Aeorema Communications plc, the AIM-traded multi-media specialist, has acquired the entire issued share capital of ST16 Limited. Aeorema Communications owns leading internal communications film production company Cheerful Scout and events specialist Twenty First. The move gives clients instant access to a much expanded high-production value resource including enlarged creative, client facing and technical teams spread between London and Midlands bases.  

Mystified by YouTube? Wondering if viral will work for your campaigns? Want to leverage the power of viral film and YouTube for your clients? Viral film specialist ST16 are currently offering a free 1 hour seminar on 31st May. In this session we explore how to get results with viral film, pitfalls to avoid and what the future holds.

Ross Furlong from Furlong PR interviews our Creative Director Simon about creating successful viral video... in the back of a taxi! 

Nǐ hǎo! I am very excited to be jetting off to China next week to speak at the China International Creative Design Week in Chengdu. As specialists in viral video production and social media, the IVCA have asked ST16 to share some of our expertise and successful case studies with fellow business people in China.

We get celebrities calling to our main office in Staffordshire on a daily basis obviously. But this time the BBC Inside Out crew were there to provide evidence!

A big thank you to everyone that attended my presentation on 'Making it go viral' last week to members of the PRCA Digital Group at our hosts Porter Novelli London.  The case studies sparked loads of questions and there was a genuine interest in the exciting possibilities of viral video for PR. The session inspired me to write about two of the top questions I've been asked by PR professionals; 'Can you use the viral approach for anything?' and 'What are some of the pitfalls of viral video?'

I am really excited about speaking at this event. As a viral video specialist ST16 has been working with clients for many years to make them aware of the holistic approach you need to take when producing viral video. It isn’t just about a good idea, or a clever seeding strategy, it all starts and ends with the audience.

Visit the event website

What a week! Last Wednesday saw ST16 win two great awards - the IVCA Clarion Viral: Public Sector Award for our Vampire Viral for NHS Northamptonshire and a Highly Commended Award for our Crashproof Viral for Safer Roads. Whoop whoop!

We’re all incredibly proud of these projects and the amazing results they’ve helped achieve for our clients.

The PRCA Digital Group (Public Relations Consultants Association), not to be confused with the Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association, have invited me to speak at an event entitled ‘Making it Go Viral’.  I’m very much looking forward to sharing some of ST16’s insights on viral video and talking about some of our most recent case studies with the PR pros. Not to mention discussing all those tricky questions this very savvy audience are likely to throw my way!

To book your ticket visit the PRCA website here

Big smiles all around the ST16 office this month! Our Crashproof viral for Safer Roads in Thames Valley has been nominated for two prestigious awards - the Some Comms Award and the IVCA Clarion Awards. Our Vampire Viral for NHS Northamptonshire has also been shortlisted in the IVCA Clarion Viral: Public Sector Communication category. 

You see a great viral video online and you share it with friends and colleagues. Many of us do it every day without a second thought as to why certain content triggers the ‘share’ impulse in our brains. As creators of content its handy to know what the science is behind a great viral video.

Last year we came up with a great idea for a client, they loved it. Unfortunately it meant creating a motorbike crash, on a budget.

So how do you think we did it?

National and international media coverage, thousands of views, target audience engagement and as a result of it all - more people accessing the advertised service. Did we mention the budget was tight? ST16’s recent vampire viral video campaign for the NHS is testament to the fact that with a strong strategy and creative, social media could be the way forward for a cash strapped public sector.

Imagine this: You receive a video. It’s got your name in it. Not just slapped over the top in Arial, but your name is seamlessly integrated in perspective, in the film.

I was involved with a LinkedIn discussion this week about making a successful online video. It all got a bit heated but there was some really useful comments made by contributors from around the world.

Someone had posted a comment about a video they had made to promote their online business. The video had been posted on YouTube and a link sent out to potential and existing customers in e-mails. However the film had not driven any sales and they wanted to know why...

We’ve produced numerous viral videos with millions of views on YouTube. A great result and a great news story, but how do we know those views actually mean engagement? We have plenty of tricks up our sleeve for measuring engagement (and you’ll be pleased to know our viral film projects get this in spades…) but Facebook have now turned this art into a science…

We have had more success than most with our viral video and with each big hit we learn more about how our audiences behave and what they want to see. The psychology behind it is intriguing and although some of it is probably just ‘common sense’ (and some luck!) some of it can be quite surprising. Jeff Sexton wrote and interesting article last year about using ‘Six Powerful Social Media Persuasion Techniques’ in which he talks about some useful hints for giving your content a boost. It’s all based around a book called ‘Influence’ by Dr. Robert Ciadini, and applying the art of persuasion to your social media, hopefully making it more effective, a nice idea.

We are delighted to have leapt into number 36 in Televisual magazines annual ‘Top 50 corporate film production company rankings’. Out of the literally thousands of corporate film production companies in the UK we also made it inside the Top 10 in the list outside London.

