Online video, online video publishing, streaming media, OVP, OTT, web television, video advertising, marketing, startups, gadgets, social media, videoconferencing, collaboration and related topics are discussed here. Thanks for stopping by the "Klessblog."
One of the most important aspects of production is safety. Careless mistakes can get people hurt.
In my experience, nearly every production team I've worked with over the years has been dedicated to ensuring the safety and well-being of everyone involved. Much like a doctor’s pledge to "first, do no harm," the event managers, producers, and production teams I know and trust always take their responsibility seriously—not just to put on a great show for the audience, but to make sure the performers on stage and the production crew are protected too.
So, when I saw this Tik Tok video by @lexdawgie in my Instagram feed reposted by @popcravenow on Threads, I had to call out the event producer and stage crew involved in this production failure.
The 2010 Strategic Video Awards is a new video awards program, created by Arizona-based marketing agency McMurry’s Center for Professional Excellence, to showcase videos that serve a strategic purpose, judging them not on their technical merits but rather on their ability to move their intended audience in a particular direction. Of course, technical competence in scripting, shooting and editing video helps, but big budgets aren't necessarily needed to get your message across in a strategic and compelling way. With the proliferation of employee generated video created with Flip camera, viewers are more forgiving of production quality. Short interviews or video messages using low cost video tools can be more powerful than a polished PR agency production.
The Strategic Video awards will emphasize overall effectiveness of persuasive power and not judge entrants on lighting, sound and script, but will focus on categories like, leadership communication, employee engagement and organizational history. I've been invited to be a judge for this inaugural video competition, and I'm pleased to present a short interview I did with David Murray, the Strategic Video Awards Program Director, to give some background on the video awards program.
Larry Kless: What started Strategic video awards? Did it grow out of a initiative? How did the idea evolve into what it is today?
David Murray: At McMurry’s Center for Professional Excellence we look for areas of communication that aren’t given their full measure of recognition by big association awards programs. For instance, we have the Cicero Speechwriting Awards, for excellence in speechwriting. We give Magnum Opus Awards to writers, editors and designers who create everything from great articles to great headlines and photo captions.
With video becoming such a huge part of modern communication strategies, it seemed natural to us to create a separate awards program for great video communications.
But what’s most important about the Strategic Video Awards is that they offer a place for communicators who are using video for strategic purposes. As we say on the website, “No matter what the entry category, the only questions our judges ask are: Is it absorbing? Is it persuasive? And most importantly: Did it work?”
LK: Why video? What makes it so compelling and why should businesses use it? Why is the hottest communication medium?
David Murray: You’ll probably have more reasons than we will, Larry. Obviously the technology—from the cameras to streaming ability—has made the making and distributing of videos infinitely easier and cheaper.
This ease of use has changed the very nature of video communications, and made it more spontaneous and ultimately, valuable. The videos that resulted from thousands of corporate dollars and days and weeks and months of production were often too slick by half, and their themes were out of date.
The videos that are produced now are now—they’re authentic, they’re human and they communicate. Which is more than we can say about a lot of corporate communication media, eh?
LK: Isn't making videos too expensive and out of reach for most companies? Where do they start?
David Murray: If I were a communicator, I’d start by getting myself a Flip camera and experimenting with making simple, short videos at home, and around the office. Wait, I am a communicator, and that’s exactly what I have done. And I’ve made some really good stuff.
Eventually, your video storytelling ability grows, and you find you want more and better tools. But by that time, you’ve shown yourself and others what an added dimension video provides, and the budget money’s magically available.
LK: Now, specifically about the competition... Can you describe the submissions process?
David Murray: Submission is as simple as we could make it. Go to the website, type in the URL to your video, select a category and write us a brief description of what the video set out to accomplish, and what you think it did achieve. It’s $149 per entry. That’s it.
David Murray: We recruited 13 people with lots of experience using video to communicate. Identifying them wasn’t really very easy, because heretofore the video world was: communications people ... and video people. No more. All these judges represent the new video communicator, and they’re excited to see the entries.
LK: What do the award winners win?
David Murray: Virtual Winners Kit, which includes all the tools you need to promote your win
(press release, logos, etc.)
Inclusion in a special Strategic Video Awards highlight issue of the widely read ContentWise
A certificate, ready for framing
LK: Can you talk a little about the Center for Professional Excellence?
David Murray: This is a division of the custom publisher McMurry, CPE offers professional development to people ranging from corporate communication executives to copyeditors, business managers to administrative assistants.
The entry deadline is October 15, 2010.
