PAULEY Blog

"Tomorrow's World.... Today's Challenge."

2012-02-15T04:11:00.002-08:00

Spiralling resource costs, flooding, civil unrest, threats to biodiversity, rises in environmental refugees and even all-out war – the implications of our unsustainable lifestyles are grim to say the least.

These are just some of the effects we are almost certain to experience over the next five to 20 years as the consequences of our environmental looting catch up with us.

Even today, the effects are showing themselves. Save the Children published results of a survey today, showing one-third of parents in countries including India, Nigeria and Bangladesh, don’t have enough food to provide for their children. One in six said their children were forced to skip school to work for food.

The current state of the planet is one that cannot go on!

I believe business can and must play a central role in reversing this situation and driving environmental and social change. Not just because it’s the ‘right’ thing to do but because it’s more profitable too.

Protecting the environment is at the heart of sustainable business. The resources that every business relies on come, ultimately, from the natural world.

That’s why making sure the value your business creates is sustainable in terms of the environment and its people is common sense. Whether your business suffers in one year because you don’t operate sustainably or in 10, the problems will happen.

Recognising the need for sustainable employment practices – after years of pressure and adverse publicity – Apple this week asked for the Fair Labour Association to inspect its supplier Foxconn in China where most of its products are made.

Pursuing profit at all costs is a destructive strategy that ultimately prevents you enjoying the fruits of your labour. It’s something that more and more business people are recognising and companies like Puma and Kingfisher – which operates the B&Q brand of DIY stores – are playing a leading role in driving a change towards sustainable thinking thanks to visionary bosses like Ian Cheshire.

David Brown - Rotary International:

Business can become the engine of sustainability within society if companies realise the substantial benefits of acting in a more responsible fashion – that was the message from the Tomorrow’s World . . . Today’s Challenge seminar hosted by ourselves here at design and innovation firm PAULEY.

With delegates from management consulting firm Capgemini, architecture specialists Eco Design Consultants and Rotary International, the event explored the consequences of failing to embrace sustainability both at an environmental and business level.

Bethan Richmond - Capgemini :

Through a series of talks and practical exercises, the event uncovered practical ways businesses can proactively support sustainability.

The event, sponsored by engineering consultancy Atkins Global, was the result of collaboration between us and Phil Williams from Plan-It Eco.

The event looked at the need for businesses to be more pro-active and innovative in their approach to sustainability. What it revealed was the multiple benefits there are in doing this.

Acting sustainably is not a burden but an incredible opportunity to improve efficiency, engage and inspire staff, and ensure that profits are maximised in the medium- and long-term.

Take our recent work with Eurostar for example. We created an e-training system for repair and maintenance staff to learn and test their mechanical and electrical skills.

The company was able to save tens of thousands of pounds on traditional one-to-one training that involves bringing an entire train up to the central repair depot.

By using interactive, innovation-led design tools companies like Eurostar can enjoy logistics and time savings with a training system that is enjoyable and less resource intensive. In other words, you can get the job done without the environmental, time and financial impact of shifting an enormous train around.

The sustainability event was the first in a series of events at The Farm Sustainability Centre – our dedicated educational centre set in the rural outskirts of Milton Keynes.

The event reminded me that environmental responsibility and profit don’t need to be mutually exclusive. Today, it’s more possible than ever that we can enjoy the benefits of both.

Powering Sustainable Innovation - The Cat and Mouse in a Flooding House

2012-01-27T00:16:00.001-08:00

It's ironic and symbolic of our times that an area of the world now appallingly wealthy thanks to being stocked to the eyeballs with oil is now under threat from the unsustainable impact of its trade in the black gold.

A rise in sea levels of 1m will put 1,155km squared of Abu Dhabi's coastline underwater. According to an Abu Dhabi government report on global warming, precisely such an event is "not unlikely" to happen by 2050 they say. So the UAE really does have good reason to champion renewable technology.

The impact of climate change made for a concerned mood at the 2012 World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi. The event was hosted by some of the world's largest oil and gas companies. On the surface, it was a showcase for emerging renewable energy technologies, with a heavy focus on glass solar photovoltaic panels and wind.

The tone and opening presentation championed innovation like a demi-god bearing the keys to the gates of paradise. Innovation was the key driver to defeat climate change; the last great hope to avert an energy crises; the tool to encourage environmental responsibility and the only way to create a sustainable future of prosperity fuelled by renewable energy.

Innovation, innovation, innovation was the mantra at the top of the list for the swathes of Heads of State, key industry spokesmen and comperes: "Our world has always been driven by innovation and powered by imagination." Arguably true but it belied the short-term, profit-driven decision making that still dominates our planets energy sector.

We were invited to join the UK trade delegation at the Summit. Despite the sloganeering and idealistic talk, we were the only specialist innovation-focussed company exhibiting. We showcased our 2011/12 innovation incubator projects and focussed on our Marine Solar Cell technology as a lead to generate potential partnerships and thankfully we had overwhelming support from individuals on every stand we talked to.

Away from the public facing presentations, corporate financier complained about the practicalities of solar and wind power, the inefficiencies, the difficulties and the less favourable economics. Now is not the time to be investing in anything, let alone renewables or new innovation in energy.

Our Marine Solar Cells (MSC) were created precisely to tackle these challenges posed by the energy sector. MSCs are a hybrid solar and wave energy system with the unprecedented ability to establish photovoltaic power generation at sea. With interest from Masdar, Siemens, GE and MIT(EI) to name only a few, we are confident that we can deliver the first off-shore solar farm in the world. Fingers crossed post Summit.

The thinking behind the MSC design stems from the cost and availability of land as a significant hurdle in the installation of large-scale solar power facilities globally. Energy generated at sea could be channelled back to land through either underwater cables or through a network of "battery" shipping tankers. Alternatively, it could be used to supply power for off-shore construction projects, such as wind farms and tidal energy projects.

The economics of driving a new world energy economy aren't straightforward and one might think we have more pressing concerns at hand. On the other hand, shouldn't we all have a say in what we spend public profit on from natural resource extraction other than supporting a arthritic capitalist system?

Adu Dhabi's rags-to-riches story is a modern day fairy tale. However, it may not have a happy ending. This 40-year-old coastal state is built almost entirely on ground no more than three to four feet above sea level. If sea levels do rise, the UAE will be one of the first to disappear underwater.

Seemingly, we have passed the point of no return. We have to keep pumping natural resources to fuel construction of flood defences. We use air-con to stop the effects of global warming, all the while making the underlying problem worse. Take the proposed new London airport for example; built by profiteering from nature and designed to stop flooding caused by global warming reaching past the Thames Estuary.

Profits from natural resources will continue to be funnelled into infrastructure, especially NOW flood defences while only a small amount will pay lip service to renewable energy and new energy innovation. Most of these new technologies will be criticised for not performing as well as conventional energy sources however much demand or calling there is for them.

Profits from non-renewable sources will be plundered and spent on repairing damage caused to communities as a result of their use. However, rather than complaining about short-term difficulties, the smart money still flows into innovative renewable projects. It may be slow but it's the only long term option - especially if we want sustainable solutions that don't come back to haunt us when the tides come rolling in.

Looking Back on the Natural Disasters of 2011 and a Message of Hope For 2012

2011-12-22T12:12:00.000-08:00

If you're moaning about the weather or the economy this Christmas, don't! We had it easy in the UK during 2011. This year will go down in history as one expensive and lengthy meteorological and environmental disaster. It added to the 13 hottest years on record, all of which have occurred within the last 15 years. Mother Nature at her rampaging worst effected every continent on the Earth...

January

Europe experienced some of the coldest weather on record.

Some 6,000 flights in the UK alone were cancelled.

Temperatures in Russia were the coldest for over a century.

The northern US experienced prolonged arctic blizzards.

In Australia, torrential rains caused flooding on a scale the country had not experienced before generating 10" of rain in 24 hours.

