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News & Updates
August 10, 2017
Ideo partners with NYC to help flooding victims bounce back from storms
IDEO is an international design firm that usually focuses on product design and consumer experiences. Now the company is using design thinking and innovative technologies to help flood victims in advance of hurricane season.
The post Ideo partners with NYC to help flooding victims bounce back from storms appeared first on Digital Trends.
Source: Digital Trends VR
August 10, 2017
#TBT: 25 Years of SXSW Film – Joe Swanberg
The 2017 SXSW Film Festival was one for the books, but now it’s time to look ahead to 2018 which marks the 25th edition of the SXSW Film Festival. To commemorate this milestone in our history we will spotlight careers launched, artists discovered, and some of the greatest projects, powerful performances, and unlikely collaborations we’ve had the honor to bring to audiences!
Our first artist is filmmaker Joe Swanberg. Swanberg has had over ten features screen at the film festival, many of them being world premieres. In 2016, we were honored to have him as one of our Film Keynotes. His most recent feature, Win It All premiered at this year’s festival and is available on Netflix. His original series Easy, is also available to watch on the streaming service. Read his #SXSWFilm25 story, and take a walk down memory lane featuring Swanberg at the festival throughout the years.
“SXSW changed my life by inviting my first feature, Kissing on the Mouth, in 2005. Within the span of a few days, I went from feeling like an isolated crazy person in Chicago to feeling like part of a vibrant and exciting film scene. That year I met David Lowery, Ti West, Spencer Parsons, Jay and Mark Duplass, Bryan Poyser, Andrew Bujalski, Dan Brown, Janet Pierson and many other people who are still close friends and collaborators. The word “mumblecore” was also invented at the festival that year, which, despite the love/hate relationship I have with it, allowed our work to register collectively in a much bigger way than I suspect it would have individually. Matt Dentler, who programmed our work that year, gave us the gift of exposure and community, things I believe all artists desperately need, especially when getting started. Many of us still refer to him as our guardian angel.
I’ve had too many life and career changing moments at SXSW in the decade since then to fully document them all, but the world premieres of Hannah Takes the Stairs in 2007 and Drinking Buddies in 2013 were both defining moments for me that seemed to mark time as “before” and “after.” I see my life as a filmmaker inextricably linked to the festival, and literally can’t imagine where I would be without it.”
Stay tuned to SXSW each Thursday for more 25th anniversary stories.
Join Us For SXSW 2018
Learn how to successfully enter your film to the 2018 SXSW Film Festival with our How to Submit Your Film video and find out more information about deadlines and fees here.
Join us for SXSW 2018 – register to attend by Friday, September 8 for the biggest savings of the season. Make your hotel reservations through SXSW Housing & Travel for the best available rates. A film badge remains your best bet with primary access to all SXSW Film events including world premieres, roundtables, workshops and parties. We hope to see you in March!
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and SXSW News for the latest SXSW coverage, announcements, application tips, and updates.
Joe Swanberg Keynote – Photo by Danny Matson
The post #TBT: 25 Years of SXSW Film – Joe Swanberg appeared first on SXSW.
Source: SxSW Film
August 10, 2017
Showcase Application Tips from the SXSW Music Festival Team
The SXSW Music Festival is an iconic music industry event taking place every March in Austin, Texas. Last year, SXSW received 7,049 Showcase Applications, and more than 2,000 Showcasing Artists performed at SXSW 2017. We asked the SXSW Music Festival team to share good advice and also to give artists an idea of what they are looking for in showcase applications that they review. These tips are intended to help the community of musical artists that are applying to SXSW so that they can best represent themselves in their applications.
Showcase Application Tips
Apply Early
“Let’s face it, who doesn’t want to be ahead of the game. Artists applications are evaluated in the order received. It’s in your favor to catch us with fresh ears and surprise us with your music. While we do listen to thousands of band applications, we still do some serious, deep dives into your project.
