Blog
Company blog with media and industry related news, info and ideas.
Orange claim
27 September 2011
ATM machine of ING in Holland. The bank boldly claims the color orange.
Paris graffiti
27 September 2011
When in Paris this summer I spotted some amazing graffiti near Moulin Rouge. (KvE)
Notoginseng
19 September 2011
Good ideas are always the simplist. Here's a beautiful print ad for notoginseng. Ad agency: DraftFCP Hong Kong.
To leverage or not to leverage
19 September 2011
Many business speakers use the word levarage. Leverage is a business word. Try using it at home. "I think we should leverage our trip to the beach and visit John and Mary who live nearby". It doesn't work. Leverage means everything and nothing. It comes from the verb to lever, which means move or lift something with a lever. As a verb leverage can be used in a term like "a leveraged take-over bid". So "to leverage" (if the verb exists at all) is an intransitive verb derived from a noun that is derived from the verb 'to lever'. It's ugly language or a confused metaphor at the very least. That's why we prefer to avoid using it. In most cases it can be replaced by verbs like 'to use' or "to influence".
Presentation Skills
18 October 2010
For one of our clients we produced a 2-camera recording of Presentation Skills by Mark Loasby. A presentation about presentations. Very very interesting stuff. Most memorable quotes: "Communication is a 2-way process driven by the listener."
"People can't think and listen at the same time." In other words nobody can read a slide and listen to somebody talking about that slide.
Eye Phone
22 June 2010
Smart phones are hot. We use them to make phone calls and to send and receive e-mails, browse the web, play games and read the news.
But there is a snag: the screen is really small. On-screen text is usually as small as 7 or 8 points. Compare this to text in a physical book or newspaper - around 10 to 12 points. A significant difference.
Smart phones are no doubt great and magic devices. But they may be damaging to your vision after chronic usage. That's not so magic. Once your eyesight has deteriorated, you're stuck. It's about time we became more concerned about the negative impact smart phones are having on our eye sight.
Powerpoint Presentations
7 June 2010
Most business presentations use slides. Made with Powerpoint or Keynote. Great tools. Speakers love them. Probably because audience attention is diverted from presenter to screen. Furthermore, the audience can read all information on the slide. Speaker happy, audience happy.
Or are they? The problem is that audiences are often a bit bored. Maybe there's just too much text is on screen. Some slides are displayed for over 5 minutes. You've read them xx times, before the speaker moves on to the next slide.
You only need to look at a presention by Apple to realize that there is a better way. Apple presentations are powerful, engaging and clear. All attention is on the speaker. The slides are there to announce the themes, reinforce a message and provide supporting pictures.
To produce such a presentation you need to think different ; ) Don't use your slides as cheat sheets. Use them to amplify your verbal message. Convince your audience with a strong theme, simple messages and well-presented facts. Anyone can do it. As long as you rehearse. And prepare your slides well. Simple, well-designed slides. Turn 1 cluttered slide into 3 or 4 simpler slides with one simple message each. Use pictures and transition effects thoughtfully. And so on...
For more info on how we can help prepare your presentation check with Mediabox Productions.
Read more about Presentation Zen.
Bus Art (1)
29 May 2010
It seems KMB has launched a new initiative - art in the bus. We recently spotted some great digital artwork on bus 74X.
Shooting Tips
15 April 2010
With digital videocameras within reach of most, some clients choose to shoot their own promos. Here are three tips to lift the bar:
1) Stay as close as possible to the camera and it's inbuild microphone. This is the only way to get sound that is just acceptable.
2) Use a tripod. A shaky camera looks amateuristic and streams badly over the internet.
3) Set your exposure to manual. This way the picture won't change tone with every movement that occurs in frame.
To get it really right contact Mediabox Productions.