Integrated PR and Marketing Agency Shares Top Takeaways From Executing More Than a Dozen Virtual Events For Brands Over The Past Year
BOSTON – March 30, 2021 – Matter Communications — a Brand Elevation Agency specializing in PR, creative services, digital marketing and strategy — shares the collective knowledge of its clients, partners and event planning experts to help companies execute effective and engaging virtual events.
Matter is working with client partners to reach and engage customers by developing interactive digital content, executing more than a dozen live/virtual events over the past 12 months. The insights and feedback from clients and industry experts being shared today are a culmination of lessons learned from pivoting, planning, executing and navigating events with first-of-their-kind challenges.
The guide debunks virtual event myths while answering the following questions:
What is the ideal virtual event length?
Which tactic drives maximum attendance?
Does everything need to be live?
How can technical difficulties be prevented?
Are in-person events better than virtual events?
“Virtual events are booming and will continue to be an essential part of any effective marketing program for the foreseeable future,” said Tim Bradley, Executive Producer and Vice President at Matter. “This relative newcomer and now major results driver in the marketing mix has no standard playbook, so we’re continuing to work in lockstep with our community of industry experts to maximize results for virtual events.”
Matter is a Brand Elevation Agency unifying PR, creative services, digital marketing and strategy into content-rich communications campaigns that inspire action and build value. Founded in 2003, with seven offices spanning North America, Matter works with the world’s most innovative companies across healthcare, high-technology, consumer technology and consumer markets. For more information, visit https://www.matternow.com.
2020 was a banner year for motion graphics and animation. As in-person live action production went on hold for a little bit (and remote production ramped up), we saw a big shift towards animation – and that demand hasn’t slowed down. While the value of animation for brand storytelling remains as strong as ever, what it takes to engage and delight audiences is a little different here in 2021. Now that we’re a couple months in, here are some emerging visual trends that you should get ahead of.
What’s in Motion at Matter
Before we jump into the trends, here are a couple quick updates on our team here at Matter (and, of course, our new animation reel). First, our animation and motion team has been pretty busy this past year, and we’ve grown more than we ever imagined. To meet client demand, we’ve welcomed not one, not two, but three new skilled motion designers and animators to the team – effectively doubling our bandwidth and increasing the range of our team’s talents. In addition to 2D design and motion, we’ve expanded our custom illustration and character animation abilities, and added new 3D visualization and animation capabilities. We’re beyond excited for this growth and can’t wait to continue building our offerings. Speaking of which, let’s take a peek at our latest animation reel!
2021 Motion and Animation Trends
Trend #1: Thin Lines
This example for client South Jersey Gas utilizes thin lines in multiple ways – in stroked illustrations with strategically offset fills, in visualizations of environmental factors and as transitional elements between scenes.
Lines are (and always have been) at the core of animation. They guide the viewer’s eye through your content and make up the actual shapes of objects on screen. But more than that, they shape the audience experience of the content and your product/service. Thin, artistic lines are particularly versatile because they have the ability to be both playful and deeply technical, giving you incredible range with your branded content. As the visual backdrop for tightly scripted voiceovers, thin lines can be used across marketing, training and social media videos.
Trend #2: Mixed 2D + 3D
This example for client JRNI features simplified UI in 2D, vector illustrations in 2.5D and isometric character designs in 3D.
2D remains the foundation of branded animation, in part because of its relative simplicity and cost, but modern audiences are starting to expect an added layer of complexity in 2021, even on mobile. By blending 2D animations and designs (particularly characters) into 3D worlds, you can tap the visual styles you’ve already developed while adding depth and life to the audience experience. In that way, mixed 2D and 3D animations give the impression of a bigger budget, although it doesn’t add much to the animation lift. Plus, it allows you to elevate your style and retain the simplicity that performs so well across audiences and devices.
Trend #3: Mixed Media
This example for client Veracode has it all – 2D and 3D animation, animated typography, photography and live-action video. Veracode-branded color overlays and animated patterns tie these various mediums together to create a visually cohesive story.
