Deepavali, or Diwali, is one of the important festivals of the year in Malaysia, especially among the Hindus. The festival of light which embraces family reunion, is a great occasion for people of all races and religions to come together and celebrate the rich Hindu culture.

Small clay lamps will be beautifully lighted to signify the triumph of good over evil and these lights will be kept on during the night. The Hindus will also perform spring cleaning for their homes prior to the festival in welcoming the goddess Lakshmi.

This year, some brands and agencies are taking the chance to spread the messages of love, happiness and unity in our multi-racial country in conjunction with the Deepavali celebrations tomorrow.

Check out some of the interesting spots for this year’s campaigns that capture Malaysia’s multi-cultural diversity and values that make up the country’s unique social fabric.

Malaysia Airlines

In celebration of the festival of lights, Malaysia Airlines (MAS) released a video titled #MayTravelLightUpYourLife, on its website and across Facebook, Youtube and Twitter.

Filmed onboard MAS’ A380-800 and B737-800 aircraft, the 52-minute video produced by MC Saatchi shows a unique composition of multi-coloured lights in sync with upbeat rhythms of classical Indian music arranged specially for this video. The lights combined with the traditional instruments evoke a profound sense of togetherness. It also features the airline’s cabin crew wishing viewers a joyous “Happy Deepavali” in Tamil.

To celebrate the festivities, MAS is also offering up to 40% discount on selected domestic destinations beginning today until 22 October 2017. Flights from Kuala Lumpur to a host of destinations will cost from RM402 to Surabaya, RM629 to Hong Kong, RM989 to Chongqing and RM999 to Mumbai or travel further to Auckland from RM2399. This promotion is valid for travel on 24 October 2017 until 31 March 2018. The fares are for immediate travel until 31 October 2017.

Petronas

Petronas wrapped up its festive campaigns for 2017 with the release of an web film. It hopes its messages for social cohesion and unity would continue to resonate with all Malaysians on the many intrinsic values that bind and unify the people together as a nation.

Titled “Arathi’s First Love”, the web film produced by Leo Burnett, follows the five young talents featured in all of Petronas’ festive web films this year as they experience another valuable life lesson through friendship and the spirit of forgiveness. It centres on the main character, Arathi, and her growing fondness towards a new transfer student, Ivan. Her friends mischievously tease and make fun of her new “love interest” which unintentionally end up hurting her feelings. They later realise their mistakes and muster the courage to apologise to Arathi during Deepavali. She willingly accepts the apology and forgives her friends as she learns the importance of forgiveness and how a simple act can strengthen and deepen their friendship.

“Arathi’s First Love marks the final festive webfilm production by Petronas this year. We are proud to close our festive campaigns for 2017 by presenting another warm and relatable Malaysian story that we hope will leave a lasting impression in the mind of every Malaysian,” Petronas’s senior general manager of group strategic communications, Zahariah Abd Rahman, said. Rahman added that the web film also espouses the essence and spirit of Deepavali, which is celebrated to kindle the light of wisdom, kindness and compassion.

The oil giant also features a 90-second television commercial excerpt of the webfilm airing now until 27 October 2017.

Digi

For this year’s Deepavali, telco Digi wants to emphasise that the “light” shines brighter when it is shared.

Conceptualised by Naga DDB Tribal, the ad features children from an orphanage who are asked what Deepavali means to them. The children respond by saying that it’s about spending time with friends and family, eating delicious food, doing fun stuff. They are then asked if they are willing to sacrifice one day to decorate an old folks home to make them happy in conjunction with Deepavali. The children agreed. Unbeknownst to the children, the grandmas decide to surprise the children too. They decide to cook a feast for the children.

Towards the end, the narrator says, “The grandmas thought that they were the ones who were going to put a smile on the faces of the children, but look who is smiling now. My mom always said that food that is shared always tasted better. And sharing doesn’t stop with just food.”

“The film is about sharing a bit of yourself in whatever capacity you can to lighten up someone’s day. The last line, ‘food shared tastes better’ which applies to anything is a poignant reminder of how we’re meant to live our lives. That’s that light we all have. It’s also shot fully in Tamil, which is nice. We don’t do that enough, I feel,” Naga DDB Tribal’s ECD Alvin Teoh, said.