For more information, visit the website: Strategic Video Awards
It's been over month since the unfortunate circumstances that first brought Antoine Dodson and his sister Kelly, the victim of an attempted rape, into the public eye. They have since become household names as viral video stars in The Gregory Brothers' YouTube video, BED INTRUDER SONG!!! The story, which was featured on WAFF 48 News in Huntsville, Alabama last month became the inspiration of an episode of the Gregory Brothers' Auto-Tune the News, and has seen a viral spread like none other spawning an Internet phenomenon.
Both the song, which the Gregory Brothers list Antoine as co-writer, and the video became a remix anthem that has seen over 25 million views on YouTube, broke into the Billboard 100 and spurred covers of the video and song, merchandising, and a 50/50 split of the iTunes revenue between Antoine and Kelly Dodson and The Gregory Brothers. Antoine Dodson has also embraced social media starting his own website, Facebook fan page, Twitter and Ustream.tv channel.
The song, with its memorable lyrics, captures an angry Antoine Dodson directly addressing the camera warning viewers:
"He's climbing in your windows, he's snatching your people up trying to rape them. So you need to hide your kids, hide your wife, and hide your husband, cuz they're rapin' errbody out here.."
Dodson and the Gregory Brothers —which consists of brothers: Michael, Andrew and Evan and Evan’s wife, Sarah — have both made numerous TV appearances discussing their viral success, and was featured in today's NY Times which called this phenomenon, "a rare case of a product of Web culture jumping the species barrier and becoming a pop hit."
The article pointed out are that the song has sold more than 91,000 copies on iTunes, and was at No. 39 on the iTunes singles chart last week. The combined views of the two videos (the original and an extended iTunes version) have been viewed more than 25 million times on YouTube. And, let's not forget that the song was No. 89 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart for the week of Aug. 20 (and is currently No. 92, and was ranked among singles by Katy Perry and Usher.
There has been a lot of discussion about the appropriateness of taking Dodson's original TV news interview and reinterpreting it into a song. Many blogs and articles have criticized how this type of remix culture as exploitative, and that the issue of rape became secondary to the sibling's viral success, but the Gregory Brothers told NY DailyNews.com that people are getting the wrong message.
According to Michael Gregory:
“I think people who think it’s exploitative are filtering it through their own perceptions. What Antoine did was send a message of strength and anger, and we translated it into a song,”
Evan Gregory also said:
“Overall, I would add that our primary motivation for working on this piece was that we were compelled by Antoine’s personality.”
The NY Times article quoted Kenyatta Cheese, one of the creators of the web series “Know Your Meme” who described the Gregory Brothers success in part to their "viral video franchise" by posting the lyrics and chords encouraging covers of the song.
Kenyatta said:
“They made it more participatory, which increases the value of their original work. They embraced the remix culture and understood they have to contribute back in order to make it spread even further.”
The Gregory Brothers are enjoying their rise to fame and continue to Auto-Tune the News. They are working in a pilot for Comedy Central that should air sometime next year. Dodson admitted that he and his sister Kelly have benefited from the viral fame through what he calls a "golden opportunity", and says they will be using the proceeds from the song to move to a safer neighborhood and to a foundation for juvenile diabetes, a condition which both Kelly and his mother have.
In speaking with NPR, Dodson says he hasn't forgotten the context of the song:
"Some people do take it to be a joke. I don't, and neither does my sister and neither does my family. It's funny. We laugh at it all the time and listen to the song over and over. But that doesn't change the fact that this was a serious event."
The Huntsville police have not yet caught the attempted rapist, but Antoine Dodson's message continues to grow.
About Antoine Dodson
Antoine Dodson from Huntsville, AL was recently interviewed by NBC affiliate WAFF-48 News, for a man who broke into a window in Dodsons’ home. The man tried to assault one of his sisters in bed but fled the scene when Antoine heard noises and rushed in. The news clip went viral and remixes exploded on Youtube. Of all the videos, the Gregory Brothers auto tune remix caught on like fire and made it to iTunes top singles. Now, Antoine has a huge online fanbase, media attention, t-shirts and key chains on Zazzle, a hit single, and who knows what else!
