I confess that I bought a Flip video camera for my daughter, and I haven't even seen the commercial. My decision making process came down to cost/value. For a pre-teen asking for a video camera, I had to take into account the fact that it may get lost or at the very least not get treated kindly. In searching for an affordable video camera, I could have spent $70 or $80 on a camera that had decent reviews or spend $100 and get one that has gotten excellent reviews. Well, the decision was easy and maybe mom can even borrow it every now and then when I want something easy and small for the road.
I'm not sure just the campaign would have sold me on the camera though. Again, I always do research and try to find the best value for the dollars I'm spending.
eemom, I've been contemplating buying one of these for more than a year. But of course, I want the HD quality Flip video camera, the one with two hours of video record time. I keep telling myself what a great tool to video interviews or places I visit. Could have used it when I visited Google's offices in New York. The price is a bit high, but the quality is pretty darn good. If I ran a manufacturing plant I'd walk around interviewing co-workers sending well wishes to clients. Then I'd post the video on YouTube and send my clients a link to the post. It provides a human element to the digital world that sometimes seems all too consuming. I'd love to hear from some manufacturers. Do you Flip?
Laurie, I flip and like it a lot. I don't use it as often as I would like and I've never done any corporate work with it but it is easy to use and the quality is fine enough.
The question I have about your take on the use of the Flip, though, is on public perception. If I compile video testimonies from my clients sounding happy and excited about the products I sell them, how believable really is the output to the viewer. Will they really accept that this is not just another marketing campaign?
Hi Anna, I'm not suggesting you shoot happy customers. I'm thinking more about taking a video of the people who work with you. Share the experience of your work environment with your clients. Show them how you manufacture the widgets. What goes into making the products they use.
Cisco actually did this a couple of years ago. They gave nearly everyone in a small town a Flip camera and had them take videos of their everyday life to share experiences with others. Consider it social marketing, but what you're really doing is sharing your experiences with others. I think it's all part of the company/client relationship. Do you?
I haven't bought a Flip and have no intention of doing so. I have nothing against the product; it's just not something I'm interested in doing for now or for the near future. But I do think that some people will get very excited to get their 30 second of fame (maybe then they can look forward to another 14 1/2 minutes down the road to complete the 15 that everyone supposedly gets). Though it is using a somewhat modified medium, it still sounds like the equivalent of offering what exactly you like about the company you "Like" on Facebook.
My friend said that his company TSMC would not even allow employees carry a camera phone because the company does not want their "secret" spilled and captured "accidentally"
It is certainly the case with any defense company, and I suspect many commercial companies as well, that camera or video phones/equipment are not allowed inside facilities. I'm actually a little surprised that someone hasn't marketed phones without cameras to market toward people who call on these types of businesses.
You're right. I just read an article about how the US military is cutting down on the types of devices that are being allowed in govt facilities. No more removable media, camera-enabled devices, or anything to allow data leakage. Wikileaks helped to expose the security loopholes.
Defense contractors also restrict devices with cameras in their facilities, and I'm sure the restrictions will get tighter with the attention that WikiLeaks brings to the subject. Any site I have visited requires all cell phones with cameras (pretty much all of them these days) to be left with the receptionist. I wouldn't be surprised to see commercial facilities implementing similar policies for their own IP protection - time will tell on that one.
Absolutely. They're probably having their lawyers draft the new compliance policies as we speak. Not too many organizations can afford to deal with data leaks and 'stolen' data.
Even though most or to say any company will not allow the employees to use these flip videos to be shot and to share external people. But as we all say single picture is worth of 1000 words a small video is worth of 10000 words. The company management may always use the videos to communicate the message across to their customers. It doesn’t necessarily a video clip using the flip but a very small length video less than 30 sec to show what a company does is really a creative one.
I don't want to open up a whole "free speech" debate, but in the case of video-flipping, it comes down to the greatest good for the organization. Certain info that is not appropriate for public dissemination should remain well guarded, and any promotional communication should be left in the appropriate hands of the organization.
