Help me promote my baby!

February 20, 2009 3:42 PM

We have a great opportunity to promote our fledgling video production company with a booth at a large concert. But we're not sure exactly what to do with it.

We don't have much footage to show at this point, but we have a short film written, and a full length in development. We were trying to think of ideas in order to promote it.

The main problem we have is that we'll actually not really be able to hang around the booth, because we will have our hands full with actually filming the concert. We are filming a documentary documenting the project, from execution to promotion, so anything we do will have to speak on it's own.

We have a short spoken word audio piece that we were considering leaving looping with headphones on, with a little bit of info on it for people to read, along with a link to the website.

Some other ideas we were considering include:
Setting up a photobooth, complete with email capabilities, and an option to set up to subscribe to our newsletter. Our concern at this point is mainly getting awareness out there, so the fact that it doesn't directly relate to video is not such a huge problem.

Another option would be something along the lines of You Move You Interact, an interactive video piece developed using Processing. Basically, just a little something to catch people's eye, and get our name into their head.

But most of our ideas we really cannot execute properly because we won't be able to be physically present. So that, in essence, is my question: How can we best promote ourselves without being physically present in a memorable and relevant way?

Any ideas would be very much appreciated, but keep in mind we're trying to keep it relatively low budget, say $250 max

Thank you very much

posted by mhp to media & arts (6 answers total)

I forgot the link to you move you interact. Oops! Here it is YMYI

Thanks again!
posted by mhp at 3:43 PM on February 20, 2009

My first thought is that concert-goers are not your "target market" for services as a video production company, so why do you see this is a good opportunity?
posted by jayder at 3:54 PM on February 20, 2009

People going to this gig are not interested in you. They are interested in the band. Do not promote you; promote your documentary about the band. This is your audience but they are not your people.

Use the 250 bucks to print 1,000 business-sized cards. On it put a promo for your documentary with a link to a MySpace page about the project - not your website. If you want to retain these people, you have to make it about their interest, not your interest. The two overlap but are not the same.

Can you broadcast a live feed from one of the cameras to the booth?
posted by DarlingBri at 4:12 PM on February 20, 2009

My first thought is that concert-goers are not your "target market" for services as a video production company, so why do you see this is a good opportunity?

That is a good point, but a large part of our focus is actually directed towards filming bands and live shows, to make promotional videos and other things of that sort. We've filmed several shows before and done studio updates.

The concert is also not just a concert, but part of a music and arts festival, so I think that they would definitely appreciate something creative. This is not exactly what you would think of when you think of a standard concert. Area musicians have formed side project concept bands in January to write and perform 15 minutes of new material in March. There are 10 side project bands, and an acoustic stage with many local favorites. There is also a large section for local artists and crafters to sell their wares.

We're eventually hoping to film many shows around the area, so getting the brand recognition would be nice among this group, so people would want to come to us for quality footage. That's how the photobooth would come into play. It's not directly related, but it's a fun thing that would help build brand awareness.
posted by mhp at 4:26 PM on February 20, 2009

That is a good point, but a large part of our focus is actually directed towards filming bands and live shows, to make promotional videos and other things of that sort. We've filmed several shows before and done studio updates.

Your customers are bands--they pay you to film and promote them. Your customers are not members of the audience. Bands, producers, and the like are the ones who are going to pay you to film things. Members of the audience might have some use for a film crew, but the vast majority of them will not. Trying to build brand awareness with concert goers is pretty non-productive, since they don't want your services.

Are the bands going to be mingling with the crowd at this festival? Or are they going to be hanging out backstage most of the time? If they're not going to be out in the crowd, milling around with the rest of the schlebs, then I think the people above are right: this isn't that great an opportunity to promote your video services. Your exposure and access are simply to the wrong people. Even if they are milling around with the crowd, there are, what, 100 musicians and 5000 concert goers?

I really think DarlingBri is right. You need to be promoting the documentary, not your services. The majority of people who will see this booth do not need or want video services. They do, however, want to see more of the music they love. They won't care who made the video, won't remember the production company... they'll just remember that a documentary of that really cool concert is coming out in a month. Give them a business card with a web address, so they can find it when it's done.

Other than the business card, I would try my best to scrounge up any video or still photographs you can find. I think the idea of a live feed is a great one, if you can pull it off. Especially if your cameras are going to have access to angles that the average audience member can't access.

In addition, the bands who do see your booth and do need video services are going to want to see your product, not a "brand awareness" gimmick. If you show what you're capable of, they're going to be interested in getting some of that for themselves. If you just throw a photobooth out there, they might or might not notice the name, but they're certainly not going to know that they absolutely have to have you for their next video.
posted by Netzapper at 5:42 PM on February 20, 2009

Nthing that you need to promote the documentary to the concertgoers. If you can get sales, your future customers will be more interested in you.

This booth won´t be very useful if it´s unattended. Ask for extra passes for your ´support crew´, and hire someone or at least get a friend or two to work the booth.

If you want the musicians who are preforming in the documentary you are filming to know about you, you have a lot of opportunities to do this when they won´t be busy performing. Pre-release party just for people involved with this performance, perhaps?
posted by yohko at 9:02 AM on February 21, 2009