Each year auto care workers, manufacturers, distributors, retailers, race teams and car enthusiasts flock to Las Vegas to attend SEMA – the Specialty Equipment Market Association tradeshow to browse the industry’s latest and greatest automotive products and services. This year, The CSI Group once again partnered with Castrol to design and execute an 80’ x 30’ outdoor booth, Castrol’s largest presence to date. They wanted to create an impressive and engaging booth that supported retailer brand training, new product releases, racing victories and, most importantly, a bevvy of celebrity guest appearances that were streamed via Facebook Live. The results were nothing short of amazing.

Streaming video from an event using Facebook live allows an audience to tune in to your broadcast from their Facebook feed, wherever they may be. The videos remain long after the broadcast ends, to be enjoyed repeatedly at the viewer's convenience. Facebook Live provided a way for people to experience the excitement of SEMA even if they were unable to attend, and gave Castrol boundless brand exposure. CSI produced a total of eighteen videos for Castrol featuring interviews with figures like NFL legend Marcus Allen, MotoGP champion Nicky Hayden, and 2016 Indy 500 champion Alexander Rossi, all streamed in real time onto CastrolUSA’s Facebook page. Most notably, comedian Adam Corrolla was on site to live broadcast his popular car enthusiast’s podcast, CarCast, from Castrol’s tent. While SEMA’s attendance this year was impressive – over 140,000 people – the videos gained over 400,000 views, with an extended organic reach of over 1.6 million people!



By using Facebook Live, we were even able to bypass some technical challenges. Forty feet behind the Castrol SEMA booth, Ford GTs were ripping by on a drift racing track. While the smell of burning rubber and the screech of blazing tires may provide an appropriate backdrop for talking about cars, the noise proved to be a real challenge. Our team knew that we were going to have to get creative with our audio solution. Led by the expertise of Kenny Eicher, who served as technical director, we addressed the audio issue by pulling the mic feed from the mixer into the Facebook Live feed. Background noise remained present, but didn’t distract from the talent’s audio.

Social media and technology are advancing, providing new avenues for brand awareness and dynamic mediums for your message. Here at the CSI Group, we’re listening… always keeping our finger on the pulse, striving for new and innovative ways to engage our client’s audiences and get results. Let us find the right approach to make sure your live event goes smoothly, contact us at hello@thecsigroup.com.

LOS GATOS, CA – (September 7, 2016) – BrightSign, LLC®, the global market leader in digital signage media players, today announced the first major overhaul of the company’s players in nearly two years. BrightSign’s lineup of digital signage media players has been completely redesigned and will ship with a portfolio of technology updates including an M.2 interface for Wi-Fi antennae or a solid-state drive (M.2 SSD). BrightSign’s free BrightAuthor software and the BrightSign Network are also updated with advanced digital signage features for enterprise-level performance.

Companies that are looking for new ways to communicate with both customers and employees have found that a digital signage system can work wonders.

O’Reilly Auto Parts and Castrol USA needed to educate their audience about the benefits and differences of conventional, synthetic and high mileage motor oils. Because this subject matter can often be complex and technical, they sought to develop a fun way to communicate this complicated, yet important information. It was then that the idea of “The Myth Buster” was born.

The Myth Buster, a character created by The CSI Group, debunks common myths surrounding the different types of motor oils. With a perfect mix of sass, charm and wit, he effortlessly delivers the benefits and differences of motor oils in order to engage the audience. The story was woven throughout three scripts, which were written by The CSI Group. Once we had the stories, we needed to find our Myth Buster. After pouring over many audition tapes and headshots, CSI cast the perfect Myth Buster. The video was shot on location in a Northern New Jersey suburban neighborhood in just one day.

The CSI Group produced and directed the live production with a stellar crew, including DP Mariusz Cichon. Using a Celeb LED lighting package and the Arri Amira camera, CSI was able to shed light into the life of the Myth Buster and how he spends his days debunking the myths of the motor oil world. After shooting was complete, CSI went into post-production, creating a custom 2D motion design package and adding sound effects to complete the story. The resulting piece was a three-part video series (which can be viewed below) that engaged and captivated O’Reilly Managers during their nationwide conference.

    

Infographics are becoming ever more popular. Whether used to explain how a product or service works or to showcase statistics to support an opinion, companies have been using these visual aids more and more to get their points across—and rightfully so.

For two weeks at the end of every summer, New York City becomes the center of the sporting world. Hundreds of thousands of fans will attend and millions more will watch worldwide as the top tennis players in the world compete to become the US Open Champion. And for the past 23 years, Citizen Watch has had the distinction of being the Official Timekeeper of the US Open Tennis Championships, providing a great platform to advertise its brand in the bright lights of New York City and beyond. With this opportunity in hand, Citizen has once again teamed up with Overskies to create compelling content to showcase their partnership with the US Open and to demonstrate the features and technologies that make Citizen one of the most innovative watch brands in the world.

Time is money. As old as this phrase is, its meaning is as important now as it ever has been in the world of marketing.

How do you tell your brand story while educating consumers in an informative and engaging way?

If you work in recruitment or talent acquisition, you’re probably overwhelmed. Things have changed. Gone are the days when potential candidates would rely on the local newspaper or agencies to find a job. The landscape for job-seeking and recruiting has broadened, and social media has taken over.