The video, produced by Analtech – the only U.S. manufacturer of Thin Layer Chromatography plates – and the Delaware Film Company, was launched on September 17, 2008 with a premier before more than 100 members of the Delaware BioScience Association.

“The response has been overwhelming,” said Steven Miles, General Manager of Analtech. “We’ve seen the video posted on dozens of web sites ranging from Wired.com to blogs in Sweden and Brazil. What’s most exciting, though, is the responses from teachers who say they are sharing this with their students and the e-mails from scientists around the world who have some fascinating applications for this separation technology.”

“From a marketing perspective, this is a resounding success,” said Micky Jones, Assistant Marketing Director for Analtech. “The vast majority of those 10,000 viewers are the scientists, professors, lab techs, and students who are on the cutting edge of separation science.”

The video takes its cue from the famous “witch trial” scene in “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” – but in this case the young lady accused of witchcraft is able to demonstrate separation science using a Cyclograph centrifugal device, not only saving her life but also exposing corruption and freeing her people.

The video features the talents of several prominent figures from Delaware, including U.S. Congressman Michael N. Castle, Delaware State Auditor Tom Wagner, popular talk show host Rick Jensen, World Trade Center Delaware Executive Director Rebecca Faber, and members of the Delaware BioScience Association.

Much of the feedback on the video has centered around the production value. The project was filmed on the industry revolutionizing RED camera. Users of the Ultra-HD camera include Peter Jackson and Steven Soderbergh.

“We’re very fortunate to be early adopters of this technology,” said writer/director Christopher Stout of the Delaware Film Company. “We’re no longer limited to 35mm for our high-end projects. This was such a fun project that we really wanted to treat it like a film so it would rise above your average online video.”

Check out Heavy.com’s first webisode “Anticipation”:

“The SoCo Music Experience is in its fourth year and we felt it was time to take a fresher approach as a spirits brand by extending the event to millions of music fans digitally but in a different way,” said Campbell Brown, Vice President, Director Southern Comfort Americas. “We’re packaging the overall festival experience with interviews from both fans and performers and delivering the content in SoCo’s brand voice.”

The SoCo Music Experience festival tour is going to six markets with each event showcasing five national performers with five top local acts on two stages all for the low price of free. An outdoor venue is transformed into the complete festival experience – food and beverage vendors, poster and t-shirt shop, the local record shop, merch tent, cornhole games, photobooths and the SoCo & Lime Dome, among other areas. The festivals are open to be people 21 and over.

Digital Partnerships

• Pitchfork.tv – Episodes will feature behind the scenes footage, band and fan interviews and live performances. Viewers will get to learn how the performers came together as a group, as well as how groups of friends experience music together.
• Heavy.com – Episodes will feature behind-the-scenes footage, band and fan interviews and live performances. Each four-minute episode will explore themes associated with SoCo’s brand positioning and the artists that embody them. The Heavy.com partnership has already launched with episodes including “Anticipation,” “Energy,” “Magnetism” and “Character” featuring the SoCo Music Experience in Atlanta.
• My Damn Channel – Twelve weeks of episodes of “My Damn Channel Music Nights” will feature music bars and clubs in New York and Los Angeles and on the SoCo Music Experience festival tour this summer. Starting in July, original content will be produced for a customized, co-branded channel presented by Grace Helbig, host of My Damn Channel’s ” Daily Grace.”
• Complex.com – The fashion/lifestyle site is building a comprehensive guide to select SoCo Music Experience festivals, including an original “Best of” Web Series about the event and host cities, emerging artist bios and live recordings.
• Death+Taxes – The music magazine will be creating custom content for their site featuring behind the scenes footage, band and fan interviews and live performances.

“These sites provide us the opportunity to bring a Southern Comfort experience produced in a way their viewers are accustomed to watching video on their sites,” said Brown. “It’s a partnership in the truest sense of the word.”

In addition to these partnerships, festival pre-roll videos will appear on Hulu.com, Billboard, UGO.com, Crave Online, PasteMagazine.com, Virb.com and numerous other music-focused sites.

“Not only have we increased our investment around talent and the experience, we are making a strong digital play for Southern Comfort increasing our spend in this area to 25% of the total media budget versus 5% the previous year,” said Brown. “Our overall digital spend is up 300% versus last year, which give us a real opportunity to engage our target consumers with a meaningful SoCo experience.”