Pluto.tv Might Interest Brands as Vidicom Thinks About the Possibility of Branded Video Content on the New App

The Internet has become so dominant in today’s society that television tries replicate it by showing hashtags on your TV screen. However, now the Internet is trying to be more like TV with launch of the new app Pluto.tv. Pluto.tv brings web videos into a more TV like environment by providing something like a channel guide. “Guest content curators” including hip hop artist Nas, Scandal actress Darby Stanchfield, Iron Chef Cat Cora, and fashionista Nasty Gal, will help with the launch by “spinning” videos Tuesday night. Christy Ferer thinks that if Pluto.tv becomes a huge hit, brands should incorporate branded video content on the app. As a result, brands will reap many benefits such as increase consumer engagement, and spread brand awareness.

http://mashable.com/2014/03/31/pluto-tv/

YouTube for Kids Will Help Brands Reach A New Demographic

\With over 6 billion hours of video watched each month, Christy Ferer - Vidicom CEO - thinks that YouTube is an extremely powerful platform for video consumption and sharing.  It was reported that YouTube is developing a new website for kids that will feature programming for children under the age of 10. As a result, a safe browsing experience for kids would be guaranteed with the new kid-friendly YouTube. The Vidicom team thinks this is an exciting opportunity for brands to reach a completely new and younger demographic.  Do you think the YouTube for kids will get as many views as the original website?  

http://mashable.com/2014/03/24/youtube-for-kids/

Brands Should Consider Mobile Advertising

Many brands have already starting mobile advertising. A new report by research firm, eMarketer predicts worldwide mobile ad spending to reach $31.45 billion this year! That would be a 75% increase from 2013! Companies that will most likely lead the trend include Google with 46.8 percent of net mobile ad revenue worldwide as well as Facebook with 21.8%. Christy Ferer and the Vidicom team think it would be a very wise decision for brands to join the trend in mobile advertising as it offers great benefits. What do you think of mobile ads?

http://www.inc.com/will-yakowicz/mobile-ads-soar-105-percent-in-2013.html

Christy Ferer About Paper Teaming Up With Ted

Christy Ferer, Vidicom’s CEO, always stays up to date with what's happening in the social media world. Facebook and TED announced a content collaboration for Paper, the companys' stand alone news reader and publishing app. TED material exclusively will be featured in the ideas section of Paper for the week. Paper will feature content from TED attendees, including blog posts and talk videos from the conference. This is the first time Paper has teamed up with an outside group for content like this, or featured the same topic more than once in its ideas section.

http://mashable.com/2014/03/17/facebook-ted-content-collaboration/

Vidicom CEO on How Facebook's New Look for Pages Will Help Build Brands

Something new is always happening in the social media world and Christy Ferer, Vidicom’s CEO, loves being one of the first to know. Facebook announced earlier this week a new look for Pages. The new design still has two columns, but now the right column is the Page’s timeline and the left contains information about the brand of corporation. Also, the “Invite Your Friends” section has moved to the left side of the screen and the text box for posting moved to the right side. She thinks brand will benefit from the new metrics section on the Page that includes data about ads, Likes and post reach. 

http://mashable.com/2014/03/10/facebook-redesign-pages/

    

Christy Ferer Shares Modern Marketing Tips for Brands

Modern marketing consists of a lot of content as well as being able to follow every step of the buyer’s journey and analyze those steps to create a better and more in-tune marketing plan. Here are three steps towards modern marketing:

1.     Commit to your content. The quality of your content is crucial.  Christy Ferer thinks content that help customers solve a problem will maintain and increase consumer engagement.

2.     Get out of the rut: Modern marketing takes effort (time and money) but is well worth it. Brands should consider exploring the options of working with an end-to-end provider that can take them to the next level.

3.     Keep up with analytics: It is important to keep track of the data collected from your website, email campaigns, and sales numbers in order to improve your marketing campaign.

http://www.televerde.com/take-3-steps-toward-modern-marketing-and-better-marketing-results/?utm_source=OutBrain&utm_medium=LP&utm_campaign=2014TV

Content Marketing is Vital For Brands, Vidicom Thinks it Helps Reach Modern Consumers

The transition from traditional advertising methods to content marketing is becoming increasingly popular as Vidicom’s CEO, Christy Ferer, thinks it is helping brands reach modern consumers. Content marketing has helped leading brands such as Coca-Cola and Red Bull make it to the top. Coca-cola has managed to reach older consumers through story telling as well as teens through experimental microsites with it’s Content 2020 approach. Red Bull has been able to reach millions of consumers by launching a magazine.

http://mashable.com/2014/02/25/cpg-content-marketing-brandspeak/

Facebook Buying a Drone Company Will Benefit Brands

Keeping up with social media is something Christy Ferer loves to do. It was recently reported that Facebook is considering buying a drone company in order to bring Internet access to people all over the world who don’t already have it. Facebook is looking to spend $60 million on Titan Aerospace, which makes huge unmanned aerial vehicles. Zuckerburg said in an interview with CNN last year that Facebook had a “rough plan for what we think we’re going to need to do” in order to bring 5 billion more people online.  