Audiences in 2021 love visual variety. And a mixed media approach to animation basically gives you the power to captivate your audience by whatever means necessary and hold their attention as you move through different styles and techniques. Thus, you give the people the variety they crave. Now, the sky being the limit here can be intimidating at first glance, but not all mixed approaches are super complex. Overlaying 3D text on live-action subjects, moving between real scenes and animated renderings, and other simple but visually delightful hybrid strategies can ensure your audience stays with your content through your entire message.
Trend #4: Morphing
Watch this example for client Act-On closely, and you’ll notice that morphing is used as a transitional device between nearly every scene. From a location indicator to a thumbs up, and from a sales funnel to a space warp tunnel, morphing is the visual thread that stitches this story together.
If there’s one thing to say about morphing, it’s that audiences can’t take their eyes off it. And why is that? Plain and simple, it’s because morphing is a really cool animation effect to look at. It’s like a magnet to your eyes. By shifting between shapes (think logos, characters and really any animated object) through motion and color, you can draw the viewer’s eye through your video’s story, from start to finish, uninterrupted. Not many techniques can boast this kind of audience captivation, especially because morphing doesn’t distract from captions or voiceovers as other, flashier visuals can. An added benefit of holding your viewer like this is the increase in time spent with your video or the page on which it’s hosted. Even if it’s just a minute or so, this interaction duration can really help your videos and pages perform on search engines, which prioritize results based on engagement criteria such as time spent.
Trend #5: Grain and Texture
In a video we worked on recently, 2D vector graphics are shaded with an animated texture to add depth and visual interest.
We live in a sensory world, one full of smells, tastes and textures. By nature, most of this gets lost as we create animated worlds and graphic representations of people and objects. Real talk: The difference between reality and animation has never stopped people from engaging with animated scenes. But, by adding sensory elements to animations, you can easily add that extra layer of delight and differentiation to your animated content. Grain and textures are a fun and relatively simple way to bring your animations to life, taking them out of flat world of 2D animations. By tastefully applying textural effects, you can allow objects to stand out from one another, drawing attention around the frame as needed, while also letting your brand and content stand out from the competition.
2021 is Ramping Up to Be a Great Year
This post on emerging trends for animation is coming to a close, but our collective journey into 2021 with animation and motion graphics is just kicking off. Whether it’s with adding grain and texture, mixing 2D and 3D, incorporating hybrid strategies or experimenting with the visual magnet that is morphing, we’re excited for the ride and the fun work that will come out of it.
If you have any questions/comments about these trends or want to talk about how Matter’s expanding animation capabilities can help grow your brand, reach out to our team at [email protected].
In honor of Women’s History Month, we tapped members of our Women Professionals Circle to share personal perspectives about being a woman in the workforce today along with how they are working toward setting positive examples of female leadership. This topic is especially pertinent given the troubling stats of how many women have left the workforce throughout the pandemic due to often unfair expectations of women having to prioritize child care and family life while balancing work. Read the testimonials below to hear these women’s perspectives and check out our photo collage of women and men from our agency sharing photos on International Women’s Day, making pledges on important women’s issues in honor of this year’s theme: “Choose to Challenge.”
