CLEVELAND, Ohio – Filmmaker and popular YouTube vlogger Casey Neistat will be among the keynote speakers at this year’s Content Marketing World in Cleveland.

Neistat is known as a technology developer and digital native influencer, according to a press release from Content Marketing World. His video sharing company, Beme, recently was acquired by CNN; now Neistat and CNN are creating a new digital network to be led by Neistat, the release said.

« In his YouTube video, ‘Draw My Life,’ Neistat says ‘Storytelling changed my life,’  » said Joe Pulizzi, founder of the Content Marketing Institute, in a press release. « At the heart of what content marketers do, we want to use consistent storytelling to positively affect the lives of our customers. Casey can explain his journey to our attendees, share some inspiration, and show our audience how they can do what Casey so successfully did. »

Content Marketing World, the largest content marketing gathering in the world, is set for Sept. 5-8 at the Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland.

Neistat, who was born in Connecticut, became known for a 2003 three-minute film « iPod’s Dirty Secret, » which exposed the lack of a battery replacement program for the device.

About 4,000 participants are expected to attend Content Marketing World, which includes more than 120 sessions and workshops, and more than 200 speakers. The presenters are some the leading brand marketers from around the world, according to organizers.

Neistat will deliver a keynote address on Sept. 6. Pulitzer Prize winner Colson Whitehead, author of « The Underground Railroad, » will be the keynote speaker at Content Marketing World on Sept. 7.

Register by visiting this link.

Video marketing is not just an option, it’s a critical part of any marketing campaign. It is the use of video content to promote your products, services and brand. Video marketing can increase your SEO ranking, click rates and conversions. It is also easily accessible with a smartphone as customers can view your videos anywhere at any time. Video marketing is more cost effective than traditional media, and if you are still not convinced, then here are some reasons why this should be adopted as your #1 marketing strategy:

Your conversion rate can increase by 80% when a video is included on the landing page of your website, because 2X as many people would love to watch a video about your products than read it.

Most mobile video viewers share videos with their friends, family and people within their network. There are also over 1 billion YouTube users and this is about one-third of the total internet users.

When creating video content for marketing, it is important to understand that it is not a sales pitch, but a means to tell a story. Do not irritate your customers by overtly promoting your products or services; instead focus on the value you are providing for them. Video marketing is about understanding your customers’ needs, wants and desires and channeling it through a visual narrative.

Create a video when launching a new product or service, demonstrating how it works. Most viewers remember 90% of the message when watching it in a video, compared to when reading it in print. How-to videos can also increase your sales margin because they constitute almost 30% of YouTube inquiries. Lest we forget, YouTube is the second largest search engine next to Google, and more people will be encouraged to buy your products or patronise your services after watching how-to videos explaining the way the products work. Many companies are also engaging the services of Vloggers/Influencers to create videos around their products which provide more insights for the customers.

You have just ten seconds to deliver your message to the customers. That is the length of time it takes to get the viewer hooked, before they switch over to the next exciting video online. Studies show that you will lose 1/3 of your viewers by 30 seconds, and 60 percent of them by two minutes. The window you have to get the message across and convince the viewers that your products is worth buying is very short. To grab the customers’ attention, start your video with a hook and deliver your message in a clear and creative manner. Create videos that are short, crisp and straight to the point.

Content is King. Although as a small business owner, you may not have the budget to produce ultra-technical videos which are professionally scripted with high quality production but that should not discourage you. Video quality is not the most important criteria when it comes to video marketing. About 40% of viewers are turned off by a video that doesn’t give precise information about a product or service compared to 25% who are discouraged by a low quality video. Don’t let the fact that you don’t have a professional video deter you, your smartphones are also capable to making great videos.

Another area to explore is animated videos, because it has proven to be equally effective. Animations are eye-catching, because they use simple lines and bright colours to keep the customers’ attention glued to the screen. It is also designed to deliver the message in a clearer way and it can include charts and graphs. This will be easily understood because they flow along with a voice-over explanation. Animated videos are versatile and can be used to promote any product or service, it makes a serious topic more interesting and fun to grasp.