Celcom

This year, Celcom aims to reunite Malaysians with a Deepavali short film titled “5 Sekawan Datang Lagi” which revolves around friendship and family. The film features Hasnah, Bom Bom, Kumari, Maria and Su Mei from “Lagenda 5 Sekawan”, which focused on how unity, friendship and love for another can help build a better nation.

MC Saatchi was responsible for conceptualising and executing “Lagenda 5 Sekawan”. The film draws inspiration from Malaysia’s diverse culture, and how Malaysians live harmoniously regardless of race or religion. It also takes viewers back to 1979, where the girls create a memorable Deepavali for one of their own. The story celebrates friendship and togetherness, featuring a music score rich in heritage which was specially crafted to incorporate instruments from the major Malaysian ethnicities.

“We explored the insight that for many people, your close friends are your family. In line with the spirit of Deepavali, we felt that it was important we told the story of paying it forward amongst friends. Because we love our friends dearly, we almost every time put their happiness first regardless of their race and religion,” Grace Chan, head of brand marketing at Celcom Axiata, said.

“As a brand, Celcom embraces diversity and celebrates unity. We are inclusive and embrace all cultures. In line with Deepavali, the festival of lights, may we put aside our differences and come together as Malaysians. I’m grateful to be Malaysian, to live in a country that advocates tolerance and promotes harmony,” Chan added.

RHB

RHB invites Malaysians to be sweet and share their blessings with one another during Deepavali with its latest film “Be Sweet”. Created by FCB Kuala Lumpur and produced by Chilli Pepper Films, the spot features Malaysian football star Thanabalan Nadarajah and marks the fourth collaboration between RHB and FCB. The agency was brought on-board earlier this year.

In the film, Nadarajah made Deepavali treats and distributed them to his family, friends and neighbours. He urged Malaysians to “do something for each other this Deepavali”.

Abdul Sani Abdul Murad, RHB’s chief marketing officer, said, “The film celebrates togetherness and the small but important things that binds communities together. We needed a lead that could bring people together and Nadarajah’s ability to do that both on and off the pitch made him a natural choice.”

“While the story of light overcoming darkness is a common theme during Deepavali, there are other aspects that make up the celebration, like the exchange of sweets. While it marks the victory of good over evil, it also a sign of bringing prosperity to someone’s home. Now, who doesn’t love a sweet year ahead?” Ravi Costa, associate creative director FCB Kuala Lumpur, added.

Producer Nikkhil Advani has revealed a shocking detail at a press meet at Jio MAMI 2017 about marketing people. His statement hinted that Kangana Ranaut’s controversial interview on Aap Ki Adalat was a promotional strategy for Simran.

Kangana’s Simran had a box office clash with Farhan Akhtar’s Lucknow Central. However, the actress grabbed attention due to her interview and AIB video, which overshadowed Lucknow Central.

Though Simran didn’t work at the box office, the interview managed to keep Kangana in the limelight. Lucknow Central’s producer Nikkhil revealed at the event that the marketing people wanted Farhan to create a scandal like Kangana for the movie’s promotion.

« I got a call from a marketing person saying Kangana’s scandal is going on, tell Farhan to create a scandal. This is an actual conversation! ‘Farhan has to have a scandal otherwise our buzz won’t go up’. I said ‘but what scandal?’ and they were like ‘any scandal but we need it, » Nikhil said.

« I don’t understand it at all. How can I approach Farhan and say ‘hey let’s have a scandal, otherwise no one will watch our film, » he added.

Isn’t it shocking? This very well proves that Simran’s team was OK with Kangana’s interview or it was their promotional strategy?

In fact, Kangana didn’t stop at the interview, she went ahead and made a video with the AIB team. In the video, she took a dig at Aditya Pancholi, Hrithik Roshan, Karan Johar and Shah Rukh Khan.

Since then, Kangana has become the controversial queen and her issue with Hrithik is still the talk of the town.

And the best part is – even after so much drama, Simran flopped and Lucknow Central did a decent job. Audience praised Farhan’s performance and the movie.

