All posts by Robert Payne

Multichannel marketing and communications professional with a proven ability to deliver award-winning campaigns that inspire action from difficult to reach and discerning audiences. • I’ve exceeded benchmarks time and again across programmatic and social media buys. • Empowered sales teams with tightly integrated lead funnels and lifecycle management solutions leveraging Salesforce.com. • Know how to craft a compelling narrative and have won over a dozen video production awards in the past 5 years. • Served on both the interactive agency and client side, and I am a highly capable sparring partner for any marketing professional whether B2B or B2C. Most recently, I helped the Georgia Department of Economic Development attract new business both domestically and in 12 strategic markets around the globe. In the 7 years I ran Georgia’s global marketing efforts, we were selected as the #1 State for Business by Site Selection magazine, and its database of site consultants, for an unprecedented 7 years in a row. Jobs and investment grew steadily YOY due to a healthy pipeline of prospects. In addition, the Department’s commitment to marketing over that same period of time grew more than 300% because the ROI was clear and measurable. I also managed a team of 5 and 4 agency relationships for interactive, pr, traditional and video production. My online marketing career started with the direction of email marketing and web campaigns for Mandalay Resort Group, resulting in several awards for creative execution and exceptional return on investment. This caught the attention of the interactive marketing company, Twelve Horses where I directed their corporate marketing, advertising, and public relations efforts, as well as provided strategic consulting for travel/tourism clients such as Park City, Heavenly Mountain Resort, and America’s Adventure Place. Leveraging my experience with media and multi-channel marketing technology, I went on to lead the marketing and branding initiatives for SAXOTECH (now NEWSCYCLE), a global provider of content management platforms, circulation systems and advertising solutions for the media industry. I’ve worked in sales, marketing, advertising and public relations for a variety of other companies, including Switchback PR & Marketing, Stoel Rives LLP, Preferred Capital Corporation and Patagonia. I have an MBA with a specialization in Marketing and a BA from Clemson University. Side hustle: My photography has appeared in countless ads, brochures, and marketing campaigns.
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Gold Telly Award for Film Works

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At the end of the fiscal year I was approached by our deputy commissioner of film about producing a new film industry video – this was something I helped her produce a few years ago. The original piece was designed to illustrate the diversity of jobs and people the film industry employs, as well as the economic impact that radiates out, in some cases, from unexpected sources. Folks who are not deeply embedded in the industry do not always think about the carpenters, electricians, and people who supply contact lenses for zombies, so we wanted you to hear from them.

I thought about her request for a minute, but I ultimately suggested we do something different. The older video was still relevant and useful, so why not go an extra step and leverage the creative talent we have here in Georgia through a more thematic, possibly animated piece, that is whimsical and fun? And instead of locking up all our hard work in to one video file, let’s expand it out into a complementary web experience. She agreed!

You’ve probably seen the peach logo at the end of your favorite movies and T.V. shows, but another way film production companies can qualify for tax credits is by producing a film about filming in Georgia. Historically, we have not showcased these productions on Georgia.org, so I wanted to bring these in to the web experience to further leverage credible comments from famous producers and actors.

So here we began. We first looked around for some qualified animation companies in Georgia, of which there are many. But ultimately we landed on Floyd Country Productions who produces the popular hit show, Archer. There is always that bit about budget and deliverables that needs to get worked out, but suffice to say they were awesome to work with. The bonus came when Amber Nash agreed to do the voice of the character based on herself. We cranked on the script and got it to be about as non-governmenty as we could, while also delivering the salient stats and facts. Meanwhile, styling and character development were underway along with plans for the web experience.

I approached the web experience with the same outline of the script. The scrolling parallax design is divided in to sections that emphasize tax credits, jobs, workforce development, studio development and tourism with the final call-to-action sending the user to main film page with additional resources. The copy and associated video is designed to bolster that section with personality and proof of perspective from actual producers and actors.

We launched the whole thing on Film Day at the Georgia State Capitol. An audience of film industry people were gathered, and the Film Works video was warmly received. I even heard a “bravo!”

The same day we launched a digital marketing campaign on Facebook and LinkedIn, and the MPAA even picked it up and distributed it through their network.

It was great to finally see the end result grow wings and fly. You can check out the whole experience at Georgia.org/FilmWorks.

Now what to do when the deputy commissioner of film approaches me to do something new again?