There are many experiences I could share from working in agencies for the past 20+ years, but the one thing that means the most to me is my friendships. I cannot imagine my career in media without my fabulous, strong and smart women friends. Some of my best friends are women that I met at the beginning of my career and we have supported and cheered each other along the way. While I have always believed in the importance of supporting other women at work, it has become so clear how vital it is both professionally and personally. Connecting and networking is great but I highly recommend building true relationships and friendships! – Analesa Smith, Vice President, Integrated Media
I have a rule I follow with my email correspondence, especially with clients – only one exclamation point per email. I’ve been told I’m too emotional, take things too personally, need to be more personal with clients and form relationships with them, but also maintaining poise and professionalism. I could go on, but as women, we’re told so many things ranging from “too much X” to “not enough Y” and it can feel nearly impossible to check all the boxes. Finding support and solace with like-minded, strong females has been so comforting – particularly over the last several months with added difficulties due to COVID-19. I have formed bonds with women both in and out of the Women Professionals Circle, and have found how truly meaningful and important it is for me personally to not only seek advice from strong female leaders, but to also give back that support to my peers as well. Like Michelle Obama once said: “There is no limit to what we, as women, can accomplish.” – Sofia Giovannello, Account Manager
I’ve been fortunate to not experience any major forms of workplace discrimination first hand, yet I still carry the burden of trying to be the “most” – professional, knowledgeable, innovative, what have you – to prove that I’m worthy to be in the room, especially in settings with mostly or all men. It seems there are many things I need to keep in mind each day as a woman in the workplace, like how I come across in meetings or emails, conduct myself in client presentations or even dress, that men might not have in the backs of their minds. The reality is that there are double standards for women in the workplace, and while notable progress is being made to create more professional equality, it doesn’t seem like those double standards are going away anytime soon. Having a group of women at Matter who understand my experiences and can relate, who can provide resources and offer support, has been immensely beneficial. It’s important to have a network of those who can understand my experiences because they’ve faced it themselves. – Isabelle Wigon, Digital Marketing Specialist
I come from a broadcast & video production background. These industries are very diverse and with many women in leadership roles. I’ve been fortunate to work with many confident and generous women who not only mentored me, but also inspired me. I am grateful for the paths they cleared and doors they’ve opened. It’s worth noting I had the good fortune to work with many progressive men who also gave me equal footing and called out others when they defaulted to gender stereotypes (ex. When I’ve been referred to as a “girl” instead of a woman). Fortunately, I never experienced overt workplace discrimination, though early in my career I had to creatively and strategically navigate egos/personalities to be able to move forward my ideas. I’ve often been the only woman in the room and have had to course correct on occasions when my ideas were discounted, not heard, and sometimes co-opted later. I’ve had to handle interruptions with “if I had a chance to finish my sentence it would have sounded like this”. There was even that one time a male counterpart commented “let’s wait until we get the decision makers in the room”. And I had to say “The decision maker is me. I am the decision maker on this.” – Beth York, Development Producer
Given the importance of strong female leadership and relationships in your career, how are you working toward setting those examples yourself?
I plan to always be open to new connections throughout my career and life. – Analesa Smith, Vice President, Integrated Media
Mentorship is a major passion of mine, and I make sure that through my mentorships, I encourage young women and leaders to always vocalize their thoughts and ideas (even when it’s difficult to do so). I want to ensure that I am there as a sounding board for reassurance and to help foster confidence. – Sofia Giovannello, Account Manager
I actively advocate for myself and others in the workplace to combat double standards, and turn to my mentors and colleagues for advice. – Isabelle Wigon, Digital Marketing Specialist
I hope, through example, I can serve to empowerwomen to speak up with confidence. Hearing from the all the voices in the room is vital, and I always aim to support this by opening the space for sharing and also recognizing the contributions. – Beth York, Development Producer
It seems like every day there’s a new platform, app, best practice or statistic that will change the game in marketing. Like any industry, nonprofits can take advantage of these trends emerging in the digital marketing landscape. But which trends should you focus on adding into your own nonprofit marketing strategies?
Our nonprofit channel experts scoured key data to share four digital marketing trends that nonprofits need to keep in mind as they plan their fundraising strategies this year.
Tapping into the Socially Minded and the Digitally Savvy
When it comes to nonprofits, Gen Z does their research. According to QGiv, over 57% of Gen Z researches nonprofits before donating, and also look to social media to see a nonprofit’s impact. If you want to attract this fiercely loyal group to your cause, it’s best to develop a robust social media strategy that includes a variety of content topics, like organization updates, ways to stay involved that go beyond donations, and (most importantly) stories of people who were impacted by donations, since Gen Z wants to know how they’ve helped.
Subscription Giving: Creating Convenience for Donors
With the pandemic, subscription services are on the rise – whether it’s a new streaming platform, grocery delivery service or clothing rental company. On average, Americans more than tripled their subscription services since the start of the pandemic, so it’s not outrageous to predict that subscription giving will become more popular.
