ISSUE 02
MARKETING, BUSINESS AND CREATIVE DIGEST FROM BLOOMTIDE
EVOLUTION OF THE MARKETING CAFÉ
WE ARE NOW BLOOMTIDE
8 BOLD PREDICTIONS FOR 2012 {CAMERA SHY?}
5 STEPS TO GETTING STARTED WITH VIDEO
CONTENT
PUBLISHING
UK £Free2U
IN THE DIGITAL AGE
NOTHING IN THE WORLD IS PERMANENT, AND WE’RE FOOLISH WHEN WE ASK ANYTHING TO LAST, BUT SURELY WE’RE STILL MORE FOOLISH NOT TO TAKE DELIGHT IN IT WHILE WE HAVE IT. IF CHANGE IS OF THE ESSENCE OF EXISTENCE ONE WOULD HAVE THOUGHT IT ONLY SENSIBLE TO MAKE IT THE PREMISE OF OUR PHILOSOPHY.
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PAUSE {ISSUE 02}
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THE RISE OF
BLOOMTIDE
THE MARKETING CAFÉ HAS ENJOYED SEVEN GREAT YEARS, BUT WE ALL KNOW HOW DRAMATICALLY THE WORLD HAS CHANGED IN THAT TIME. THERE’S A REVOLUTION GOING ON WITHIN MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS AND AS A CREATIVE AGENCY WE HAD TO EVOLVE – THE RESULT IS BLOOMTIDE.
WHY CHANGE?
THE EXPLOSION OF VIDEO
A NEW KIND OF AGENCY
BLOOMTIDE – THE MEANING BEHIND THE NAME
Rebranding a business is never an easy decision. With so much goodwill and recognition for TMC we have been asked many times, why change? Ian Palmer, Managing Director of bloomtide explains the thinking, “TMC was created to be a multi-disciplined creative agency with a wide menu of services, hence the café theme. However, over the years our offering has become more focused on developing brand content. Content marketing is an area that really excites us and we are now making this the central point of the business delivered through video, web, apps and traditional printed media. The concept of TMC had become too broad and of course it was limited by its descriptive name. We needed a new name to inspire us and our customers, bloomtide is achieving that already.”
For brands that truly want to engage with their customers content marketing is where the smart money is. Every brand has content and the best brands are becoming publishers of their own media. Traditional advertising has had its day and the world has moved on. bloomtide is a content marketing agency that helps brands to extract their own content as well as delivering new content that complements and truly engages the audience. Historically we have delivered this through printed media and the web, but now we are working with video and apps to really make brands dazzle.
We talk about a revolution in the world of marketing communications. Central to that is the growth of video on the web. Businesses now have an amazing opportunity to dynamically communicate with their audience. Of course video on the web has been around for some time, but improved broadband speeds, lower production costs and the ability to easily share through social networks has made it a powerful marketing tool. Furthermore, with the continuing rise of Smart TVs brand videos are now able to appear in the living room alongside traditional TV channels. There are many video production companies available, but few have a strong creative focus and even less understand content marketing. bloomtide aims to fill that gap.
When developing the new name we wanted to achieve something different. Firstly a complete move away from the prescriptive names that so many creative agencies adopt often centred round fruits, colours and numbers. Secondly it had to be simply one word and non-descriptive. We like nature and decided it should play a part in the name so ‘bloom’ worked for business growth and bringing that together with ‘tide’, a powerful force of nature, resulted in a name we all immediately felt comfortable with.
BLOOMTIDE {03}
PAUSE {ISSUE 02}
ARE YOU STILL CAMERA SHY? THE GROWTH OF ONLINE VIDEO
It is estimated that over 24 hours of video content is uploaded to YouTube every minute and with the rise of more video sharing sites, the medium is widely regarded as the fastest growing online platform for advertising.
THE BENEFITS ARE CLEAR
Online video allows a business to create a more personal interaction with its customers. Today people respond to digestible information that appeals to their short attention spans. Video provides the perfect amount of content that asks very little commitment of its viewer.
HOW BRANDS SHOULD BE USING VIDEO
Unlike simple descriptive text, video allows businesses an authentic medium to demonstrate their product. What better way to sell than by showing your customers the process in action? Above all video provides a welcoming and friendly approach to your brand.
CHOOSING THE RIGHT VIDEO PRODUCTION AGENCY
As with any project, it is important to partner with likeminded people prepared to deliver the best quality work. At bloomtide we are passionate about creating video that encompasses your ideas and vision.
5 STEPS TO GETTING STARTED WITH VIDEO GETTING STARTED WITH VIDEO IS RELATIVELY SIMPLE – HERE WE EXPLAIN THE PROCESS
01
PREPARATION } Always think ahead.
