Here's my presentation from WOMMA's Summit 2, December 11-13 2006. Most video examples mentioned can be seen on my YouTube page (or via the links below), you may also download the presentation in pdf and ppt formats.
Viral Video and Messages: Content That Gets Forwarded
How are brands and companies using web video to reach an opt-in audience?
What are the most innovative strategic uses of social media web video?
Is viral video the best video strategy, and does video need to be viral to be effective?
How does viral video tie into CGM and WOM?
What's new in video sharing technology?
You can't make a video viral; viewers can. Viral video attempts often have a TV approach: the most number of eyeballs possible, brand attributes secondary. Marketers look at CGM viral hits and want some of that. Too often this means Paris Hilton (or similar).
More recent successes have gotten smarter, more aligned with brand:
>Shaveeverywhere.com
>Dove Evolution
>Tea-Partay (maybe not smarter, but a lot more fun)
>Ecko/StillFree
>Blendtec
Why do these videos work? Outrageous/Amusing/Character driven. The product isn’t the star...a person is. There's an increasing emphesis on personal stories, storytellers. This is seen more clearly in brand vlog efforts.
>Amanda Across America
>Ford Bold Moves
>Chasing Kimbia
>DiddyTV
This type of content is potentially viral, and designed to engage a specialized audience with backstories and insider information. To generate WOM and inexpensively release info/messaging that might not otherwise get out there.
>BMW Vodcast
>Weber Nation
>Narragansett Beer Story
>Video enabled Beer Map
And then there’s CGM brand efforts, often contests. These take the form of brand asset remixes (remember Tahoe?) and original content around a theme.
>iamnotafraidofyouandiwillbeatyourass
>Follow the Finger
>Dabble
>Tokion/Dewar's
Of particular note is Current TV's V-CAM (Viewer Created Ad Message) program. Citizen producers earn $1000 or more from sponsors such as Toyota, T-Mobile, and Sony.
There are video sharing providers out there building tools to manage these contests, and in the process are creating platforms for video-enabled brand communities.
>Jumpcut
>Vitrue
>Vive Network
>Brightcove
And there are others building more general community management platforms that integrate video:
>Street Attack/Yfon's SwitchBoard
>Crowd Factory
Companies that manage brand communities have been gathering important market insights as well as generating substantial WOM messaging. As these companies move to provide their communities with video sharing tools a lot of CGM brand videos will appear.
>Expo TV
>Biore the Blackhead Slayer
Different services, different approaches: Revver, Videoegg, Brightcove allow you to attach your ad to opt-in video content. How well the ads are matched to the video? Check out Google's video AdSense program...
If you are distributing your own vid, you’ll want to look for channels that you can control:
WebVideoZone, Blip TV.
Video Search: What do you want people to find when they type the name of your brand/product/company into a video search engine? My argument: something about how your company is supporting brand enthusiasts, listening to them, and giving them voice.
Conclusion: There's more to it than viral video. Viral video is a mass market ploy that often leads to least-common-denominator tactics. Instead, do something relevant for insiders & enthusiasts. Figure out what resonates, and what your story is. Deliver that story authentically, with real voice.
That voice may be your customer's.
View Owen Mack's profile
Comments
Great overview of the current landscape with some key, excellent take aways that are clear and succinct. I'm sorry I couldn't have been there.
Any thoughts on the receptiveness of the audience to your presentation? Their familiarity with these tools, sites and memes? Feedback from attendees and participants?
Posted by: James | December 13, 2006 12:12 PM