Laurie, I don’t think it’s a nice idea to shoot the working environment and sharing the video clip through social networking sites. Many way it’s becomes a violation of industrial security and may against the company’s policy. I think customers are not that much interested, to know the working cultures and other facilities, but may more specific for their end product. Other outside employees, who wish to work with that company, may eager to know working culture and social activities happening inside. More over personally am not entertaining my private things to disclosure through networking media.
if you are interested in HDD flip video camera, you can find some good models from any of these manufactures like Sony, Panasonic, Kodak etc
Interesting, Toms. Your perspective is interesting. I've been following and covering news about companies like Google for the past five, the culture of the company and how management treats employees with perks like free food and daily exercise routines. It appears from your description that Google's open culture is completely different. I realize you wouldn't want to show or share any trade secrets, but you really think clients don't care to know more about the type of environment you work in? A clean, well-organized environment, even a manufacturing floor, shows something about the organization. I understand your commitment to protect privacy. And, understand the fact that you think clients are not interesting to know the working cultures, but rather would like to know more about the end product. Sure, everything that goes into making the end product is a reflection on the company and how well the end product runs.
Thanks for your thoughts Toms. Always appreciated.
I think this all depends on the culture of the company and whether or not they would want it broadcast. I do see a much more social application to this camera, however, than taking small clips in a work environment to share with others. Think of friends taking small video clips of gatherings, parities in schools where you can take clips to share with the parents that did not attend, graduations, etc.
I think you have identified a very interesting use for the Flip Camera and using video clips to both inform and extract information. The idea of having a whole town take videos for a commercial is just scratching the surface.
Consider using these Flip Cameras to document daily progress of your project instead of doing a tedious weekly report. Think of the time it would save, plus you gain a detailed project log for post mortem analysis for both the good and bad elements of the project.
Doing a new product idea with a video of the initial brainstorming session sent out on the Internet to let others comment. In one short segment, you can touch potential users, retailers, suppliers, potential customers and very important suggestions on addition uses for the concept. Granted, you may be giving away some information to your competitors, but what you would gain would far outweigh the risks.
Reguardless of the business you company pursues, capturing and analyzing the events during the process leads you directly to the heart of true process improvement. A Flip Camera can easily collect a lot of the information without any tedious forms or rigidly formal processes.
You have definitely lit the fuze to a lot of potential applications. Well Done!
Thats a nice tag line "Do you flip". A small video with different activities, may be very casual one but still getting the message across always is liked by buyers. It also motivates the buyers to atleast go and checkout the product.
SP, valid point. Thanks for the comment. I was surprised when Cisco bought the company, but it seems to fit them well. It educated consumers about their brand. Always a smart move.
EBN Dialogue enables and encourages you to participate in live chats with notable leaders and luminaries. Not only editors and journalists, but the entire EBN community is able to comment and ask questions. Listed below are upcoming and archived chats.
Archived Dialogues
Thailand Stages a Comeback Join EBN contributor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday August 23, 2012, at 11:00 a.m. EST for a live chat on how electronic manufacturers in Thailand have shored up their supply chain to reduce the impact of future natural disasters.
Euro-Crisis: What It Means for High-Tech Firms Join EBN Editor in Chief Bolaji Ojo and Contributing Editor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday, July 12, at 10:00 a.m. EDT for a Live Chat on high-tech and Europe's economic difficulties.
Microsoft Surface: Potential Winners & Losers What are the implications for the electronics industry supply chain of Microsoft Corp.'s decision to launch its own tablet PC? Join industry veteran and EE Times' systems and OEM expert Rick Merritt on Tuesday, July 3, at 12:00 pm EDT for a Live Chat on this subject.
Join EBN contributor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday August 23, 2012, at 11:00 a.m. EST for a live chat on how electronic manufacturers in Thailand have shored up their supply chain to reduce the impact of future natural disasters.
Peter Drucker famously said "Trying to predict the future is like trying to drive down a country road at night with no lights while looking out the back window." Yet in the razor's-edge world of electronics—with a lean supply chain and just-in-time demands—the need to know the future is vital.
You've heard the saying "the No. 1 supply chain risk is your people." That hasn't always been the case. But today's complex global supply chain requires a new type of multitalented employee. It's one who understands, finance, marketing, economics, is savvy with technology, graceful with relationships and can think analytically.
Where are these people? Are universities properly preparing the next generation supply chain professionals? How do train your existing workforce for these new, demanding positions?
Brian Fuller, editor-in-chief of EBN, will lead a 60-minute Avnet Velocity panel discussion that will ask and answer these and other questions swirling around today's supply-chain talent challenges.
To save this item to your list of favorite EBN content so you can find it later in your Profile page, click the "Save It" button next to the item.
If you found this interesting or useful, please use the links to the services below to share it with other readers. You will need a free account with each service to share an item via that service.
Tweet This
