Online marketplaces are nothing if not ubiquitous, but most still rely on text and photos to describe the goods on offer. Not so VideoDeals, a Dutch site that lets sellers tap the power of videos and tagging to promote their products interactively.

Anyone can create an account and upload a product video to VideoDeals.com, which is now in beta. Then, using the site’s tagging technology, they can place interactive “buy” tags on the items they wish to sell, enabling viewers to order the product being displayed simply by clicking in the video. Whether for individual sellers advertising a single product or businesses promoting a daily deal, videos can remain live on the site for up to three months. The service is currently free to use, but eventually, businesses will pay a commission when they make a sale, the Luxembourg-based company says. The company also plans to soon release it’s own platform for video creation.

There’s no denying that “a picture is worth a thousand words,” as VideoDeals points out, so it stands to reason that tagged videos could give sellers a key advantage. One to test out for your next big promotional push?

Website: www.videodeals.com/?Culture=en-US&LanguageId=1&e=1#
Contact: www.videodeals.com/Home/Contact

There’s certainly no shortage of photography classes out there to help hone enthusiasts’ skills. What’s much less common, to say the least, is the chance to take a class inside a working camera obscura. Sure enough, though, that’s just what’s on offer through the Roulot’ographe, a mobile trailer that transforms into a giant camera obscura and photography lab.

Students who participate in Flash007′s workshops inside the Roulot’ographe, which is based in Luxembourg, don’t just get the opportunity to study a giant camera obscura, however. They also learn how to form a photographic image, they discuss the effects of light and chemical reactions, and they produce and take pictures through a small pinhole camera of their own creation. Digital photography is discussed as well. All that’s needed for the mobile studio to set up operations is proximity to an electrical connection and running water.

We’ve already seen the likes of Canon offer tryvertising workshops in scenic locations, but the Roulot’ographe definitely adds something new with its educational content, unique experience and flexible mobility. Photography brands, retailers and educators around the globe: be inspired!

Website: www.roulotographe.lu
Contact: neckel@flash007.lu

Spotted by: Petz Scholtus

Parking garages are notorious for being grim and grey affairs, unadorned by any significant form of decoration. That’s due largely to fire code regulations, but a new, patented technology now allows large-scale ads to be created on the walls of such garages, essentially transforming them into immersive, branded environments.

Carspaze has created a new advertising platform for parking-garage walls centered on the ability to digitally print photo-quality images onto specially developed fire retardant materials. Developed three years ago, the process has undergone technical trials and improvements in Germany over the past two years. Now, focusing on garages near retail centers, Carspaze creates branded zones 10 to 20 parking spaces wide bearing advertising on the walls in front of parked cars. Only sustainable materials are used in the production of such advertising, including recycled panels and frames, wheel stops made from crushed rubber tires and lighting units made from recycled fiberglass and plastic. In addition to creating a more cheerful, safer-feeling parking place, the ads have been found both to give consumers a way to remember where they parked their cars and—no doubt as a direct result—to dramatically increase top-of-mind awareness for the brands advertised and boost purchase likelihood. Garage owners, meanwhile, receive revenue for each installation.

We’re certainly not advocating the use of advertising on every available patch of public space, but there’s no doubt a bright, unified splash of branding can be a welcome improvement over the dimly lit concrete of most garages. Luxembourg-based Carspaze launched in Europe in 2008. In the US, jetBlue is pioneering the concept with installations at two shopping malls (Century City in Los Angeles and Tysons Corner Center in Northern Virginia), and a roll-out in Asia is planned for later this year. Carspaze is actively seeking franchise partners—one to bring to unadorned garage walls near you…?

Website: www.carspaze.com
Contact: carspaze.4elbows.com/contact-us

Just over a year ago, we covered Ether, which makes it easy for (budding) entrepreneurs to sell spoken advice and support by providing them with a dedicated 1-888 number for customers to call, and taking care of billing and payments. Now, a massive player has joined the arena. Skype’s latest software release includes a beta version of Skype Prime. The service is very similar to Ether: sellers set a price, fixed or per minute, find buyers for their service, and Skype handles the rest. Of course, instead of using phone lines, both sellers and buyers use Skype’s voice over IP platform.

While Skype charges ‘call providers’ more than Ether does—30% commission versus 15%—Skype’s obvious benefit is its existing global user base. Skype has over 171 million registered users, is available in 28 languages and is used in almost every country around the world. Which means a very large reach for minipreneurs who’d like to sell their services, whether they’re offering Spanish lessons, tax advice or something saucier. (Note that Skype’s guidelines state that call providers cannot offer any content or service that is adult, sexual, pornographic or paedophiliac.)

Other alternatives include BitWine and Wengo. If you’ve used one or more of these services to expand your consulting, tax or astrology business, we’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment below!

Website: www.skype.com/share/skypeprime
Contact: www.skype.com/feedback/contact

Spotted by: Andrus