Video has always intrigued and interested people since television was first created and distributed. Video on the web is no different. The New York Times reported that sixty percent of all Internet traffic is video related according to CacheLogic. It is even thought to expand to ninety-eight percent within the next two years. That is huge. Video is a much easier way to convey information to mass audiences because of it’s ease of production and it’s ease of reception and comprehension. Videos can distribute a lot of information within a much smaller relative space than simple text and oftentimes even photos. The other great thing about producing small videos for public relations purposes is that it costs almost nothing. Not only are production costs fairly low, but distribution costs are utterly non-existent. You could throw it up on YouTube or any number of other video hosting and sharing sites for the world to watch.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
ASSIGNMENT 2
1. The purpose of the Whole Foods blog is to relate to, interact, and involve their valued customers. They post about great food ideas you may not have thought about or tried, different contests and/or promotions that you might be interested in, and reports on the authenticity of some of their products. It's a great place to get information straight from the source.
2. Different people write the blog posts. This indicates that the information that is being posted is less likely to be overall biased. It is not all being written by the same person so the original thoughts are more varied and the points of view are as well. The strategy here seems to be that Whole Foods wants to provide their customer community with a community of it's own. A place where several people can write about different topics that may differ from each other, and others can respond and comment. It's not just one persons information and opinions, it's a community's.
3. Two other social media tools used by Whole Foods on their blog are videos and contests. The videos are used to bring even more of a personality to the Whole Foods name and community. it's nice to be able to see who works behind the scenes and it makes you feel more connected with them. The contests are a great way to connect their user community by encouraging them all to participate together in the same activity. Both of these tools help encourage and instill a sense of community and togetherness amongst their users.
4. Whole foods uses both photos and videos on their blog. They both help in ways that text may not be able to. They use these tools to help clarify what they are talking about. A picture is worth a thousand words. Instructional videos are always better and easier to understand than instructions alone. Plus, they are more relational.
5. I think that Whole Foods' strategy concerning their blog is on par with what their community wants and needs. They seem to be stressing all of the important things that I believe their customers might demand; a relational feel, names and faces, a sense of community. I wouldn't change anything because I think all of their needs are being met more than adequately. The name of the blog is also a nice addition.
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