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/04/facebook-drones_n_4895983.html?utm_hp_ref=social-media

Carplay Will be a Huge Hit for Apple

Apple recently announced a new iPhone-to-automobile integration system called CarPlay. By syncing your iPhone with your car, Carplay lets you take phone calls, send texts and emails, and play music while driving. Siri is used to control native iPhone apps and a few third party apps. Christy Ferer thinks it is interesting to note that CarPlay wont work with Google Maps. It appears that Apple is very careful about their competitors when it comes to building their brand. The Vidicom teams thinks this new system will be a huge hit for Apple as more people will want an iPhone in order to have CarPlay. What are your thoughts?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/03/apple-carplay_n_4889668.html?utm_hp_ref=technology

Content Marketing Increases Consumer Engagement for Brands Says Christy Ferer

In a world powered by content and social media, brands need to adapt in order to maintain consumer engagement. CEO of Vidicom, Christy Ferer, thinks content marketing is the key to success for brands. Some brands that are mastering the content marketing game include, Red Bull, Coca-Cola, and Oreo.  With a clear strategy and a commitment to content and the infrastructure to succeed, Christy Ferer thinks other brands can make it to the top. Some key topics brands should consider as they develop content marketing include, distribution advances, publisher partnerships, and traditional media gaps.

http://www.adweek.com/brandshare/these-consumer-brands-are-transforming-marketing-155958

Brands Should Consider Snapchat to Increase Exposure

Vidicom’s CEO, Christy Ferer, thinks Snapchat might be the place to be for brands. According to research by Sumpto, over 77 percent of college students use Snapchat at least once every single day. Also, 45 percent of college kids ages 18-24 would open a snap from a brand they were unfamiliar with and 73 percent would open a snap from a brand they already know. Christy Ferer thinks that with an active user base that large, brand exposure has the potential to be huge! The Vidicom team thinks it would be an effective strategy for Snapchat to let brands send their own videos to the entire Snapchat user base or targeted demographics. What are your thoughts?

http://techcrunch.com/2014/02/25/how-could-snapchat-make-money-college-kids/

Christy Ferer Thinks the Moviefone App Can Help Brands Connect with Consumers

Vidicom CEO, Christy Ferer, thinks that in today’s technologically advanced society, people can turn to the Internet or apps for anything. As a result, Moviefone’s phone service will no longer take calls and only its free app will survive. According to The New York Times, the service went from once garnering 3 million calls per week from about 13,000 theatres in 31 cities to receiving only thousands of call per week before the company decided to discontinue the service.  There is another rebrand in the works though. AOL has turned management of Moviefone over to the media company BermanBraunm which will handle the former phone services creative development, content and product.  The Vidicom team thinks it would be beneficial for brands if the Moviefone app incorporated branded content.

http://mashable.com/2014/02/24/moviefone-silent-app/

Facebook's Acquisition of WhatsApp Could Provide Opportunities for Brands

Christy Ferer, Vidicom’s CEO, loves keeping up with social media. Facebook announced on Wednesday the acquisition of WhatsApp for $16 billion. The enormous purchase by Facebook is one of the biggest acquisitions in recent mobile tech history! The deal nearly doubles the $8.5 billion Microsoft paid for Skype in 2011, and over 5 times the $2.9 billion Lenovo paid for Google for Motorola last month. She predicts that WhatApp will run advertisements in the future like what Instagram did last fall after being purchased by Facebook. Vidicom thinks if that occurs, brands will be able to get their names out there build a larger audience.

http://mashable.com/2014/02/19/facebook-whats-app-internet-reacts/

Christy Ferer Helps Brands Develop Branded Video Content

Content marketing is on the rise for brands today. Christy Ferer, Vidicom’s CEO, particularly likes branded video content as it attracts consumers and keeps them engaged. The Vidicom team is extremely skillful at creating branded video content. Here are some tips for brands that want to create their own:

1.     Produce timely content: A good way to get a lot of views is to develop your video at the same time as a major event such as the Super Bowl or the Oscars and assert your brands creative viewpoint.