And when it comes to generating revenue, recurring donations have more impact on a nonprofit’s bottom line than one-time gifts. You’ll not only save time with automatic donations; you’ll also continuously foster a loyal relationship. Recurring donors are more willing to engage with an organization on top of their monthly donations, whether that means attending an event, donating to a crowdfunding campaign or participating in a peer-to-peer campaign.
As you develop your marketing campaigns, make sure you’re engaging those already sustaining their gifts. Whether it’s sending them a thank you email for their generosity, informing them on social media of upcoming events or sharing blog articles that illustrate the impact of their donations – it’s imperative to continuously engage these donors.
Identifying Your Audience’s Preferred Platform
As of 2020, there was an increase in social media users by nearly 93% compared to 2015 – that’s roughly 1.9 billion new users over a span of 5 years. You can thank Gen Z for that increase – about 90% of Gen Z uses social media at least once per day, and 77% use it multiple times per day. And the channels they’re using? YouTube (89%), Instagram (74%), Snapchat (68%), and TikTok (54%). Furthermore, all three channels use video as either their primary or one of their main types of content to share.
While these platforms are great for sharing content and engaging your audience, it’s been shown that Facebook is a main platform where individuals learn about nonprofits. Since 25% of individuals make donations through their phone, using Facebook posts and ads can also be an effective part of your digital marketing strategy to ensure you are reaching your audience and prompting action.
Engaging Through the Right Medium
So now that we’ve discussed the “who,” let’s take a look at the “how” — specifically, content. What’s the best type of content to use to engage donors, whether you’re running a fundraising or content marketing campaign? The answer: video.
In a Google survey, 79% of respondents noted that the most influential type of digital media marketing was video ads, with YouTube being listed as the top platform. Additionally, after watching a video, 57% of people donate to a nonprofit, illustrating how effective video content is at prompting action.
Putting this best practice into action, we recently partnered with MENTOR to produce a promotional video helping to amplify their mission of closing the mentoring gap in America during the National Mentoring Month of January.
The digital landscape is ever evolving, and donors are seeking digital resources far more often than offline resources — like direct mail — citing content like video as more engaging and useful.
As an industry, nonprofits rely heavily on their ability to engage a large and diverse group of people. And thanks to digital marketing and its dynamic capabilities, nonprofits can much more easily increase donations and engage audiences with the right content on the right marketing channels.
As we continue celebrating Women’s History Month and the achievements of women around the world, we wanted to spotlight an important concept all professionals – especially those in PR and Marketing – should familiarize themselves with and incorporate into their daily approaches to both internal and client-facing interactions. Read on as our Women Professionals Circle explores intersectional feminism and why it should inform your brand strategy and communications.
What is Intersectional Feminism?
Not all inequality is created equally. People’s social identities – including race, gender and sexuality – can overlap. That was the inspiration behind intersectional feminism, a term coined by American law professor, Kimberlé Crenshaw, more than 30 years ago. But what exactly is intersectional feminism and why is it important, particularly in marketing?
Feminism is defined as “the belief in and advocacy of the political, economic and social equality of the sexes expressed especially through organized activity on behalf of women’s rights and interests.” Intersectional feminism takes that a step further to not only spotlight women, but elevate the BIPOC women, women of the LGBTQ+ community and more. Crenshaw says, “we tend to talk about race inequality as separate from inequality based on gender, class, sexuality or immigrant status.” But with many impacted by some or all of these, and their experiences are often not accurately represented.
Why PR and Marketing Need Intersectional Feminism
Intersectional feminism ensures that everyone is accurately represented – and in PR and marketing, representation matters. Growing up as a young (and impressionable) girl, my actions and interests were greatly influenced by the marketing campaigns I saw on television, in magazines and on billboards – if I saw beautiful women all with straight hair, I would straighten my curly hair. The clothes and products I would buy, the music I listened to, the shows and movies I watched all similarly influenced my behavior. It was the same for my sister, cousins, friends and classmates. But isn’t that the point of marketing, to get people to identify with your brand and its products/services, and to inspire action?
