From Good to Great with Live Video

How does your agency stack up against Ogilvy, Crispin Porter + Bogusky, and AKQA?

"Good" agencies move into the ranks of "Great" with ideas, smart risk and execution. Great clients help too, but that is a chicken and egg discussion.

I believe Live Video presents a unique platform for new ideas. Clearly I am not the only one (ADWEEK article "Marketers Get Real"). The best agencies and brands in the world are experimenting with live video. Diet Coke interviewed actor Ed Norton. Burger King broadcasted Tony Stewart taking a lie detector test professing his love for the burger. Nordica got 'face time' with 130 retailers, 3,500 miles appart in one hour. (A CWD project)

I think we are onto something here, the right mix of a great idea, risk and execution.

The idea: Create a live video platform that is dead simple to use, high in quality and scalable. Video itself is the ideal communication tool; if a picture tells a 1,000 words, a video explains a million. Surround the video with core brand messaging. Then incorporate a chat function that allows hundreds of viewers to communicate in a way that makes them feel connected.

The risk: Cost must be considered in today's world. We solved that, starting at $5,000 even smaller brands can dip their toe in the water. Time is also valuable. What does it take to produce a live video? Well not nothing, but if you KISS it the product will probably be better and it will take less time. Basic lighting and audio needs to be tested but all things can be overcome. Monetize it. If the goal is large audience communication, there is a risk that people will not show up or find value in it. I think that risk is just about gone, video is the hottest thing on the web right now.

The execution: It is all about having the right people or knowing the right people to be able to execute. At face value this stuff looks simple, but there are very real technological hurdles you need to get over. If you want to mitigate some of the risk find the right partner that has proven the execution.

----------------------------------------------------------
Where I am coming from:
Cascade Web Development is a Portland and Boston custom web development firm. We support advertising agencies across the US. We have developed a module for live video communication called Brand.Live on our platform Evergreen, a content and data management system.