02
TIMING } Keep it short & to the point.
03
MESSAGE } Ensure your video carries
04
CONTENT } Remember to strike a balance
05
CONTACT } Don’t know your H.264 from your
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Plan a detailed storyboard of your video.
The best videos last under 60 seconds.
a clear message distinctive to your brand.
between entertaining and informative.
HTML5? Call bloomtide to discuss your needs.
CHANGE HAS A CONSIDERABLE PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPACT ON THE HUMAN MIND. TO THE FEARFUL IT IS THREATENING BECAUSE IT MEANS THAT THINGS MAY GET WORSE. TO THE HOPEFUL IT IS ENCOURAGING BECAUSE THINGS MAY GET BETTER. TO THE CONFIDENT IT IS INSPIRING BECAUSE THE CHALLENGE EXISTS TO MAKE THINGS BETTER. KING WHITNEY JR.
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SO, HOW COULD VIDEO WORK FOR YOU? WE LOOK AT FOUR DIFFERENT TYPES OF BUSINESSES AND DISCUSS HOW WE BELIEVE VIDEO COULD ENHANCE THEIR MARKETING AND BRING ABOUT GREATER CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT. PROPERTY
If you have ever watched Location, Location, Location, Property Ladder or any of the other vast array of property programmes on TV you will notice something powerful about them. They have the ability to pull you in making it difficult to disengage. If done correctly property videos could have exactly the same impact thus greatly increasing the number of viewings for vendors. Higher quality productions probably lend themselves more to the premium end of the property market. Such videos would be great for the London market and potential overseas buyers. Also, many estate agents have invested in search apps over the last few years. Devices such as the iPad and smart phones are ideal platforms through which videos can be viewed.
HOTELS AND CRUISE LINES
Hotels and cruise lines that have genuinely great facilities are all too often missing a trick. Image galleries or videos with simple motion pans can serve a purpose, but so much more could be done with a professional video production. Attention spans are not that long on the web so a dynamic sixty-second overview should be enough to give people a taste. The use of presenters and guests using the facilities would help bring the venue alive and attract more bookings. An obvious place for such a video would be the home page of the website and social media pages. To view a bloomtide hotel production visit the website at www.bloomtide.com.
LEGAL PROFESSION
E-COMMERCE
It’s well documented that e-commerce sales dramatically improve when the product is accompanied by a video demonstration. This could be a product presentation explaining important details that simply can’t be conveyed in words and pictures. Also, e-commerce does lend itself to a more informal approach where a presenter introduces a product, discusses it and shows it in action. One of the major stumbling blocks to buying online is that shoppers want to see more detail before committing. Video is the next best thing to actually being in the shop yourself.
This is a people business and two-dimensional websites with monochrome images and biographies will not help the firm realise its potential. Partner interviews discussing their specialist subject such as intellectual property or families in business will achieve two things – one, added value information for the potential client and second personalisation of the firm. Lawyers are not always natural performers, but with good editing and supporting media we believe we can make a star out of anyone. Just imagine a law firm website where the services page has an abundance of dynamic video content that personalises the firm and informs in one hit – marketing gold!
IT’S A SHARING WORLD FOR MOST VIDEOS THERE IS AN ALL-IMPORTANT SHARE BUTTON THAT COULD SEE YOUR BRAND EXPOSED TO A MUCH BIGGER AND WIDER MARKET, PARTICULARLY IF IT GOES VIRAL. BLOOMTIDE {05}
PAUSE {ISSUE 02}
PORTFOLIO A VISUAL SHOWCASE OF RECENT BLOOMTIDE PROJECTS 01.
02. 03.
GLASGOW
INFLUENTIAL ARCHITECTURE. A DRIVING FORCE IN NEW MEDIA. A VIBRANT CENTRE FOR UPCOMING MUSIC AND ARTS.
GLASGOW IS A CITY WITH STYLE AND
TODS MURRAY IS A LAW FIRM PROUD TO BE WORKING WITH CLIENTS AT THE HEART OF IT.
04.
05.
The Partners of Tods Murray LLP request the pleasure of your company at our drinks reception
at The Corinthian 191 Ingram Street, Glasgow on Thursday 23rd February 6.00pm - 9:00pm RSVP Louise McCreath 0131 656 2088 Louise.McCreath@todsmurray.com Drinks, Canapes, Live Music, Entertainment Dress Code: Business attire
06.