Brisbane River burst its banks creating 15ft-high floodwaters leaving 20,000 homes overwhelmed and an area three-times the size of Britain was declared a disaster zone.

February

New Zealand was devastated by an earthquake measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale.

The disaster, that destroyed the heart of Christchurch, wrecked more than 1,000 buildings with a rebuild cost estimated at over $30billion

March

Japan experienced an earthquake measuring 8.9 on the Richter scale - one of the five biggest quakes ever recorded.

The movement of tectonic plates suddenly shifted seawater to the surface, creating a huge wall of water.

An estimated 10 billion tonnes of water hit the Japanese coast and travelled six miles inland.

In the town of Minamisanriku, 10,000 people were killed and 95% of all housing was swept away.

The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear reactor was critically damaged causing reactors to overheat.

In total, the disaster in Japan cost $310billion, claimed 20,000 lives and destroyed 100,000 homes.

April

USA experienced the worst series of storms in its history.

The number and intensity was unprecedented with 200 tornados ripping through 16 US states in 48 hours leaving 38 people dead.

Two weeks later, the disaster was repeated when a super-outbreak created 336 separate tornados in less than two days.

In total, 753 tornados hit the US, the highest number ever recorded which caused $20 Billion dollars worth of damage.

May

A huge tornado hit Joplin, Missouri, USA, with winds traveling at more than 200mph, the tornado was more than one mile wide.

Six square miles of Joplin were flattened and it was declared the single deadliest tornado since 1947.

June

Chile's Puyehue volcano underwent a violent eruption spewing vast clouds of electrically charged dust particles into the air creating colossal electrical storms and dazzling displays of lightning.

July

We all went on holiday.

August

Around 65 million people on America's east coast were thought to be at risk with seven states declared official emergency zones and mandatory evacuation notices issued as Hurricane Irene left a trail of destruction and wide spread panic.

Mercifully, Hurricane Irene never fulfilled scientists worst predictions, however, the rain storms that accompanied it created significant flooding, leaving three million homes without power and a $6billion repair bill.

October

Unprecedented rains plagued many countries around the world.

Thailand experienced its worst floods for 50 years with four million acres of farmland drenched and floods swept into Bangkok, forcing tens of thousands of people to evacuate nationwide.

Turkey experienced the horribly destructive earthquake measuring 7.2 which destroyed 2,000 buildings and killed 6,000 people in the city of Van.

November

Severe drought plagued much of Africa especially in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia throughout the year.

Some 13 million people required emergency aid.

This was followed by widespread flooding which destroyed homes and villages.

December

Flash floods and landslides caused by illegal logging tore through the Philippines.

Approximately 350,000 people in 13 provinces were affected with most of their infrastructure, crops, livestock, houses, schools, roads and bridges destroyed.

Conclusion

This year has been defined by natural disasters on an unprecedented scale. With 50million social and environmental refugees forced to move this year alone, mankind's footprint becomes less defined, the population has fewer places to hide from nature than ever before.

With the effects of climate change and meteorological events widely predicted to create more unpredictable social and economic patterns, it is fair to say that man has not escaped his battle with the elements, himself, his leaders, his neighbours or the environment.

Increasingly, scientists and economists stress that there is almost nothing that can be done to prevent an increase in natural weather disasters if climate change is not addressed. And with this years global infrastructure rebuild cost estimate of over a trillion dollars, can the global economy afford to rebuild year after year of extreme events.

However, there is a small ray of light that I'd like to leave you with!

According to the Mayans, 2012 marks a re-birth of our world, and the end of an important era founded in separation, greed, lack of social responsibility and a disconnection from our planet. The "NEW WORLD" that we move towards is about oneness and the concept of "WE ARE ALL ONE" across the world...

BREAKING NEWS: Planet Earth Plc Due Diligence

2011-11-28T05:32:00.000-08:00

Following on from my last blog, we took a quick look at Planet Earth Plc’s performance over the last two millennia (or so) and found the results were a little disappointing in Q4.

Now if I were an (Alien) Investor, looking to invest in Planet Earth Plc, I’d need to do my 'due diligence' as is customary in any business transaction. I would need to investigate and evaluate the business and relevant aspects of the past, present and predictable future of the opportunity.

Initially an Investor carrying out due diligence would need to create a checklist of required information and thorough research would then be conducted using external sources. Appropriate investigation and verification into the most important issues often must be balanced by a sensible level of trust from the various departments involved.

The major players in this example have been broken down as follows:
The Customer (You)
The Suppliers (Corporates)
Management (Governments)
Experts (Scientists)
Finances (Bankers and Investors)

There are many reasons for conducting due diligence, including confirming that the business (or Planet!) is what it appears to be. It's important to identify any potential deal breaker or problems on the horizon and gain all the relevant information that will be useful for valuing the assets and deciding on the viability of the project. On the face of it Planet Earth Plc seems to be a uniquely beautifully blue piece of intergalactic real estate with an abundance of natural resources and resourceful inhabitants - but appearances can, as we know, be deceptive.

The results can be seen here at http://planetearthplc.com/

On first inspection, initially everything looked fine with Customer relations and the Human population was increasing at a very impressive rate and clearly human activity looked calm and progressive. Global GDP was up which suggested that productivity was thriving, however, that wasn’t really telling the whole story.

There were worrying signals which seemed to show an increase in refugees, unemployment, aggressive behaviour and a lack of co-operation. Full scale fighting between sovereign states and between internal factions was taking place in various power struggles across the planet. The trend seems to be for the population to be turning away from well established moral guidance and to be questioning previously trusted and respected leadership values.

Moving onto the Suppliers, again productivity was excellent with higher than expected outputs. Profits were rocketing and, with seemingly endless demand, the picture couldn’t have looked better. However again there was an underlying indication of resource shortages that opportunistic entities were prepared to exploit for their own gain. Prices of valuable commodities were rising beyond the pocket of the ordinary consumer with Global conglomerates and even Governments controlling output to consolidate their powerbase.

Evaluating the Management report, closer inspection revealed serious flaws in succession planning in terms of environmental mitigation and financial direction. There seems to be a far greater emphasis on reacting to crises, both natural and manmade, rather than on innovation and proactive development to prevent, or at least ameliorate, potential disasters which can be reasonably predicted. This lack of foresight is a worrying lapse in forward planning and would be a cost effective means of addressing issues of which the relevant governments are now aware.

We then reviewed the Expert evaluation which highlighted a worrying trend towards future growth at the expense of the planet's natural resources and the means of potential recovery following the wholesale plundering of the essential assets and materials critical to life. It was found that there were grave concerns as to the supply of those most basic of requirements for human life - air quality, food and water - without which the Human population simply could not survive into the future.

Finally but optimistically we digested the Financial Statement. With Suppliers struggling to cope with demand and unprecedented profits, why were the Global Markets as they were? The development of thriving new markets in Brazil, Russia, India and China were masking heavy downturns in more traditional areas of the New and Old Worlds. Swamped by the devastation caused by the global financial crash of 2007/8, the US and Europe were drowning in the manmade crisis caused by greedy bankers effectively gambling away their clients' money by predicting that markets would fall and taking the profits from their bets. Even when given government rescue support to protect their customers, those same bankers consolidated their assets to rebuild their own balance sheets rather than extend the government largesse to their clients.

From the investor's point of view, the jury has to be out on the way forward for Planet Earth Plc. On the one hand the resources of Earth and both the initiative and talents of its inhabitants give cause for optimism. However the blatant exploitation of the planet is simply unsustainable at present levels and the coming years will lead to a 'tipping point' beyond which the situation could become irretrievable without consolidated intervention on a global scale.

