We point to this for a couple of reasons. First, in the minds of many, it seems, the world wide web = the internet. The two are one and the same. This has never been the case, except in perception: for years, the web has been the poster child for the internet. And even though its share of traffic has decreased, its share of mind hasn’t.

Perhaps knowing this will open eyes to new opportunities.

Topping that list of opportunities (and the truly interesting part of the article’s graphic, if not its content): video. We’re a visual species, and internet video now accounts for more than half of internet traffic, according to the Wired graphic. (Cisco’s VNI forecast puts the current figure for video traffic at 40%.) This also flies in the face of some long-held conventional wisdom that interactivity trumped passivity in online content: we were told for so long that the “web” would kill TV because it promised a new level of active involvement.

Not the case, folks, as the internet now moves more video than anything else—whether that’s through the web itself (via browser or a web-based application), or through native apps (Android, iPhone, download boxes from NetFlix, Vudu and others). More eye-opening data comes from Cisco’s forecasts for 2014:

By 2014, the various forms of video (TV, VoD, Internet Video, and P2P) will exceed 91 percent of global consumer traffic….Global online video will approach 57 percent of consumer Internet traffic (up from 40 percent in 2010).

And while the Wired graphic (and accompanying article) are puzzlingly silent on mobile as a total portion of internet traffic, Cisco’s report also emphasizes the importance of the mobile platform:

Globally, mobile data traffic will double every year through 2014, increasing 39 times between 2009 and 2014.

That’s 3900% increase in four years for mobile traffic. Increasingly, we’ll see people pulling content to themselves via mobile devices, rather than going out and finding that content via the web.

Business Implications:

• If internet video isn’t a major part of your content plan, it should be. Whether you’re biz-to-biz, biz-to-consumer, a wide-ranging consumer product/service company, or a niche-oriented business, video should undoubtedly be one of your core offerings.
• At the very least, your current web site should be optimized for the mobile platform. But now is the time to begin planning content that lives specifically on mobile platforms, pushing data to your customers/fans/clients through specialized apps, widgets, and SMS.

BHW1 has hired Tony Hines as Director of Creative and Social Media Services. As director he will manage the creative department and oversee social media marketing strategy.

“Tony is both a world-class creative director and a guru in the social mediasphere,” said BHW1 partner Greg Birchell. “His strengths further position the agency for the exciting direction in which our industry is headed.”

Hines has a 20-year career in advertising as a writer, creative director and agency principal working on accounts such as Intermountain Healthcare, OneEighty Communications, Sun Valley Resorts, Weider Sports, Salt Lake Convention & Visitors Bureau, Montana Tourism and GlidePoint. His work has garnered regional and national recognition in both advertising and public relations including Telly Awards, Golden Spike Awards, Silver Microphone Awards, inclusion in the Print Magazine Design Annual, and others.

“BHW1 has an established track record of solutions that are both strategic and creative,” says Hines. “We all share that vision for both traditional marketing and social media, so I think this is a perfect fit all around.”

Hines’s social media experience has earned him interviews and coverage with Publishers’ Weekly, Media Bistro, and dozens of radio stations, blogs and social sites. Capitalizing on his social media work, Hines launched Social Media Scout in 2009, a company which helps businesses monitor and manage their brands through online interaction and conversation. His company was a strategic partner with BHW1 prior to his hiring.

Hines is also a multi-published author, writing what he calls “Noir Bizarre” fiction in the books Waking Lazarus, The Dead Whisper On, The Unseen, Faces in the Fire, and The Falling Away. His fiction has appeared on the annual “25 Best Genre Novels of the Year” list compiled by Library Journal.

2010 BHW1 Summer Hours Video from BHW1 on Vimeo.

Over 50 representatives from West Coast colleges and universities attended the all-day workshop for lessons and tips using social media tools to market higher education institutions.

The conference was held at the Washington State University Riverpoint Campus in Spokane, Wash. CASE District VIII is the largest of the eight North American geographical districts of higher education institutions.