The earlier you apply, the sooner you will hear from us. This allows you more time to plan, raise money, seek potential funding and sponsors, promote, and make it to Austin, Texas in March. You bring our festival to life, so don’t wait too long to apply because we’re more than anxious to start booking. Remember, apply early before the final deadline on October 20, 2017.” – Alicia Zertuche, Senior Music Festival Programming and Visa Specialist
Be Thorough
“There are good reasons why we ask for each piece of information in our showcase application. Information about the shows you’re playing helps us determine if you will have an audience at SXSW. We look at all of your social media channels to see how you are engaging your fanbase. Your SXSW goals and recent career developments help us determine how you will add to the festival.
Providing all available links to your music helps us make a better assessment of your sound. Links to your recent and notable press show that people are taking notice of you. And we need to know if you have a team behind you and how to contact them. So, take your time, think about your answers, and double check everything (especially links). We take a holistic approach when evaluating applicants and everything counts.” – Rory Burbeck, Music Festival Programmer
Be Thoughtful About Your Goals and Promo Plan
“Everyone wants world domination, but knowing specifically what you hope to gain from a potential SXSW showcase (i.e. find a manager, agent, tour opportunities, press for your new record, build relations with a particular regional sector of the industry) helps us better understand where you are in your career. It also demonstrates that you have realistic goals and intend to treat the experience as a professional opportunity.
It’s good for you to think about this in advance so if you are selected to play, you will have already started the framework for how to make the most of your experience. If you put that you want to party… well don’t we all? Think bigger than that.” – Stacey Wilhelm, Senior Manager Music Festival
Stay Current on Social Media
“It’s possible your application may not be opened for some time before being reviewed as we make our way through the 7,000+ applications we receive. As a result, it’s vital you keep your social media accounts and pages up-to-date so we can look at career developments since you originally applied. This is especially important for artists that have released new music, announced a tour, or picked up new press since their application.” – Casper Mills, Music Festival Programmer
Apply to Showcase at the 2018 SXSW Music Festival
The initial application fee for Showcasing Artist applications will be $35. The early deadline to apply is Friday, September 8. After this deadline, the application fee will raise to $55. The final application deadline is Friday, October 20.
In addition to being a great time to apply to showcase, now is also the best time to register to attend SXSW 2018 and book your hotel while there are still great downtown rooms available.
Hanato Chiruran – Photo by Akash Kataria
The post Showcase Application Tips from the SXSW Music Festival Team appeared first on SXSW.
Source: SxSW Music
August 10, 2017
Editorial Design: Hello Mr. Magazine
Editorial Design: Hello Mr. Magazine
We are featuring an editorial design project from the Hello Mr. who is a community of men who date men who share thoughts and conversations about interests, hopes and fears. Since their launch back in 2012, they have gathered interests from people all around the world. Published twice a year, they are back on Kickstarter to introduce a new artist residency for the creators of tomorrow. It’s called: The Issues.
In their words
We are a collective of artists and writers that reflect the diverse perspective of the LGBTQ community. When we launched in 2012, we sought to create a platform for emerging talent and unheard voices, and add to the momentum for more inclusive representation in media. With your help through our first Kickstarter, we brought Hello Mr. into the world. Eight issues later, we are expanding that mission, and introducing an artist residency that propels the creators of tomorrow. We’re calling it The Issues.
We’re launching a magazine residency called “The Issues” and providing mentorship and resources for new ideas in queer publishing!
Using our global distribution experience and mentorship from industry leaders, we are providing the tools and resources to get new ideas from queer voices off the ground. We think of it as an academy for editors, art directors, and media-makers of the future. With your support, we will help launch our first magazine-in-residence, and distribute it inside the next issue of Hello Mr.
Photo Gallery
Returning to Kickstarter to launch The Issues residency is the perfect way to remind us of our original mission. We are more than a magazine, we’re a community that believes changes happens from the ground up. And coming back as a Kickstarter Gold project helps us raise awareness for the new stories we want to tell with The Issues.
More Links
- Find out more about Hello Mr. Magazine: hellomrmag.com
- Check out their recent project on Kickstarter
AoiroStudio
Aug 10, 2017
Source: Abduzeedo Editorial Design
August 10, 2017
First-time flyer? You can now rent drones and VR cameras from Lensrentals
Need a drone or some VR equipment, but don’t have a few grand lying around? You can now rent drones and VR cameras from Lensrentals. The expanded inventory includes a handful of DJI flyers, and two versions of 360 cameras.
