Diploma is very successful elearning platform that I created in 2005 (and later updated) for Boehringer-Ingelheim, a large pharmaceutical company. It is based on a constructivistic learning model where medical doctors are trained using wireless PDAs to control video patient scenarios.It is all done in an intense group session with interactivity in three directions:
Between the participants when they are discussing the patient scenario
Between the participant and the video patient, since they can ask questions, take tests and decide on diagnosis and treatments and see how the patient reacts.
Between the participants and the lecturer that moderates the event.
So this is a new way of learning, far from the traditional lecturing using slides and one-way communication from the speaker to the audience.
So how do you market this? How can you reach out to and explain this new concept to all the Swedish medical doctors and inspire them to sign up for the training?
Well, Boehringer-Ingelheim used to do it the traditional way; writing about it on their web site, handing out leaflets with text and photos during sales calls and seminars.
But they have a story to tell about this new learning system and video is a very effective tool for telling stories. So I persuaded them to let me produce a 2-minute video enacting a Diploma learning session, watch it here:
It is in Swedish, but there is no dialogue in the video.
This is a low- budget production, simply because we felt that we did not need professional actors and a large crew for this. The point is to tell the story so that the target group, in this case medical doctors, are inspired. The feedback has been very positive already.
Now this video needs to be spread. Their sales reps are using large-format versions in their laptops during sales calls, video banner ads promoting the video are in production for medical web sites and the video will also appear on a number of other web sites in order to make it viral.
We are used to tiny, fuzzy and jerky internet videos, due to technical limitations. But the technology is developing fast and new standards are now appearing that will make our video experiences richer on the internet.
So sit back, put on your best headphones and rest your eyes on this clip from Iceland, a music video with Sigur Ros, one of my favourite bands (very cool late-night music). Double-click the video to go fullscreen.
This video is compressed to use only 500 kbit/s using a new standard called H.264 (why do the engineers always come up with these awkward names?). It means that you can see this video on any computer even with a low-end broadband connection. The guy that encoded this video has tweaked it to its limits, but soon we will see this kind of quality everywhere. Compare it with this version of the same video, running at 1.3 Mbit/s, still possible to run on most broadband connections.
(Thanks Peter at Disruptive for the tip about the blog Flashcomguru.)
Another exciting technology that enables full-screen video at excellent quality comes from Move Networks. It uses dynamic bandwidth, meaning that it runs on any connection speed, the higher you have the better the quality gets. The national Swedish television SVT are the first to use this in Sweden, check it out by watching an episode of their drama series Andra Avenyn (click on “Se Andra Avenyn i högupplöst Play”).
It looks very good and also illustrates that picture quality is one thing and movie experience quality is something entirely different…
So now internet videos can be played in all sizes. From tiny thumbnails to full screen, almost HD-quality with superior stereo audio as well. This opens up for even more new ways of using video for communication, education, inspiration and information, also for corporate use.
You read about a new cool internet application and click on the link.
An unfamiliar site appears. In about 5 seconds you decide if you want to stay there and explore it, or if you will surf away. Fact: most people only give a new site 5-10 seconds to attract them.
So why are so many internet apps so bad at really quickly making the first-time visitor understand the basics:
What is it?
What’s in it for me?
How does it work?
Often you just meet a confusing startpage with a login-form and some user comments, with few clues to what it really is about or who should use it.
An exemplary example of how it should be done is the new American online speed-dating service WooMe.
It is financed by the smart Skype-founder Niklas Zenström and not only because it uses Skype video technology.
Here’s why it is so great:
The window title explains it all: Meet People Live in Voice and Video Online Speed Dating Sessions
The next thing you see is a text box with the head line What is it? that explains the service in short bullet texts. Beside this is a “How to play” section with screen images and the highlighted key words Find, Meet, Woo.
And best of all, right at the top there is also a professionally made video with a user that goes through the service in a very personal way. The video clips is short, inspiring and cleverly shows how it works and how easy it is.
Video is usually the best way of showing how you do things, especially when you can show a person interacting with a computer such as in this case. Mixing the screen shots with the shots of the woman looking into the camera is also a very efficient way to inspire the audience.
You also see a big join now! button with the tag line (takes 29 seconds). Again, an exemplary way of making people think “Well, if it only takes 29 seconds I could try it out”
Corporate sites are also falling into this trap. How often haven’t you visited a corporate site that do not explain what the company is doing and for whom, really?
Checklist for creating a web service start page that entices users
Write your pitch in the window title. It is one of the first things people see. And, even more important: this text shows in the search engines. Standard window titles like “Welcome to XYZ!” sucks!
Put the important presentation stuff at the top of the page.
Very short headlines describing: What is it? Who is it for? How does it work?
Add one or several video clips where a typical user goes through the service. Make it very short (2 minutes max) and very personal. Better to have several short videos than one long.
Important to use a credible person representing your target group .
It should be someone I as a user can identify with, who can inspire me and give me confidence that this is a smart service.
Avoid using grinning sales guys with shining ties and costumes!