Thou shall not be boring. Engage your viewers, show them a new trick or make them laugh, because everybody loves comedy. It is also the most popular form of online content which always top the chart; next to it are music and news. Comedy skit is the latest rave taking over the internet, with many YouTube and Instagram videos popping up. These comedians have collaborated with some businesses and produced very popular video skits.

Never say you are in a boring line of business, videos can still be employed to attract customers and win their loyalty especially if they are relevant to things they can relate to.

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Facebook has commenced its first global B2B campaign focused on growth marketing. The goal of the campaign is to help performance marketers evolve their growth strategies on Facebook, to best meet the demands and expectations of consumers in a mobile-first world, according to a release from the company.

In the US, a 30-day ad campaign will mark the launch of the global campaign, dubbed ‘Discover Growth’. Ads, which include short video and gifs as well as a number of print ads to be used offline, will be aimed at direct response marketers and traditional brands looking to drive growth on Facebook.

The on-platform portion of the campaign will deliver one ad per day on Facebook, Instagram and the Audience Network with relevant direct response data and insights. Ads will be a mix of video lead and links ads, where marketers can choose to sign up to learn more or click through to the campaign landing page going live today (July 19).

“People are spending more time and consuming more information on mobile than ever before, and it has changed the way people discover, engage with and purchase from a business,” said Michelle Klein, North America marketing director for Facebook.

“As a result, there is no longer a ‘moment of truth’ in the customer journey. The purchase cycle has been completely turned on its head and ‘the moment’ happens at any point in time. That’s why Facebook is launching the ‘Discover Growth’ campaign – to help marketers and agencies tap into these shifts in consumer behavior to grow their business – particularly as they prepare for the busiest retail period of the year this coming holiday season.”

The ads each use the data they have collected from Facebook users to create witty statements including: “There are 50 million coffee addicts on Facebook. Get more people buzzing for any brand. Your new customers are waiting. Find them on Facebook.”

Marketers that sign up via a lead ad to learn more will receive four weeks of direct mailings from Facebook, with more information about how they can find new customers on the platform.

At the end of the 30 days, marketers who engaged with the campaign will be served a Collections ad on Facebook, with the ability to ‘shop’ for a complimentary gift.

RUTLAND, Vt. (AP) – Sponsors of a $200,000 marketing initiative hope to entice professionals working in cities like New York and Boston to visit and eventually live there.

The initiative rebrands Rutland County as the Killington Valley and a new video highlights the region as a mountain biking destination. WVPS-FM reports (http://bit.ly/2tqp37a ) the video is the beginning of a 10-year, online effort to tout the assets of Rutland County.

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Generation Z is currently the youngest generation — those born during or after 1995. They are the first generation to have been born when the personal computer, cell phone and internet were ubiquitous. In short, they are the first truly digitally immersed generation.

At present, Gen Z appears to be enamored with Instagram. According to findings published in The Drum, 88% of Gen Z regularly uses Instagram. Marketers who rely on Instagram to create brand awareness and drive meaningful business outcomes should be aware that there are a few unique characteristics common to Gen Z. This article will walk readers through how to go about marketing to Gen Z on Instagram.

1. Interview Gen Z Customers To Create A Persona

As with any demographic, marketers should first create a buying persona that helps everyone at the company to better understand the target customer. If Gen Z is indeed a target customer, then it makes sense for the marketing team to interview Gen Z customers and prospects to understand their demographic and psychographic makeup.

While there are many different methods that can be used to create a marketing persona, there are a few important things all marketers should understand. First, it can be helpful to know what Gen Z customers are interested in when they’re shopping for a product or service similar to the brand you represent. What influences their decision making? When are they typically interested in purchasing a product or service? What are their expectations of the buying process?

Second, marketers should understand how Gen Z customers like to consume information. Are members of Gen Z using Instagram to discover new products, or are they using Instagram to research products they have already discovered via other channels (or both)?

Finally, marketers should understand if the answers to the questions above vary in different segments of the Gen Z population. Are the differences geographic, demographic or to do with other factors?