Innovation will be a major factor with technological advances and smarter use of existing resources. The urgent need for greater awareness and a respect for the planet from all quarters, if harnessed properly, could be a tremendous force for good but failure to appreciate this very urgent need will further destabilise the situation. The contrast between the 'have' and 'have not' nations, already a potential area of conflict, if left unchecked will inevitably lead to a prolonged struggle in which the main loser is Planet Earth Plc. The difference, in my opinion, between complacency, scaremongering and well founded concern is the overwhelming evidence in support of urgent action for global alliance, co-operation and direction.

PAULEY teams up with sustainability guru Phil Williams of Plan-It Eco

2011-10-24T04:43:00.000-07:00

Exciting times in the office today as PAULEY joined forces with Phil Williams (plan-iteco.com) for an on-going research project into sustainability and visual communications.

Sustainability is a big growth area so it’s an exciting time for us. Especially to have someone of Phil’s experience on board.

Phil is an expert on sustainability and one of the UK’s leading speakers on how sustainability issues affect businesses.

He set up the company Plan-It Eco in 1997. Since then he has delivered thousands of workshops and organised hundreds of corporate and educational trips to the Amazon rainforest.

Together, we’ll be investigating the synergies between design and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

We’ll research practical ways that firms can realise the value of CSR across their operations using design and visual communications.

We’re particularly keen to highlight how design-led innovation might lead to cost-savings, sustainability and revenue enhancement.

Phil has been recruited by local authorities and leading companies, including BP, WWF, Rotary International and the Welsh Assembly Government for Wales. We’re delighted to have the chance to use his expertise.

We’re sure it will mean lots of new initiatives and ideas to bring to our clients.

PAULEY has always been committed to promoting the benefits of design and innovation. It will be extremely interesting to investigate new ways of using that knowledge to help clients looking to improve their sustainability performance.

Well designed training and communications systems can not only save companies money but improve customer satisfaction and CSR performance too.

DWP Publishing - Media Bulletin Interview on: Creating Video Press Releases

2011-10-13T06:24:00.000-07:00

What are the main advantages of a video press release in comparison to the traditional written version?

Increasingly, PRs want to connect with people beyond their traditional audience. Many have moved beyond simply connecting with people in the media. They want to interact directly with consumers and businesses, particularly through social networks. A traditional press release approach can’t provide the level of visibility, detailed information or entertainment that consumers demand. That’s why more and more PRs are turning to online video to get their message heard.

How should PR companies get started when planning a video press release?

The first questions you need to ask yourself are your desired budget, deadline and quality. Once you know those you’re in a position to make some sensible decisions about how to proceed. Planning the camera positions, post-production and sound recording are areas it’s easy to forget about in the rush to start recording.

What equipment [without mentioning brand names] is essential for the filming/recording/editing process?

Even the cheapest modern video camera can give high quality results if you pay some attention to lighting, camera position and sound volume. It’s worth taking some time to think about those aspects before getting started. There’s plenty of free editing software available on the web which, for simple no-frills videos, can give excellent results. I’d only advise investing in more expensive software or camera equipment if you’re going to make video press releases a regular part of your PR offer.

Is it important to have narration or a presenter featured in the video, or can graphics and music be equally as effective?

There’s only one acid test; does the video get the intended message across? If in doubt, ask for feedback from people who are likely to tell you the brutal truth before finalising it. However, less is more in some instances – more well known brands can get away with less!

Are there any definite no-no’s when putting a video together? What should PRs avoid?

Don’t zoom in or out during shots. Ever. It looks terrible. The trouble is, people don’t seem to be able to resist the temptation. Don’t move the camera during shots either. Again, unless you’ve got enough money for a proper camera crane, it will look awful. Static shots are the way forward. Finally, don’t expect that the in-built microphone on your camera will pick up decent quality sound from more than a metre or two away, especially if there’s even a hint of background noise. Unless you’ve got a proper external mic, stay close.

Could you give an example of a particularly good/effective video press release you’ve seen? And a bad one?

There are some terrible videos out there. Usually they could have been saved by doing less, rather than more. If in doubt, keep it simple. The worst video releases I’ve seen are ones that try to get as many graphics, as much music and as many clichés into the script as possible. The only salvation is if your video is so shockingly cheesy and crass that it becomes an ironic masterpiece. But this is obviously a risky strategy!

What are the best ways to make press release videos interesting/appealing to journalists, ensuring favourable coverage in the media for PR clients?

First up there’s the IT issue. It’s one for your techies to sort out but is vital and easily overlooked. If you’re video is in an obscure format or requires 80 terabytes of memory to process you’re on to a loser from the start. Make sure it’s on all the usual social networks so that anyone with a computer can see it. When it comes to journalists, the usual questions apply: is it suitable, relevant, informative or amusing? If not, the journos will have your gaffes in all their full-colour glory rather than simply in print.

Working with PRs:

If you could make one change to the way PRs approach working with you, what would it be?

I would urge them to stick to the agreed script or narrative and not be tempted to change their minds halfway through production. It’s more cost-effective to stick with the original plan even if something even more exciting happens alone the creative process – as is often the case.

Name the three most important attributes that make a PR a pleasure to work with:

Being open to innovative ideas and creativity
Realistic timescales, budgets and expectations.
A genuine excitement for how a project will evolve

In your opinion, what are the main challenges facing the PR industry today?

I believe the main challenge is visibility. It can’t be taken for granted any more. The challenge is coping with the explosion in publicity outlets and the background noise that threatens to drown out your message. Maintaining visibility means staying on top of the rising tide of media chatter. PR companies need to keep innovation and creativity at the forefront of their minds.

About you and your work:

How did you originally get into this line of business/sector?

Coming up with fresh ideas has always been my passion, ever since I was a child and first got hold of a pen and paper. I studied design which helped me learn how to visualise those ideas into viable concepts with practical applications. I love innovating and thankfully it comes very naturally to me and my outstanding team.

What have been the biggest changes in your field since you started the business?

When it comes to conceptual design and visual communications, the ability to generate innovative ideas is no different. What’s changed is the ability to implement them. Nowadays, more and more ideas fall within the realm of the possible. People able to understand, implement and communicate the vision of others are the people with the most to offer.

What’s the most memorable campaign you’ve been involved with?

Our partnership with Aquos Yachts - on a recent video charting the first 12 months of its 45m super-yacht Big Fish. The video charted its course around the world from New Zealand through to Tahiti, the Galapagos Islands, Antarctica and beyond. A full Circumnavigation of the earth on its maiden voyage – Incredible. It was used as part of the yacht’s global PR and for its first birthday celebrations with the original production engineers. There was so much energy and enthusiasm it was a joy to work on and we feel incredibly honoured to be involved with their ongoing campaign.

Do you find social media an effective tool in your work? Would you recommend it to PR clients planning a campaign?

Of course it depends on the specifics of the job but to me, it’s something that needs to be ruled out only after deliberate consideration. There need to be good reasons not to take advantage of it. A great PR campaign can draw huge attention through social media. Get it right and it will spread like wildfire!

Is there a particular client you’d love to create a video with?

I’d love to work with UNESCO World Heritage Centre. It’s the one organisation for me that champions the wonderful diversity of culture’s past and present on this earth. I’ve always been facinated in this and that’s why I set up www.CultureOdyssey.com to explore the design aspects and inspiration of culture throughout the world – it really focuses our visual communications delivery.

Describe a typical day at work; what are your daily responsibilities?

I’ve always been an early bird so I’m in the office by 6 or 7am at the latest. That means I can get through emails before things start to get busy. It’s also a chance to gather my thoughts about new concept and product designs. Once the office gets busy I’m usually tied up with phone calls and working with other design staff so that quiet time is important. Meetings follow creativity follow inspiration follow client feedback, fine tuning and client feedback! I finish around 6 and can’t wait to get home to my beautiful wife and our newborn daughter India.

What interests you most about your job?

We get to work with so many different sectors and communications professionals from both large and smaller organisations on a wide range of visual communications requirements. We drive innovation through our creativity and promote business sustainability by identifying cost savings in time and money through the implementation of innovative and interactive techniques. It’s the pleasure my team get from exceeding client expectations time and again that is the real joy in owning and running your own business. In my opinion, that’s priceless!

