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Web Videos - Free video hosting or Paid?

As video production gets more affordable and broadband connections become the norm, embedding video on your website becomes a viable option.

Video has impact - and with all your competitors only just a click away - can be an ideal way to retain attention and ensure that your website gets over your message.

Web video applications

• Product demonstrations - Dyson commercials have been very successful
• Talking heads - sales pitches in the Cillit Bang approach
• Walk-throughs and virtual tours - popular with estate agents and property developers
• Infommercials - you know, the hard sell DVDs they have in department stores
• Web adverts - or webverts, as some people are calling them

The historical problem has been the expense, videos take a tremendous amount of bandwidth and hard disc space on the server.

One quick and easy solution is upload your video to a free video sharing service, such as YouTube, Google Video or Vimeo.

Although these companies offer free hosting, there are some compromises that have to be paid for: poor quality video resolution and sound, the fact that it is open to the public, and that the video branded and has a link that takes customers away from your website.

With Paid Video Hosting you have improved audio and visual quality, the choice of screen size, resolution, opening frame and other customization.

Dedicated video hosting at Northstar starts from as little as £10 per month. Check out our video production page for further information.

Web video production - Video Tours

Northstar was contracted by Ancar B Technologies to provide video house tours on behalf of their client Barnes Homes.

Two cameramen with broadcast quality equipment were dispatched to six houses in three locations over a couple of days to capture the footage.

Three hours of video was then edited down in 6 Video Tours of under 3 minutes each.

The final edits were provided in DV, FLV and QuickTime formats for their web developers to then embed on the Barnes Homes website.

With the advances in technology reducing the production software and widespread broadband delivery, web video is now a viable and cost effective tool in online marketing.

Read more about Northstar Video Production

German Coast Guard

Other videos you might like:

• VW Bomber - Volkswagen denied this controversial viral
• Dynamite surfing - Saatchi & Saatchi’s viral for Quicksilver

VW bomber - Viral video

Volkswagen became the focus of worldwide attention within days of the release this viral video.

The video shows a middle eastern man jumping into a car, and pulling up outside a busy restaurant before  blowing himself up - leaving the car intact. Then the slogan, “Polo: small but tough”, appears.

Volkswagen said it was outraged by the spoof advert, which became the fifth most talked about item on internet weblogs.

The production values, to me look enormous. There is now way this wasn’t condoned and paid for by someone with substantial resources.

Still, it’s a great commercial. The likes we don’t see on TV these days.

“Volkswagen UK and its agencies strenuously deny that they have any involvement in the creation of a viral advertisement.”

Dynamite Surfing

This viral advert was made for Quicksilver by Saatch & Saarchi Copenhagen.

It’s been circulating the web for many months now and is a classic example of how cost effective the internet can be to get your message across.

I can’t think of any other media that would be more effective for targeting those hard to reach 16 to 28 year age group.

Statoil TV commercial

Statoil - Bad Morning?

As temperatures plummet across the UK, here is a little TV commercial that will warm the cockles of your heart: a free coffee promotion by Statoil - a Norwegian oil company.

Doesn’t sound promising? Take a look; great casting, editing and directing.

I Want To Be A Rockstar

For all those people settling down to another week of commuting, meetings and Excel spreadsheets - here’s a brilliant video to remind you of your childhood air-guitar dreams.

Lip-synching is a simple technique that’s been done a million times before, but that doesn’t detract from its impact.

They add to the global reach by having their performers in front of landmarks such as the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Times Square and St Paul’s Cathedral.

Nickelback’s video is brilliantly executed with guest appearances from the public, Gene Simmons (KISS), Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top) and numerous other celebrities.

Obama TV ad - ‘Wassup’

Eight years ago Budweiser changed its image from the Traditional heritage theme of the Budweiser Horses to the zany Wassup series of commercials.

They managed to make cutting edge adverts that embodied the craze of ‘Water Cooler moments’… when co-workers would meet at the water cooler or at a coffee break and say ‘Wassup’.

Well, times have changed and now Barack Obama’s marketing team have brought them back to life with this brilliant and poignant send up.

It’s the first and only great political broadcast I’ve seen; with a bit of humour it points out what has happened under the Bush administration: the credit crunch, Iraq, global warming, the housing crises, unemployment and healthcare.

Without saying anything, it says everything. Right on the money for mainstream America.

I’m a PC - Microsoft’s TV advertising campaign

Microsoft has gone defensive.

In response to Apple’s humorous, low budget and pertinent ‘Get a Mac’ campaign, Microsoft has splashed out on a $300 million fight back.

But hold on a second, according to W3 Schools Apple’s market share is a meagre 5.2%, compared to Microsoft’s virtual monopoly at 90.7%. Why would they even acknowledge the competition?

For Apple, it makes sound marketing sense to point out your strengths and the competition’s weaknesses, remember the Avis car rental campaign ‘We’re number 2, we try harder.’

So, not only is it a mistake even acknowledge that there is competition but then their entire campaign only makes sense if you know Apple’s ads.

It kicks off with a guy who looks like the Apple’s PC character, saying: ‘Hello I’m a PC and I’ve been made into a stereotype.’

The idea of the campaign seems to be that PC users are not dull, some of them are celebrities, work at NASA … and wear jeans! Even Bill Gates makes an appearance, picking up his groceries from the corner store with the line ‘I’m a PC and I wear glasses.’

Hate Something, Change Something

I would have hated to get the brief for this TV commercial: “Honda’s diesel engines are quieter and cleaner than traditional ones.”

What the creative team came up with was sheer brilliance, something both captivating and enchanting. You got the message - and also had the tune stuck in you head for days.

I also thought it was totally original, unlike anything on the TV at the time … until I saw their source. It’s got to be inspired by Boundin’ the 2003 Oscar-nominated short film, which was written, directed, narrated and featured the musical composition and performance of veteran PIXAR animator Bud Luckey.

Although Ad agencies keep banging on about originality, and can produce great work, it is almost always ‘inspired’ by some other true genius.

The Hate Something jingle is sung by renowned author and radio personality Garrison Keillor over a charming, clever animation of dirty diesel engines getting transformed into clean ones.

The engine was created by Kenichi Nagahiro, the man who hates diesels. When he was asked “could you ever love a diesel?” he answered: “Only if it was the best.”

Hate Something, Change Something lyrics:

Here’s a little song for anyone who’s ever hated… in the key of grrr

Can hate be good? Can hate be great? Can hate be good? Can hate be great? Can hate be something we dont hate?

[Whistling]

We’d like to know why it is so that certain diesels must be slow and thwack and thrum and pong and hum can clatter clat

[Whistling]

[Chorus] Hate something Change something Hate something change something Make something better …

Oh isn’t it just bliss when a diesel goes just like this?

[Thrum]

Sing it like you hate it… Hate something, Change something, Hate something, Change something, Make something better …”

Watch more ground breaking TV ads »

Watch Pixar’s Boundin’ » video

Visit the Honda Hate Something » website

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