We want the world to know

Ken LaTessa, director of technology services for Premier Studios, was the keynote speaker for a luncheon hosted by the Kansas City chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC). The IABC acts as a global network for professionals seeking to improve communication through the strategic implementation of ever-changing technologies.

LaTessa’s presentation gave an overview of marketing technologies with the intention of creating a value-generating relationship between the client and organization. He demystified commonly used technologies such as: search engine optimization, search engine marketing, email marketing, website statistics and analysis. After clarifying how to collect and analyze marketing information, he went on to explain how to effectively respond.

“The presentation was fun and informative. He [LaTessa] did a nice job explaining ‘best practices’ and pitfalls associated with things like search engines and analytics. He also took the time to define words everyone should know but no one wants to ask about,” responded Megan Neher, president of Kansas City International Association of Business Communicators.

LaTessa’s experience with planning, developing and applying technology enabled him to take complex know-how and present it in a very manageable way.

Get the IABC presentation on marketing technologies.

Premier Studios launched collegebasketballexperience.com, an updated web presence for The College Basketball Experience at Sprint Center in Kansas City.

Having launched the original site in October 2007, Premier Studios compiled months of user feedback and analytics to develop the strategy for evolving the site.

The improvements refresh the overall design while maximizing content placement. Its vibrant color palette and dynamic interface conveys the same sense of elevated energy one would feel at the interactive exhibit itself.

“The College Basketball Experience is a highly-interactive venue where fans are immediately immersed in the game of collegiate basketball on entry. We are pleased that our site’s new look extends the excitement, interactivity, educational and entertainment value the College Basketball Experience and National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame attempts to deliver to visitors daily,” states Kevin L. Henderson, CEO of The College Basketball Experience and National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame.

The new structure and layout makes it easier to navigate and seek out specific information. The home page displays at-a-glance details including: visitor information, news, events and special offers. Interactive photo galleries highlight key features such as the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame.

Understanding the energy and affinity surrounding the fast-paced sports world and their devoted fans, Premier Studios constructed the site so The College Basketball Experience associates can self-manage all content elements, allowing instant online publishing that is fresh and always current.

Kansas City Business Journal
By Suzanna Stagemeyer,
Staff Writer

Internet service providers could track a commodity that advertisers are eager to get their hands on — information about consumers’ Web use — but it’s a potential that comes with headaches.

In late June, Charter Communications Inc., the nation’s third-largest publicly traded cable operator, halted the launch of a Web use tracking service it had tested because of questions from consumers, the company said in a statement. Overland Park-based Embarq Corp. has tested such a system but is not using one, spokeswoman Debra Peterson said.

Advertisers covet the information, which would enable them to target advertising specifically to the customers most likely to be interested. But some consumers tense up at the idea of providers monitoring Web use. Much of the conflict may come in how the tool is presented, marketers said.

“I don’t think what (companies) are doing at face value is, in essence, as easy to explain or understand as I think they would like it to be,” said Gerald Smith, CEO of Lenexa-based marketing firm Premier Studios. “It’s a great concept but it’s really about the way you go about it.”

Smith suggested a straightforward solution to avoid the public outcry: offer an opt-in program that comes with an incentive, such as a discount. “When there’s a value exchange, the privacy walls start to fall,” he said.

Such detailed information already is used in other forms, such as when stores associate certain credit card data with purchases and use that information to manage inventories, he said. “That’s the elusive marketer’s dream — to create more and more targeted audiences,” Smith said. “If you don’t have a child at home in diapers, in tomorrow’s world you would probably never know that diapers existed.”

Digital advertising allows clients to better track what they’re getting, such as how many people got more information, signed up for an offer or bought a product, said Nicole Conrick, a partner and managing director for media services at Kansas City-based marketing firm VML. “We’re going in and pulling all kinds of results every single day,” she said.

Such information is used anonymously, associated with computer IP addresses. Conrick, said she considers targeting ads online the same as choosing which TV channel to advertise on based on the inclinations of it viewers. “It’s more about what you’re interested in,” she said.

Kansas City Business Journal
July 4-10, 2008 issue
Vol. 26, No. 43, Page 4

Since its inception, Premier Studios has provided a unique blend of strategy, technology, and creative services under one roof. “We are the epitome of technology continuing to converge; with the certainty that solid strategy, along with great creative, provides the best combination of services for clients”, stated Gerald Smith, president of Premier Studios. “For some, this complexity of related services can be confusing toward understanding the overlap between the related services that we offer. While each service remains a unique force in the marketplace, there is no doubt they overlap sharing technologies and craft.”

To better position the technology and creative production services, Premier Studios announces new branded affiliates: PremierPOST, PremierAVGROUP, and PremierIS. Mark Cork, Director of Account Services, added, “while operating within the existing framework of Premier Studios, these brand affiliates better position us to compete in the marketplace on separate fronts, while being backed by the total resources of the entire Premier Studios organization. We believe no one company within our marketplace can compete with this mix of services. We are truly a unique mix of strategy, technology, and creativity. Our greatest strength as a marketing company is that; when we want to make technology happen, we simply walk down the hall.”