Watch Kangana Ranaut’s Bollywood Diva song with AIB:

Netflix on track to hit $11bn in revenue this year

Netflix added more subscribers than expected during Q3 and is now on track to make more than $11bn in revenue this year, according to its latest earning report.

The streaming giant added 5.3 million subscribers during the quarter, a 49% rise year on year, meaning it beat its own target to add 4.4 million.

Netflix now has 109 million subscribers globally, however this means many more viewers in reality given eMarketer estimates roughly 2.5 viewers for each paid subscription.

In a statement, the brand said: “We continued to benefit from a strong appetite for our original series and films, as well as the adoption of internet entertainment across the world.”

READ MORE: Netflix Is On Track To Exceed $11B In Revenue This Year

Video ad spend overtakes banner ads

Video is the fastest growing digital ad format, with advertisers now spending more on video than banner ads for the first time, according to the latest Digital Adspend report from the Internet Advertising Bureau UK and PwC.

Advertisers spent £699m on video ads during the first half of 2017 – a 46% year-on-year increase. Spend on banner ads, meanwhile, rose by just under 2% to £685m.

The rise means video now accounts for 35% of all display advertising spend.

The IAB’s CEO Jon Mew says: “The time people spend watching online video has grown tremendously over the last few years, so it’s little wonder that video is now the fastest-growing ad format as advertisers look to tap into the changing way people consume content.”

Sports Direct owner to sell Newcastle United

Sports Direct owner Mike Ashley has put Newcastle United up for sale, with hopes to have it off his hands by Christmas.

Ashley has reportedly been open to offers for the Premier League club but has now made his intentions official after instructing St James’ Park to issue a public statement clarifying his intentions.

He is understood to be looking for £380m for the club he bought 10 years ago and has stated he would accept staggered payments but made it clear he wants out rather than a partnership with new investors.

READ MORE: Mike Ashley puts Newcastle United up for sale and seeks exit by Christmas

Anthony Joshua teams up with Lynx

World Heavyweight Champion Anthony Joshua has joined forces with Lynx to launch a limited edition fragrance and give fans the opportunity to win tickets to his next fight.

As part of the launch, the Unilever-owned brand is running a two-week campaign encouraging people to take part in a mobile game to track down the limited edition product – five of which are hand signed by Joshua and will grant the winner access to his next fight.

To encourage fans to participate Lynx has worked with TMW Unlimited and LandMrk to set up a microsite with geo-locked content. The campaign is also being supported by Joshua on his social channels.

Dilraj Athwal, Lynx brand manager at Unilever UK, says: “Anthony Joshua has long been a fan of Lynx so we thought it would be a brilliant idea to give his fans the opportunity to see him in action with this innovative campaign.”

IBM eyes blockchain opportunity

IBM has launched a blockchain network designed to reduce the time it takes banks to settle cross-border payments, as well as lowering the cost for businesses and consumers.

The technology will allow banks to clear and settle global payment transactions on a single network almost instantly.

“With the guidance of some of the world’s leading financial institutions, IBM is working to explore new ways to make payment networks more efficient and transparent so that banking can happen in real-time, even in the most remote parts of the world,” said senior vice-president of IBM Industry Platforms Bridget van Kralingen.

Blockchain technology presents huge opportunities for brands, from ad delivery verification to the safe and transparent storage of data, so it’s something marketers should be looking to get to grips with.

READ MORE: IBM launches blockchain offering to consolidate cross-border payments

Monday, 16 October

CoppaFeel! shows first full-frontal boobs on daytime TV

Breast cancer health and education charity CoppaFeel! has been given permission to show full-frontal breasts on daytime TV for the first time ever to encourage women to check themselves regularly for unusual changes.

The #TrustYourTouch campaign, created in partnership with Fold7, looks to highlight the importance of using your touch to ensure early detection of lumps or bumps.

ClearCast cleared the ad for daytime TV and cinemas, but the only condition is that the ad isn’t shown around children’s programming. There are otherwise no timing restrictions on the ad due to the importance of its message. It will run both 60 and 40-second ads.

A spokesman told Marketing Week the ads are booked via pro bono media relationships – ITV’s a confirmed partner – and will go live from today (16 October).

