28 January 2008
A Picture is worth a thousand words…. 1/27/08
but video is worth millions. I read an interesting article in the February edition of Inc. magazine about the Ford Model Agency. Normally I would turn right past an article on make-up tips (you might have noticed if you ever saw me apply make-up for tv) but this one caught my eye so I stopped to read. There was a time when Ford was the place teenage girls turned to when they wanted to break into the world of modeling. I had a few of their hotties on my walls as a young teenage boy… Cheryl Tiegs, Christie Brinkley, etc. But by the mid-90’s the agency was facing stiff competition from their rivals at Elite and other management firms trying to break into the industry. Ford was looking for a way to increase its exposure and they got it with the internet and video. Ford’s CEO, John Caplan, knew his agency had two very important things, attractive people, and the fact that they were the global authorities on fashion, trends, and style. So the agency started shooting these 80 second videos with its models talking about their fashion tips, favorite outfits, colors, make-up advice, etc. The result so far has been about 1000 videos and some have become the most popular destination on YouTube for teenage girls. When companies are struggling to figure out a way to tap into the power of the internet Ford’s revenue is up 140% over the past five years. Check out some examples at http://www.fordmodels.tv/main Remember, a picture may only be worth a thousand words but VIDEO can tell the whole story. Media Image Partners has the production crew and equipment to help you break into the world of video to improve your website or marketing materials. Check out our services and some of the work we’ve already done for our successful clients. Let us know if we can help you. Steve Atkinson/MIP Co-Founder