The new Premier Studios affiliate brands are:

PremierPOST representing turnkey production services found at Premier Studios, including Broadcast Services, Film & Video Post Production, Original Programming, Corporate Communications, and Equipment Rentals. www.premierpost.com

PremierAVGROUP represents the audio/visual systems integration services at Premier Studios including, Consulting, Systems Design, Equipment Sales, Fabrication, Installation, Maintenance, and Rental & Staging. www.premieravgroup.com

PremierIS represents the information technology solutions at Premier Studios and provides services such as Managed Hosting, Software Development, Data Integration, Network Design & Installation, Consulting, Security, Unified Communications Design, and Web Development. www.premieris.com

Premier Studios, specializing in marketing for affinity brands, provides strategy, planning, research, and consulting. For further information visit premierstudios.com or any of the affiliate web sites, or call 913.438.1004 to speak with a representative.

PremierPOST, an affiliate of Premier Studios, was among the winners of the 29th Annual Telly Awards, taking home three prestigious awards for Cobalt Boats “Cobalt 202 Promo,” the US Army “Freedom Team Salute,” and Deanna Rose Farmstead, “Rosie’s Great Big Moovy.”

With 13,500 entries from all 50 states and around the world, this year’s competition was one of the most competitive and successful in the long history of the Telly Awards.

Founded in 1978, the Telly Awards is the premier award honoring outstanding local, regional, and cable TV commercials and programs, the finest film and video productions, and groundbreaking web commercials, videos and films. Winners represent the best work of the most respected creative minds in the world.

A prestigious judging panel of over 40 accomplished industry professionals judged the competition, upholding the historical standard of excellence that Telly represents. Judges evaluated entries to recognize distinction in creative work against a high standard of merit.

Chairman of the judging panel, and Emmy and Telly Award winner, Richard Friley, noted, “As judging chairman, our judges are honored to have evaluated such an incredible body of work. The diverse pool of entries represents the best of traditional and online video and was an inspiration to us all. The quality of work exceeded our expectations, even in this challenging overall market and it is a true accomplishment for our winners.”

PremierPOST represents turnkey production services found at Premier Studios, including Broadcast Services, Film & Video Post Production, Original Programming, Corporate Communications, and Equipment Rentals. Premier Studios, specializing in marketing for affinity brands, provides strategy, planning, research, and consulting. Since its inception, Premier Studios has provided a unique blend of strategy, technology, and creative services under one roof.

Premier Studios has completed development and launched an online, browser-based, Digital Media Library for the International Headquarters for the Church of the Nazarene. The organization, operating in 152 countries, was faced with the challenge of centralizing digital media into a single database whereby staff in all world locations could access, manage, and share digital media online.

Rick Guilfoil, Director of Web Services for the International Headquarters stated, “having online access to our digital media will significantly reposition our digital resources to our constituents worldwide, many of whom require access 24/7. It will also provide greater access to our talent pool and expose us to new ideas when creating media. Simply put, this system can store, manage, and distribute all of our digital media resources at our point of need.”

Gerald Smith, president of Premier Studios added, “The online library will not only provide a holding place for many thousands of digital files, but will be the system whereby media can be moved across the globe electronically.”

The Library Network will be hosted and maintained by Premier Studios’ Data Center Services group, providing 24-hour, redundant, global access. Premier Studios Information Solutions Development group, under the direction of Ken LaTessa, Ph.D., guided the project through 6 months of development, testing, and implementation. The system not only manages video and audio files, but any electronic file including documents, photos, and PowerPoint.

Representatives from Premier Studios attended the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) event this past month in Las Vegas. Broadcasters and Content Developers gather each spring to discover and discuss emerging technologies. Often, NAB is a battleground between ‘old’ and ‘new’ and this year was no exception. High Definition (HD) technologies took center stage.

Matt Johnson, Creative Director, stated, “Overall the event was a success with this years theme being all about Content. The industry transition from analog to digital has progressed for over 10 years now. The finish line is in site, where we will finally lay SD to rest.”

Gerald Smith, President, stated, “The theme worked, however I think they could have called it, ‘Does Anyone Remember Standard Definition?’ HD technologies were no doubt the main entrée. In fact, I do not remember seeing an SD camera anywhere.”

Premier Studios made the commitment to HD early on acquiring the Sony HD CineAlta Camera package in 1999. Since that time, Standard Definition has slowly taken the back seat and with the discontinuation of analog broadcast early in 2009, HD will establish itself as the production standard.

During the remainder of 2008, Premier Studios plans to complete the transition of all production areas to HD, including suites, cameras, projection, and digital displays.