 2. Use Instagram Stories

 According to a survey referenced in Social Media Week, 78% of respondents said they use Snapchat at least once a day. Furthermore, 88% of respondents said they use Snapchat to keep in touch with friends. But what does Snapchat have to do with Instagram?

Instagram Stories is a feature derived from the mechanics of Snapchat. That means that Gen Z Instagram users are likely using Instagram Stories, since it resembles how they use Snapchat. For brands interested in connecting with Gen Z customers or prospects, using Instagram Stories can be a great way to connect.

3. Experiment With Instagram Video

 A report from Defy Media suggests that 50% of Gen Z respondents could not live without YouTube. These findings make contextual sense given the rise of popular YouTubers who appeal specifically to Gen Z. For brands interested in marketing to Gen Z on Instagram, it therefore makes sense to consider creating video content. For example, brands like GoPro (a favorite among Gen Z) share a considerable amount of video content.

GoPro

GoPro engages Generation Z with video content.

Note that the subject of the GoPro video above is a Gen Zer. This helps the GoPro brand to better engage one of their target demographics.

4. Invest In Instagram Analytics

Without understanding how Instagram content is performing, it will be difficult for Instagram marketers to know if the channel is performing well. While Instagram offers some analytics features out of the box, there are a number of third-party Instagram Analytics platforms that can be helpful when trying to reach out to Gen Z.

Some tools have the ability to find the ideal time to post given the makeup of Instagram followers. Others have the ability to track how content performs, making it easy for marketers to understand what does and does not resonate with a specific audience.

Investing in an Instagram analytics tool will help marketing teams create content that truly resonates with Gen Z followers.

5. Collaborate With Gen Z Influencers

Findings referenced in Axios highlight just how different Gen Z influencers are from the celebrities popular with other generations. Well-known influencers include Amandla Stenberg (made famous by her appearance in The Hunger Games) and Shawn Mendes (a popular YouTube singer). Finding an influencer who has a bona fide Gen Z audience can help brands connect with an otherwise hard-to-reach demographic.

Doron Sherman, Vice President Evangelism at Cloudinary

Last month, the leading Content Management solution provider Cloudinary announced its partnership with WebPagetest. Together with WebPagetest, Cloudinary is providing measurable and actionable information about how to go beyond simple compression to optimize web performance. The Cloudinary Website Speed Test Image Analysis Tool will enable WebPagetest users to discover how changes to image size, format selection, quality and encoding parameters can drastically improve website speed and ultimately result in a better user experience for web visitors. We spoke to Doron Sherman, Vice President Evangelism at Cloudinary to understand the rise of visual internet and the optimization of content delivery networks.

MTS: Tell us about the size of your marketing team? Which are your current markets?

Doron Sherman: Currently, there are five people on the marketing team and several contractors. In terms of markets, Cloudinary benefits businesses that operate a website with a lot of assets that need to be managed, in particular images and videos. Cloudinary is particularly essential for any business where user experience of its website and mobile app properties impacts business performance. For those, Cloudinary improves page load time via optimal delivery of high-quality content, personalized for each and every user, based on device type, network bandwidth, and geographical location. That said, we see the strongest demand for our services in the e-commerce vertical.

Recommended Read: Content Management Systems with Web Analytics Social Media Integrations Key to Industry

MTS: Cloudinary uses advanced algorithms for Image Management. Could you elaborate further on the technology? Does it run on AI/ML?

Doron Sherman: Cloudinary shows users how to encode, optimize, and resize images, and the impact that will have on page load time. Cloudinary takes into account many factors, from device type and viewport size to the type of browser on which the image is viewed. Advanced algorithms, including the use of AI and machine learning, are dynamically employed to achieve results that otherwise are only possible via manual human editing and decision making. For example, Cloudinary can automatically detect the type of image content in order to encode it in the optimal format and quality settings. Another example is art direction where Cloudinary performs face detection (or objects of prime interest) within the image in order to automatically crop the region of interest. Yet another example is calculating image breakpoints for optimal delivery of images according to responsive design principles (responsive images). Our customers expect us to continue releasing smart features that save them from tedious manual work and that means Cloudinary will increase use of AI and machine learning going forward.