The post First-time flyer? You can now rent drones and VR cameras from Lensrentals appeared first on Digital Trends.
Source: Digital Trends VR
August 10, 2017
Savage Oil Like Artworks by Greg Rutkowski
Savage Oil Like Artworks by Greg Rutkowski
While surfing the web I ran into the work of Polish artist Greg Rutkowski and it was a blast. Greg comes up with SAVAGE artworks that resemble the use of oils and the finish products are never less than masterpieces.
His themes range from fantasy, badass dragons that would eat up Daenerys dragons in one bite, to World War scenes. I must say, I’m amazed by his illustrations and I’ll most definitely be following him for more from now on! These are only a handful of his pieces… for more of it, please visit his portfolio at ArtStation! Cheers. 😉
PauloGabriel
Aug 10, 2017
Source: Abduzeedo Illustration
August 10, 2017
Why User Generated Content Marketing is On the Rise and How to Harness Its Power with Visual Storytelling
Travel Story
In 2017, I’ve been traveling a lot to explore various countries and learning new skills. Whether it was going to Australia to trek some the mountains of Tasmania or flying to Colombia to learn 30 hours of salsa dancing, I’ve become a digital nomad to satiate my wanderlust.
Trekking the mountains of Tasmania
One problem though: last month, I realized my travel bag wore down, and I was in the market of purchasing a new bag. My one caveat: this new bag would have to be super durable and last me for at least 5+ years.
Naturally, I went to Google and started searching for ‘best digital nomad backpacks’ and narrowed my search to about 4 options, one of which was Minaal. I clicked on their website and liked what I saw. A few minutes after looking at their options, I stumbled upon a page called “Pages of Love.”
In this page was a beautiful gallery and social media testimonials from real customers on their experience with their bag. Scrolling through a few of these photos, I really enjoyed what I saw, built more trust with the Minaal brand, and took the plunge to purchase the $300 bag within 20 minutes.
Thinking I was crazy to make a big purchase like that so quickly, I did another Google search on other Minaal customers experience and found another customer’s story of purchasing the bag within 10 minutes — whew! Of the 5 main reasons that convinced him to make the purchase, #3 stood out to me: real customer testimonials. The real customers’ photos from social media Minaal was willing to showcase on their website convinced us two buyers to take the plunge, and after 1 month of purchasing, I am still very satisfied with my purchase.
“Half the fun of bringing gear into the world is seeing what our users get up to with it. We wanted to create a space to share their stories and the awesome images that go along with them. At this point there’s way too much to showcase in one spot so ‘Page of Love’ content is all over Instagram and our other social channels.” – Jimmy & Doug, Co-Founder at Minaal
Why UGC Marketing is on the Rise
In the last 50 years, the amount of ads and brand content we get exposed to on a daily basis has increased from 500/day to ~5000/day. Unbelievable? Think through your day. When you first wake up, you touch your alarm clock. Logo on it? Ad. When you go brush your teeth, you touch your toothbrush and toothpaste. Logo on them? Ads. When you grab your coffee and start commuting to work, what do you see? Ads on your coffee cup and on the freeway or bus or subway. The list goes on as you go through the rest of your day.
We all know there is a lot of marketing noise today. Yes we’ve trained our brains to tune them out as consumers, but that’s bad news for brand marketers.
This is a big problem for consumers. The more this happens, the more we will tune out.
That’s why marketing is shifting. No longer can we rely on sneaky tactics like the snakeoil salesman. No longer can we rely on fictional characters like the Marlboro Man to sell on behalf of a brand. We are entering into an era of consumer advocates being the real marketers of a brand. Why and how? 2 things: mobile phone + social networks. The combination of those two have unlocked a big medium for us to share our opinions about our experiences or thoughts about a brand.
How to Start Harnessing UGC for your Marketing
So how can marketers start to incorporate their customer content into their brand story? Here are two simple ways:
When FedEx launched their Instagram presence a couple years ago, they failed. According to their team, they thought all social networks were created equally, so they repurposed content from their other social channels with no real strategy. Results were flat.
So they decided to relaunch their Instagram strategy in 2016, with the core focus that “showcased FedEx in an authentic tone and voice,” pivoting away from stock imagery photography to a fully “user-generated content strategy which let our fans become our global photographers.”
