One of the “Fast Track Solutions” topics at the recent CMMA National Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico was titled “Captioning Conundrum”. Working in smaller groups provided an opportunity for the media managers in attendance to share how each of us is approaching (or avoiding) the issue of captioning the videos we produce.

The American with Disabilities Act of 1990 prohibits discrimination and ensures equal opportunities for persons with disabilities in employment, government services and facilities access. But there’s still a lot of gray area surrounding the concept of “reasonable accommodation” for the hearing-impaired. However, technology is making it easier and faster to provide captions than in the past, which moves the needle on “reasonable accommodation” closer to the “always caption” side of the argument.

At Q Center, we recently contracted a vendor to provide CART services to a hearing-impaired guest during a two-day event. We sent audio from the sessions through a phone bridge, and a CART transcriber (presumably working from home in their pajamas) turned the audio into text in real time. Our guest was able to view the text on his smartphone or tablet, which allowed him to participate in the meeting in a more meaningful way. It was surprisingly easy to do, and could have easily been expanded to additional guests or even projected on the screen for everyone in the room.

Which highlights an often-overlooked benefit of captioning: it not only allows hearing-impaired people to participate, but it also is very helpful for those who are not native speakers of the language. Non-native speakers often can understand language much better when they see it written than when they hear it, particularly if the person speaking has an accent (doesn’t everyone?). Years ago, we were captioning English language videos in English for just this reason – it can be a useful tool for improving the language skills of the viewers, rather than simply providing the text in their native tongue.

But at the conference, I learned about a potential benefit of captioning that I’d never considered before — the value of captions as metadata. Since the caption files that accompany the video contain the full transcript of the video as well as time signatures, they give you the potential to make videos searchable by text without creating a complex taxonomy of keywords and search terms. In theory, a digital asset management system or your corporate website could allow users to enter specific phrases and quickly pull up not only the video files that contain those phrases but the exact location in each file as well. YouTube is already including the caption files in their search criteria, which helps with search engine optimization. My question is, is anyone using this data within your corporate intranet? If so, I’d love to hear your story.

Article contributed by Thomas Densmore, CMMA Board of Directors

Once upon a time, storytelling started “trending.” We now hear about it frequently from many perspectives. And with good reason: people love stories. We watch them, we listen to them, we read them, and we tell them. They work for us as entertainment and as a way to communicate information. And of course, this holds true in the business world. Facts are necessary in making a decision or building a case for change, but stories bring the facts to life.

McDonald’s is known for quantifying and measuring. When our department made the case for a single, global digital asset management system we had our research, numbers and facts ready. When we made our pitch, however, we told stories of teams of people searching for a single asset, of existing media being recreated and of the same image being stored in dozens of locations. Our leaders know how to scale. The truth of those stories combined with our data helped them understand the scope of the opportunity and the project was approved.

Selling the idea of using stories isn’t hard but, telling those stories can be. A story requires focus while clients often have volumes of material they want to include in the project. Too many facts and details get in the way of a good story but, clients often insist on what they want. How can we get clients to adopt an effective, storytelling approach?

I have found that one way to manage clients through this process is to give them what they want right at the start. Write a treatment or a synopsis or draw up a sketch that exactly reflects their wishes. Then work up the same thing for the version that you recommend. Sit with your clients and take them through their version. Don’t “pump” it or “sell” it, just tell it. Sometimes this step is enough to convince clients that their version is a poor idea. This experience can open the door to you presenting your second version.

Either way, then say that you’ve been thinking about their objectives and their audience, and you’ve come up with another version. “Would you like to hear it?” I’ve never had a client say “no.” Pitch your idea and make it come alive. Use the power of the story to do the work. The engagement, clarity, and focus of your version will be apparent and can be easily approved.

We are a small creative department inside a large company. Too often we feel powerless against any number threats or “GIANTS.” It’s at those times we are reminded of the story of David and Goliath. It’s a good read, offering much to learn.

We see ourselves as little young David, and the perceived threats are the big old Giant named Goliath. Those Giants could be big projects, executive dictates, corporate restructuring, outside agencies, etc. Whether real or perceived, a Giant is still a threat. Failure at the hand of one of these Giants is not an option for a little department. We simply cannot afford a loss.

So, what do we do? Get all the data. Invest time in making sure the Giant is real, and that he is a threat. Make calls, talk with old friends, introduce yourself to the new folks, send open-ended emails, read articles and do some internet searches. You may find that the Giant is just a straw man or shadow of something that is not real at all. If it’s a good day, it’s a real Giant that is on your side and may benefit you! If it’s a bad day…it’s a real Giant, and you have work to do!

