If the web buzz is to be believed, personalized creative content is the next big thing.

But it really isn’t. What it is, in fact, is a manifesto of a company’s need to shift its marketing to “Web 2.0” mode: a credo of engagement, participation, and discussion, all fueled by the use of various media methods to create interest in you and what or whom you represent (product, personality, cause, service).

It includes web presence and interactivity, from blogs and podcasts to video broadcasts and regular marketing videos, all offered free of charge as valuable information that may or may not include your main product or message. The important thing is what the customer wants to know. In the case of a brand, it can be the brand’s history or culture. In the case of a product, it could be how the product is made. In the case of a service, it could be knowing the people who provide the service.

All of this revolves around a MIX of media, from the web to those marketed or directly presented. A website, YouTube, a blog or a forum, even Twitter and photo sequences (and slideshows, remember?) But also a DVD, a direct mail (snail), TV commercials, newsletters (web and paper ) and viral campaigns.

It is not enough to hire a web specialist, a programmer or a video producer. Your consultant needs to know how all of these activities intersect. They must have been there and know where to go. They have to know your story and feel your vision. They have to be able to create content.

We’ve been doing that since we were kids. But we have been looking forward just as long. We are no strangers to videos, meetings and presentations, audio, streaming, blogs or RSS feeds. We hear. We analyze We propose. We execute. All the media, all the details. We measure, report, respond, refine and improve. We increase your page views, improve your image, get you applause, and earn you the response you need.

What is custom creative content? It’s a story, on many different levels.

• Level one: Concept. What’s the plan? Who is the audience, where are they, what turns them on?
• Level two: Words. The plan for everything else that will follow.
• Level three: media selection, based on the above.
• Level four: Design. Make sure there is a common look and feel for all your content.
• level five: Creatively exploit each medium to the fullest, in light of your strategy. Testimonials? Interviews? Flow animations? Mental maps?
• Level Six: Put messages where they will be found. Web-centric? Straight? Mass media? Living room? Fair? Brochure, free DVD, YouTube?
• Level Seven: Before you pay for exposure, maximize your free exposure. Keyword optimization. presence forum. Street gangs. public relations Speakers Bureaus. Viral video. mouth to mouth
• Level Eight: Action Tracking. See what works. Modify. Your keywords. your creative. Your placement in the media. Your presence on the web. Here’s the thing… you can make changes, even on video, overnight.
• Level Nine: Build on your success. Now, YOU are the expert. Being interviewed, appearing on other people’s podcasts. Become the reference person at a local or national level on your topic.
• Level Ten: Never stop listening and talking. Everything has to be two-way, whether you’re handwriting your own responses, using autoresponders, or virtual assistants.

In the advertising business, this used to be called a campaign. But an advertising campaign was simple.

This is a Hydra. This is now. and this works

www.videohistory.com