Recently, I was in the market for a new place to live. I wanted something that was at least better than what I currently had but no-way was I ready to spend more either. Then I realized that the only way I was going to make this work was to be smart about how I wanted to live. I didn't necessarily need a large place, I just needed a place that was clean, safe, and close to work. I eventually found a place that was far from perfect, but after a little creativity with the interior decorating, I'm beginning to feel like I'm living large on a small budget.

This entire experience in my personal life made me think about how marketers across all industries face similar difficult choices everyday with limited marketing budgets. Just like how a little creative thinking allowed me to transform my less-than-perfect place into one that I'm very comfortable and happy to live in, a little creative thinking is all that's needed to revamp a stale marketing strategy. There are many ways to revamp a marketing plan that cost very little, if anything at all.

It's that time of the year again for all shopaholics! Everybody has their weakness when it comes to shopping and I'm no different. My weakness is towards electronic gadgets. Last year, I ended giving myself a new Macbook as an early Christmas day present; this year it was between an Apple iPad or a new mobile phone.

After spending only a few hours in deep thought, I easily succumbed to the idea of getting a new phone. What I want (.. need!) is a phone with a touchscreen, full-featured web browser, 4MP camera (or better), ability to shoot videos, and the ability to stream video clips through YouTube. Video-capabilities are extremely important to me because I tend to shoot a lot of short videos when I'm out-and-about in town and when I try new places to dine or mingle.

At a time before videos and social media ever existed within product pages and newsletter blasts, companies relied on simple text-only emails to entice their customers to buy their products. Today, it's almost standard for email blasts (and newsletters) to contain multiple product images, logos, and each taken from different angles. And now as I try to imagine the near future, its looking more like email marketing will evolve to be able to handle videos. Is your company (and, more importantly, are your email blasts) ready for the future?

As I write this article in one of my neighborhood coffee shops here in LA, I can't help but notice the never-ending chatter of how bad the economy has been and how businesses are penny-pinching across all segments of their business (marketing, investing, hiring, bonuses, etc.). But what I also hear over my shoulders are a few positive stories of how businesses have learned to ride the wave of negative economic news. In a nutshell, what I've come to realize is that there is a general behavior of businesses that are performing poorly and have the highest risk of closing it's doors.

For anybody in the creative industry, I think I can speak for the majority when I say we creative/tech guys can always use a faster, better, computer. Unfortunately, not every one of us has the money to exactly achieve that. For new videographers, or those still "in training", what exactly is the best hardware specifications to look for when buying or building a computer for video editing?

First, I'd like to admit that I'm biased toward Macs. While PCs can do the job just fine, the field of videography and cinematography is overwhelmingly Mac-centric. There are better tools, software, and discussion groups/clubs/support forums for the Mac. Brand aside, there are some things to look for when shopping for your first video editing computer. The first question to ask is what type of footage do you plan on editing? Will you be editing full-length films, short films, documentaries, or short commercials? The next question to ask is, what's your budget?

Perhaps one of the most exciting things in life is the pursuit of something better. Every so often, I get young aspiring videographers who ask me for tips on how they can improve their own videography techniques. What's flattering is how that question comes about! I'll admit, I'm not an expert in videography, but I do know some things about the industry and the process.. always try to surround yourself with successful people in your field who already possess the skills you're striving for and practice, practice, practice!

With all the glamour in Vegas, it isn't at all unusual to notice the moving, large-scale, billboards mounted on trucks. The larger-than-life posters of typically semi-nude women, or images of party-goers having fun at clubs like Tao and Pure. I'll admit, I no-longer pay much attention to such ads no matter how large or in-your-face they are; but, what recently got my attention was simply another great use of video.

Without sacrificing creativity, very small businesses have to pay extra attention to improving the awareness of their brand and their company. Whereas Apple can simply throw an image of their ubiquitous white logo onto a screen and people would immediately know what they sell, how to contact them, and where to buy their products, SMBs have to be less subtle while creating awareness through their online videos. For a majority of Jippidy-produced videos, this is our mantra.