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?

At times, managing your own business can be a lonely and thankless journey for you and the staff on whom so much of the business’s success depends. In the early days I was referred to the Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge which was a great source of inspiration – quietly brilliant, a poetic PR masterpiece of its day.

Digital content specialist helps PR professionals make the most of video press releases

2011-09-21T06:17:00.000-07:00

PR professionals are increasingly aiming to reach beyond their traditional audience in the media, interacting directly with consumers and businesses through social networks. The traditional press release can’t always provide the detailed information - or entertainment - that consumers demand and many PRs are turning to video press releases to help. Designer and entrepreneur Phil Pauley, founder of digital content specialist Pauley Media, has produced a 10-point checklist to help PR professionals understand the options video offers their campaigns.

Many options are available to PR professionals producing a video press release. Budget, deadline, and the desired quality of the final film will inform your choices along the way. Areas that should be considered when making those choices include:

1) Camera equipment - there is a huge range of options here including standard definition video cameras or high definition DSLRs

2) What type of video would you like to produce? Short and simple with a single shot, or using a range of shots and a narrative? What is the ideal duration for your film?

3) Sound recording - Quality sound is essential. Are you going to use the camera's on-board microphone, or record sound separately?

4) What background would you like to use? A live background with depth and activity or a clean backdrop with a company logo? Perhaps a “green screen” and its flexibility is more suitable?

5) How are you going to light your shoot? Is there sufficient natural light at your chosen location or do you need to hire a lighting rig?

6) Should you storyboard? If using a range of material or shots, this can help to plan your shoot and save you time. It will allow you in identify when and where you could incorporate additional visualisation to help delivery your story in a more dynamic way.

7) Narration - Who will present the press release and what qualities would you like them to have? Will you read it yourself or ask another member of staff, your client or another professional?

8) Will you make use of a voice-over or soundtrack? Both are brilliant tools for adding texture, delivering information, and adding fluidity.

9) Will you use graphics? Animation can illustrate points, additional video clips add value, whilst company logos and contact details can be used for marketing and highlighting your call to action.

10) Finally, post-production - this can include keying, colour grading, titles, and after effects - a great deal of thought should go into how to take advantage of all that it can offer.

Considering all of the above areas and options, and making decisions regarding each one, will, in the end, make the production of your video press release run as smoothly as possible. You’ll be better placed to decide what you can do in-house and where you should outsource services, products and people to help you make a success of your video press release and reach your new audiences most effectively.

About Pauley Media

Pauley Media is a versatile and creative independent family company specialising in Concept Design, 3D Interpretation, Cultural Communication, e-Learning and Corporate Presentations through 3D Modelling and Immersive Audience Engagement. Find out about previous successful video and design projects for its range of international clients at www.pauley.co.uk/Media/

Contact the company on info@pauley-media.com or +44 (0)1908 522532

The Importance of Branding

2011-08-12T07:37:00.000-07:00

A company's identity is inextricably entwined with it's corporate branding. Corporate colours are important to the way a company shows itself to the world, and also to how it perceives itself. A logo defines what your company is and what it stands for. This is why it’s so important not only to get it right, but to stick with it.

The costs involved in rebranding can be huge and large companies set aside vast sums and months of advertising and PR work to get their message across. Aviva's rebrand project is estimated to have cost £80m and BA paid out £60m for theirs so it's important to make the right decision at the outset. A wrong move can mean that a forced change in branding means being forgotten.

To clarify and identify Pauley.co.uk, and to give more continuity to the services we provide, we’ve incorporated our branding over all of our different websites with our main logo in the centre and introduced our world map at the top right side of our websites. This will always link back to www.cultureodyssey.com, our new division dedicated to Art, Travel, Culture and Lifestyle. We have selected red, white and grey as our corporate colour palette but we’re not limited to using these colours in a fixed or formal way. Culture Odyssey www.cultureodyssey.com is very important to us, and to highlight this we have chosen to emphasise and distinguish it by using grey as a subtle base tone. There is consistency in the style and flow of the top band with the colours differentiating the separate company divisions while bringing together a cohesive look and feel to the corporate image.

Tags: corporate branding, corporate colours, logos, advertising.

Diversify, but always inform your customers - latest innovations from Pauley.co.uk

2011-08-01T07:37:00.000-07:00

As companies expand and diversify they can grow beyond their original plans, developing new and exciting products and services in addition to their core products. This organic growth can mean that the new developments rapidly become an integral part of what the company does. Before you know it, this success means that you’re offering more services than you used to and your website no longer gives a full picture of all that's on offer.

Many people acknowledge that their website is their shop-front to the world. If it's not letting their customers know about the innovations then it's not working it's hardest for them. It's a disservice to the shareholders and employees by not advertising all that the company can offer. Customers can rarely guess where growth areas are and it's unlikely that they will bother to ask, which means that the company will miss out on valuable business. A good accurate website needs to have enough information to spark the customer's imagination and encourage them to make contact.

Pauley.co.uk has been established for precisely this reason, as a central hub from which our various divisions will operate inter- dependently. Our company has evolved into a number of highly specialised areas and the time has come to split the organisation into a divisional structure to fully explore and develop the unique features of each, and highlight the benefits they bring to our client base.

So the next time you click on www.pauley.co.uk you will see links to all of our other divisions:

www.pauley-interactive.co.uk for design and innovation

www.philpauley.com for concept design

www.cultureodyssey.com our dedicated Art, Travel, Culture and Life Style site

www.cultureodyssey.blogspot.com.

By focusing on the main site, we at Pauley.co.uk believe that our online shop-front now accurately represents the extensive range of services and innovations we offer to our clients.

Concepts to tackle traffic

2011-07-21T05:04:00.000-07:00

There are so many things going on at Pauley Interactive that we want to share, so we came up with this blog to post what we’re doing from time to time, to keep everyone in the know.

All of our concepts are based around sustainability, and developing technology while always keeping the environment at the forefront of our ideas. With that in mind we have thought about traffic. It’s a nightmare to sit in, it does nothing for the environment and it clutters up cities. So for that reason we have developed what we have called the ‘Wi-Fly’. It was recently covered by technology magazine Wired, and being big fans of Wired, we were very proud to be in it.

The ‘Wi-Fly’ is a semi-autonomous public transport pod which is controlled in the same way as a Segway, but with an outer casing to make it much safer. The real USP of this concept is how convenient it will be for the public to use. No more congestion charges, worries about finding a petrol station in central London, or getting crushed waiting for a tube: the Wi-Fly is simply paid for by an oyster card, credit card or cash based on how far you travel.

One of the driving forces behind the Wi-Fly is the impact it can have on traffic in congested cities. It is 1/6th the size of a car, so that will naturally reduce the amount of traffic on the roads. Not only will it reduce congestion, it will do wonders for carbon emissions as well, because it runs on a rechargeable battery.

The innovative thinking of this product is testament to the direction that we’re moving in; we spend our time thinking out of the box to come up with ideas that not only revolutionise public life, but are focused on improving the environment through sustainable designs and technology.

The role of Virtual Environments in Marketing

2011-06-26T04:38:00.000-07:00

Virtual environments are digitally created worlds that have a huge variety of uses. They are particularly used in the games industry, for example in virtual reality games where users interact with other players online. These 3D worlds do also firmly have their place in the world of marketing and PR.

A 3D world can be used as promotional material because they can give the ability to walk through a computer generated version of up and coming projects. They are a fantastic marketing tool as they can get consumers excited by showing them the potential of a new building before it has even begun production.

These are ideal for the property market because they can give the consumer the option of seeing numerous buildings in incredible detail, without having to leave their computer. It encourages forward thinking about how rooms can be furnished and laid out, and because everything can be made to specific measurements, there are no rough estimates with these computer generated worlds.