Research by CoppaFeel! found that the vast majority of young women do not check their boobs regularly. The main barrier was uncertainty, with six in 10 saying they lacked the confidence to know how to check. The majority of 18 to 29-year-old women believe there is a specific method to check their breasts, thinking it is much more complicated than it really is.

UberEats on course for reaching $3bn in sales

While Uber might have had a bad year filled with crises, Uber’s sister company UberEats seems to be doing just fine. The food delivery service made up nearly a tenth of the company’s global gross bookings in the second quarter, according to the FT.

This implies the division is on track to exceed $3bn in gross sales this year. The service only launched two years ago as a standalone app.

During the second quarter of this year, UberEats accounted for eight to 10% of global gross bookings, which implies $700m-$870m of gross turnover for the unit. Uber’s total gross bookings were $8.7bn for the period.

By comparison, competitor GrubHub, which is valued at $4.1bn, reported $880m of gross food sales during the second quarter.

READ MORE: UberEats a bright spot on menu with $3bn potential sales

Facebook looks to tackle online bullying with digital safety ambassadors

The US social media giant is offering every UK secondary school the chance to train up “digital safety ambassadors” to stop online bullying.

It will look to tackle the problem by partnering with youth charities Childnet International and The Diana Award, and offer every UK secondary school dedicated digital safety ambassadors: young people trained to provide peer-to-peer support and lead online safety initiatives in the classroom.

Tens of thousands of pupils in 4,500 secondary schools could be trained as ‘digital leaders’ or ‘anti-bullying ambassadors’, and will be provided with face-to-face training, dedicated online resources and forums.

New research from Researchbods shows 13 to 17-year-olds are more likely to confide in a peer (72%) than a parent (60%) or teacher (34%) should they experience online bullying.

And with estimates that between 6% and 25% of children have experienced online bullying, Facebook’s commitment will look to scale the charities’ existing work in schools to improve child safety and well-being through peer-to-peer support.

Government launches investigation into Airbnb’s effect on communities

Airbnb has long struggled with local authorities in different markets, and has even been banned or scaled back in cities such as Berlin and Barcelona. The British Government is now also looking to take action.

It is launching a push to understand how peer-to-peer accommodation websites such as Airbnb affect local communities, which could pave the way for regulation of such “sharing economy” websites.

The Open Data Institute) an independent body set up by World Wide Web founder Sir Tim Berners-Lee, has been handed a £6m grant to pursue projects that include studying the ­impact of property-sharing sites.

It opens up the possibility that Airbnb, which has been accused of ­exacerbating housing shortages and disturbing neighbourhoods, could face new rules designed to limit its impact.

READ MORE: Government-funded open data study to assess Airbnb regulation

UK retailers face losing out to European rivals

British retailers will be outstripped by their European rivals next year as disposable incomes are squeezed by slowing wage growth and a return of inflation, analysts have warned.

Despite robust retail sales growth this year credit rating agency Moody’s has warned it expects high street bellwethers Next and Marks Spencer to suffer from “anaemic growth or even a contraction of earnings” next year.

In its study of European retailers, seen by The Daily Telegraph, only the UK retail names are listed as losers for next year. Debenhams, House of Fraser, BQ owner Kingfisher, Marks Spencer, New Look and Next are all predicted to have negative earnings.

“The looming prospect of interest rate rises will mean UK consumers continue to search for value and it will also curb any meaningful growth in discretionary spending,” said Moody’s.

READ MORE: European rivals will outstrip UK high street giants, warns Moody’s

Here’s today’s AdExchanger.com news round-up… Want it by email? Sign up here.

Pivot To Video

LinkedIn is finally selling video ads: native, autoplay and sound-off. Because LinkedIn has a subscription revenue stream, it hasn’t launched ad products as aggressively as other platforms. But video is increasingly seen as a core social feature. And for LinkedIn the move supports its broader “sell” to marketers. “We know that viewers, when they watch video, the message is much more likely received when compared to just text,” says Sudeep Cherian, head of product marketing for LinkedIn’s ads business. “It’s not a nice-to-have, it’s a must-have.” More at Recode.