2.     Choose the best format: It’s important to choose the best format for your brand message.  30-second spot, product tutorial, or longform)

3.     Avoid being too branded: A video in which a brand talks about how great they are will steer customers away. 

http://mashable.com/2013/11/29/video-views-completion-metrics/

Vidicom Suggest Brands to Consider Mobile Advertising

Vidicom's CEO Christy Ferer, is always keeping up with technology and social media. Christy Ferer thinks brands should consider mobile advertising as Internet usage has greatly moved from the web to smart phones and tablets over the past several years. As a result, social networks such as Twitter and Facebook have adapted to mobile. According to Nielson’s new U.S. Digital Consumer Report, the average Twitter mobile user uses the Smartphone app for a little more than three hours per month compared to PC users who spend 36 minutes on the platform per month. With the increase in social media users turning to their mobile device, brands could reach a large audience through mobile advertising.

http://mashable.com/2014/02/11/twitter-facebook-mobile/

Christy Ferer's Vidicom Helps Brands Built Loyalty

Vidicom CEO Christy Ferer, stresses the importance of loyalty and consumer engagement for brands. However, it can be difficult to build loyalty for brands that can’t depend on inherited emotional connections to fuel a long lasting consumer relationship. Here are some ways to help brands build loyalty:  

1.     Don’t be a one-hit wonder: She strongly believes that it takes time, investment and consistency across every consumer interaction to have lasting consumer engagement. Brands can generate interactions by producing online videos and games, mobile apps, and compelling content for social media.

2.      Get feedback directly from customers: In order to learn about your audiences experience with your brand, it is essential to get feedback directly from your customers. Brands can receive customer feedback in stores, online, via mobile and social media.

3.     Make your one-man band a super group: Brand partnerships allow your business to provide a larger and exciting variety of rewards and incentives.

4.     Vary your playlist: Brands can appeal to various segments and customers as well as keep consumers engaged over time by offering different types of rewards

      http://www.inc.com/irving-fain/ways-to-create-super-fans-for-your-brand.html

Vidicom: Christy Ferer Thinks Facebook's Paper Provides an Exciting Opportunity for Brands

Branded content is becoming increasing popular as time goes on. Christy Ferer thinks Facebook’s new application, Paper, will incorporate branded content. Although Facebook announced that its new application, Paper, will be free of advertising, the Vidicom team thinks that brands will soon develop innovative stories on the platform. In addition, brands will most likely use Paper to share branded content. Since Facebook has such an enormous user base, brands will have the opportunity to reach an extremely large audience and build brand awareness.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/benjaminboxer/2014/02/03/paper-has-the-potential-to-change-how-facebooks-1-2-billion-users-consume-media/

Vidicom Helps Brands Create Content that Sticks

Vidicom thinks branded video content helps build brands and gets consumers more engaged. However, creating content that stands out and sticks with consumers isn’t always easy. The Vidicom team thinks these 5 ways can help brands create content that will grow their audience:

1.     Become familiar with the content that surrounds your target market  

2.     Establish your brand’s particular niche and unique offering

3.     Make your content stronger through multimedia storytelling elements, taking things “live” or by adjusting the frequency of content to maintain consumer engagement

4.     Your brand can keep consumers engaged by enlisting the users who are already engaging in your site

5.     Be different. With the 27 million pieces of content that are shared everyday, your competition is huge. Making your branded content different and unique will help you stand out and cut through all the clutter.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/25/differentiate-content-marketing_n_3957521.html

Twitters E-Commerce Plans is Great News for Brands, Says Christy Ferer

Christy Ferer makes sure to stay up to date with new trends and technology in social media. In recent news, Twitter plans to bring commerce to the real-time site. Last Friday, New York-based e-commerce site Fancy.com showed images of mockups displaying how goods would be bought on Twitter. According to the images, the “Twitter Commerce” post would appear in the main feed as well as on the “Discover” page. From there, users can tap on the tweet to enlarge the image and view more details about the product, then check out would come next, and then finally the ability to track the shipment. Once all of this occurs, Ferer suggests brands to sell their goods on Twitter as the market is extremely vast and growing!

http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2014/01/31/a-sneak-peek-at-twitters-e-commerce-plans-2/

Christy Ferer Offers Leadership Advice

Christy Ferer, Vidicom's CEO, thinks a good way to tap the full potential of each employee is to focus on them as members of teams that tackle critical projects as effectively as possible. The following are steps to optimize team performance:

1.     Grant teams the authority to make important decisions: Teams that are doing important work for their organizations and are allowed to make important decisions are the most effective.  

