“Switch is a two-day event that gathers people with different background experiences to discuss technology, science, entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation in a network-friendly environment.”
My presentation will focus on ‘Digital Evolution’. I will talk about why the need to constantly evolve in the digital space has become something that isn’t just important but necessary for anyone who wants to succeed. I’ll explain why we have to re-think of websites as ‘digital brains’ instead of a simple ‘online presence’ and I’ll give 5 practical tips on how to prevent and eventually overcome 5 of the most frequent causes of digital extinction that brands, organizations and at times also individuals are facing today.
I hope to see you there!
Andrea
UPDATE: These are the slides of my presentation. Enjoy!
In the style of a movie trailer parody, the following video is the full version of an informative series about the emerging technology of QR Codes that my team at itive.net and I created.
QR Codes are one of the latest emerging technologies in digital marketing and communications. Users may discover QR Codes in their environment or on their favorite products and then scan them with their phones to be taken to additional information online. The creative and strategic uses of QR Codes are being seen world wide as more and more organizations, as well as individuals, are implementing them into their marketing and advertising campaigns. From jewelry and t-shirts, to cupcakes and temporary tattoos, who knows where you will find the next QR Code…and where it will take you.
How can QR Codes help you? If you have any questions or are interested in learning more about how you and/or your organization can benefit from using QR Codes, please feel free to contact us 🙂
We at Coopr connect with international PR professionals daily. From Sydney to Vancouver and from Cape Town to Helsinki. More and more PR professionals connect with each other online, via Twitter, blogs, podcasts or Facebook. To share their knowledge, thoughts, doubts and passion for Public Relations. With ‘The PR Spotlight’ we wish to contribute to this active PR community. We will try to approach some of the best in PR for you. To help you find answers. ‘The PR Spotlight’ today is on Andrea Vascellari, CEO of itive.net, communicator, blogger and video-poscaster. Please enjoy his 7 answers and help us share the story!
1. Who are you and what do you do?
I’m Andrea Vascellari, currently the CEO of itive.net and international digital strategy agency with headquarters in Finland and New York City. My team and I help companies to build dynamic relationships with customers, employees, shareholders, influencers and other key audiences world-wide . I’m also a blogger and video-podcaster. I share posts and videos on my website andreavascellari.com.
2. What does PR mean to you?
PR is an art and I’m in love with it.
3. How do you see the role of PR in the near future?
The role of PR will be fundamental, more than ever before, and its practice increasingly exciting. Especially because of the growth of the Internet, today’s communications eco-system in which organizations are immersed is growing in size and complexity; therefore, its going to be necessary for organizations to manage their reputation in different scenarios at best, whether it is a product launch or a crisis situation.
4. PR sucks because…
…well let’s say that it is not PR that sucks. What really sucks when I think about PR is the bad “nomea” that some practitioners gave over the years to, in my opinion, this beautiful and fascinating industry. I think that PR is now living an interesting period because social media is in a sense functioning as a natural filter that is starting to separate the practitioners that are actually doing a good job from the ones that aren’t. Good guys will keep growing, bad guys will fall.
5. PR rules because…
It is one of the core parts of the overall communication “equilibrium” of all organizations that truly want to succeed. It’s so interesting to see what PR is becoming. I think the Internet is the best thing that could have happened to PR, especially if you look at the speed at which things are happening and evolving in this industry. When I think about the new opportunities and challenges that come with this digital evolution I can’t sleep, it’s something that literally makes me explode with excitement!
6. What’s hot on your radar right now?
The new generations of digital natives and the new rules of engagement that are emerging with them.
7. Who’s the best in your field? And why?
Heh…this is an interesting question because I don’t think there’s a ‘best’ in any field, I believe that there are a lot of great people highly specialized in different niches. So in PR I would also say that it depends on what you are looking for. Are you interested in B2B? Eric Schwartzman immediately comes to my mind. Are you in need of insightful researches? Then I’d say Jeremiah Owyang, and indeed Brian Solis who always has his eye on upcoming trends. If you actually have no idea whatsoever of where to start, I encourage you to listen to FIR (For Immediate Release). FIR is a weekly podcast at the intersection of online communication and public relations. Hosted by Neville Hobson & Shel Holtz, it’s a wonderful show that I’m sure will help get you on the right path. Inside PR with Martin Waxman, Joe Thornley, and Gini Dietrich is another terrific podcast you want to make sure to check out.
The ones I mentioned are all fantastic practitioners and also good friends that I feel comfortable enough to recommend. In addition to this I often refer to several other good folks in my blog posts and videos on andreavascellari.com, I hope you’ll find it interesting. Feel free to ask me more via twitter @vascellari!
During Social Media Week in Rome (Italy) Elena Radaelli (Augmendy) interviewd me and Leah D’Emilio (CCO, itive.net) about social media strategy. The video interview is in Italian but has been transcribed into English below. We mention some interesting points about digital strategy and online video, enjoy it!
Elena: We are here with Andrea Vascellari and Leah D’Emilio, respectively the CEO and CCO of itive.net. How do you help businesses with digital strategy?
Andrea: Most importantly, before anything else, you must understand what the client needs, look at their objectives together, analyze where they are coming from and see what they want to achieve. Then we create a solid overall strategic plan including “tactical” moves which allow them to achieve their objectives. It’s like creating or improving their digital DNA to succeed online. Because today it’s not just the fact about being online, you also have to be ‘smart’ about it. Leah, for example, is one of our team members who specializes in new media, like online video and related tactics.
Elena: Therefore, video is very important. How do you use video to launch and promote businesses?