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Aerospace

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I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Jay Neely of Gulfstream Aerospace to discuss their operations in Georgia. The following video is a result of that conversation.

Gulfstream is a native Georgia company whose headquarters have been located in Savannah since 1967. Today, more than 12,000 Georgians design, develop, manufacture, market, service and support the world’s most technologically advanced business-jet aircraft.

Aerospace products are Georgia’s No. 1 export ($8.3B) and the state’s second largest manufacturing industry generating a $64B economic impact.

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Real Success Timeline

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Timelines are not new. But how you use them can always be improved.

In the world of multi-channel marketing, no single mode of communication is 100% effective. That stands as true today as it did when I first started saying it over 10 years ago. Some want a video. Others, well, a case study. Got to have a brochure. Is that page optimized for SEO? Somebody get out a press release. You get the drift. I started to think about all of these supportive, yet disparate, pieces of content, and how they could be more aligned.

Then there is the matter of time. How evergreen is one piece of content or collateral?

In the world of economic development, a project may not be deemed successful for a year, maybe 3, or even more. Companies can create meaningful impacts in jobs and investment over decades. And many times it is not just because of one factor but because they were supported by multiple entities. Maybe they used an existing industry team for an expansion. Maybe they used an international trade team to grow their exports. Maybe they used an innovation lab to incubate a new product or solution. Maybe the company used workforce training to generate the type of talent they need. Maybe it was all of these?

Enter the Real Success Timeline.

Features:

  • After a few seconds the timeline is designed to move. This is a great feature in terms of generating interest, moving users across time, but also for tradeshows where it wil move and feature different content items.
  • Of course it is built to be responsive to desktop, mobile and tablets, with each having slightly different layouts and functionality.
  • There are multiple ways to navigate the timeline either by filters, interactive dots, arrows, as well as secondary arrows below.
  • The larger pulsating dots indicate that this particular moment in time is more significant in terms of, for example, growth over time, or just more of a comprehensive story. But you can do simpler stories as well.
  • After build-out of the timeline began, I started to run in to situations where a significant item happened, but then another significant item that was directly related happened later. How do you leverage something in the past to point to the future? The Timeline also includes a field to indicate the update.
  • Each story has its own unique url so that it can be promoteed individually via social media, paid media or earned media.
  • There is complete control over the timeline through a Drupal 8 content management system so non-technical staff can add, remove and edit stories.
  • Could have gone back to any time in the past but chose a round number of 2010. The reason for this was to be able to populate the timeline with enough stories for a successful launch. All of these stories are written in-house, so I needed a timeframe that was manageable. That’s not to say we won’t look back further as we grow it.
  • And that is the last point I’d like to make. The timeline is completely scalable, and a great asset that can continue to evolve.

So there you go. My most recent web project. You can find it at Success.Georgia.org.

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Japanese Investment Video – Tatami-style

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My latest video production is complete. It was quite a journey, but one that I thoroughly enjoyed. It is always fascinating to peer behind the curtain and see how global brands operate. But the best part is figuring out how best to tell their stories, and do it in a manner where the personality and the “real factor” shines through. This video is designed to be a handshake reaching across the globe to Japanese executives who are thinking about doing business in the United States. Even now, Georgia is home to more than 500 Japanese facilities employing over 30,000 Georgians.

Footage was captured at the JapanFest in Atlanta, the Cherry Blossom Festival in Macon, and company locations in Norcross, Peachtree City and Monroe. But the crux scene is at the restaurant. I was able to get each of the companies to Nakato, the oldest Japanese restaurant in Georgia, for a tatami-style dinner. Even the owners of Nakato, along with their daughter, joined us for a very special evening.

The culture and tradition of Japanese people is one of humility and respect, and it was an honor to work with all of the individuals it took to make this project a reality.

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Technology Industry Video

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If you saw my Connect post in March then you know I recently launched a new information technology (IT) video that focuses on cybersecurity, fintech, health IT, and telecommunications. In addition, I recently interviewed Facebook’s Global Data Center Site Selection Director on why they chose their most recent location for a new data center.

Whatever you think of Mark Zuckerberg’s recent testimony to the Congress and Senate (insert Orrin Hatch meme here), it is pretty cool to see a company investing so heavily in renewable energy. Not only that, Facebook is evolving local utilities’ practices of energy creation with their economic weight.

If you are also aware of my monthly ad placement in Delta Sky, then you won’t be surprised to see the below ad in your seat pocket for the month of May.