2.     Encourage employees to ask “what if?”: Your team will have the advantage of being prepared for almost any situation they encounter by

discussing a variety of possible outcomes.

3.     Work to resolve differences: It is important to address each employee’s    

Concerns and work through them as they arise in order to remain a united team working toward a common goal. 

4.     Make sure your managers are following your new team-empowerment playbook: Push your managers to give responsibility to their employees to work out problems and come up with ideas.

5.     Practice building consensus: Employees will learn the importance of making compromises that are good for the company as a result.

http://www.inc.com/peter-economy/5-steps-to-maximize-team-performance.html

Flipagram Photo App can be Helpful for Brands

Christy Ferer, enjoys keeping up with the latest technology. The most downloaded free app right now is Flipagram. Flipagram photo app allows you to select multiple photos from your phone and create a short slide show.  From there, it can be posted to Facebook and Instagram to share with all your friends. Celebrities have already starting using this app. Britney Spears is using Flipagram to promote the launch of her Las Vegas show. She thinks businesses should use Flipagram in a similar way to promote their brand and increase consumer engagement.

http://money.cnn.com/2014/01/29/technology/social/flipagram/index.html

The Vidicom Team and Christy Ferer Think Pinterest's New Tool Will Keep Users Engaged

In today’s technologically advanced society, social media platforms are always coming out with new features and updates. CEO of Vidicom, Christy Ferer, loves being one of the first to know when something new happens.  It was announced today that Pinterest is launching Interests, a tool that allows users to explore topics and find pins of their interest. According to Pinterest, each users Interest page will adjust based on your existing pins, in other words, the more you pin, the more changes you will see. This means that in addition to being able to explore more categories, you will also be receiving customized recommendations. By launching this new feature, the company hopes to make it easier for users to discover content they can engage with and as a result keep users coming back.

What are your thoughts on Pinterest adding Interest? Let Vidicom and Christy Ferer know.

http://thenextweb.com/insider/2014/01/27/pinterest-launches-interests-tool-let-users-explore-topics-find-pins-like/#!tyQWo

Christy Ferer Helps Brands with Mobile Presence

Vidicom CEO Christy Ferer , is an expert at linking brands and consumers. In today’s digital era, mobile presence is essential for brands to attract and interact with consumers. Since many brands have the question of whether to create a dedicated app or develop a website that is mobile friendly, Michael LaVista, CEO and founder of Web application and development firm, Caxy, shares steps to take when choosing which way to go:

1.     You don’t always need a mobile app unless the product uses a phone feature such as GPS, contacts, or push notifications.

2.     Businesses must consider its audience when designing a mobile app. Businesses that are on a budget might have to choose only one platform such as iOS, Android, Windows or Blackberry. This would require some market research on what device their customers typically own.

3.     If businesses decide they don’t need to create a mobile app, they can design a responsive site, which is a website that adjusts how it looks based on the device.

All of these steps can help brands when creating their mobile presence.

http://mashable.com/2014/01/20/business-mobile-app/

Vidicom CEO Christy Ferer Thinks Trending on Facebook can Increase Consumer Interaction

Christy Ferer, Vidicom CEO, loves keeping up with social media. Most recently, Facebook added Trending to the News Feed.  Trending shows a list of topics that are currently popular or growing in popularity on the platform. The new section is located in the top right hand corner of the screen. Each topic has a keyword and a headline explaining why it should be of interest. Users are able to view more topics by selecting the ‘See More’ option.

Brands can use Trending to see what topics consumers are interested in and try to increase consumer interaction by addressing those topics.

http://thenextweb.com/facebook/2014/01/16/facebook-launches-trending-personalized-list-popular-topics-next-news-feed/?fromcat=all#!soPtL

Brands and Mobile Advertising in 2014

Increasing consumer engagement with brands is what we do here at Vidicom. Christy Ferer agrees that mobile advertising is proving to be a very effective strategy to link brands and consumers. According to LinkedIn Marketing Solutions, companies nearly tripled the amount of money spent on mobile advertising, from $1.2 billion in 2012 to $3 billion in 2013. About 65% of both ad agencies and marketers plan to invest in native advertising, for an estimated total of $4.3 billion, in 2014. Since social and mobile marketing go hand in hand, analysts predict that mobile and social advertising will increase 64% and 47% respectively. It is clear that mobile advertising is working well for many brands, so, brands that aren’t using mobile advertising should definitely consider it for 2014!

http://mashable.com/2014/01/03/native-mobile-advertising/