Kicker Blog

Drag racing and Accounting? Web video for California accounting practice wins the race

Paul — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 20:09:53 +0000

The team at MBS Accounting are not your average bean-counters. They know that online today, you have to stand out. Be memorable. That’s why the management team felt a fun, disarming video would do the trick. So enter Kicker, and exit another cool web video that is driving more business leads to MBS than any other marketing technique. And it features a car race.. cool.

Credits
Writer: Jennifer – Animation: Marcus – Voice: Mike – Sound design: Brian

Video to raise awareness for World Landmine Awareness Day

Paul — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 14:33:11 +0000

Today (April 4) is the U.N. International Day for LandMine Awareness and Assistance. We were thrilled to help Mines Action Canada launch a new social media effort to help eradicate landmines. The video was written around the true story of one of MAC’s ambassadors. Hope you enjoy the 3 minute video and please go to minesactioncanada.org to learn more.

Credits:
Scriptwriter: Paul — 3d & 2d Animation: Steve — Voice: Kate — Sound design: Brian

Super-Producer Angelique Silberman joins Kicker

Paul — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 19:26:13 +0000

We’re thrilled to have Angelique Silberman join Calgary-based Kicker. She joins Kicker from TAG Advertising.

In her new role, Silberman will lead Kicker’s broadcast, corporate and web video production services for our clients in Canada, the USA and beyond. Angelique brings further depth to our busy team of Emmy-winning broadcast and web video production professionals.

Angelique is well known in production & agency circles in Calgary and abroad. With over 250 awards worldwide for projects in Film and Television — including 2 nominations for Producer of the Year, Angelique truly understands all aspects of film and does so with humor, professionalism, creativity and respect.

From working on major films like “Assassination of Jesse James “, “Van Helsing”, “Shanghai Noon”, “Open Range” and “John Q” — to producing IMAX films like “Straight Up”, Disney’s first IMAX film “Sacred Planet” and “Top Speed” — to major TV commercial campaigns for Honda, Calgary Stampede and Subway (which spots aired during the Salt Lake City Olympics and garnered the highest media ad spend in TV history). Angelique’s production work has aired in all over the globe – including in her native South Africa.

To say hello, contact angelique (at) kickerinc.ca

Using Web Video to drive leads for a proof writing firm

Paul — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 18:27:19 +0000

Putting together a Web Video doesn’t have to mean putting yourself on camera. Our very busy animation practice at Kicker is proof of that. Here’s an example. A web video for a proof writing firm. Huh? Yes indeed. And what an amazing service. Kicker was contacted to help this Denver-based firm articulate its value proposition. We were inspired by thoughts of an editor looking at pages and pages of content — so we opened up the drawer – grabbed a pencil and started drawing. Here’s the piece that is now driving online sales for this very happy Kicker client!

How Web Video continues to replace PDF files

Paul — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 19:11:59 +0000

When a Boston-based software firm wanted to drive leads for its new client relationship application – it had a choice: bang out long-winded PDF with description, value proposition etc and create another webpage. Or create a short, focused web video. The choice was clear to the Director of Marketing. So Kicker was engaged to bring to life Brookeside’s amazing new application called INSIGHT. And thanks to some “insightful” research by Kicker, it became clear the CEO is a great champion for INSIGHT – so we decided to interview him in his Boston office and create an engaging web video:

Kicker’s Calgary-based team has shot video in all 10 Canadian provinces and nearly 25 US states. Contact us for a free video proposal!

How to sell leadership consulting with web video

Paul — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 15:58:40 +0000

OnStage Leadership is a successful training company in Dallas, Texas. Its founder wanted to increase sales. Cold-calling wasn’t working. The executives and mid-level managers OnStage was calling simply don’t have the time to read proposals. They want information quick and fast. So our creative team pitched OnStage on a fun, retro animation piece that speaks to the audience. The result? A disarming, fun but powerful new marketing piece that is already driving new sales!

Looking for a web video to drive new leads and sales for your company? Request a free proposal today!

4 new TV commercials produced for TAG. Thanks team!

Paul — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 21:11:25 +0000

Thanks to TAG Advertising for choosing Kicker to produce 4 new TV spots. We assembed our “A” team for TAG’s client SARRC (Sask Association for Resource Recovery Corp.). Shot on the RED Epic camera with a crew of 15 and edited in 2 days…the spots are coming soon to a TV near you. Thanks again to Todd Sloane of TAG and the good folks at SARRC!

Some photos of the set:

How Web Video Got Us to #1 in Google

Paul — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 20:43:33 +0000

Paying for standard SEO? You might want to think again. Here’s how we got our website to the top position in one of the most competitive keywords out there: Video Production.

It’s called VSEO (Video SEO). Our team at Kicker decided to pursue an “experiment”. It started with the production of a couple of marketing videos (which is what we do at Kicker) and then we optimized, syndicated & nurtured. We then created more short videos. We tinkered some more. Did it take time? Yes. Did we learn a lot? Yep. We also learned that WHERE you host your video is critical. Many so-called “video hosting” companies claim their video application auto optimizes and makes videos more easily found by search engines. But our “experiment” proved many of those claims are misleading.

So what’s the takeaway? Google tends to rank video content MUCH higher than old-school SEO techniques like article submissions, white paper syndication, blog posts etc. We also discovered that Google may not actually display the videos in the search rankings – but still award the top positions to those with web video content. Are we experts now in VSEO? Far from it. But I’d say our “experiment” was successful.

Want to get higher search rankings? Starts with creating some professional web videos (you need them anyway for your website and online marketing efforts) — then initiate a proper SEO campaign with video leading the way.

How to sell mobile apps to big Telcos with video

Paul — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 17:50:37 +0000

When a Boston-based, well funded startup approached us to produce a pitch video for Singapore Telecom (SingTel)….we jumped at the chance to create something memorable. Our Calgary-based team was tasked with writing the copy that would speak to SingTel execs…. not the general public. So we delivered. Result? The pitch team with Spotlight loved it & SingTel provided some great news.

Kicker credits:

Producer: Paul Writer: Jenn Animation: Steve Sound: Brian

How to explain complex security products with Web Video

Paul — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 15:25:56 +0000

MAGTEC is a market leader in transportation security. The Calgary-based tech firm has been vetted by the US Dept. of Homeland Security, the US Dept. of Transportation and FEMA. One of the key challenges faced by the executive team was to demonstrate how MAGTEC’s products work without having to drive their demonstration vehicle all over America. So MAGTEC called Kicker…and the rest is history. We produced 2 web videos that act as virtual demonstrations of the technology. MAGTEC’s key US sales team (which happens to be the worlds largest security firm) now uses the videos to resell the products to its customers worldwide. Kicker is now producing 6 more web videos to help drive sales via other sales channels. Contact us at Kicker if you want to drive sales with video.

Kicker credits: Video shot on Canon 5dM2 (featuring LensBaby glass)

Producer: Paul Camera: Al Editor: Terry.