A shocking viral film produced by ST16 Ltd. For Thames Valley Safer Roads Partnership has become a huge online success worldwide while still managing to effectively reach a national audience. The film which takes the guise of a live German news report, introduces a revolutionary new ‘crashproof’ motorbike which warns the rider of potential hazards so they can take evasive action, ensuring the riders safety.

Back in March when we kicked off our 10th Birthday celebrations we said we wanted to give something back. After months of hard work, ST16 are proud to launch an animated film for the charity SAFE@LAST that we hope will help make a massive difference in the lives of young people at risk of running away from home.

The HD 'southpark' style animated film premiered this week, will be used by SAFE@LAST in schools to promote their services and help show young people what happens when they get in contact with the charity. The film is also available on YouTube and the SAFE@LAST website where the charity hopes it will help build their online presence.

This Spring at ST16 we’ve got plenty to shout about. We’re celebrating 10 years in business – and starting the next decade with a bang.

At a glitzy awards ceremony in the Grosvenor House Hotel in London, the team scooped not one but two Highly Commended International Visual Communicators Association Awards.

The ‘About Us, About You’ new publicans DVD for Marston’s Pub Company bagged the accolade in the ‘Recruitment’ category. Featuring interviews with a fascinating variety of real Marston’s publicans – from ex-soldiers to single mums - the film aims to tell potential publicans what a life running a pub is really like. A mixture of humour, candid advice and practical steps the film is already proving popular with new Marston’s recruits.

Viral film ‘Speed Dating’, produced for Road Safety for North West, caught not only the eye of the RTS judges but has impacted over 4 million YouTube viewers with a hard hitting road safety message.

ST16 were recently surprised to discover their viral film featured in the Sun Online newspaper under the headline ‘2m hits for boob flash 'crash'’. Well, maybe not that surprised… the film has been rapidly developing a following online with over 4 million views on the popular websites break.com, Digg and YouTube to date.

Featuring young people messing about in cars, the film has a hard-hitting road safety message. Produced in conjunction with Anderson PR and UK Road Safety Organisations it aims to prevent young driver distraction.

The film demonstrates the power of online content and it’s ability, when creatively executed, to generate considerable amounts of free PR. The Sun article was the third most read article of the day, with a sizeable number of the client’s target audience within the demographic that reads the paper online. Figures as to how many people viewed it to follow.

The ST16 team are delighted that its ‘Speed Dating’ viral film was shortlisted in 'Best use of new media' and 'Best Social Marketing Campaign' at the AHC Awards 2009. Within just weeks of the launch the film had over 120,000 views.

The 2009 Communicators in Business Central Awards were celebrating 60 years in the industry. Considered the UK’s biggest and most prestigious business communication awards, this year was no exception.

As snow blankets the Midlands, it’s business as usual here at ST16. The latest new face on our growing team is Sarah Cummins.

While other production companies succumb to recession, ‘Business of the Year winner’ ST16 continues its steady growth, with the ever enthusiastic and eager Andi Robinson joining the post-production department.

The economic outlook might be gloomy, but nothing could be further from the reality at Staffordshire’s ST16 Ltd: The communications firm bagged ‘Business of the Year’ in the sub £2 Million turnover category at the annual Sentinel Business awards.

The 2008 IVCA Awards, hosted by celebrities Punt and Dennis at the spectacular The Grosvenor House Hotel, London celebrated the year’s finest achievements in the corporate communications industry. What’s more it was the 20th anniversary of Europe’s most prestigious business communication awards.

Announced at the Tribeca Rooftop in New York, Simon Crofts and Jeremy Stinton, ST16 ‘s Directors, received the award for devising, making and communicating the viral for Lancaster District Alcohol Harm Reduction Partnership, resulting in 2.4 million Youtube viewings of one posting in a six month period.

As if one award in New York wasn’t enough, the very next evening ST16 scooped Gold at the UK Communicators in Business Central awards for their emotional documentary ‘Missing Matthew’: A true story aimed at young drivers and their parents, produced for Lancashire Partnership for Road Safety.

ST16 are finalists in the 2007 New York Film Festivals, Film and Video Awards! ST16 have been nominated for their 'drink drive' cinema commerical and viral which has already won an award in LA.

Surrounded by Aston Martins and free flowing champagne ST16 bagged a British Association of Communicators in Business (CiB) accolade at the 2007 awards ceremony at the Heritage Motor Museum in Warwickshire.

The ST16 crew recently returned from a successful four-day shoot in Los Angeles, California.

The 3 billion pound per annum UK corporate communications sector comprises over 1000 corporate film producers and every year the well-known monthly TV industry trade publication, 'Televisual' researches and creates a 'Corporate Top 50' list; ranking the best of UK video production companies.

The June Los Angeles air was warm, the atmosphere electric and the wine flowing as Stafford based ST16 received a worldwide accolade for their work, at the annual US International Film and Video Festival. Their viral film ‘Steamy Windows’ saw off over 1200 other entries to secure its position.

ST16 have moved. Now nestled in the idyllic setting of the Staffordshire village of Sugnall they are still just 15 minutes from the motorway. The move gives the growing operation room for 2 new state-of-the-art high definition edit suites, a conference room and office space for more staff.