WorldCity Business Magazine

(3) Corporate Communications: [your company name] tv network

by Karen-Janine Cohen

In the old days corporate training for, say, a new phone system or for a new software application might have entailed sending yawning employees to watch a mornings worth of videos on the conference room TV. Or the firm might have hired a trainer to go from desk to-desk.

But that is changing as companies become savvier about how to use the kind of multimedia now common in news and entertainment. Dallasbased Splash Media helps large firms navigate this new terrain, using advanced technology to create a companys own network. The custom-made programming is then sent over the Internet and can be accessed via computer for employee training and internal messages.

Splash tailors the network to a companys needs with high resolution graphics, excerpts from Splashs own extensive video library and customized videos made in Splashs state-of-the art studio. Called Internet Protocol Television, it is one example of how information in the business world is migrating from older forms think press release and office memo to computer screens.

The switch to multimedia communication is one that more and more companies are making as instant-messaging, online video and online social networks become a bigger part of their workers and customers lives. It is also a cost-efficient option for getting the message out to far flung
audiences as companies expand regionally and globally.

Splash founder Chris Kraft launched the company in 2004. Total investment so far is about $10 million and 2007 sales reached just under $7 million, recently putting the company in the black. It expects to double revenue this year. Its products include The Success Training Network, featuring inspirational speakers such as Zig Ziglar and Stephen Covey, that is available by subscription to the general public, and xTrain, focused on instruction and online training. The networks created for corporations use the same technology platform.

Companies want the networks for various reasons, Kraft told WORLDCITY. One client may use it to educate employees in corporate culture, while also providing skills or values training. Workers can access programming at their own pace and executives can update the network with new
offerings say a speech from the CEO or even that phone system training.

So how much does it cost to develop your companys very own online video network? Splash will only consider building a private TV network for a company if it has a minimum of 2,500 employees. And annual cost runs anywhere from $48 to $120 per employee. For a company with 2,500 employees, that works out to a total of $120,000 to $300,000 a year.

That kind of an investment may be well worth it for many companies as they face communications challenges both internal and external that are overtaking the corporate world. What is taking place in the way companies communicate is an absolute revolution. said Ramiro Prudencio, managing director at public relations firm Burson-Marsteller in Miami.

The Internet access that ushered in the blogosphere and instant communication has changed the playing field, explained Prudencio. Communication is not last centurys top-down process, but an interactive montage which allows everyone, from the janitor to board member, to be in touch with everyone else. Companies have come to respect the power of sites like Facebook and YouTube sometimes after being burned by a disgruntled employees blog or video. Firms are now figuring out how to use those conduits to their advantage. The toolbox got more sophisticated, said Prudencio.

Video streamed to employees computers can be an effective tool when companies must help workers refocus after an upheaval, such as a merger, or to focus on a new product or service. Companies have to adapt to market changes quickly, said Prudencio, adding that while getting the message to the marketplace is relatively easy, reaching workers can be tough.

A great part of that is being able to communicate to employees with a compelling vision that encourages them to behave in ways consistent with the new corporate mission, he said. In fact, visual communication can often trump written communication. Video helps set the context tone, excitement and emotional connection.

The kind of multimedia messages that people are now used to accessing through their computers and cell phones are becoming the worldwide norm, said Fernando Figueredo, who chairs the advertising and public relations faculty at Florida International Universitys school of Journalism and Mass Communication.

Whats more, technology advances mean company websites can now hold more video content. Most corporations are building video links into their websites that talk about their product, he said. Firms now use that same format to reach employees. One example, is a major credit card company that podcasts its company newsletter.

New media whether its email, video mail or podcasts is how multinational corporations, like many in South Florida, will reach emerging markets, said Figueredo. During a trip to Cusco, Peru, Figueredo noted how Andean women wove baskets while their children took orders for the goods using computers at a nearby Internet kiosk. Indeed, Latin American Internet access, now at about 25 percent, is expected to explode, said Figueredo.

Splash so far has done all its work in English. But founder Chris Kraft said there is interest from several companies doing business in South and Central America that want to produce localized content. Kraft said Splash is waiting for the right opportunity to take that plunge.

Kraft, 40, developed his visual skills the old fashioned way as a news photographer. That job soon morphed into a freelance career that eventually focused on rock-and-roll and country performers. In the early 90s, Kraft moved into shooting and directing music videos and later segued into corporate videos.

We had huge companies in our own backyard in Dallas, Kraft said, adding that to stay with music videos he would have had to move to Los Angeles or New York. Meanwhile technology was transforming video. We were starting to see that technology was going to provide different delivery outlets and the Internet was going to catch up with production quality.