Leah: Yes, because a video is something very personal where you can explain something in an easier way, more…
Andrea: Efficiently, let’s say…
Leah: Yes, the person who looks at your site, whether its a dot com or on Facebook, they can better understand your product or service in a deeper way. Video also allows you to create a more fun and engaging experience!
Andrea: A common mistake that many business owners make online today is showing a brand that is cold and faceless. They don’t have personality and they don’t create a relationship of engagement with their target audience, or if they are b2b (business to business), with the potential businesses that they want to reach and talk to.
Video reduces this distance, but you have to do it intelligently. Leah and our team are highly specialized and very strong in this. Obviously, there are other tactics you can put into the mix to have a super “social media cocktail”.
Elena: Obviously, you can’t leave out social media in particular Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, which should business have?
Andrea: It depends. Because there are so many social networks – and in general many sites that are online are becoming social – therefore we are starting to have an over-saturation of social networks in an increasingly larger number of niches. One important thing we must evaluate then is which social network is better to adopt. You have to look at the needs and objectives of the client. It could be Twitter, Facebook, Flickr or it could be other social networks. There are many social networks out there. For example now here at Social Media Week there are many new startups being born and presented. What we do is help our clients to select the right strategic path to follow including the best social media tactics to adopt.
Elena: Many thanks to Andrea Vascellari and Leah D’Emilio Andrea and Leah: Thank you!
During Social Media Week in Rome (Italy) Elena Radaelli (Augmendy) interviewd me and Leah D’Emilio (CCO, itive.net) about social media strategy. The video interview is in Italian but has been transcribed into English below. We mention some interesting points about digital strategy and online video, enjoy it!
Elena: We are here with Andrea Vascellari and Leah D’Emilio, respectively the CEO and CCO of itive.net. How do you help businesses with digital strategy?
Andrea: Most importantly, before anything else, you must understand what the client needs, look at their objectives together, analyze where they are coming from and see what they want to achieve. Then we create a solid overall strategic plan including “tactical” moves which allow them to achieve their objectives. It’s like creating or improving their digital DNA to succeed online. Because today it’s not just the fact about being online, you also have to be ‘smart’ about it. Leah, for example, is one of our team members who specializes in new media, like online video and related tactics.
Elena: Therefore, video is very important. How do you use video to launch and promote businesses?
Leah: Yes, because a video is something very personal where you can explain something in an easier way, more…
Andrea: Efficiently, let’s say…
Leah: Yes, the person who looks at your site, whether its a dot com or on Facebook, they can better understand your product or service in a deeper way. Video also allows you to create a more fun and engaging experience!
Andrea: A common mistake that many business owners make online today is showing a brand that is cold and faceless. They don’t have personality and they don’t create a relationship of engagement with their target audience, or if they are b2b (business to business), with the potential businesses that they want to reach and talk to.
Video reduces this distance, but you have to do it intelligently. Leah and our team are highly specialized and very strong in this. Obviously, there are other tactics you can put into the mix to have a super “social media cocktail”.
Elena: Obviously, you can’t leave out social media in particular Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, which should business have?
Andrea: It depends. Because there are so many social networks – and in general many sites that are online are becoming social – therefore we are starting to have an over-saturation of social networks in an increasingly larger number of niches. One important thing we must evaluate then is which social network is better to adopt. You have to look at the needs and objectives of the client. It could be Twitter, Facebook, Flickr or it could be other social networks. There are many social networks out there. For example now here at Social Media Week there are many new startups being born and presented. What we do is help our clients to select the right strategic path to follow including the best social media tactics to adopt.
Elena: Many thanks to Andrea Vascellari and Leah D’Emilio Andrea and Leah: Thank you!
The web is starting to become a natural extension of ‘real world’ events. However, in order to achieve success you need to do it right. One of the niches in which my team and I specialized through the years is strategic online communications for events.
Last week we were in Italy where we helped the organizers of the International Trophy “Judo Vittorio Veneto” to get the best out of their event. 310 clubs, 2100 registered athletes from 18 countries, a 4500 seat sport arena, 2 days of competition and 1000 squared meters divided into 8 competition areas make this event the largest International judo tournament in Italy and among the top judo tournaments in Europe.
Itive crafted and handled the entire online communication plan of the event. Here are some interesting stats:
30 hours of live video were streamed.
181,000 minutes transmitted worldwide during the 2 days of the event.
650 GB of bandwidth for transmitting the data online.
1 control room, 3 cameramen, 2 directors of general video, 2 directors online.
Updates and moderation in real time via live chat, Twitter, and Facebook.
Results and brackets of the fights downloadable online at the end of each day.
3 photographers, +800 photos, +23,000 views in 2 days.
…and more
I encourage you to go and take a look at the entire case study that we shared on the itive.net blog. There you’ll see several other stats that I’m sure you’ll find interesting and inspiring if you are looking to get the best out of your events. If then you want to see some broken arms and a few black eyes belts in action you can hit play on the video player below which is streaming all the finals that were shot during the weekend on-demand.
And indeed if you need help with your events, well my team and I will be happy to help you out 😉
This week Leah D’Emilio (CCO – Chief Communications Officer – itive.net) was on stage in Rome at Ignite Italia during Social Media Week. She shares interesting insights about using online video to get the best out of your Facebook Fan Pages.
This week Leah D’Emilio (CCO – Chief Communications Officer – itive.net) was on stage in Rome at Ignite Italia during Social Media Week. She shares interesting insights about using online video to get the best out of your Facebook Fan Pages.
When you start thinking about how to use social media to market your organization, stop thinking about how you are going to find customers and start thinking about how to help them find you…
This video is about a nice story that Eric Schwartzman shared at Ignite this week in Rome (Italy) during Social Media Week. I’m sure you’ll find it interesting!