The call-to-action was simple: for all their customers to capture photos of FedEx trucks or planes and share it on their Instagram profile with #FedEx. Their team would go through 1000s of pictures a week to find the best one and re-share on their own Instagram channel after clearing the rights.
The results? Follower growth rate has skyrocketed by 404% in first 9 months! How come?
The FedEx team also saw their customers tell their friends “FedEx found my picture and wants to share it — how cool is that!” The beauty is that this strategy is completely free and decreases content creation costs as their customers are creating the content for FedEx. There is a clear ROI win.
“At the end of the day, by letting our customers and fans across the globe be our brand storytellers, we have been able to transform our perception from being an out-of-reach corporate entity to an authentic, personable friend that our audience can trust.” – Julie Clement Cochran , Global Social Media at FedEx Services
#WeAreCisco – Showcasing Employees
Cisco is a large corporation that may not be the most attractive to future talent. Knowing this, the Cisco social media team set out “to make a personal connection with future talent” by showcasing authentic stories created by their own employees. Why? According to Edelman’s 2017 Trust Barometer, employees are trusted 16 points more than their CEO.
The strategy was simple: ask all employees to showcase how their daily life is like at Cisco on Twitter or Instagram with #WeAreCisco. If the photo was strong enough, they would clear the rights and repurpose onto their own @WeAreCisco social channels and on their ‘Life at Cisco blog.’
Beyond that, they allowed employees to take over their Snapchat and Instagram stories to show what their work is like at Cisco. This creates a very genuine opportunity for future talent to see what it’s like to work at Cisco through the lens of their current employees. No staged actors. No scripted prompts. Raw, authentic stories of what Cisco life is like.
The results? Twitter following ballooned from 5k to 20k followers with 2-3x the industry engagement. Instagram followers grew from 1500 to 15K followers with 2-3x industry engagement rates. Traffic to careers site increased by 6%, which translates to an increase of 500,000 visits per month.
“These strategies not only help us recruit new talent and display the authentic culture at Cisco, but also help us retain and energize existing talent, who feel that they are even more a part of the Cisco story.” – Cisco Culture and Talent team
Leveraging UGC for your customer journey
With all this amazing content created by customers and employees, marketers are starting to leverage that content beyond just their social channels. Why is this important and valuable? Your customers are not just engaging with your brand on the social networks. Social channels are just one stage of the buying journey, and only one part of your brand story.
Remember my buying experience with Minaal? Their integration of customer content into their website helped ease my concerns and accelerated my consideration and purchase decision in my buying journey.
Companies like Loews Hotels are repurposing their customer content across all their owned marketing channels (advertisements, homepage, booking pages, lobby TV screens, email newsletters, etc.) to create more trust with their potential guests regardless of which stage they are in the buying journey.
Case in point:
Joe from Boston wants to book a trip to Chicago and is looking for a nice hotel to stay in. He sees a Facebook ad from Loews that showcases a genuine photo from Instagram of a previous guest Tom in front of the pool sipping on his Mai Tai (Awareness). Joe clicks on that ad and lands on the Loews homepage website where he sees 10 other guest photos from Twitter showcasing fun activities to do near the Chicago Loews Hotel (Consideration). Joe likes what he sees so he goes to the booking page, where he sees 3 other photos from Facebook of what the rooms look like submitted from previous guests (Purchase). He books, visits the Chicago Loews, and enters into the lobby where he sees TV screens highlighting what there is to do, again powered by previous Loews guests’ photos shared on Instagram. He sees how much fun a family is having fun at the pool, visits it, and shares his great photo on Instagram with #travelforreal. Loews messages him to ask if they can get rights to repurpose his great content onto their websites and screens in return for a free one night stay next time he re-visits (Advocacy)!
Like marketing tech evangelist Travis Wright says in his argument on why brands should embrace UGC as part of their content marketing strategy, “The utility of UGC transcends individual marketing campaigns and can send a consistent message at every touch point where your customer interacts with your brand. The result is a greater likelihood of increased social engagement, higher conversion rates and better ad performance.”