About The Gregory Brothers
The Gregory Brothers are an all-family outfit. Brothers Evan, Andrew, Michael, and Evan's wife Sarah have traveled the country together singing and playing. Now they reside in Brooklyn where they produce music and video antics to the delight of children everywhere. For booking information, contact gregorybrothers at g mail
With all the the latest gadgets and technology coming out of CES 2010, leave it to Nalts to spoof the news coverage of the big event. He enlisted the help of his new babysitter as news anchor and produced this short video as "tech guru" correspondent where he "reports live" on,
"the hottest new tech gadgets and trend to take us by storm in 2010. What are the must-have technology toys for the new decade? (Oh, yeah, this is a parody of the clueless media coverage, goofy "must-have" gadgets, and silly tech wars)."
See his blog post, CES Parody: Worst Coverage on New Gadgets | Will Video for Food, on the "making of" the video where explains the pains he endured in editing in iMovie 8 and apologizes for the audio quality. He says he couldn't resist using Femto, which is a word he still can't define.
Kevin says,
"My goal was to capture the clueless field reporter, and the absurdity of the latest gadgets. I also hoped to zing a few of the egos (especially Ballmer, my favorite target)."
Who’s Nalts? Kevin "Nalts" Nalty is one of the most-viewed YouTube personalities and a career marketer. Formerly with Johnson & Johnson and Merck, he now helps companies engage with customers via social media's most visceral form: online video. See NaltsConsulting.com for more, and follow him on Twitter.com/nalts.
For some real CES news coverage, check out these related links
"Between pranks, sports, tech, video games, singing, dancing, and television— there was a lot to choose from. These are the top 100 videos that became famous on the web in 2009, all in less than three minutes."
As we move into the final day of Streaming Media West and the Online Video Platform the buzz of TV Everywhere, mobile, HD video on the web, adaptive bitrate technology, social video, advertising formats and, the all important question on how to monetize it all echoes through the conference and exhibit halls. The last sessions today wrap up the week long events and later this afternoon, I'm moderating an Online Video Platform Summit panel session on monetization that will feature Benjamin Wayne of Fliqz, Peter Csathy of Sorenson Media, Teg Grenager of Adap.tv and the one and only viral video genius Kevin "Nalts" Nalty.
"Viral video is dead. Long live low production values. The cheaper the better. Don’t cuddle it to death, let go of your brand persona. Those are the sage words of Kevin Nalty, who is an online video strategist, a career marketer, and a YouTube star with more than 100 million views of his videos. In this episode of the New Media Minute, shot on location at the recent iMedia Summit in Las Vegas, he shared his tips for brands that want to play in the YouTube sandbox with New Media Minute host Daisy Whitney."
One of my favorite new online video shows is The Web.Files, a weekly entertainment talk show that exclusively covers the "web celebs” involved in creating the best, most-watched, highest-rated, and most talked about series on the web. Launched this past July 2009, The Web.Files is created and hosted by the lovely and talented entertainment reporter and media host Kristyn Burtt and produced and directed by Sandra J Payne. The Web.Files is uploaded on Wednesdays to Blip.TV, where it is featured as a hot series on the front page each week and has racked up tens of thousands of views.
The idea for the show began during Kristyn Burtt's red carpet coverage of the March 28, 2009, Streamy Awards. Burtt found that the people she was talking with that night had fascinating stories to tell and that she’d like to be the one to help tell those stories to the world through a weekly talk/interview show. Burtt then contacted award-winning filmmaker, Sandra J. Payne, whose SPwrite Productions, LLC, was about to launch its first web series, “Life with Kat & McKay” on its new portal, PurseDog. The two decided to join forces to produce the The Web.Files and have profiled more than a dozen "web celebs" including Marc Ostrick, co-founder of eGuiders, comedy duo Dave and Tom creators of Safety Geeks: SVI, YouTube star Tay Zonday and many others.
In this episode, Kristyn Burtt, speaks with veteran new media guru Tim Street, Chief Creative/CEO of Ape Digital, blogger at 1TimStreet.com and creator of French Maid TV, among many other ventures. Tim began his focus on web entertainment in 1999 and is one of the pioneers in the web series field. He has attained respect for his business model in the web video world as one of the few series producers to figure out how to monetize online video through sponsored entertainment. Tim recently produced a free eBook, 10 Things You Should Do Before You Upload Your Online Video, and regularly shares his insights on how to be effective online on his blog and at industry conferences and web television events. He'll be a featured speaker this next week at Blog World Expo in Las Vegas, October 15-17, 2009. This video offers a rare view of the man behind the sunglasses in a candid and insightful conversation.
"I really hope that web series producers and those interested in the new media industry listen carefully to what Tim has to say in the interview. He has a lot of valuable information to share and with his new e-Book on the way, you will get a Top 10 of things to do and not do before you upload your first web series. So many of us have jumped into the web world in the last 2-3 years. Can you imagine creating something for the Internet in 1999? Well, that is exactly what Tim did. He knows what he is doing and he was doing it way before any of us knew that you could tell stories via the web."