Another use for 3D in marketing is 3D maps. They can be a quick and easy guide for a shopping centre or theme park to help the consumer plan out their entire day. With the advancements in digital advertising, these maps can then become hubs for marketing products and services by placing relevant adverts in specific parts of the maps. 3D maps can enhance the shopping or theme park experience by helping the user find what they need, but also by offering advice on where to go, what to eat and what to buy.

3D Animation – The Toy Story Revolution

2011-05-10T04:00:00.000-07:00

It is easy to look back fondly on Toy Story as a funny and heart warming children’s film. It reached a generation of children and adults alike, sparking an incredibly successful trilogy and world-wide franchise that is recognisable by its lovable and unique characters.

What isn’t always remembered when everyone looks back on Toy Story is how revolutionary it was for the world of 3D films. It was the first feature length film made completely in CGI, pioneered by John Lasseter, and has contributed so much to how we all understand the role that 3D can have in films. CGI doesn’t just make explosions in action films or force you to wear 3D glasses in the cinema, it can be the basis for telling a story and creating a whole world. It was through making a full feature 3D animated film that Pixar proved this.

It is incredible to see how far 3D animation has come since Toy story was first released in 1995. With only 1 3D feature being released in 1995 by Pixar, to over 10 3D feature length films being released this year by a variety of production studios they have clearly had a big rise in popularity. The numerous studios that create these films every year opens up a world of new ideas and talents.

The quality of the environments, characters and the animation has developed so far in these 16 years. All it takes is to compare Toy Story 1 and Toy Story 3 and you will see the massive difference even within the same studio. The question is, where will it all go to? As technology improves year on year the possibilities for 3D are endless and with Pixar’s latest film moving away from the Toy Story franchise to their first medieval film, ‘Brave’, it is clear that there are no restrictions on what comes next for 3D.

CSR and how it is used today

2011-04-12T07:41:00.000-07:00

What is Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)? CSR is when a company takes on the role of regulating how they interact with the law, international norms and ethical standards. A socially responsible business cares about the impact that they have on local and international society both directly and indirectly.

Puma is an example of a company that has taken CSR to great lengths with its carbon emissions ‘profit and loss account’. The idea is that Puma want to calculate the damage that they are doing to the environment by its carbon usage, as well as the impact that their emissions and water usage will have.

These set of accounts were made with the help of accountancy consultants PriceWaterhouseCooper (PwC) and research analysts Trucost to understand the impact that they are having, and to work out the best way of making the company more sustainable. These accounts will be released at the end of their financial year, and will be analysed by the shareholders and investors in the same way as their set of financial accounts.

Puma have got the right idea by going through their processes and finding the flaws, as it is only by highlighting the specific problems in the necessary areas of a business that realistic targets can be set to make improvements. They are also accountable to their stakeholders by releasing these accounts which is an extra incentive for them.

Sustainable and green technology can also start from the ground-up, right from the design through to the finished product. The Urban Tree Planter is one project that helps architects incorporate practical sustainability solutions into their designs. Although in most cities there won’t be enough space for even a small garden, these trees can be placed in convenient places to make the most of the space that they have.

How global networks can bring together responsible companies and conscientious consumers

2011-03-04T07:34:00.000-08:00

Culture Odyssey have created a global network for active and virtual travellers to interact with each other and build a global culture. When you sign up to the site you the user are what make this community grow, and you do this by posting inspiring images and ideas, or places that you’ve been that you want to tell everyone about.

The online community is built up by users writing about anything of national or global cultural interest; from hidden gems in Canada, to hurling in Ireland, to the Pakistani street artist JR’s InsideOut project. Not only can the individual traveller contribute their secrets and experiences to the website, but local businesses can promote their services as well. The interactivity between these businesses and the individual traveller helps stimulate the national and local economies by getting users involved.

Where this has been successful is because it is all made by the website user for each other’s benefit. It is free of political bias and gives readers an opportunity to consider places they haven’t thought of before, and with the help of small businesses they can see parts of the community that they wouldn’t see on a normal holiday.

The community is underpinned by a common goal: to strive for sustainability that will benefit the environment. The network provides a place for likeminded individuals and companies to show how they are helping the environment in their own way, to inspire other people to do the same. Innovative ideas are shared which highlights the businesses that are doing everything they can to benefit the environment, and encourages individuals to seek out these responsible companies while they are travelling.

UK - A Track Record for Success

2011-02-05T06:59:00.000-08:00

It is undisputable that the UK is recognised as a leader in for global innovation and the design industry. It is the versatility of talent that helps the UK produce an astounding variety of products and services, from interactive interfaces to corporate identities.

The nation’s famous designers include Jonathon Ive, the Senior Vice President of Industrial Design at Apple inc and the person renowned for designing the iPod. Another notable name is Thomas Heatherwick, who directed the construction of the UK Pavilion, known as the Seed Cathedral, for the World Expo 2010 in Shanghai. Phil Pauley is also contributing to this international platform of designers with the Saudi Biome, a project that promotes ‘bringing the rainforest to the desert’ that critics have said could potentially be the largest BioDome in the World

To promote the design industry in the UK there is the annual London Design Festival. The festival is a cultural and commercial event that takes place in September that hosts ‘international exhibitions to trade events, installations to talks and seminars, from product launches to receptions, private views and parties’ (http://www.londondesignfestival.com/page/about). Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, claims that the festival is ‘the most vivid possible proof that London is the hub of the creative industries in the world’ (http://www.londondesignfestival.com/page/what-people-say-about-us).

With a rich tradition of excellence, and the ongoing innovations and designs that are present in the London Design Festival, the UK is certainly a leading force for the design industry and global innovation.

Do You Have A Great Product, Idea or Brand ?

2011-01-17T15:00:00.000-08:00

So you have a great product, service, idea or company and you want to tell the world what you can do!

What’s your next step?

Roll your sleeves up and get stuck into Power point....Possibly?

Try your hand at a bit of Photoshop to make up some really cool graphics....Maybe?

Get some great copy written and post it to the web or hand it to your marketing company and hope they deliver your message the way you want.....likely?

We don’t know what options you’ll go for, maybe none of them maybe all of them but we know what we’ll do for you.

The Consultation

First we’ll really learn about what you want to say and more importantly why you want to say it.

The Storyboard

If you’re the creative type, you may have already done a story board or something similar we can follow. If not, we’ll put our heads together and take away the clutter, to bring out our imagination and then create a story board to get all your thinking down on paper... refine it, make sure it's relevant, delivering your message and showing your product or service in its best light.

The Creative Process

From the drawing board to the virtual world....here’s where the really cool stuff happens. In the virtual world anything is, well, virtually possible. Everything from the story board will come to life. We’ll add depth and scale to your project bringing it out of the 2D world and make it more engaging to your audience. We can add rotations, fixed camera points, colours, textures, lighting, shading, moving words (motion graphics) and the odd after effect.

The Review

But we won't over do it, you'll get just the right balance of content to make sure your message isn't diluted. And to make sure you're happy, we'll keep you updated with your production all along the way.

The Final Cut

Once you’re happy with our final draft we’ll finish it off in any format you want. We’ll even integrate your production into your web pages emails or PDFs.

If you want something that’s going to engage your clients and prospects for longer or add the Wow factor to your message and give it more punch then remember you could always go with Pauley Interactive option.

And the really good thing about Pauley Interactive is we don’t cost heaven and earth. You won’t need a blockbuster budget to get a high impact high quality production.

So the next time you have a Eureka moment or you need the last minute presentation or if you just want to revamp your existing content then think the Pauley Interactive option.