Read Also: Arkadium Brings Artificial Intelligence to Content Generation

MTS: Do you offer integrations with any of the marketing automation and cloud platforms?

Doron Sherman: Integration with marketing automation solutions isn’t currently available out of the box. However, Cloudinary offers open REST APIs following standard URL syntax that can easily integrate into any platform and programming environment. We have customers doing that today without our help. In some cases, we engage our solutions team to customize such integrations for customer projects. Last but not least, the developer community releases third-party integrations created as open-source projects that albeit not commercially supported by Cloudinary, are valuable for implementing system integrations.

Read Also: Social Native Unveils Content Optimization Engine; Becomes the Youngest Instagram Content Marketing Partner

MTS: Considering the increasing focus marketers now give to User Experience, do you think videos will ultimately replace images as digital assets in next few months?

Doron Sherman: I don’t see that happening wholesale anytime soon but interest in video content is growing in a number of application segments, particularly those involving social sharing and social networking. Currently, images are 60 percent of a website’s weight, and we are still seeing developers and companies struggle to get those properly optimized.

Video presents an even bigger challenge of content management and optimized delivery, an area in which Cloudinary keeps investing heavily to offer compelling solutions that are flexible and easy-to-use. A big part of the challenge is providing a satisfactory user experience on mobile devices that entail unreliable communication bandwidth and a wide variety of device types (in terms of both computing power and display resolutions).

Cloudinary is focused on technology that enables striking the right balance to effectively display high-quality video content utilizing file sizes that adhere to the prevailing end-user delivery constraints. It’s important to note that the internet is not an unlimited resource and isn’t currently setup to support the amount of bandwidth required for everyone to switch over to large video content.

Recommended Read: 5 Ways to Disrupt Video Marketing in 2017

MTS: How do you see the B2B video marketing market evolving with the advent of new technologies? How is Cloudinary positioning itself for the competition?

Doron Sherman: Marketers are relying more and more on video content because it is a new and effective way to engage with consumers, but the current way we leverage video content is unwieldy and time-consuming. Most marketers have to drop video content into a file share service like Dropbox to share content because they aren’t able to send these size files over traditional methods, such as email. It is also important to make sure you are using modern video formats such as WEBM vs GIF, which is a 30-year-old format.

At Cloudinary we were ahead of the curve as we started working on video optimization in 2015. We offer the same solutions for video content as we do for images, helping our users to optimize their media without sacrificing the quality of what is being delivered. As we look towards some exciting announcements in the pipeline for this year, we plan to make the management of video content even easier.

Read Also: Searchmetrics Content Experience Creates New Paradigm For B2B Content Marketers and Story-Tellers

MTS: Thanks for taking the time to chat with us Doron. We look forward to having at MarTech Series again for more insights.

Stay tuned for more on business insights on marketing automation, content marketing, video ad tech, programmatic and header-bidding technologies. To participate in our Tech Bytes program, email us at news@martechseries.com

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Ten years after Kim Kardashian‘s sex tape first surfaced, more footage from that sexy vacation with Ray J has leaked. Yes, one decade later, we are still talking about Kim and Brandy’s little brother.

In the new home video, released by Radar Online, Kim can be seen cheering on her boyfriend at a bar as he gives a mystery blonde a lap dance. Shouting « take it off » in the background, a then 23-year-old Kim cheers on her man as he takes off his shirt and shows off his washboard abs before joining him on stage. For more NSFW details about the tape, check out the video below.

MORE: Ray J Claims Kim Kardashian Cheated on Him During Their Relationship — « She Was a Player »

The KUWTK star has always denied leaking the original sex tape, Kim K Superstar, but did express regret about the home video. “You know, I think that’s how I was definitely introduced to the world,” she told Oprah Winfrey of the XXX video. “It was a negative way, so I felt like I really had to work 10 times harder to get people to see the real me.”

She continued, « I have to live with the choices I have made,” she said. “And I can’t dwell on it.”