While yes, this is true, marketing doesn’t always operate with intersectional feminism in mind, often leaving groups unrepresented or misrepresented, which can perpetuate negative stereotypes and biases in society. The best way to prevent tone deaf and potentially offensive campaigns is to involve more diverse people where decisions are being made. Without the opportunity to hear from voices of BIPOC, LGBTQ+ folks, people in the disability community and so many others, marketing campaigns run the risk of inaccurately portraying those communities. Companies should actively seek out diverse and inclusive groups of employees, encourage them to bring their ideas to the table and support them in their roles.
What’s at Stake
PR and marketing campaigns have immense influence over their audiences and the ability to set unrealistic and sometimes damaging expectations about what a product or service can and cannot do for them, or even how one’s body should look. The various positive and negative effects confirm the strong need for diverse and inclusive campaigns that represent a wide range of body types, ethnicities, genders, sexual identity and expression, and so much more. This is imperative for not only the mental health of audiences but for businesses, as an increasing amount of today’s consumers – Gen Z in particular – expect to see a more diverse and inclusive world portrayed by brands. It’s no longer enough to be feminist. It’s time for marketing campaigns to become intersectional.
Integrated PR and Marketing Agency Sees Growth Across the Exploding Cybersecurity Sector, Increasing Visibility, Thought Leadership and Brand Affinity for New and Existing Cyber Leaders.
BOSTON – March 16, 2021 – Matter Communications — a Brand Elevation Agency specializing in PR, creative services, digital marketing and strategy — announces the continued momentum of its cybersecurity team, highlighted by the recent addition of four leading brands to its client roster as well as the expansion of current client programs. With nearly two decades of cybersecurity industry experience, Matter is well positioned to create, direct and execute high impact communications programs for diverse security companies – ranging from startups to billion-dollar brands.
The following new clients have recently partnered with Matter to enhance brand awareness initiatives supported by a range of programs, including award-winning public relations, thought leadership, integrated marketing and video services:
BIO-key International (Nasdaq: BKYI), a leading provider of identity and access management solutions powered by biometrics.
Strategic Security Solutions (S3), a leading provider of information security consulting services for identity and access management (IAM), governance, risk and compliance (GRC), and SAP security.
Veracode, the largest global provider of application security testing (AST) solutions.
“Matter’s combination of deep security experience and knowledge, strategic media relationships and scrappiness are built to generate real results,” said Johanna Baum, CEO & Founder of Strategic Security Solutions (S3). “Their authentic approach and genuine interest in our success is truly focused on moving the needle for organizations at all growth stages. We are thrilled to collaborate to increase visibility of our brand story in 2021.”
The four new clients join an extensive security and data protection portfolio at Matter. The following multi-year clients have all recently expanded their programs, leveraging the spectrum of Matter’s integrated capabilities designed to increase and sustain brand awareness while growing their lead generation initiatives:
Attivo Networks, a leader in cyber deception and attacker lateral movement detection.
Auth0, the identity platform for application teams.
Sectigo, a leader in digital identity and web security.
“In the face of a massive remote-work migration, the emergence of new attack vectors and the evolution of ransomware attacks, we continue to maximize awareness for brands and their crucial cybersecurity and data protection products and services,” said Tim Hurley, Executive Vice President at Matter. “The breadth of our experience means we’re able to provide counsel and strategy, invaluable media connections and deep digital marketing insights required to elevate today’s security brands and make meaningful, measurable impact on their businesses.”
For the latest cybersecurity trends and insights, check out our Cyberside Chats video interview series here.
With nearly 200 professionals across offices in Boston and Newburyport, MA, Portsmouth, NH, Providence, RI, Pittsburgh, PA, Boulder, CO, and Portland, OR, Matter is one of the fastest-growing PR, creative services, digital marketing and strategy firms in the country. Recently named to Forbes List of America’s Best PR Agencies for 2021, Matter has won 13 “Agency of the Year” accolades and has been consistently recognized as a top place to work.
About Matter Communications
Matter is a Brand Elevation Agency unifying PR, creative services, digital marketing and strategy into content-rich communications campaigns that inspire action and build value. Founded in 2003, with seven offices spanning North America, Matter works with the world’s most innovative companies across healthcare, high-technology, consumer technology and consumer markets. For more information, visit https://www.matternow.com.