See more at www.pauley-interactive.co.uk/services.asp

The Pros and Cons of Outsourcing Creative Work

2010-12-16T07:50:00.000-08:00

There are certain areas of business which require a focus on creativity in specific disciplines in order to achieve specific aims or objectives. Not only is the core activity of many businesses not creativity itself, but there may be the need for specialized creative skills which either aren’t currently available in-house, or aren’t available in the right measure or balance to achieve those aims or objectives. Achieving, maintaining and nurturing true and focused creativity has traditionally been a part of businesses which has proven elusive due to number or constraints and pressures. It has often been something which has been found to work best when separated from what are considered to be more practical and less creative aspects of the day to day running of businesses. Outsourcing per se is an increasing global trend, and is commonplace in many different areas of business. Outsourcing of creative work is therefore particularly beneficial for many companies for a number of sound reasons

Why Outsource Creative Work?

A Fresh Perspective and New Ideas

Most businesses and organisations of all kinds have their own culture and the restraints of their own particular business environments which they operate within. Whatever that organisation does internally generally takes place within and is influenced by the confines and context of that culture and business environment. As such, getting a truly fresh creative perspective and creating the right environment to allow this to happen is often hard to achieve in-house. Even ‘creative’ companies have tended to separate their creative function from other aspects of the business in order to achieve the necessary creative quality. Outsourcing creative work can therefore bring many more creative solutions and ideas which can help to establish differentiating factors and a competitive edge which are very hard to copy.

Allow Greater Concentration on the Core Business

With the creative factors essentially being taken care of elsewhere by trusted experts, this frees up the organisation’s time and resources so that they can be focused fully on what the organisation does best – its core business.

Leverage the Benefits of Specific Skills, Experience and Expertise

Taking 3D visualisation and digital content provision as an example, many organisations are unlikely to have or to realistically be able to develop the necessary skills and expertise in-house in this area within acceptable time and budgetary constraints. It may also be the case that these specific skills are only needed ‘as and when’ rather than on an ongoing basis, so that best use can be made of available resources.

It is also likely to be the case that with a 3D visualisation and content provider that offers a wide range of services, beneficial integration of skills and services for the customers will be much easier and much more likely.

Highly relevant project management skills are also something very valuable and difficult to acquire that outsourcing to a specialist creative company could provide.

Lower Costs

The costs of setting up a creative centre in house e.g. specifically for effective 3D visualisation and digital content provision would simply be prohibitive and unrealistic for most companies e.g. specialised staff, equipment, training etc. It makes much better business sense to use the services of an organisation which already has all of these in place, and has the experience and economies of scale to provide the right quality of services at the right price on demand

Reduced Risks and Better Problem Solving

The risks of investing time, scarce resources and money into areas that organisations have limited knowledge or experience of can be dramatically reduced by outsourcing to a creative company for whom it is essentially their core business.

The experience and knowledge that specialist creative companies already have can also mean that potential problems with projects and ideas are anticipated, minimised, and solved much more quickly and easily using the outsourcing route.

Why Not Outsource Creative Work?

An Unknown Quantity

The thought of outsourcing work to an organisation that you have not worked with before can lead to many worries based around trust, protecting your organisation’s name and reputation, dissonance, and a general fear of the unknown. High quality creative companies however should be able to provide references, testimonials, and detailed case studies and examples of how they have or could overcome similar challenges to the ones you are facing with highly beneficial results.

Loss of Control

There is a natural need for all of us to feel that we are in control of our situation and environment, particularly where business in concerned. However, trying to maintain, manage, and control something which we have little knowledge about or experience of can often bring an amount of stress and problems which are not only not worth the cost and trouble, but may also have a negative impact on our ability to manage many of the day to day aspects of business that we are normally capable of doing e.g. due to more limited time. Outsourcing to a specialist is in fact often the best way of retaining and gaining control of a situation, and is often likely to bring the best and most effective outcomes.

See more at www.philpauley.com/cruise.html

Video Streaming and 3D Integration

2010-11-23T00:38:00.000-08:00

Video Streaming and 3D Integration

The use of 3D in entertainment and business is currently hitting an all time high. 3D cinema is widely available and large manufacturers such as Samsung have launched 3D ready TV. Recent collaborations involving computer and Internet giant Microsoft have focused on developing 3D enabled Internet browsers and smooth streaming, High Definition (HD), high quality3D streamed video. Even the 2010 Masters Golf Tournament was shot in 3D for U.S. audiences with 3D enabled TVs and computers. With 3D in the mainstream and with the mass markets becoming familiar with the superior experience that 3D technology adds to a variety of media, the timing for integrating 3D with streaming video for online marketing couldn’t be better.

Streaming Video

Streaming video online allows Internet users to view and experience video content without having to waste time waiting for an entire video file to download. The phenomenally popular YouTube is a good example of how this media delivery method can be used to distribute rich content on demand to millions of users world wide every day. The advanced coding and video distribution technologies mean that audiences can experience dynamic and highly engaging content in a fast, smooth, and uninterrupted way. The technicalities of video streaming involve production of a video (pre-recorded or live) which is compressed to send (and decompressed at the other end), and transmitted to a Web server which is capable of delivering the same content to multiple users at once if necessary, and is viewed by the target audience via the use of a media player. The media player used by the end viewer can be for example one of the many widely available players which work with the most common streaming file formats e.g. Windows Media, RealMedia, QuickTime etc, or downloadable proprietary or other specific players which relate to the particular format e.g. more specialised 3D players.

Integrating 3D

The widespread domestic and commercial use of the Internet, the wide availability of high bandwidth and fast Internet connections and standard protocols of all kinds, the huge technological advancement of and investment in viewing capabilities, and a mass market that are switched on to and hungry for the benefits of 3D provide the perfect conditions for its integration with video streaming. 3D itself provides a range of benefits which massively enhance any form of communication, presentation, and education. 3D allows concepts or accurate representation of real things e.g. products, components, buildings, vehicles etc to be clearly visualised and experienced in a highly realistic context. The subjects of the 3D animation and visualisation can be demonstrated and experienced like never before because the viewer can navigate them, move around them, view them and operate / work them, and interact with them in a way that allows unparalleled levels of comprehension and true understanding.

Application

For most business organisations, integration of 3D into streaming video made available via a website presents a major opportunity in marketing communications. Videos incorporating 3D motion graphics and product visualisation can allow website users to experience realistic fly throughs, presentations and the exploration of art and architecture, as well as facilities management tours. The maximum leverage and added value can be gained from 3D advertising showreels, physics engines, and corporate presentations by making them available online via streaming video. The same technique can even allow website visitors, customers or potential customers to experience real time tours. This can be an incredibly effective technique, particularly where creating the environment or physically moving the person to the environment being shown is simply too expensive or not financially or physically possible at that moment in time.

Adding a dramatic extra dimension to what is already a compelling way of presenting information and ideas over the web is therefore a very powerful sales, communication and educational tool which could provide a strong competitive edge to all organisations that use it.

Read more at www.cultureodyssey.org

Project your message in style!!

2010-11-02T02:39:00.000-07:00

www.pauley-interactive.co.uk

A large part of marketing for any company is communication. This can be communication of benefits, USP, brand values and attributes, promotional messages, communication within the company and with all stakeholders, and communication outside with customers, suppliers, associates, and affiliates and re-sellers.

One of the key elements of successful communication is that the receiver of the message truly understands as much of that message as possible. The differentiating factors in business which are the source of a company’s competitive edge are often of no real worth unless they are effectively communicated to the target audience.

All objects in the real world exist in 3D and human perception is optimised to make the best sense of information when this extra dimension is present, and yet many companies are still subject to the limitations of 2 Dimensions in their communications. Web sites, sales and product presentations, training materials and videos, demos and show reels not only need to impart valuable information but also need to grab and hold attention, be fully understood, and to be memorised and recalled.

These communication routes often rely on text, audio and a series of essentially 2D images. Although programs such as Power Point allow the incorporation of a variety of communicative tools which can condense and simplify data and information to an extent e.g. graphs, charts and diagrams, there are many limitations and situations where these tools are not enough.

The case for 3D

3D technology is such that it is often only really limited by imagination......