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Danielle Bregoli and a Makeup-Free Kim Kardashian Meet — and All We Have Is This Photo

NEW YORK, NY (July 18, 2017) – How the cable TV industry now offers more value and services for Hispanic subscribers than ever before will be the key topic of a special one-on-one discussion and presentation at the 15^th Annual Hispanic Television Summit featuring Javier Garcia, Comcast Cable’s Senior Vice President and General Manager for Multicultural Services.   Attendees of the Summit, presented by NewBay Media’s Broadcasting Cable and Multichannel News, will be treated to the unique perspective from the industry’s leader of what’s trending now, and what is on the horizon for Hispanic consumers of pay TV, video, phone and internet services.

Comcast Cable serves some of the largest Hispanic markets in the U.S. and therefore reaches a significant percentage of Latino television and internet households in America. The company has long been successful in its approach to attracting and retaining Latino consumers as their customers.  This one-on-one conversation and presentation will offer fresh perspectives on the company’s latest strategies and upcoming initiatives to serve its growing number of Hispanics in their customer base. 

Garcia is responsible for multicultural programming, as well as directing, designing and implementing Comcast’s multicultural services strategy across Xfinity’s Video, Internet, Voice and Home products. He drives the long-term product vision and strategy and collaborates with various Comcast divisions to develop competitive pricing, positioning and marketing strategies.

“Javier is a great addition to our line-up of featured speakers at this year’s Hispanic Television Summit,” said Louis Hillelson, Group Publisher and Vice President of NewBay Media’s Broadcasting Cable and Multichannel News. He continued, “Javier and his team at Comcast set the industry standard in so many ways. Our attendees will be able to get the latest trend information, fresh ideas, pricing strategies, and hopefully some inspiration for serving Hispanics.”

The 15^th Annual Hispanic Television Summit, will be presented by NewBay Media’s Broadcasting Cable and Multichannel News on Thursday October 19, 2017 at the Sheraton New York Hotel. The Summit is the most popular, and longest running annual event for executives in the business of television and video for Hispanic audiences, worldwide. It attracts nearly 500 executives from the U.S., Latin America and Europe. The Summit was created fifteen years ago, by Joe Schramm and has been produced for Broadcasting Cable and Multichannel News every year since by the Schramm Marketing Group.   This year, the Summit will be one of a series of conferences and events to be presented by NewBay Media during NYC Television Week, October 16-19, 2017.  

To enjoy the early bird rate for this Summit, register by Monday, September 11, 2017 at https://nbmedia.swoogo.com/TVWEEK2017.

To learn more about the 15^th Annual Hispanic Television Summit, visit www.hispanictvsummit.com.

About NEWBAY MEDIA

NewBay Media is positioned at the center of the world’s most dynamic industries — Music, AV/Pro Audio, Consumer Electronics/Gaming, Video Broadcast and Education. We connect and inform millions of constituents in these industries through our award-winning content, integrated media capabilities and high-profile network-building and informative events. NewBay proudly serves some of the broadest B-to-B professional and music enthusiast communities in the world through over 35 print and digital publications, more than 35 integrated web and mobile applications, more than 60 e-newsletters, over 50 conferences and conventions, custom marketing services and e-commerce capabilities. Find out more at www.newbaymedia.com

About Schramm Marketing Group

Schramm is a marketing agency that specializes in multicultural and segmented marketing, ticket sales promotions, and producing conferences for the television and video industry. The company is recognized for its expertise in attracting large, sold-out crowds for international soccer and for driving pay TV subscription sales.  They recently launched Fantastico.nyc where Latinos buy tickets online in Spanish. Schramm created and produces the Hispanic Television Summit as well as other internationally-recognized conferences.  Schramm’s clients include the leading brands in sports, television, entertainment, telecommunications, and non-profits.  For more information, visit www.schrammnyc.com

– WWE’s latest Top 10 video above looks at creative cheaters. Eddie Guerrero throwing a chair at Mr. Kennedy, causing the referee to think Kennedy had used it to award the match to Guerrero, topped the list. Also featured are The Rock using taped remarks from Mankind to win their « I Quit » match, Kurt Angle using his brother to defeat The Undertaker and the Bella Twins using « twin magic. »

– WWE announced today that it has selected Lagardère Sports as its international sponsorship sales agency. From their press release:

As part of the new relationship, the global sports marketing agency will leverage its sponsorship expertise and worldwide sales network to develop the partnership portfolio for the global media and entertainment company in all international regions, except China. As part of this, Lagardère Sports will provide WWE with global sponsorship support and analysis, a custom international sponsorship sales approach and lead on the ground sales efforts.