To request a copy of The State of Social Media in Higher Education, email Rachel.

The Journal of Business is a bi-weekly business publication that delivers comprehensive information to the Spokane/Coeur d’Alene market. Readers receive in-depth local business news and information. Download Article

“Our agency position has always stemmed from the fact that provocative thinking and ideas get noticed above the clutter. It’s what gets clients noticed, and it’s always nice for the industry to recognize the agency for it,” said Ward Duft, creative director.

BHW1 has won Best of Show three out of the last four years, and multiple Best of Divisions, Golds and Silvers each of those years. The winning 2010 work created by the agency covered a wide range of media, including print, outdoor, web/interactive and TV for clients ranging from Whitworth University to River Park Square, Silver Mountain Resort, Catholic Schools of Spokane, Bay Shore Systems and Rocket Bakery.

“SWA represents one of the categories that we as an agency love to be in,” said Ward Duft, the agency’s creative director. “The wines coming out of our region are fantastic. We’re going to let the world know this by first elevating the brand of associated wineries locally, then regionally and beyond.”

The Spokane Winery Association promotes member wineries that share a common goal of creating wines in and around Spokane that compete with the best.

BHW1 is a Spokane-based, full-service agency creating award-winning advertising, web/mobile interactive and social media marketing via their proprietary system called DigiVox™.

“The State of Social Media” is a 16-page report that provides a glimpse at social media trends in the Inland Northwest and within specific industry sectors. It was created to shed light on the level of engagement by consumers and businesses in the social mediasphere.

• 82 % of adults who go online use social media and social media is more popular than email
• In Spokane alone, 155,900 adults are registered Facebook users – half of all the adults in Spokane. And yet 78% of Spokane’s most influential companies are turning away 93% of interested online customers because they have no social marketing strategy.
  The report was created through DigiVox™, BHW1’s proprietary social marketing system that provides innovative social media audits, strategies and online conversation management. To request a copy of “The State of Social Media,” or to discuss your social market, CLICK HERE.

DigiVox™ provides critical research, competitive analysis, in-depth reporting and tactical campaigns to acquire new customers, manage issues and jump on new opportunities.

DigiVox™ allows organizations to find out what people are saying, where they are saying it and what they can do about it in the social mediasphere.

Downtown Spokane Partnership hosted their Annual Meeting at The Davenport Hotel on January 27 to acknowledge the accomplishments of 2009, plans for 2010 and discuss the newly formed leadership for Spokane’s University District.

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BHW1 in partnership with OutWest Promotions launches SKI FREE™ and sees big results!

Buy 10 gallons of fuel or more at any participating Shell station and get a SKI FREE™ voucher good for one free adult lift ticket when you purchase an adult lift ticket. That’s the message that drives the SKI FREE™ promotion available at participating Shell stations started on January 4^th. As of January 25th, the Ski Free website has over 84,000 absolute unique website visits. The campaign is placed in six states across America with 60 ski resorts and over 1,200 Shell stations participating.

Check it out at skifreedeals.com.

Want to know how BHW1 got such great results so quickly? All you have to do is ask.

BHW1 recently created and developed a mobile site for the Inland Northwest’s premier shopping destination, River Park Square. To view the site, visit riverparksquare.mobi

The mobile site was developed so that customers could stay in contact with River Park Square whenever they want, wherever they are.

“Customers are increasingly looking for new ways to stay in touch with the companies they like. They want information and interaction wherever they are, 24/7. At the same time, our clients want to engage their customers in meaningful and relevant ways,” said Bridget Boodel, BHW1’s account manager on the River Park Square account. “It just makes sense for them to be in the mobile space.”

As is typical with mobile sites, River Park Square is a pared down version of their main web site, since screen sizes and download speeds limit how much information can be offered. The key is to ensure that the user experience is still relevant and optimal.

BHW1 is in the process of developing other mobile sites for its wide range of clients. All of the agency’s interactive offerings can also be supported by analytics, promotions and reporting.