3D Graphics allow companies to create virtual situations, objects, environments and a combination of these which can be viewed from any angle and can be made to operate and move as they would in the real world. For example, 3D Modelling and Motion Graphics allow a company to show a product before it has been built, or to create or re-create a situation or environment which may not be possible in reality due to cost, risk, or safety concerns. 3D Graphics can allow an accurate working virtual model to be built which lets all interested parties clearly visualise it, and therefore gain a true understanding of it in context..........

...............For example, for components or combinations of moving parts, design flaws can be spotted, and rectified at this stage thus saving the time and expense of making and rectifying mistakes in the real world. This can be particularly valuable to SMEs which may have limited R & D resources and budgets and for whom mistakes could be particularly costly. 3D Models and Motion Graphics can also have data attached to and gained from them which could in manufacturing situations for example lead to more accurate machining, and assist down the line in scheduling and budgeting.

3D Motion Graphics is a new and dynamic way of presenting. It also has the edge over other media when it comes to simplifying the understating of complex interactions and relationships, ideas and concepts, and where something involves lots of technical or scientific information. Being able to accurately and realistically see, experience and perceive how objects look, move, turn, and interact with each other in different situations, and from different angles can save time, money and provide a much deeper understanding of the subject.

A Realistic Option for SMEs

Producing 3D Motion Graphics can in many cases take the same amount of time as producing appropriate 2D communications, but the 3D Motion Graphics have more uses and can be easily incorporated into many different types and channels of communications, thus making them very cost effective over time. In addition to the superior flexibility of 3D Motion Graphics, as Marshall McLuhan said “the medium is the message” and a company’s target audiences may perceive greater value in the message, and the company brand itself where 3D motion graphics are used.

For more information about how your organisation could benefit from 3D Motion Graphics call Pauley Interactive on 01908 522532 or contact us online.

Flat is a Four Letter Word

2010-10-08T05:25:00.000-07:00

Funny how we hear that business is flat, and the markets are flat, but you still need to be able to create and present work which stands out and stands up to your clients’ expectations. They’re still relying on your ideas, knowledge, skills and commitment to bring their ideas to life, make them stand out from the crowd, and get them the business. The next big wave of creative possibilities is just breaking on the shore – that wave is 3D.

The Genie’s Already Out of the Bottle

Whether it’s on a website, in the cinema, at a business presentation, or playing video games, we’ve all seen the power and scope that 3D adds to our experience, enjoyment and understanding of everything it touches. If we’ve seen it and experienced it, so have our customers, and they’re going to want truly creative companies big and small to be able to provide it. The 3D modelling and Animation market for example is estimated to be around the $220 million mark*, and set to grow even bigger in 2011.

Some Common Misconceptions

Creative, advertising, and marketing agencies, departments and companies, and web companies of all kinds want to make the jump to offering a full range of 3D Modelling and Animation service to their clients, but the perceived, investment, risk, and time involved in getting the capabilities in-house seem too great.

Many end customers now want to use power of 3D visualisation services in their web pages, presentations, and show reels, but imagine the costs to be beyond all realistic expectations.

3D Wishes

What creative and marketing companies or agencies do best is just that – to be creative and to add real value, and it’s perfectly natural to want to carry on doing that. What end customers want is not only to get a great return on their promotional investment in terms of enquiries, sales, and loyal customers, but to have that special difference which sets them apart and gets them ahead in their own marketplace.

The Answers?

Outsourcing the business to experienced, reliable 3D Visualisation and Content Providers has been the perfect solution for many creative and marketing organisations wanting to offer the latest in high impact creative sales and promotional tools to their customers. Outsourcing it to existing specialists means that:

Risks and costs are minimised, and it can be offered to customers today
It’s available on demand with a potentially fast turnaround
All that’s needed is the creative brief.

As with all new technologies, the quality and scope increases and the price decreases over time. The services of some 3D companies can in fact cost a fraction of what end customers currently imagine. In reality, outsourced 3D visualisation and content provision can mean that the latest 3D technologies can be offered to and used by companies of all sizes today. 3D modelling can provide attention grabbing interactive 3D presentations and imaginative selling ideas. Interactive 3D web pages can engage and educate customers, dramatically increase conversion rates, and add value like never before.

To find out more about how easy it can be outsource all your 3D visualisation and content needs call Pauley Interactive on +44 (0) 1908 522 532 on contact us online.

(*source: johnpeddie.com)

The Value of Incorporating 3D in Web Pages

2010-09-30T01:00:00.000-07:00

Historic Development in Web pages

In practical terms the basic end customer demands and needs expressed to Web companies have evolved very little over time since they are more related to the demand of the business and the market than the web itself.

Early websites were more like online brochures, before companies began to focus more on the need for those pages to actually be able to generate enquiries and sales. The need to measure, monitor and manage these sales through more detailed stats packages then went hand in hand with the need to make web pages rank as highly as possible search engines. In the meantime customers were focusing on the need to update the design elements of their pages, and welcomed the increased functionality and animation that e.g. Flash movies offered them. Web companies also tried to deal with the challenges and opportunities posed by the dominance, growth, and increasing sophistication and diversity of Google.

Today, many businesses have essentially moved onto the Web and therefore the pressure on Web companies to make the right decisions, and offer the right range and quality of services has never been greater. One thing however has remained vitally important – getting the customer’s message across effectively.

Getting the Message Across

Challenges to getting a marketing message across include among other things:

Ongoing competitor and market activity
Ongoing search engine evolution
Multiple Platforms and fragmented markets
The limitations imposed by budgets, time, resources
Getting and holding the attention and interest of website visitors.

Adding Value with 3D and Interactivity –
-The Ultimate Design

Google’s focus on the need to deliver its customers to web pages and broadening categories of ‘content’ which provide a good and value adding experience is an indicator and reflection of the needs of all web users, whether businesses or individuals.

For today’s web companies, offering customers the ability to use and incorporate the latest 3D and interactive technology in their web presence provides a virtuous, value adding, competitive advantage for both Web companies and their customers.

What 3D and Interactive Web Content Can Offer the End Customer

The seamless incorporation of 3D Modelling and Interactive Web Page Design can allow customers to:
Grab and hold the attention of visitors, and involve them in the page and the marketing message like never before.
Allow true visualisation, online tours and exploration of technical, architectural, industrial and product representations online.

Create a more effective platform and environment for demonstrations, e learning, and sales generation.
Add value to website visitor experiences and increase conversion rates.

How Can a Web Company Offer Interactive Web Pages to Its Customers Today?

Outsourcing of Interactive Web Pages to a high quality 3D Visualisation and Content Provider is a relatively risk free, affordable and fast way to literally add a whole new dimension to the current product and service portfolio. Some such specialised companies can also offer a whole range of other 3D products and services including Interactive PDFs, Showreels, and Corporate Presentations through 3D Modelling. The benefits to Web companies can include:

Increased profits and upselling opportunities
The chance to stay one step ahead in what is typically fast moving industry
Greater customer satisfaction and loyalty
The opportunity to enter different markets at a higher level.

For more information about how your Web company could easily outsource its interactive web page and 3D requirements, call Pauley Interactive on 01908 522 532 on contact us online.

Saudi Arabia Rainforest Project

2010-09-24T07:43:00.000-07:00

Phil Pauley has been travelling to Saudi Arabia for the past few years inline with its growing interest in renewable energy investment and an increase in Cultural Tourism and Education within The Kingdom.

Forget stereotype ideologies, Saudi Arabia is driving the region with a huge increase in inward investment towards sustainable infrastructure and is striving to increase their "green profile" globally.

The Saudi Biome project embraces all of the above, sustainable energy, cultural tourism and educational opportunities for the entire region. This will be a real rainforest environment in the desert!

If the plans are approved within the coming months partners will be selected to build the worlds largest undercover Biosphere created within one of the hottest and hostile environments in the world.

