Check out this interview during the OMMA Video Event in L.A. with digital strategist Rob Schwartz, who explains the concept of “Brand Piggybacking” to enhance your digital engagement strategy. Enjoy.

There’s no question that implementing a video on your e-commerce site can be good for business. Whether you use it to close in on a sale, to inform, to showcase products or to entertain, video can add real value to your site. Some companies shy away from video because of the costs associated with it. Getting a larger server to host videos, buying a camera, digitizing, shooting, editing and marketing your video can be an expensive proposition for a small business. But there’s another way. According to a recent post by The Video Commerce Consortium, there’s a quick and affordable solution that anyone can implement for their website. According to The VCC, by using an auto-generated video service, you can make video by uploading still photos and music with the click of a button.

As online video becomes more accessible, you will find more and more services that cater to the small to mid-sized business with affordable video solutions. Check out some of these sites courtesy of VCC for  affordable and effective ways to add some video snazz to your site.

http://www.sundaysky.com/
http://www.talkmarket.com/
http://animoto.com/

During the yesteryears of the dot com craze, companies scrambled to get branded websites up more from herd mentality than from fully understanding why they needed one. For most companies at the time, websites were mostly used as a platform to broadcast their marketing communications to potential customers and brand evangelists. Today, there has been a tectonic shift away from broadcasting out to the consumer to inviting them in and allowing for them to play an significant role in branding and marketing efforts. We’re seeing a shift from the one-way communication model where brands blare out messaging to consumers (think old disruption-based media like television, outdoor, print etc.) to the two-way conversation model (think opt-in social networking, user generated content, blogging, etc.) where advertising and communication are taking place in real time.

One such company that has embraced this model and has transformed the way they communicate is Chik-Fil-A. For those of you who don’t know, Chic-Fil-A is famous for their “Eat more Chikin” campaign delivered by cows who started a quest to convince humans to choose chicken over beef. The humorous campaign started in 1995 and slowly has successfully integrated the two-way stance on communications. While the company has not abandoned traditional media, they have beefed up (sorry about the pun) their online media with a bevy of new outlets that enable their customers to take part in their marketing and communications. And they’re at it again. Along with a healthy Facebook and Twitter presence, Chic-Fil-A recently launched a microsite (EatMoreChikin.com) which, according to clickz,

“…is the latest attempt by the restaurant chain to turn its cows — well-known from TV commercials — into viral marketing thoroughbreds. Its launch follows the company’s successful build-up of one of the biggest Facebook presences in the restaurant niche.

Are you already a fan of the cows? Then you’re in for a treat this holiday season because according to a recent PRNewswire release, Chic-Fil-A is offering the coveted 2010 edition of their annual cow-themed calendar featuring spoofs on famous works of literature to discourage burger-eating throughout the country. Titles include: Ali Barbacue, Porter Pan, Jack the Flipper and The Three Brisketeers among others. You can pick yours up for six bucks at participating restaurants or you can order online. It’s a nice offering that makes for a great stocking stuffer. Hey, chalk one up for old media.

The Brandsplat Video Report discusses what’s going on in the world of online branding and digital engagement. In this episode, Brandsplat takes a look at an innovative campaign that uses a skunk as a spokesperson who wants to help you clean up your act. Check it out by clicking on the video below.

Social media is just one of many new media outlets that brands have at their disposal to communicate to loyal customers and new prospect. Trying to figure out how to get your brand in front of the right customers may be a daunting task considering the plethora of media channels available to marketers. Between traditional media like print, radio and television and new media like Twitter, Facebook and Youtube, choosing the right outlets for a brand can be massive undertaking. According to a recent survey, more marketers and brand managers are considered creating their own content and delivering it directly to their target market. The survey, conducted by custom media guru King Fish Media , was completed by 230 respondents who were either in corporate management or marketing/sales management. Among the respondents, a whopping 86% said their company was planning to create original content for their customers/prospects. The survey suggests that digital media strategies are becoming attractive to advertisers and marketers because they offer a more affordable solution than traditional media outlets do.  According to the survey,

“Structural and cultural changes are leading companies and brands increasingly toward original content in the form of their own media channels and in custom media and social media networks. These company-owned and managed media channels give them direct interactive access to customers and prospects, allowing for more measurable return on investment.”

This growing trend has produced brand engagement on a scale never seen before. Sites like YouTube, Twitter and Facebook offer brands and customers a back-and-forth type of opportunity to communicate. This can have a real effect on customer loyalty and the bottom line. More and more brands are opting to use these new media outlets because they offer a two-way conversation rather than the old one-way conversation more traditional media offers. To download a copy of the King Fish Media 2009 Survey on Marketing, Media and Measurement, click here .

The intelligent brand marketers are at it again at T.G.I. Fridays . Today they announcing “America’s Largest Halloween Party”.  What does that mean? It means if you trot on in to one of nearly 600 T.G.I. Fridays on October 29th from 9 p.m. to closing, you can get penny appetizers when you get your drink on at the bar. But that’s not all! If you’re a member of their “rewards program” (Give Me More SStripes ) you can get the same deal valid anytime of the day during the  “America’s Largest Halloween Party” promotion. I get why they are doing the promotion on a Thursday instead of Friday as people will most likely already have plans for going out on Halloween.

But it would have been nice and perhaps a better tie-in if they extended the promotion to Friday too. I mean, come on people! It’s called T.G.I. FRIDAYS, not T.G.I. Thursdays. Very perplexing and somewhat spooky if you ask me. To get the latest updates, you can follow T.G.I. Friday’s news on Facebook, Twitter @TGIFridaysNews, and YouTube.

I don’t know about you, but most days I pretty much sit on my cheeks all day long in front of the warm glow of my computer. But I may be doing less of that now considering the latest offering from the outdoor outfitter Timberland which just recently launched stayonyourfeet.com for their line of Timberland PRO workboots. This is no ordinary, dull, destination site. No, it’s more than that. This site offers visitors a leg up in these harsh economic times by offering a free job listing service. According to the site,

Through a partnership with CareerBuilder.com, workers can view job listings relevant to specific industries such as construction and manufacturing, and can also opt-in to receive text messages with job openings delivered in real-time.

The service ties right into the brand and offers visitors more than a hard sell. Another bonus for visitors is a promotion where you have the opportunity to enter a contest to win a free pair of Timberland PRO Endurance workboots by crafting a story of 150 words or less about your toughest day on the job. They’re giving away a free pair each week, and at the end of the contest a grand prize winner will receive receive a $1,000 American Express gift card and a pair of Timberland PRO® Endurance workboots for themselves and four lucky friends. You can bet I’ll spend a few extra hours in my chair vying for the top prize. Digital engagement of the campaign includes Twitter (@TimberlandPro), Facebook and YouTube, as well as local market radio and a TV push. So what are you waiting for? Get cumfy in your cushy office chair and get to work. For more information on the promotion visit: www.stayonyourfeet.com/giveaway