February 2014 – Digital Tsunami

3 videos with impact

Posted on 18 February, 201421 April, 2023 by Andrew Morse

Video has impact.

Visually, emotionally, commercially and especially on SEO.

For intensely visual humans, the power of strong video lies in converting images instantly into emotions.

For search engines, conveying data by video elevates the ranking in organic search results.

Three videos which I have presented recently in LinkedIn, Facebook and other social media, are impeccable examples of the creative art.

On Valentine’s Day, I was reminded of the brilliant video in which sensitive performances provided subtle counterpoint to a dramatic use of Post-It notes.

At a tech meet-up, a discussion of video led me to recall a simple concept conveyed by balletic camera movements. A British video for The Sunday Times which merged visuals from iconic artworks, TV shows and films into one seamless sequence.

Air New Zealand (ever creative in their approach to safety videos) collaborated with Sports Illustrated swimwear models on location in the Cook Islands, to bring a quirky style to engage frequent flyers.

Brilliantly conceived and executed videos are being produced every day, around the world. The ubiquity of handheld devices has been a revolution for video, which can be viewed in high definition, in your hand, on demand.

Occasionally a video impresses so much that it ‘goes viral’ and is shared relentlessly. ‘Old Spice Man’ was one such example. A single spot initiated a long campaign. The awareness and revitalisation which that well-established brand attained was extraordinary, and exceptionally cost-effective.

The ‘cut-through’ that can be achieved for your brand with a novel approach to presenting your products and services, is immense.

Digital Tsunami founder Andrew W Morse first started in film and video production in 1979. His expertise has extended to producing and directing; feature films, mini-series, corporate films, music videos and major television commercials.

If you are considering video for any aspect of your business, contact Digital Tsunami today.

World going mobile, as smartphone sales to exceed PCs

Posted on 8 February, 201421 April, 2023 by Andrew Morse

In 2014, the number of smartphones in use globally is anticipated to exceed the number of PCs.

The annual sales of smartphones exceeded desktop computers in 2013. PCs in use around the globe number more than 1.5 billion, and they are generally used for a longer span than smartphones, (which are more frequently replaced, as new models benefit from constant upgrades in memory, capacity and battery performance).

Tablets, while still a distant third in terms of numbers in use, are expected to start outselling PCs next year.

In 2015, smartphone worldwide sales are projected to reach 776 million units.

Related: Mobile video consumption data

While the PC installed base is estimated using 5-year trailing PC sales, the smartphone and tablet installed base uses 2-year trailing sales.

However, anecdotal evidence may indicate a more conservative rate should apply to PCs, as many home and small business computers remain in use beyond 5 years. PC sales are on a global decline as this Statista chart illustrates.

Nonetheless, the increased sales, traffic and time on smartphones and tablets merely reflects a global trend in ever-accelerating volume of mobile computing. The increasingly frequent use of handheld devices for timeshifting, second screening, social networking, pre-purchase research, m.commerce and mobile video are all changing patterns of user behaviour.

What does this mean for businesses?

For all enterprise, large and small, the trend in mobile means a refocusing of marketing and operations onto handheld devices. Fundamentally that means ensuring your brand is presented effectively online, in video and in social media.

To avoid miniaturisation of a standard website, and adapt to the size and orientation of handheld device screens, the online presence must be built with responsive design
To maximise visual impact and propel your brand forward, videos (of between 1’00” and 2’00” duration) are the most effective. Search engine optimisation (SEO) is also best served with video, as Google ranking is considerably higher for content presented in video, than the identical content in text and images only
To maximise community engagement, client advocacy and prospect opportunities and SEO, social media platforms must be created and curated. If your business does not have the in-house resources to moderate, generate and curate content, an external supplier should be engaged to train or supply this service for your brand

Related: Social Media for business

Digital Tsunami can assist in developing an eStrategy for your brand. We listen carefully to you requirements and objectives, propose appropriate solutions which will achieve your goals, and implement online and offline collaterals to effectively promote your brand.

In Nov 2013, Statista reported that over a six year period, the rate of increase of global IP traffic (in petabytes of data per month) for smartphones (146%), had exceeded that for PCs, over the same span of time (127%). Data source: Cisco.