View From The Top

Today’s platform giants – Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon (GAFA) – have consolidated power and growth to an unprecedented degree. “Wintel” (a portmanteau of former duopoly members Windows and Intel) had less than $50 billion in annual sales during its peak in 2001. GAFA cleared $450 billion last year. Microsoft and Intel have grown too – nowadays Wintel annual revenue is more like $150 billion – but there has been a “fundamental change in what it means to be a leading tech company,” according to Andreessen Horowitz partner Benedict Evans. In a blog post, Evans argues this change is good for consumer choice. “If I want a smart speaker, I can choose from two with huge, credible platforms behind them today, and probably four in six months, each making them for different reasons with different philosophies,” Evans writes. “No-one applied that kind of pressure to Microsoft.” Read the blog post here.

Walking The Line

As “branded content” becomes common, publishers are under pressure to stand out. Vox is betting on a new branded content format that mimics its trademark “explainer” style of reporting. A new team, called the Explainer Studio, is an extension of Vox’s 40-person branded content team. The New York Times T Brand Studio, a similar internal team run like a branded content studio, has grown to over 150 employees and is expected to represent more than a fifth of the publisher’s overall digital ad revenue. But writing stories “designed to have the look and feel of a publisher’s editorial content has provoked concerns from industry watchdogs who say that the advertisements blur distinctions between news and advertising.” More at The WSJ.  

But Wait, There’s More!

• For Advertisers, Amazon’s NFL Telecasts Are A Promising Experiment – WSJ
• ANA Pulls Programmatic Ad That Mistakenly Landed On Breitbart – AdAge
• Fandango Buys Rival Ticket-Seller MovieTickets.com – Variety
• A Quick Peek Into The ATT And Verizon Mobile Identity APIs – Medium
• Tech Giants, Once Seen As Saviors, Now Seen As Threats – NYT

Marketing Alliance Inc. has moved its creative team to 110 Sullivan St., Suite 112, Punta Gorda.

Specializing in economic development, tourism and real estate marketing, Marketing Alliance’s creative services include comprehensive digital marketing strategies, branding, website development, interactive mapping, 3-D animation, video production and aerial drone video services.

The company had four locations across the South but now plans to centralize the creative team in Florida and operate a business development office in Mississippi, according to John Abbate, Marketing Alliance president.

Marketing Alliance plans to build a new office in the Punta Gorda City Center District.

Marketing Alliance was established in 2001 in Jackson, Mississippi, and has worked with over 200 communities in 18 states.

Integrity Wealth Management Inc., after providing financial services in the Sarasota area for 13 years, has opened a new office in Palmer Ranch, at 6561 Palmer Park Circle, Suite C.

The firm was founded by Sam Cione with the goal of bringing family-oriented financial advice to the Sarasota area.

« We are a passionate team of professionals dedicated to helping our clients live and retire well, » Cione said in a news release. « That strong sense of community and generational planning is still at the center of our core values. »

The firm specializes in conservative investment strategies, tax-efficient plans for distributions, life insurance and annuities. It also has relationships with accountants, attorneys and other specialists to ensure that its clients receive the right advice for their specific situation.

 (941) 955-2700. iwmfl.com/.

A lot of my friends barely read physical books or newspapers.

One of my brothers prefers to watch a documentary video about a topic of his interest than read a book or an article about it. He says he is more of a visual person, and that he can receive all the information he requires about a subject within an hour, as opposed to reading a book about it that could take a few days depending on its length.

There has been a lot of debate about whether print will become obsolete. A survey conducted by Pew Research last year found that half of American adults now own a tablet e-reader. When Kindle launched 10 years ago, the idea was revolutionary. Environment activists and tree lovers applauded it as that would mean more trees would be spared.

My mentor is a fan of the digital device, as he travels a lot and loves to travel light. “But if I like a book or a movie based on a book, I make sure to buy a hard copy to add it to my library,” he says.

With the enhancement of digital devices and platforms, what does that mean for marketing? Will video be the dominant marketing tool? You bet.

YouTube receives more than 1 million unique visitors every month, which is more than any other social media channel. Cisco, a leading American networking solution provider, published a study that predicted that in two years, 80 per cent of internet traffic will be online video, including everything from short social media videos, YouTube videos, and internet-to-TV videos. Just three years ago, that figure was 64 per cent.