01. CLIENT: Cello PROJECT: Product Range Brochure 02. CLIENT: Fine PROJECT: Fine Horizons Advert 03. CLIENT: Tods Murray PROJECT: The Corinthian Invitation 04. CLIENT: Luxury Hotels PROJECT: Video 05. CLIENT: Cello PROJECT: 3D TV Video 06. CLIENT: Cello PROJECT: Website 07. CLIENT: EPM Solutions PROJECT: Office Wall Graphic
TO SEE MORE OF OUR WORK VISIT BLOOMTIDE.COM OR SCAN THE QR CODE
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CONTENT PUBLISHING IN THE DIGITAL AGE
TURBULENCE IS LIFE FORCE. IT IS OPPORTUNITY. LET’S LOVE TURBULENCE AND USE IT FOR CHANGE RAMSAY CLARK
WITH THE INCREASED TAKE UP OF THE IPAD AND THE LAUNCH OF IOS5 NEWSSTAND WE LOOK AT THE EXCITING POSSIBILITIES FOR BRAND PUBLISHING IN THE DIGITAL AGE.
I
t wasn’t too long ago that many of us balked at the idea of a tablet device. Who needs yet another gadget that resembles an expensive and oversized mobile phone? Well, it appears we were wrong to doubt as the tablet device has well and truly made its mark. For many of us the tablet has filled a void that we didn’t previously know existed. It is certainly more of an informal, carefree and intimate companion than it is a thing of business. It supports us personally in our leisure time with web browsing, email, apps, games, movies, reading, music and photos. Seeing the tablet as a gadget of leisure is probably one key reason why it is so well suited to magazine publishing. Apple’s strategy seems clear with the launch of iOS5 Newsstand where all publications, newspapers and magazines, can be
searched, stored and viewed from one place. What is really interesting is that Newsstand has been positioned front and centre of the iPad and it can’t be removed. What does that tell us about Apple’s vision for the future of publishing on the iPad? Condé Nast, the publisher behind magazines such as Vanity Fair, GQ and Wired has reported a huge boom in digital subscriptions since the release of Newsstand. It has announced an increase of 268 per cent for subscriptions and 142 per cent for single issues. “We couldn’t be happier,” said the company’s EVP Monica Ray. “It’s clear that the focused attention and greater discoverability Newsstand provides our brands has been embraced by the consumer.”
BRAND PUBLISHING
For brands digital publishing represents a hugely exciting opportunity. Many businesses who have up to now resisted publishing their own customer magazine will be encouraged at the prospect of creating a ‘digital only’ publication that can be found by a global audience on Newsstand, but without the significant cost of print and distribution. Of course, there are lots of printed publications already available in digital app form, but too many of these are poor and fail to make good use of the medium. We believe there is a future for ‘digital only’ brand publications, but oh boy they better be good. Savvy magazine app readers have no interest in page flipping PDFs. They expect beautiful design, ease of function, stunning imagery, embedded video and bite size article presentation that makes full use of the technology. If brands are going to invest in digital publishing then it should be done without compromise to ensure the user experience is nothing short of magical.
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO DISCUSS DEVELOPING YOUR OWN PUBLICATION FOR DELIVERY ON TABLET DEVICES SUCH AS APPLE’S NEWSSTAND GIVE US A CALL ON 0141 621 3900.
BLOOMTIDE {07}
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PAUSE {ISSUE 02}
It is said that we live in an ever-changing landscape – how true this statement is when reflecting on what we’ve witnessed in the last few years. From political uprisings around the globe to the once solid foundations of our banks now on the precipice of collapse, we’ve made great leaps in technological achievements and discovered the power of ownership and corruption within the press. No one can deny the changes that have so drastically altered our view of the world, the result of which is challenging us to react.
Using the tech arena as just one example, who could have foreseen the rapid and unstoppable force of social and mobile networking in such a short space of time? Not just in market shares but also in public consumption. The statistics speak volumes; for instance when Palm Pilots were first introduced to the market it took 18 months to sell the first million units, yet on Apple’s recent release of the iPhone 4S it took 24 hours to shift the same quantity. The rise of mobile applications from a few thousand apps 3 years ago to over a million and counting shows no signs of slowing its momentum.
With such widespread and sweeping change there can often be a fear and rejection of the unknown. Many cling to the status quo and static ways of thinking, but like similar points in history, disruption can lead to great opportunity and an improved way of life.
We should learn to embrace this as an important moment where new possibilities are available to those bold enough to adapt and learn from their evolving surroundings.
The last few years must have made us all realise just how impermanent everything is. As one giant falls a new one rises and as one market collapses a new one is born. Today’s world seems incredibly chaotic, but the opportunity is probably greater now than it has been for many years. That’s the amazing paradox in these socalled gloomy days.
THE CONSTANT STATE OF FLUX IT IS NOT THE STRONGEST OF THE SPECIES THAT SURVIVES; NOR THE MOST INTELLIGENT THAT SURVIVES. IT IS THE ONE THAT IS MOST ADAPTABLE TO CHANGE. CHARLES DARWIN
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