(Unless that type of person is your key target group…)
It is often also a good idea to have some videos with typical customer scenarios, showing situations where different problems are solved by someone using your service.
Put a “Tip your friends” button on the start page, viral marketing is very powerful. Make this a very quick and easy process for the user.
If your service requires a lengthy registration process, divide it up so that the users can get started with a minimum of form-filling. Then make them fill out the rest of the forms during later visits.
Videobloggaren Björn Falkevik på Lidne Inc. intervjuar Henrik Ahlén om styrkan med video som kommunikationsbärare och fördelarna med att använda video i företagssammanhang.
My favourite pastime when I am riding a bus or the underground is to watch video clips on my iPod Touch from the american elite conference TED (Technology Entertainment Design). It “brings together the world’s most fascinating thinkers and doers, who are challenged to give the talk of their lives (in 18 minutes).”
They made the smart decision to post all of those talks online, and they do it in a very professional way. Watch some of them and then contemplate: Would you want to attend a TED conference in the future? Or would you rather just watch the videos? Well, millions have already watched the videos and TED is sold out every year a long time ahead.
For example, they have a new rating system for the videos: Most jawdropping, most persuasive, most inspiring, most courageous, most fascinating, most ingenious, most beautiful and funniest.
The famous talk by the Swedish researcher Hans Rosling talk “New insights on poverty and life around the world “is in the “Most jawdropping” category, you will understand why!
It is interesting to note that Hans Rosling held his first talk on TED in 2006 and ever since this talk was posted online he has received speaking requests from all over the world.
Det skrivs fortfarande insändare om att TV-program sänds på fel tidpunkter; “Jag ska upp tidigt så jag kan ej se UR som sänds vid midnatt”. VHS har funnits i 30 år, men folk orkar inte leta fram band och programmera inspelningar.
Men en mycket smartare lösning har funnits i åratal i bla USA och England: boxar med hårddisk som kan spela in och av TV-program, de kallas för PVR (Personal Video Recorder) eller DVR (Digital Video Recorder). Finns inget svenskt uttryck ännu, förutom otympliga “hårdiskinspelare”.
Vad kan en PVR? Allt som en VHS-video kan, fast med mycket bättre bild- och ljudkvalitet och en rad andra finesser:
Den kan spela in och av samtidigt, vilket gör att man kan pausa en direktsändning. Om telefonen ringer trycker man på paus så påbörjas inspelning. När man kommer fortsätter man att titta från den tidpunkt man pausade. Samtidigt fortsätter inspelningen tills det aktuella programmet är slut så att man kan se hela programmet.
Man behöver inte leta fram ett tomt videoband när det kommer ett intressant tv-program. Hårddisken har en kapacitet på minst 40 tim TV-tid, mycket mera än DVD.
Man kan spola förbi reklamen. Om man spelar in ett program så börjar man helt enkelt att titta en kvart eller så efter att det börjat, och när reklamen kommer så snabbspolar man förbi den.
Detta är en rysare för TV-bolagen som lever på reklam, men de kommer så klart att hitta andra sätt att sända reklam.
Varför marknadsförs inte dessa i Sverige? Jag har bara sett en enda artikel i svensk massmedia, i gårdagens SvD Näringsliv. I artikeln säger chefen för TV5 “Tv är ett passivt medium. Jag tror att de flesta personer tycker om att någon annan komponerar deras tablå.”
Men vill vi verkligen det? Jämför med musikbranschen, där iTunes blivit en stor succé till stor del därför att folk gillar att inte behöva köpa en hel CD utan kan köpa låtarna styckvis och enkelt skapa sina egna spellistor. Här tror jag att det finns stora möjligheter för den aktör somförstår att utnyttja denna trend. Men branschen verkar sticka huvudet i sanden för att slippa se hotet. Än mindre ser dom de nya revolutionerande affärsmöjligheterna!
Den ledande PVR-boxen i USA heter TiVo som kom år 1999 och anses ha revolutionerat TV-tittandet. Där säger man inte att man har spelat in ett TV-program, man säger att “I Tivoed it” för att markera att det är så mycket mera. Med TiVo kan man med en knapptryckning spela in en hel tv-serie utan att behöva hålla reda på när avsnitten sänds. Man kan även spela in alla program med en viss skådespelare, eller alla program omhundar etc.
TiVo har börjat med egen reklam som anpassas till tittaren och laddas ner till hårddisken och experimenterar även med reklamskyltar som bara visas medan man snabbspolar (!).
Nu är det hög tid för mig att köpa mig en egen PVR!
(skrev detta 2005, och har sedan dess fullständigt förändrat mitt sätt att se på TV och video på flera olika sätt.)
Den 8 minuter långa filmen “Epic 2014″ skakar om mediabranschen. Filmen är gjord av två lärare på journalistskolan The Poynter Institute i Florida och föutspår att Microsoft och alla nutidens mediajättar går under. År 2014 är all media genererad av datorer för varenda individs smak och intressen, på gott och ont.
Loading ...
on