That is not surprising. From personal work experience, I have also found from my marketing and branding consultancy that including a video in a social media marketing campaign is one of the best tools to get our message out there.

Many of Instagram’s GCC influencers have also started YouTube channels where they document their lives or discuss a topic of interest.

It does not stop only at influencers; many users have also started travel channels, or enjoy documenting their daily lives and sharing it with the world -as in the case of two of my teenage cousins.

_______________

Read more:

Forget millennials: brands need to be targeting Generation Z

Don’t lose heart when your dreams get crushed

Planning a party is like planning a business

_______________

SnapChat is one of the tools that is making the job more simple with its easy to add filters and video upload. The fact that the video will be deleted in 24 hours, one of SnapChat’s perks, has also encouraged many to upload silly videos that they know would not live in the internet forever and nor would they want them to.

But to predict whether video content will make written content obsolete and video become dominant is difficult, as much research online reveals.

Although e-books and videos are increasing in popularity, physical books have become popular again. The hashtag on Instagram – #bookstagram, for instance, – is gaining a growing following, where users share beautiful covers of books.

Penguin has republished classic books with a new artistic look, which have been very trendy mainly due to their own beautifully designed covers and how they have been marketed as collectibles.

Two of my friends are big fans and are always on the lookout for new, special editions by publishing houses, which they can add to their library, and decorate their social media feed with.

Still, as you market your brand, and especially if you are active on social media or if you want to raise awareness about your brand through its many channels, discounting video as a marketing tool is a huge mistake.

Video is not only more instantly engaging, especially for those on the go, it is also easy to share, via Whatsapp for instance, or other messenger tools. In the GCC, Whatsapp messages are mainly delivered in video format. GCC nationals are also very visual, and like concise information especially when it is consumed online.

According to Global Media Insight, the top active social chat apps and messengers in Saudi Arabia, for instance, are Whatsapp, followed by Facebook messenger and Skype. In addition the kingdom has the highest penetration of Twitter users in the world. The per capita consumption of YouTube is also the highest in the world.

Video marketing will not go away anytime soon. The availability of different video sharing platforms has made it easier than ever to share your story.

Manar Al Hinai is an award-winning Emirati writer who manages her branding and marketing consultancy in Abu Dhabi.

New technology, trends and techniques are likely to have an impact on how you do business in 2018. These changes can vary depending on your business or industry. But members of the online small business community have lots of experience updating their online marketing and other operations. Here are some tips to help your small business do the same.

Pay Attention to the Key Drivers of the Coming Digital Transformation

Technology is constantly transforming the methods businesses use to run their everyday operations. So if you want to keep up, you have to pay attention to the factors that drive that change. This post by Blair Evan Ball of Prepare 1 includes a rundown of some of those key drivers.

Don’t Believe These Myths About Video Social Media Marketing

Video has become a huge part of the social media strategy for a lot of businesses. But you can’t believe everything you hear about video social media marketing. In this Marketing Land post, Jordan Kasteler debunks some common myths about using video on social media.

Learn These Trends Regarding the Future of Content and SEO

Content marketing and SEO are two concepts that constantly change due to evolving trends, tools and technology. To learn more about the trends that could impact the future of content and SEO, check out this Content Marketing Institute post by Andy Betts.

Use These Techniques to Grow Your Business in 2018

Looking forward to 2018, you’ll need to grow your business in ways that are going to resonate with modern consumers. This post by Valentine Belonwu on Just Money Web includes some key tips for growing a business in 2018. And BizSugar members share thoughts on the post too.

Steer Clear of These Content Marketing Best Practices

There are some common tips and best practices for content marketers that might actually do more harm to your business than good. To avoid any negative impact from those marketing myths, check out the list and explanations in this post by Neil Patel.

Remember These Three Essentials for New Websites

A website is an essential part of any online marketing strategy. And there are some essential ingredients that go into making an effective website, as Ivan Widjaya of Noobpreneur reviews in this post.

Keep Your Core Values in Mind

As technology and trends change, your methods are likely to change as well. But one thing that shouldn’t change is your business’s core values. This Strella Social Media post by Rachel Strella includes a discussion on seeking clarity regarding those values. And members of the BizSugar community chime in here.

