud of what our team accomplished!” Travis DixonCreative Directortdixon@viewstream.com MOTION GRAPHICS Adobe Captivate Prime Launch Adobe Captivate Prime is Adobe’s award-winning enterprise Learning Management System (LMS) to train employees, partners, and customers. Adobe Captivate Prime integrates seamlessly with popular martech platforms such as Adobe Experience Manager Sites and Marketo Engage. For its launch, the Viewstream creative team came up with a treatment that the client loved. We went through an extensive storyboarding process and our animation team brought the video to life. “We were tasked with creating a bold and exciting launch video for the new release of Adobe Captivate Prime. We’ve won Telly Awards for each of the previous Captivate Prime launch videos, so we knew we had to knock this one out of the park. We assembled our A-team of creatives who came up with a treatment that both exceeded the clients vision and expectations.” Don SparksDirector of Account Strategydsparks@viewstream.com VIRTUAL EVENT MEZ Creative Virtual Event In an ever-changing world, more and more events have been transitioning to immersive virtual experiences. For this year’s annual National Sales Meeting, MEZ Creative’s client Intersect ENT decided to do the same – for the first time in their history. There are dynamic elements that had to work in unison including multiple agendas per day, concurrent streaming, world-wide attendees, and coordinating our IBM Watson Platform to work at scale – which we were able to execute securely and seamlessly. “I love the idea of being able to bring people from across the globe together in our digital age with virtual events.” John HackettSoftware Engineer DID YOU KNOW? Viewstream does Virtual Events Whether it’s for an audience of millions or a small sales conference, Viewstream creates lasting impressions with our Virtual Events practice. Our practice has grown significantly for clients like Adobe, Deloitte Digital, CDW, ESRI and a lot more. Recently we partnered with MEZ Creative and Intersect ENT to deliver the best experience for all viewers for their annual sales conference, now done online. Event featured thirty plus video presentations, live moderated chat, zoom conferences, and a lot more. Connect with us for a private demonstration and learn how we change businesses with our virtual event practice. Email john@viewstream.com to schedule a demo. Best regards,The Team @ Viewstream
15 Marketing, Advertising And PR Trends That Will Take Off This Year Posted by John Assalian on January 27, 2021 Trends in the world of advertising, marketing and public relations are exciting and elusive things. Their popularity can go through the roof one week and be virtually nonexistent by the start of the next. Regardless of how unpredictable they are, getting in on a trend before others do can be a massive boon for an agency. Consequently, there’s a continual focus on anticipating which emerging trends will explode before they become mainstream. Below, 15 members of Forbes Agency Council look at some of the trends they expect to rise to prominence as this year progresses. 1. A Growing Focus On Simplicity Simplicity is key. Given the growth of everything digital, making things more focused on essential tasks will be critical. Expect simpler website design, less color and focused use cases for product applications. – John Assalian, Viewstream 2. Differentiating On Customer And Employee Experiences As a global experience consultancy, we see how more companies will need to differentiate on experience. Customer and employee experiences are becoming the new competitive advantage, a step beyond quality products or exceptional service. Successful organizations are starting to view their own employee experience with the same level of importance as their customer’s experience. Seamless employee experience is key. – Ross Freedman, Rightpoint 3. The Overlap Of Different Marketing Disciplines The overlap of different marketing disciplines will become even stronger, with an impact on the buying and delivery side. What matters more than ever before is a true understanding of brands’ challenges and the research-based strategy that sums it up in a compelling, big idea. This can come from traditional PR, advertising, social media or events experts—there is no monopoly on great ideas! – Lars Voedisch, PRecious Communications 4. A Shift In How Influencers Choose Partners In 2020, influencers pivoted their content strategies from being self-focused to community-focused. They led without being asked, and as a result, many of them now feel it’s their job to speak up. So going forward, the shift in how influencers now view themselves and their responsibilities toward their followers will create a fundamental shift in how and why they choose to partner with brands. – Atul Singh, The Shelf 5. The Increasing Importance Of Data Artificial intelligence and machine learning are reaching a stage where marketers have more insights into consumer behavior, attribution and preferences than ever before. Winners will be those brands and agencies that harness that superpower to hyper-target their marketing and match the media, message, frequency and location to the individual consumer or business. “Micro” will ultimately replace “mass.” – Nancy A Shenker, theONswitch 6. More Use Of AI In E-Commerce More use of AI in e-commerce is one thing that I definitely think we will see a lot of in the industry. As things continue to evolve, what is clear is that there is going to be more and more use of AI, as well as of other platforms, to ensure better outcomes. – Jon James, Ignited Results 7. Rising Adoption Of Facebook And Instagram Shops We are seeing a rise in e-commerce sites adopting Facebook and Instagram Shops. This new feature allows products to be sold directly on Facebook or Instagram with a simplified order process. With payment details on file, this sets the stage for a seamless one-click transaction that could eventually rival Amazon. – Brian Meert, AdvertiseMint 9. A Shift From Mobile To Desktop Search With an abundance of