Phil's outline concept design incorporates a waterfall, aquarium, eating areas, a hotel, commercial and residential units, a shopping centre and a central viewing area and restaurant at the very top.

Sub Biosphere 2

2010-09-24T06:26:00.000-07:00

The Sub Biosphere 2 has been featured on CNN, click here to see it.

From an early age Phil Pauley has been visualising marine habitat concepts. In 1997 his dissertation "Water, water everywhere" centered around a design for a self-sufficient marine habitat entitled Sub-Biosphere 2 inspired by the trails of the Biosphere 2 Project in the USA.

He has had letters of support from a wide range of governmental departments including the Prime Ministers Office, Global Corporations such as Virgin Management and international celebrities such as Sir David Attenborough.

His research into establishing a Global Marine Research Program through the implementation of a self-sustainable underwater habitat remains his passion and his ultimate life experience goal. His commitment to preserving life, sustainable design and environmental awareness is at the forefront of all his work.

For further information please contact info@philpauley.com

Visualisation by: Pauley Interactive

Bi Computing™ - Back to Back Computing

2010-09-24T06:00:00.000-07:00

Bi Computing, the latest concept from concept designer Phil Pauley, with a Back to Back Monitor is the next generation of computer must haves. Not only is Bi Commuting designed for the home entertainment market but is also designed as a solution for best practice business policy.

It provides the perfect platform for gamers, internet surfers, business applications or watching TV and movies all at the same time, in the same place. It's a computer system designed for multi-user application to reduce costs and energy consumption, increase production and reduce waste. For further information please contact info@philpauley.com

"Each of the two screens can, incidentally, be used to run from a separate source, which could mean the end of playing games versus watching TV fights in many a household up and down the land." (Times Online)

Visualisation by: Pauley Interactive

Urban Tree Planter™

2010-09-24T03:33:00.000-07:00

The Urban Tree Planter designed by Phil Pauley and developed by Pauley Interactive and Waterman Group PLC will help architects, developers and specifiers achieve a number of key sustainability goals in all kinds of developments.

The Urban Tree Planter provides a solution to the modern urban environment, where space is restricted, planning permission is complex and hard to achieve, and greenery is becoming ever more important.

It is the first attempt at Standardising urban Tree installation and management where natural tree growth will be restricted due to underground services. For further information please contact info@philpauley.com

"A modular planting system that allows trees to be planted in difficult urban situations was launched at Ecobuild." (Horticulture Week)

Hydrostatic Turbines™

2010-09-24T02:38:00.000-07:00

Hydrostatic Turbines™ are self sustainable electric power plants designed to operate underwater at depth.

The Turbines are situated in groups of "cells" and consist of the "Body" and the "Cap" which acts like a pump.

Electricity can be used on land through a connecting electrical umbilical cord or through retrieving the "Storage" cells.

Each unit acts like an electricity generating "spinning top", sustained by the continuous pumping action of the (handle) Cap.

Electricity is generated by the external atmospheric pressure on the Cap interacting with a system of magnets that turn a turbine repetitively.

Designed by Phil Pauley and visualised by Pauley Interactive, Hydrostatic Turbines will revolutionise the way the World produces sustainable electricity.

Halo Intersceptor - One Car - 360° Transportation™

2010-09-24T01:33:00.000-07:00

Designed by Phil Pauley The Halo Intersceptor is a multi functional vehicle, based around one car that can couple with several vehicle attachments to form the basis of private air, sea and land travel. The next generation of super sports, leisure and business travel. A unique and cutting edge opportunity to experience the ultimate in multi-faceted transportation designed and developed for the most discerning independent traveler.

No need for superlatives, no hyperbole, just desire and good business sense... For further information please contact info@philpauley.com

"A Pauley Interactive creation, the Halo Intersceptor is the future of travel as we know it. Imagine being able to drive your car to the airport, fly it over water and land in a faraway island all in the same vehicle. " (Trend Hunter)

SAUDI ARABIA TO INITIATE AND BUILD DESERT RAINFOREST

2010-09-23T02:45:00.000-07:00

“SAUDI BIOME...OASIS IN THE DESERT”

Concept designer Phil Pauley(Pauley Interactive Company Director) www.philpauley.com has been invited back to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to present his design for the Saudi Biome Project to the Ministry of Education and Commission for Tourism and Antiquities.

Working closely with the UKTI both in the UK and in the Middle East, Phil’s conceptual designs have sparked the interest of international news again. This is the first time a Conceptual Designer has been involved in designing a building before an Architectural Practice has been selected, and marks a new era in open source architectural design.

The project that promotes “bringing the rainforest to the desert” has been ear marked for a central location in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia and will encompass a hotel, residential units and retails space within a rainforest environment and a 200ft waterfall.

The design has posed a number of challenges including water management and heat regulation within a building 3 x larger than that of the Eden Project, Cornwall.

Following from his successes with the Sub-Biosphere 2 concept featured globally and on CNN’s The Big Idea, Pauley the young British Designer is starting to get recognition for his conceptual design work around the world.

Pauley Interactive are heavily involved in visualising and realising the Biome. For further please email press@pauley-interactive.co.uk or info@philpauley.com

DAYTONA PROPERTY PROKART CHALLENGE!

2010-09-22T02:53:00.000-07:00

Friday 17th September saw Daytona International host the annual Property Prokart Challenge and 2010 was the 13th year at the Milton Keynes Circuit, where they house the infamous Formula 1 Pit Stop Challenge adding to the drama and excitement amongst the races.

The Property Industry Professionals geared themselves up during the 2 hour Qualifier, separating the men from the boys! to then fight it out over the 6 hour endurance race, which was run on Daytona’s new fleet of ProKarts which performed flawlessly on the day.

Holding their own with the hard hitting pro’s were the team at Pauley Interactive and in their first year participating, achieved a modest 25 seconds at the Pit Stop Challenge (18 seconds being the quickest) and coming an impressive 11th out of the 24 teams attending, after starting 18th.

A highlight during the year for the Property Moguls as a fun, friendly, competition and industry gathering enjoyed by all. Group team and individual images courtesy of the in-house photographer at Pauley Interactive, can be downloaded at http://www.pauley-interactive.co.uk/Property-ProKart-Challenge-2010/Property_ProKart_Challenge_2010.html

3D Here to Stay?

2010-09-16T03:38:00.000-07:00

As we push the boundaries of 3D visualisation and develop more platforms of viewing, its only natural that accounts and heads of departments have an expectation of faster delivery and greater visual impact that will exploit, (as much as possible) the ever decreasing attention span of there potential customer. As demand increases we should see higher quality imagery and animation filtering down to the mainstream markets. We are already seeing good quality productions linked to company web sites and blogs. Many will embed third party video's and animation reels from sites such as google.

High street business and micro businesses have the need to connect to their customers and target audience as much as the big corporates. In a fast moving and competitive world its essential that smaller business use every platform available to them to stand out from the crowd and win customers overs. The boom in stereoscopic animation has now opened the markets for greater immersive viewing experience down from the big screen Friday night visit, to mobile phone and apps user interface, that can give the owner a whole new visual treat whilst on the move!

Technological advancement and a greater range of software has given every business and organisation the ability to bring almost Hollywood glamor and TV production style visuals to their audience without the need for blockbuster marketing budgets. 3D Visualisation has the ability to give your message that extra wow factor. No longer do you have to settle for two dimensional imagery for your web sites or power point presentations!

Pauley Interactive is a multidiciplinary digital content provider. We are versatile and creative independant company that specialises in interactive Web Pages, PDF, Showreels, and Corporate presentations through 3D modeling and Immersive Audience Engagement. Our mission is to provide a highly creative, proffesional project management and innivotive digital visualisation service to allow your audience to visualise the past present and future...

If you would like to talk to us regarding your existing or future campaigns then call us on 01908 522532 or email us at info@pauley-interactive.co.uk