Lagardère Sports is a full-service sports marketing agency with more than 50 years’ experience and a robust network with offices in more than 70 cities and 1,600 employees globally. The agency is one of the leading marketers of sports rights and has relationships with more than 60,000 rights-holders, brands, hospitality clients and broadcasters globally. Lagardère Sports also has relationships with more than 100 European football clubs, three FIFA associations, and several major U.S. professional sports leagues.

– Paige and Alberto El Patron made their first public appearance following their domestic dispute at the Orlando airport last week. PWInsider posted the video above of the couple at a soccer game on Sunday:

Reader Victoria Gonzales sent along this video of @PrideOfMexico @RealPaigeWWE at soccer game in San Antonio today. pic.twitter.com/rQq0vvkKaQ

— PWInsider.com (@PWInsidercom) July 17, 2017

Eric Robinson and Charles Maynard contributed to this article. Follow Raj Giri on Twitter at @RajGiri_303. Got a news tip or correction? Send it to us by clicking here.

The new Snap Publisher toolSnap

Snap wants to make it easier for advertisers to go vertical.

Starting today, advertisers of all sizes will be able to create full screen video ads in less than two minutes using just a web browser, thanks to a slick new creative tool called Snapchat Publisher.

The tool comes on the heels of a particularly brutal week for Snapchat’s parent Snap, with its stock sliding and several banks cutting their price targets on its stock. The company faces intense pressure to grow its ad business as a newly-public company, with both investors and advertisers being worried about slowing user growth as Instagram ramps up its efforts to crush Snapchat.

Snapchat made it possible for brands of all stripes to buy ads via a self-serve buying option called Ad Manager just last month. Now, with Snap Publisher marketers have a new set of tools that they can use to quickly craft Snapchat-oriented ads.

Here’s how it works: Brands can open the Snap Publisher tool and click on the “Create a Snap” option. They can then choose their desired template, and easily upload their own photos, videos and logos to the templates, before saving and publishing their ads to Snapchat’s Ad Manager.

 Brands — particularly small businesses — haven’t had it easy when it comes to advertising on Snapchat so far. Until now, they were forced to spend considerable time and resources to reformat and convert their existing assets into Snapchat’s vertical video format.

The Publisher tool theoretically levels the playing field, allowing brands to quickly and efficiently create Snap ads by importing their existing brand assets and trimming their horizontal videos for the vertical format. One feature, for example, even uses computer vision to detect when a video switches scenes, and allows brands to automatically cut videos along these scene changes or select just one scene for the ad.

« Not all creative agency partners are used to creating videos just for platform, » Sherwin Su, associate social director at digital agency Essence, had told Business Insider in an earlier interview.

Snapchat isn’t the first only digital media player to provide ad creation tools geared toward ad agencies and brands. Snap’s rival Facebook, for example, has the tools Ads Manager, Power Editor and Creative Hub.

But in Snapchat’s case, marketers can both build and buy ads in a single web-based interface. 

« The user interface and user experience is fairly intuitive, and it was pretty easy to get ads up and running, » Adrienne Gaines, head of marketing at ‎Function of Beauty, an up-and-coming beauty brand that participated in a beta test for the new tool, told Business Insider. « Snap Publisher removes the barriers to entry and makes it easy for smaller brands to advertise on the platform. »

Gaines added that the brand had pushed Snapchat aside as a part of its marketing mix until now, because it had a limited marketing budget and not a ton of video creative. But the tool allowed Function of Beauty to test out ads just by animating and enhancing its existing product images.

The brand targeted a female millennial audience using these ads, testing them out over a period of two days. The ads drove viewers to its website for a quiz, and the brand was able to pay 50% less than what it pays for ads on its other social media channels, said Gaines.

According to Gaines, Function of Beauty’s beta-test was successful. But she wondered what might happen to ad pricing on Snapchat as more marketers come on board.