Welcome to CyberSide Chats, our video interview series where we talk with business technology thought leaders about timely trends, what’s new and what’s next in the cybersecurity industry.
In Episode 6, Matter Executive Vice President and cybersecurity lead Tim Hurley has a conversation with Johna Johnson, CEO and Founder of Nemertes Research. They discuss several hot topics including emerging cybersecurity technologies, the ongoing SolarWinds data breach saga, third-party and vendor risk management, nation state attacks, 2021 mega trends and more.
We’ve arrived in March — 31 days of hoping spring finally shows up and celebrating women around the world for Women’s History Month, particularly today for International Women’s Day! This also means our media friendlies have spent the past few weeks filtering through a barrage of pitches about said holiday. See exhibits one, two and three.
Jokes aside, in the spirit of today’s recognition of the vital role women play in business, leadership and society at-large, here are some of the biggest media moves made by women in February.
Business Insider
Allison DeAngelis is now a senior healthcare reporter covering biotechnology and pharmaceuticals after spending two years at the Boston Business Journal.
Oma Seddiq was hired as a junior politics reporter. She spent the last seven months as a politics fellow.
Emma Cosgrove has joined the team as a senior reporter covering logistics, focusing on e-commerce. She came from Industry Drive, where she covered supply chain.
Bustle Group
Elizabeth Angell has been promoted to Romper’s editor-in-chief after joining the outlet in September 2020 as an editorial director.
Charlotte Owen has been promoted to editor-in-chief at Bustle, after most recently serving as editorial director of the site.
Forbes
Maria Abreu is now an assistant editor on the Money team after recently graduating New York University, where she covered justice, business and arts for Bedford + Bowery.
Rebecca Szkutak joined the staff as a reporter covering venture capital.
Hearst
Jessica Roy has been promoted to digital director at ELLE; she was most recently the site’s deputy editor.
Meredith
Amelia Edelman is the new deputy editor at the cross-brand Finance Desk for Real Simple, Better Homes & Gardens, Parents, Health and other publications.
TechCrunch
Mary Ann Azevedo comes to the team as a senior reporter after being a managing editor at FinLedger and a senior reporter at CrunchBase News.
Kirsten Korosec was promoted to transportation editor, expanding her coverage on electric, autonomous and automotive vehicles, and other advancements in transportation.
After interning at PublicSource, Sophie Burkholder has been hired as a health tech reporter covering startups from health and biotech to enterprise.
The New York Times
Sydney Ember has moved to the economics beat after spending the last seven years as a politics reporter, most recently covering the 2020 election.
Kathleen Kingsbury has officially taken the role of Opinion Editor after leading the team for the last few months.
A contributor since 2017, Marcela Valdes joined the Magazine team as a staff writer.
Shawna Richer is now an assistant editor in Sports after spending time as masthead editor at The Globe and Mail in Toronto.
Monica Davey, Julie Bloom, Kim Murphy and Jamie Stockwell all received promotions to National Deputy Editor, Director of News, Deputy Editor of Investigations and Deputy Editor of Race/Related, respectively.
The Wall Street Journal
After covering energy for The Journal, Rebecca Elliott has moved to cover technology and autos, specifically focusing on Tesla and car tech.
Rebecca Ballhaus has shifted from White House reporter to the Investigations team where she will focus on government.
Welcome to our latest edition of Now Pitching, where we catch up with the industry’s leading journalists to get a pulse on the trends they’re following and topics they’re focused on. For this special vlog segment, we chatted with Jennifer Zarate, reporter and video journalist at CRNtv.
As an enterprise IT and channel expert and Matter favorite, Jennifer joined CRNtv in 2019 and leads the video component for the publication. Prior to joining CRNtv, she worked as a television news reporter for WWLP-22 News in Springfield, Massachusetts. At Matter, we’ve worked closely with Jennifer on feature stories and exclusives with clients including Auth0’s launch of the Auth0 Marketplace, MindTree’s President of Global Markets, as well as upcoming conversations with BIO-key and Attivo.
In today’s conversation, Jennifer gives us an inside look into her background, what she is currently working on and best practices for PR pros.
