After hearing a live performance of the song by Alathea at the 2012 ASP Presidents Forum, award winning producer Scott Gray began scripting the story in order to bring it to life as a music video. “I want to capture not only the transformation of the physical house, but the transformation of the people who’s lives are touched by this incredible servant ministry. Alathea’s lyrics tell a compelling story.” says Scott.

Production for the music video is slated to begin in May in Tennessee, and will require capturing the transformation of an actual home and family by real life ASP volunteer groups. Meanwhile, Alathea is heading into the recording studio to record the song which has only been performed live and is still waiting on confirmation of an actual title.

As 2012 comes to a close, most are looking back over what we have accomplished in the past 365 days. Looking forward, roads that have already been paved will see more travelers and new technological paths will be created. Mark Anderson from www.stratnews.com made his own predictions about the forthcoming year and what effects it could have on us.

“I.  “CarryAlongs” Dominate Global Computer Markets. This category of pads and slates takes its rightful place as the largest market segment of computing devices. Already the fastest-growing category for several years, the format and dominant market position comes to pass in 2013.

II.  Intel: Long Live the King, the King is Dead. The chip royalty ladder is flipped, as Intel becomes increasingly irrelevant in the world of general computing, while CarryAlong and mobile chipmakers (led by Qualcomm and ARM) are the new William and Kate. For most observers, Intel in 2013 is a component supplier for servers. The best way out of this cul de sac: a new CEO with tech chops.

III.  Net TV Dominates. A majority of US-based homes will have Net-connected TVs, with other developed nations quickly following as bandwidth allows. This change in distribution will begin to affect production in new and interesting ways, leading to more and cheaper content, of increasingly varying length and format. The straitjacket of Old TV slots, ads, and schedules is now off.

IV.  The LTE vs. Fiber Battle Creates Regional Revolutions in Broadband. Customers choosing broadband LTE (Long Term Evolution) in DSL-served regions will be paying more and getting more; but those choosing LTE in fiber-served regions will be paying more for wireless broadband but getting less. The LTE vs. fiber fight will define the telecoms business-model battle for the coming decade. With LTE speeds scheduled to exceed cable and DSL wired speeds for many users, the question of price per MB will be inverted. Is it about MOB or MBS? This is the start of real revolutions in broadband pricing and provision.

V.  Google Gets Its Mojo Back. Facebook is tired and nosy, Apple is Steve-less, Microsoft is Microsoft, and Amazon is the only other game in town. Google’s efforts in email, video, smartphones, maps, and driverless cars open up new long-term expansion paths, with more to follow. With all its many failures, the company has proven it can find and plough new turf. In terms of creativity, Google becomes the next Apple. Now it must learn about product support or risk losing it all to competitors.

VI.  The Driverless Car Becomes a Serious and Competitive Global Project, with multiple new states and countries passing laws to allow it, and major brands undertaking serious development of all the features that will one day lead to common acceptance.

VII.   e-Books Are The Books. Total e-book sales in dollars will beat adult paperback sales in 2013, and their differential growth rates will exceed 30%, as e-books continue their ramp toward dominating the entire market.

VIII.  Enterprise IT Struggles to achieve very modest gains, with executive purchase decisions captured between large cash holdings, increased Asian competition, and their own poorly performing customers. Although “big data” is the marketing cry, vendors in this market will find a general reluctance to spend. 2013 looks like another defensive year, except for the security segment, with no serious enterprise Windows 8 adoption and not much else going on. The screws are already tightened.

IX.  “Hacktivist” efforts acquire an important and permanent role in political transparency, moving from the level of annoyance to becoming an important, long-term part of the international political and security landscape. Nations and leaders hoping to hide the truth from their constituents will have to give up this option, paving the way for a new era in reluctantly open governments.

X.  Supply Chain Security Becomes a Major Factor in Global Technology Purchases. Starting with the high-security risk offerings from Huawei, the feeling of cyber unease on the part of inventing nations grows, and has a material effect on vendor market share among countries that can afford to prioritize their infrastructure security over short-term price advantage. Recognition that today’s supply chains are virtually all compromised will lead to plant relocations and a new set of business opportunities for onshore component makers.”

Some of these seem viable, while others are somewhat absurd. One thing can be said for sure: the tech train is building steam and there may not be a defined destination. Do you agree with Anderson’s predictions? What do you think will be the biggest tech advancement for the new year?

Is there such a thing as marketing being too specific? Goodby, Silverstein and Partners believed so, and they created one the most successful Ad Campaigns of all time.

“In the late 80s and early 90s, consumers just weren’t drinking the same amount of milk that they had been drinking in the past. Goodby, Silverstein and Partners created the solution. The early campaign revolved around the idea of that unsettling moment when all you need is milk to wash down that sandwich you’re eating, and you realize all the milk is gone…”

The problem was not that people weren’t drinking “Mayfield” milk or store brand milk. The problem was that people weren’t drinking milk at all. So what did GSP do? Instead of advertising for one specific brand of milk, they raised awareness of milk in general. And the results? Milk sales in California rose 7% in just one year!

Tom Tucker with The Dahlonega Nugget recently wrote, “Advertising is to attract attention, not to sell”.

So many Ads try to sell a product by flashing bright colors and shouting “THIS IS THE BEST IN THE WORLD!” but as a culture, we’ve become desensitized to those spam-like advertisements.  What really captivates an audience is an Ad that makes them think, feel and wonder.

Next time you decide to advertise, think of your audience. Ask yourself why you need to advertise? If no one in your town has sold a new car in six months, maybe people need to be convinced of the importance of a new car before you tell them how great of a car dealer you are. Learn from Goodby, Silverstein and Partners. Sometimes simply raising awareness is the best marketing of all.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from your VCPTV.com team!

Video Craft was on location for the unveiling of the recently discovered Chestatee River Diving Bell. The Bell signifies the innovation of the town’s ancestors who came here during the North Georgia Gold Rush of the 1800′s. You can view this wonderful piece of history in Hancock Park located in downtown Dahlonega, Georgia

Kayla Green Screen from vcptv.com on Vimeo.

Kayla learned how a Green Screen works and watched as Scott put her in any background imaginable. She even got the chance to hang out with some of her mom’s favorite cartoon characters.

The importance of learning is never lost at VCPTV, especially on those, like Kayla, who are eager to learn.

We understand deadlines and meet them 100% of the time, but demanding a tree to grow will not make it grow faster. Just like demanding a project in a hurry will not give you an inspired product. We strive for excellence not just for our sake, but for yours as well. Our goal is not simply to make ourselves look good in your eyes, but to make you look good to the world. Maybe this project can help you understand what we mean.