Improve Page Speed for More Traffic and Conversions

No matter what kind of fancy online marketing methods you use, all of your efforts can be derailed if your site loads too slowly. That’s why improving page speed can lead to more traffic and conversions for your small business. Jeremy Knauff elaborates in this Search Engine Journal post.

Follow This Legal Guide for Bloggers

There’s more to blogging than just throwing a few quick posts together. You need to consider legal issues like copyright and fair use images. This Process Street post by Ben Mulholland includes a guide you can use to navigate these legal issues for bloggers.

Use These Business Tools for Entrepreneurs

The tools you use to run your business can make a big difference in how you reach customers. The tools listed in this post by Vartika Kashyap on Onaplatterofgold.com can go a long way for your business. You can also see commentary on the post over on BizSugar.

If you’d like to suggest your favorite small business content to be considered for an upcoming community roundup, please send your news tips to: [email protected]

Discussing the Latest Trends photo via Shutterstock

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With more than a billion users now on YouTube, according to the company’s statistics page, it has never been more important for trucking companies to up their game on video marketing. “When you have videos on your website, you don’t have to knock on customers’ doors — they click on yours,” said Joe White, owner of CostDown Consulting, a trucking consultancy. “Effectively produced, written and [search engine] optimized, web videos provide 24/7 access to potential new clients.”

Joe Dysart

Kris Rzepkowski, executive director of marketing at Bennett International Group, agreed: “Trucking and logistics are inherently visual, which makes for great video. People just love to watch big jobs with big equipment. So I think there will continue to be opportunities to get lots of viewers.”

David Anderson, vice president of business development at Black Horse Carriers, said: “Video allows us to convey a lot of information in 20 to 30 seconds or less and does very well with mobile audiences, and we work very hard to make sure that our website, application process and marketing initiatives are mobile friendly — since a large percentage of our social media audience and our applications come from mobile users.”

Moreover, given that most video these days is consumed on the web in informal digital hangouts such as YouTube, Facebook and Instagram, truckers often can get away with releasing a promotional video with low production costs — as long as it packs a powerful emotional punch.

“There are thousands of well-produced, high-dollar videos that only have a few hundred views — we’ve got some of those ourselves,” said Rob Hatchett, vice president of communications and recruiting at Covenant Transportation Group. “But our No. 1 video of all time had basically no editing and cost us nothing to produce except for 30 minutes of filming. Still blows our mind to this day — but we gave the viewer what they wanted to see.”

Other industry executives also cited the unique value of video.

“In terms of testimonial messages from satisfied employees or customers, nothing is as valuable as being able to directly hear a person telling of their experience in their own voice on video,” said Pat Hightower, CEO of The Hightower Agency, a driver recruiting firm.

Greg Koepel, vice president of Roehl Transport, noted: “Our videos work in concert with all other forms of communications and marketing we employ to provide a holistic view of Roehl’s success.”

Fortunately, there has been an onslaught of new video marketing tools cropping up on the market, which can ensure your trucking business stays a step ahead of the competition when it comes to dazzling current and prospective customers with your message.

Here’s a representative sampling of some of the newest and most innovative tools:

• Windows Story Remix: Promised for release late this year, Remix will be one of the first video editing tools driven by artificial intelligence.

With Remix, you can create a video from scratch, or you can tap its AI tools to create a video for you. Essentially, the tool is designed to sense the kind of video you want after you input raw video — still photographs, animations, soundtracks and the like. After you’ve dropped in all your raw media, Story Remix automatically whips up a finished video, which you can use as is or tweak with its editing tools.

Story Remix also has pen and ink support, so you can handwrite a message over your video, or doodle over it. And it offers collaboration tools, which allow a number of users to work on a video together.

Remix is slated to pop up as a Windows app in the Windows store in late 2017. It also will be available on iOS and Android.

• Wochit: This is a video editing tool truckers can use with an interesting spin: Simply feed Wochit an article or other piece of text, and it will automatically roam the web to find licensed photos, videos and graphics that go with that text.

