The Communications Vault

Just as the iPod revolutionized the way we listen to music, Apple is hoping their new iPhone will do the same for how we use our mobile device. As a marketer and a lover of new technology, I, for one, am extremely excited about the possibilities.

With only one day left before the Apple iPhone goes on sale, the Apple and AT&T stores are preparing for one of the biggest product launches since the Playstation 2. Since the announcement of the iPhone, Apple’s stock has increased over 40%. It’s nearly impossible to go to a blog or PR site without seeing an article about the new phone. The news about the phone has been unprecedented.

To see an example, just take a look at the keyword term “iPhone” in Google. There are over 80 million pages that mention the term. Hitwise notes that the searches for “iPhone” have increased 583% over the past four weeks and it has become one of the most search upon terms in the search engines. This is also reflected in Google Trends. Visits to Apple’s iPhone page have increased 185% and even with mixed reviews, iPhone blogs, videos and websites (even sites that make suggestions on how to use your old phone) have been springing up all over the Internet. (more…)

Email has become a standard form of communication in today’s business world. It’s fast, convenient, and easy to use. But is your client or co-worker understanding the message that you are trying to convey? Read this article before you hit send!

“Communication between humans is approximately 90% body language, 8% tone of voice, and 2% what you say. With email, you remove the first 98%.” It therefore becomes very important to make sure you are truly drafting a message that will be interpreted correctly by the receiver. There are a number of guidelines that have been established for this purpose. (more…)

I’ve worked in and around health care education for almost 30 years now, and one thing that stands out is that patients have an insatiable desire to know 1) what’s wrong with them, and 2) how doctors are going to fix it. In educational jargon the event that triggers this desire is called a “teachable moment.” Here’s a case in point.

As a former x-ray technologist I had x-rayed dozens of people with broken arms, but it wasn’t until this past March when I fell off my mountain bike and broke MY arm (see above) that I really wanted to know… well, everything! How would the surgeon fix it, would it hurt, how long would I be off work. In short, I had reached my teachable moment.

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Trivia time.  What classic science fiction movie ends with the line, “He has all the time in the world”?   Hint.  It has something to do with time.  Give up?  The Time Machine.

So what does that have to do with audio production?  Hint.  It has something to do with time (there’s a pattern here in case you haven’t noticed). Time’s up. 

The time you spend timing your script before a recording session, will save you time in the studio.  And as we all know, time means money. (more…)

Five Tips for clients working with a production house, ad agency, or interactive development firm.

No one likes to be surprised by an invoice that is higher than expected, or a product that is delivered later than expected. Or, probably the most frustrating, receiving something that is nowhere near what you expected.

Here are some simple tips to help set your video, website, DVD, print piece or other custom creation up for success. (more…)

All of us who communicate with others as part of our jobs – and that’s pretty much everybody – are in the business of change. Change is what we do every day. If we didn’t need to change someone, we wouldn’t really need to talk to them.

Even seemingly innocuous conversation seeks to change others: smile at me; like me; recognize how smart I am; validate me.

The products we create at JPL also ask people to change… buy a product, learn a skill, vote for a candidate, or take an action. In every case we want to move them – or change them – from the status quo to a place that benefits our clients, our organizations or ourselves.

Think about it. If we wanted people to keep on doing what they’re doing, why would we need to tell them anything, except maybe “atta boy”? It’s the need for change that makes communication valuable and necessary.

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Webcasting – Finally, The Arrival of Video on the Web

In 1998, JPL produced one of the first ever live video webcasts. The webcast featured the 100 year anniversary celebration of the Pa Medical Society held at the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. We had less than 200 viewers.

JPL also developed and launched the GreenWorks Channel video website in 1999 featuring environmental, educational video clips designed to teach the public how to adapt their lifestyles to be more environmentally friendly.

In subsequent months and years, JPL was at the center of live webcasts for governor inaugurations, budget addresses, awards events and the PA Department of Environmental Protection’s popular Falcon cam. Looking back on those early experiences, I certainly wouldn’t call them the good old days. Users and clients were frustrated by the quality and lack of reliability of dial up web connections. Even our creative teams were frustrated by what happened to their video creations when they were compressed and shrunk to fit into a tiny video window.

Well times are finally changing. Even the most vocal critics of video on the web are impressed by some of our latest creations like Chocolate TV. The screen size, the Flash interface and the almost universal compatibility have changed everything.

And, it’s only just begun. Last year, YouTube changed everyone’s view of web based video. Its popularity exploded as the trends of widely available broadband connections, Flash video compatibility and user generated media converged on an entertaining media platform that revolutionized the web and video.

While deploying video on the web still has its challenges, it is a lot more fun and motivating today because our clients and their customers are asking for it. For us, the world has caught up and now we can show what we can do.