To maximise the impact of your brand in mobile, contact us today.

Sources:
Statista
Litmos (image)

Interactive mapping for government water authority

Posted on 6 February, 201421 April, 2023 by Andrew Morse

In a sunburnt country, a land of ‘droughts and flooding rains’, a government water management authority has launched a new responsive web presence which effectively communicates the complexity of environmental water (e-water) management.

E-water is a share of water which is specifically and purposefully managed by humans to benefit the environment, by either reserving water or releasing volumes into rivers, creeks and wetlands. The Lachlan Riverine Working Group (LRWG) acts in an advisory capacity to manage environmental water in the Lachlan, assisting with the implementation of the Lachlan Environmental Watering Management Plan (LEWMP) and Lachlan Annual Environmental Water Plan.

Membership of the LRWG is comprised of representatives of the Lachlan Catchment Management Authority, which provides administrative support and inter-agency liaison, the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage, the NSW Office of Water, Department of Primary Industries (Fisheries), State Water Corporation, and Aboriginal, community (including consumptive water users) and landholder representatives. To remain independent, the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder, as part of the Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities, has an observer role within the LRWG.

The LRWG has received recognition for its work, as both a finalist in the national Banksia Environmental Awards 2012 and recipient of The NSW Green Globe Award 2012.

Digital Tsunami developed a sophisticated, responsive and technically advanced web presence for the organisation, implementing an interface by Sydney design house, Fresco Creative.

The new site features interactive Google maps overlaid with location markers for: catchment areas, rivers and creeks, weirs and dams, fishways; nationally and regionally significant wetlands; as well as past and current watering events. These maps enable the plotting of water courses and the setting of irregular catchment areas, to dynamically demonstrate the impact of the water releases upon both farming land and the environment.

Dynamic ‘accordion’ panels are utilised for many pages, including the glossary and publications; sortable tabs enable segmentation of FAQ, news items and videos; on larger screens a full-screen vectored background graphic in visible; reverse chronological order is applied to the newsletter archive; and all text, images, documents and videos are managed by a hierarchically structured, sophisticated and easy-to-use WordPress content management system (CMS).

In the past, Digital Tsunami has delivered marketing communications solutions to other government departments in Australia, Belgium and Hong Kong, in the sectors of education and training, infrastructure and tourism.

Foodbank Victoria website launched

Posted on 1 February, 201421 April, 2023 by Andrew Morse

A new web presence has just launched for Foodbank Victoria, a state-wide logistics supplier, providing a warehousing and distribution conduit between the food producers, manufacturers and retailers and the hundreds of charities and community groups which feed hungry families and individuals across the state.

Foodbank Victoria is part of Foodbank in Australia, the largest hunger relief organisation in the country.

The original web strategy was conceived by advertising agency Euro RSCG (now Havas Worldwide), and the design was a result of a close collaboration with Digital Tsunami and the client.

Digital Tsunami developed a sophisticated web presence for the national organisation Foodbank in Australia, which has been progressively deployed for each of the state and territory organisations.

In 2012-2013, Foodbank Victoria distributed nearly 10 million meals to those in need. The statistics are impressive:

of those assisted, 37% were children
donations were received from 284 farmers, manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers
546 community partners helped distribute food to those in need
25,000 hours of support was donated by corporate, skilled and permanent volunteers and disability group members
every month, 125,000 Victorians facing crisis, were assisted
4,953,751 kilograms of food were distributed across the state
the equivalent of 9,902,502 meals (of 500g each), were provided to the community

View a raft of videos on Foodbank Victoria’s YouTube channel.

The website features full-screen vectored background images, dynamic statistics, integrated videos, archived publications, donation forms with secure e.commerce, and hierarchical access to a sophisticated and easy-to-use WordPress content management system (CMS).

From the start of 2000 to the end of 2013, Digital Tsunami provided thousands of hours of creative and technical support to Foodbank in Australia on a pro-bono basis, as a corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative. This support has culminated in the development, hosting and technical support of this contemporary web presence for Foodbank at national, state and territory levels.