Currently used by a number of global news outlets to quickly generate videos for their articles, Wochit also offers a drag-and-drop canvas you can use to quickly drop in the photos, videos and other graphics it finds, so you can finish a video in record time.

• VideoScribe: Instead of spending hours trying to animate a still image, VideoScribe does all the animating for you. Indeed, any image placed on its canvas is instantly animated. And your video project can be finished with other tools in VideoScribe’s arsenal, including voiceover recording, soundtracks and calls-to-action elements.

• Microsoft Video Indexer: A work in progress, Video Indexer is designed to automatically analyze your video library and make it instantly searchable.

With Video Indexer, you can use a few keywords to find videos in your video library of certain words spoken in a video, images of a certain person or images of two people who have appeared together, for example. The analytics are not perfect yet. And you’ll need an IT person to get it working for you. But this tool — part of Microsoft Cognitive Services — is well worth monitoring.

• GoAnimate: This is a perfect program for trucking marketers looking to tell a story with animated characters. Enabling you to create animated videos with simple drag-and-drop tools, the program can automatically sync narration to go with the animated characters you pick for your video.

GoAnimate also has access to tens of thousands of animatable images that can be used in hundreds of industries and occupations. And it offers you the ability to import your own audio, image and video.

Similar animation products include PowToon, Animaker, Animatron, Moovly, Renderforest, Google Web Designer and Explee.

• StoriesAds.com: If you’re having trouble getting videos up on Instagram, StoriesAds.com can help. It’s specifically designed to make producing videos for distribution on Instagram a snap and is equipped with easy-to-use, drag-and-drop tools.

• Avid Media Composer First: AMC First is the light version of the already existing — and extremely high-powered — Avid Media Composer video editor. It’s a tool regularly used by TV shows and other video producers in Hollywood.

The light version is still plenty powerful, featuring four video tracks you can play with, along with eight audio tracks and a host of built-in visual effects, transitions, color correction presets and titling templates.

Essentially, the light version is designed to enable you to quickly cut together layers of video, dialog, music and sound effects to produce captivating, professional-quality video content.

“I’ve worked with other tools, but Avid’s model is the most efficient by far,” said Stuart Bass, a video editor at “The Office,” “Arrested Development” and other TV shows. “Learning Avid’s industry-standard tools has been essential in making me the successful editor that I am today.”

• YouTube Editor: Regularly updated, YouTube Editor is a basic video editor that enables truckers to automatically upload video clips, put together those clips to create new videos and publish them on YouTube quickly and easily.

You also have the option to make your videos more SEO-friendly by adding annotations and transcripts. And the editor has the ability to combine multiple videos, trim the clips, add music from a library of approved tracks and customize with special tools and effects.

Similar, regularly updated basic video editing products include Corel Video Studio, Adobe Premier Pro, Nutshell, Magisto, Animoto, Videoshop, Renderforest and iMovie.

• Vidyard: Another video creation and editing tool, Vidyard is different from others by emphasizing analytics tools, which can provide deep insight into who’s looking at your videos. Among the tools is an e-mail gate, which you can use to capture viewer e-mail addresses before they can view a video.

• HighTail: A trucking marketing team looking for a quickly assembled online space for collaborating on a video should consider HighTail. It allows you to effortlessly post a raw video, which team members can comment on via text to critique the creation process and move the video along to a finalized production. Essentially, HighTail is great for team-effort videos that need phase-by-phase approvals and creative input from multiple team members.

Joe Dysart is an internet speaker and business consultant based in Manhattan. Voice: (646) 233-4089. E-mail: joe@joedysart.com. Web: www.joedysart.com.

SCOOBA, Miss. (WCBI) – Marketing students at EMCC are getting experience in the transportation industry.

Yesterday, October 12, the students toured Airbus and the Golden Triangle Regional Airport, learning how each industry operates.

They also learned what it takes to keep these companies up and running, and profitable.

The students spoke to the pros about how helicopters and planes are made.

EMCC Marketing student Haley Tallent says, “It takes 350,000 hours of manpower to build each and everyone of these machines. And they want it done safely. They want us all safe so it does take a lot to build these machines.”

Students also say these field tours give them valuable, hands-on experience.