The story says David “slew” the Giant. So how did he bring the big guy down? I imagine it might have been a few things like these:

• Knowledge: he listened, asked, and learned. Make sure you get all the data. Do the research. Be the expert you are.
• Experience: he was a shepherd…it wasn’t the first danger he’d encountered. Calm down. You’ve been here before. You’ve been around the block. Show it.
• Skill: he was an expert with the sling. You are an expert on things, especially in the minds of those that may be making the decision. Use those skills as only you can.
• Attitude: he was not intimidated. Know who’s supporting you and who you represent. Remember what’s at stake. Stay focused, keep your head up.
• Speed: the little guy was fast. The ability to get things out the door quickly is always an advantage. Get in there and get it done!
• Agility: he didn’t get encumbered by some over-sized armor. Keep it simple. Be glad you don’t have all those complicated layers in your little department. Think on your feet. Make your move!
• Influence: he won over the king and all the soldiers. Bring on the happy customers. Parade recent successes. Lean on those that rely on you. It’s your fight.
• Faith: against all odds, he single-handedly took on the Giant. Sometimes you just have to step out and have faith in what your and your employees can do.

David succeeded. He deftly brought down the Giant while everyone else was cowering. He took advantage of what little he had. It wasn’t much, but it was all he needed.

It’s your turn. Show ’em what you’ve got!

This article is contributed by Roger Hansen, CMMA Board of Directors

When someone mentions BMW… most people think about great engineering and high performance. And when someone mentions Apple… they probably think about clean, simple design and reliable technology. What do people think about when they hear your organization’s name?

Video, more so than any other media brings your brand to life. As Media Managers, we have an opportunity and responsibility to be active brand stewards.

Think about your organization’s brand attributes…the aspirational characteristics you want your organization to stand for. We are swift, agile, customer focused, innovative, etc… Now look at the video being produced in your company from the POV of your customers, and stakeholders. Does the video look, feel, and sound like those brand attributes?

We’ve all been trained to know the guidelines around proper use of our organization’s logo. These are generally clearly spelled out and very specific. These guidelines we’re driven and perfected by the print industry. This was a challenging task, but, at the end of the day, it only addressed one static image – the logo itself.

But as motion media has evolved and been democratized – we suddenly realize that people will judge our brand by the pictures, we show, the sounds we include, the pace and cadence of the video and most importantly, in the emotions we express. All of these components and more become our brand.

Writing guidelines around these elements is far more challenging, but, vitally more important than the guidelines around use of a logo. As a Media Manager, you have an opportunity to champion the cause of bringing your brand to life. But, it comes with the challenge of developing guidelines that are clear, measurable and enforceable.

Well written video standards and guidelines are an important key part of governance. And as user/employee generated content becomes more commonplace, standards and guidelines become more necessary. Being proactive in developing these standards and guidelines helps position you and your team as the experts and gives you the tools to manage and control the video that is produced in your organization.

Without clear guidelines and standards, video becomes the wild, wild, west leaving you and your team with the feeling of trying to address a forest fire with a small garden hose. And more importantly, the raging fire of video that looks, sounds and feels arbitrary and inconsistent, is creating an impression of your brand and organization that can at best be inconsistent and at worst be detrimental to the brand your organization has worked so hard to create and maintain.

So, if you have not begun creating some brand standards and guidelines for your organization, get started. It’s not easy, but, the rewards can be huge for your organization and can help you and your team gain credibility as not just technical and creative advisors, but as a core part of preserving your organization’s most valuable asset – your brand.

This article is contributed by Bill Marriott, CMMA Board Member

Earlier this spring, the Communications Media Management Association hosted a Metro Meeting at VideoLink in Boston, where attendees gathered to discuss video trends and technology. We wanted to share one of the great discussions of the day, where CMMA President and SVP of Bank of America’s Video & Broadcast Team, Gregg Moss, VideoLink Director of Engineering, Leigh Willis, and Ernst & Young Video Production Lead, Lou Davis, shared their experiences navigating the video technology and content landscape. Click below to watch the quick video to see Gregg, Leigh, and Lou discuss:

• Their challenges in the video business
• Big trends expected for 2016
• How to target and personalize video to reach the right audience
• How video quality and image affects brand
• What makes a great video

Be sure to attend our next Metro Meeting at a location near you! Follow us on Twitter, or stay up to date on future events here!