Within a year, Loews has seen over 35,000 submissions come in, with a 62% engagement rate, and an increase of 35% in site bookings! How? By humanizing their marketing with authentic customer content so potential guests feel confident to book with Loews throughout their buying journey!
“To be a successful brand in this day and age, it’s really important to have an authentic presence on all of your communications — so whether it’s social or anywhere else, we’ve included these images.” – Piper Stevens, VP Loyalty & Marketing at Loews
The Future of Brand Storytelling
Edelman released their 2017 Trust Barometer report earlier this year, and the main takeaway was that the general population’s trust in business, government, media, and NGOs has broadly declined. “Media is distrusted in 82% of countries.”
How can brand marketers fix this?
“When people are overwhelmed with information and develop immunity to traditional forms of communication, they turn… to the people… they respect, admire, and trust.” – Malcolm Gladwell
“To climb back from a position of deteriorated trust, and to ultimately restore belief in a system that too many people believe has failed them, institutions must operate as a people-centric, integrated part of the broader societal fabric.” – Edelman Trust Barometer 2017
Our interpretation: humanize your marketing by inviting genuine customer content into all your marketing communications.
David Berkowitz from MRY shared a great chart on how marketers can start shifting their mindset from storytelling to storymaking:
Instead of your traditional corporate storytelling that is fueled by proprietary, centralized, predetermined content, can we shift our mindsets to a more participatory, decentralized, and unpredictable storymaking with our customers?
I believe so, and we are starting to see some of the biggest brands in the world start. What are you waiting for?
Want to know more?
Please join me on August 31st on the Visual Storytelling Today show. I will chat about why UGC marketing powered by visual storytelling is your must-have strategy to break through the clutter, the end-to-end process and actionable tips – and you’re going to want to hear this.
Already have questions you want me to address during the show?
Sweet! Tweet your questions using: #myVSI
Source: Visual Storytelling
August 10, 2017
Using a Track Matte Key for See-Through Graphics in Premiere Pro
In this quick video tutorial, learn how to see footage through transparent text graphics using a track matte key in Premiere Pro.<p><i>Top image via</i> …
Source: CW’s Flipboard Feed
August 10, 2017
Facebook introduces new video service
<b>Social media giant Facebook has made a move into dedicated video, pitting it against YouTube and TV networks.</b><p>Users will soon see a new Watch tab that will offer a range of shows, some of which have been funded by the social network<p>Watch will be personalised so that users can discover new shows, …
Source: CW’s Flipboard Feed
August 9, 2017
The 2018 SXSW Conference and Festivals Marks 25 Years of SXSW Film
For nine days in March, creatives of all stripes gather for the acclaimed SXSW Film Festival to celebrate raw innovation and emerging talent both behind and in front of the camera. The 2017 SXSW Film Festival was one for the books, but now it’s time to look ahead to 2018 — which marks a historic 25 years for the SXSW Film Festival.
The film festival is known for a high caliber and diverse film lineup with programming ranging from world premieres, independent films by new filmmakers, including top documentaries, narratives, Hollywood comedies and genre standouts. The festival is uniquely able to help both established and emerging storytellers achieve their goals. Whether by launching a film or episodic on the global stage in front of press, industry and smart, enthusiastic audiences, or by providing unparalleled opportunities for creative and business connections and learning at our concurrent SXSW Conference. There is simply nowhere else in the world where the film, music, and tech industries cross – pollinate like at SXSW.
Every Thursday, we will have special #TBT posts which take a look back at the past 25 years of the SXSW Film Festival, and feature numerous milestones to commemorate this important moment in our history. Stay tuned!
Join Us For SXSW 2018
Learn how to successfully enter your film to the 2018 SXSW Film Festival with our How to Submit Your Film video and find out more information about deadlines and fees here.
Join us for SXSW 2018 – register to attend by Friday, September 8 for the biggest savings of the season. Make your hotel reservations through SXSW Housing & Travel for the best available rates. Platinum badge remains your best bet with primary access to all of SXSW. We hope to see you in March!
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and SXSW News for the latest SXSW coverage, announcements, application tips, and updates.
World Premiere of Baby Driver – Photo by Amanda Stronza
The post The 2018 SXSW Conference and Festivals Marks 25 Years of SXSW Film appeared first on SXSW.
Source: SxSW Film