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No expensive video setup, no problem

Instagram launched recently a time-lapse app called Hyperlapse. The app, now available for free download in the Apple App Store, speeds up amateur videos and turns them into professional-looking time-lapses.

By providing the same type of quality as a pricey videographer, Hyperlapse could save companies thousands of dollars.

The time-lapse technique captures footage happening at a slow rate, like a sunrise, and speeds it up to show the progress at a much faster time rate. Usually, capturing the footage requires holding the camera very still. But no worries if you don’t have a steady hand, Instagram said in an official blog post. Hyperlapse features built-in stabilization technology that lets you create moving, handheld time lapses that look like they were professionally filmed. Lucky for marketers, this means anyone on the team can create visually appealing videos time or place without the expensive equipment.

All the user has to do after downloading Hyperlapse is tap to record and tap to stop. Then the user can select the playback speed, speeding up footage up to 12 times faster. The only downside is that users don’t have the ability to edit videos. Videos are then saved to the camera roll and can be shared to Instagram or Facebook from there.

Ideas of what to feature on your time-lapse video could include footage of your product or service being used over a prolonged length of time. Event marketers could create a before and after video by recording the progress of an event setup.

Takeaways From ALS #IceBucketChallenge

By now we’ve all had our social media accounts filled with people dumping buckets of ice water on their heads and making a donation to the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Association. Within the month, it’s no surprise the Association has seen an increase in donations from $1.9 billion to $70.2 billion. But what does this Ice Bucket Challenge phenomenon do for public relations and campaigns in the future? Here are a few takeaways:

1. Encourage grassroots thoughts.
Many probably don’t know that the Ice Bucket Challenge was not created by the ALS association. According to Facebook research, it was started  by a video in late July from former Boston College baseball player Pete Frates, who was diagnosed with the disease. At the heart of the campaign is the key to any successful grassroots campaign, which is shareability. In today’s world, people want to be at the forefront of social movements, which then help increase their validity.

2. Involve everyone!
Another reason for the success of this campaign was the sheer number of people it involved. The campaign was smart in having everyone nominate a handful of others to complete the challenge, helping it spread like wildfire.

3. Make it fun and easy.
How many people have a bucket, ice, water, video camera and a social media account to post it on? Almost everyone. The challenge took advantage of items around the home that were easily accessible to people of all ages.

4. Timing is everything.
It’s not every day the weather is warm enough for people to dump ice water on themselves, so this campaign had to happen in the summer months. Additionally, July and August are two of the most common summer months for vacations, leaving people with the time to participate. Also, the short 24-hour turnaround time of the challenge helped with its viral spread.

Annual Forward Festival Focuses on ‘Next Big Thing’

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Aug. 18, 2014

Contact:
Molly Walsh
608-616-0840
molly@forwardfest.org

Annual Forward Festival Focuses on ‘Next Big Thing’

(MADISON, Wis.)—Entrepreneurs, creative designers, tech professionals and even foodies will have an opportunity to collaborate Aug. 21-28 at the fifth annual Forward Festival, an eight-day celebration of innovation and entrepreneurship.

“With the growth of the event as well as the involvement of our community, we’re excited to showcase Madison’s entrepreneurial ecosystem across several industries,” Bryan Chan, festival co-founder and president of SupraNet Communications, said. “The environment is all about promoting and creating the next big thing.”

The festival’s main event is the Forward Technology Conference, which takes place Aug. 27 at the Monona Terrace. Jignesh Patel, a UW-Madison professor who sold his software company to Twitter, will be the keynote speaker.

Other highlights of the festival include a pitch contest for female entrepreneurs (Aug. 27), the annual Madison Ruby Conference (Aug. 21-23) and the inaugural Edible Startup Summit (Aug. 25), an event geared toward food entrepreneurs.

Originally started in 2010, the Forward Festival was created by Chan, Nathan Lustig of Magma Partners and Matt Younkle of Murfie to bring together professionals from a wide range of disciplines. That is evident in events such as High Tech Happy Hour (Aug. 21), the Badger Startup Summit (Aug. 26) and the Wisconsin Innovation Awards (Aug. 26).

For a detailed listing of events taking place during the Forward Festival, please visit www.forwardfest.org.

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