people working from home for the majority of 2020 (and likely most of 2021), people are less shy about searching on their desktops within the privacy of their own homes. Therefore, we see a shift from mobile to desktop, as users aren’t worried about co-workers seeing their shopping lists on their monitors at the office. – Larry Gurreri, Sosemo LLC 9. More Focus On Self-Care Self-care will be paramount. Consumers are taking multiple measures to deal with the rising levels of stress, a trend that has been steadily rising for years but reached new levels during the Covid-19 pandemic. This year, brands will learn how to take part in these self-care routines to become more helpful and win consumer loyalty. – Hamutal Schieber, Schieber Research 10. Increasing Popularity Of Over-The-Top Advertising With the rising popularity of OTT streaming services, advertisers now have unique opportunities to reach an ever-growing streaming audience and target their key consumers like never before. Forward-thinking advertisers who take advantage of this new opportunity can now build their brands by reaching untapped OTT audiences at scale. – Dennis Cook, Gamut. Smart Media from Cox. 11. The Continued Rise Of Online Community Building In 2021, we’ll see the continued rise of online community building. Brands that bring their consumers together through on-site forums, Facebook groups or other social platforms are providing value beyond their actual products. People crave interaction more than ever. Brands have an opportunity to link like-minded people together and, in the process, strengthen their brand loyalty. – Stefan Pollack, The Pollack Group 12. Brands Being Judged By Their Actions If Covid-19, the Black Lives Matter movement and the Facebook boycott have taught us anything, it’s that brands will be judged by their actions, not just their advertising. I think 2021 will be the year that brands bring that realization to life by focusing on strategically identifying their authentic purpose and finding ways to act and live those values for consumers. – Joanne McKinney, Burns Group 13. Hybrid Events And Digital Live Broadcasts In 2020, business and marketing efforts have been largely digital out of necessity; and there have been some great successes and learnings. As we move into 2021 in the experiential space, we’ll take these learnings and apply them as we are able to gather in person safely, but hybrid events and digital live broadcasts will likely play very prominent roles in brand experiences in the new year. – Scott Kellner, GPJ Experience Marketing 14. Working From Home Becoming Standard Practice Work from home is here to stay. I believe WFH has always been a viable option for most agencies. The pandemic forced it upon us, and we’ve adapted. Lesson learned? It actually works. It may not be ideal for every situation, but I project no less than a 50-50 split between WFH and office work from here forward. – Randy Shattuck, The Shattuck Group 15. More Investments In Risk Management Strategies Companies recognize that an issues-management or crisis plan is no longer nice to have or only for the IBMs and Chevrons of the world. In a post-Covid-19 world, savvy CEOs will invest in leveling up their corporate communications and risk management strategies, with their CMOs and agencies at the helm. – Kathleen Lucente, Red Fan Communications Read the full trends article here.
Project Spotlight – December 2020 Posted by John Assalian on December 22, 2020 VIDEO Adobe Connect When Adobe Connect came to Viewstream to tell the story of Las Vegas EMS Training center, we were very excited. But with COVID-19 shutting down education all over the country, the Las Vegas EMT training center was faced with a new challenge: How to educate first responders when classes cannot be held in a traditional way? Viewstream interviewed all of the stakeholders to develop a story that would both relate the urgency of the need for classes, as well as demonstrating the power of adobe connect. Once we knew the full story, we sent the stakeholders the Viewstream Virtual Studio (VVS). The VVS allowed us to record the subject’s on-camera interviews remotely without the need to send a crew. For the subjects, the experience is similar to a zoom meeting, with very little setup required. “It was an honor to create a documentary about the training of front-line workers in the midst of a global pandemic. And when a client has a great success story to tell about their product, it makes our job a lot easier! We are not working the front line, but at Viewstream we are trying to do our part by empowering brands to create content in the safest way possible.” Tom JaggerVP of Onsite & Virtual Productiontjagger@viewstream.com WEB & BRAND Framed & Matted Back in 2013, Framed & Matted pioneered the online custom farming category and they continue to make it better every day. They are devoted to helping their customers build their dream frame by offering just the right amount of customization and curation backed by high-quality materials. Inspired curation. Easy customization. Attention to detail. Framed & Matted – Inspiration Captured. “Working with Framed & Matted to uplevel and strengthen their visual identity as well as sharpen and refresh their overall brand strategy and messaging, was extremely rewarding. Key to reshaping this brand was looking closely at not only the Framed & Matted core customer base but also the competitive landscape in order to fully understand how the category had evolved since they first launched this pioneering service.” Maureen Serrao ColeVP of Accountsmcole@viewstream.com DID YOU KNOW? Viewstream does Remote Video Production How do you produce live production videos in the age of COVID-19? Using the Viewstream Virtual Studio, of course! The pandemic has made videoproduction, from Hollywood, features to corporate video content, challenging to produce safely. While we haven’t found a solution (yet) for contactless blockbusters, you CAN keep the conversation about your product alive, with the Viewstream Virtual Studio. Best regards,The Team @ Viewstream