Online video veteran and viral video producer Tim Street published his first eBook yesterday titled, "10 Things You Should Do Before You Upload Your Online Video" which is available for free on his website. Targeted at those who are new to online video or those who just want to have a check list to run through to better optimize your videos and social media strategy. Aptly titled, it covers the 10 key things online video producers should ask themselves before hitting the upload button. Tim gives solid, practical advise that he's learned from his years of experience in the field staring with the fundamentals of defining your objectives and goals to having a conversation with your audience.
Well known in the new media and web television world, Tim is a Writer, Producer, Director and Digital Entertainment / Social Media Specialist who is available as an Adviser to help companies and individuals map out their strategy for creating, producing, acting and distributing online video. Tim is also the Creator and Executive Producer of the popular viral video Series French Maid TV with over 30 Million Downloads of his online videos.
Here's Tim's 10 Things You Should Do Before You Upload Your Online Video:
1. Know Your Overall Goals 2. Create Key Art That Sells 3. Make Sure You Have the Best Thumbnail Possible 4. Create Industry Marketing Tools 5. Sell Out and Find a Sponsor 6. Make Friends Who Buy Digital Ink By the Barrel 7. Know What You Want People to Say About You 8. Promote Your Video Everywhere You Can Without Being a Jerk 9. Have a Distribution Plan 10. Have a Conversation With Your Audience.
Download the eBook to get Tim's full commentary and sage wisdom.
About Tim Street Chief Creative / CEO APE Digital Inc. Tim Street is a Writer, Producer, Director, and Creator/Executive Producer of the popular viral video French Maid TV. As one of the industry’s most successful viral video producers, his online videos have totaled over 35 million downloads and his productions constantly skyrocket to the top of the charts. In addition to creating online viral videos, Tim is a sought after paid speaker and award-winning short form director. In 2008 Tim launched APE Digital a multi-platform digital studio that focuses on the creation and acquisition of emotionally engaging content for young men. In 2009 Tim was inducted into the International Academy of Web Television. Tim blogs at 1TimStreet.com. He resides in Los Angeles and is represented by United Talent Agency.
By now, the latest viral video sensation JK Wedding Entrance Dance has amassed more than 13M views on YouTube since it was posted on July 19th and news of its success so been spread far and wide. YouTube blog hailed it as an overnight sensation which resulted in both the video and the song "Forever," by R&B artist Chris Brown going viral. While the married couple Jill Peterson and Kevin Heinz did receive some fame and TV appearances it was the rights holders of the song "Forever" who were able to capitalize on the moment by adding Click-to-Buy links over the video. This created point of sale opportunities to purchase the music track on Amazon and iTunes and helped it rocket back up the charts.
The YouTube blog cited the Click-to-Buy CTR (click-through rate) increased by 2.5x in the last week and 2x the average of other Click-to-Buy overlays on the site. Technical account manager Chris LaRosa said searches of "Chris Brown Forever" also skyrocketed on YouTube making it one of the most popular queries on the site.
LaRosa argued that while many still question "the promotional and bottom-line business value sites like YouTube provide artists", this example clearly demonstrates their value proposition and their main goal "to help content creators effectively make money from the distribution of their content online."
"It’s a shame that this couple from the JK Wedding Entrance Dance viral video in Saint Paul, Minnesota didn’t have a monetization plan in place before this video came out. They could have paid for their wedding already."
"So it’s great for YouTube, iTunes, Amazon, and the record label. But what about for the content creators? Is free distribution a fair value exchange, I’m not so sure. Your Thoughts?"
While it's a win-win for YouTube, Apple and the record label -- the only ones not making money are the newlyweds. The married couple took a different route than profiting from their fame and took the opportunity to draw attention to the serious issue of domestic violence knowing that Chris Brown, who had severely beat his then-girlfriend Rihanna, was receiving proceeds from the sale of the record. They launched their website, JKweddingdance, and are accepting soliciting donations to the Sheila Wellstone Institute.
On the site the couple said,
"Our experience since we posted the video has been incredible. We would never have expected this response to our wedding entrance in a million years. We hope to direct this positivity to a good cause. Due to the circumstances surrounding the song in our wedding video, we have chosen the Sheila Wellstone Institute. Sheila Wellstone was an advocate, organizer, and national champion in the effort to end domestic violence in our communities."
Within a week of announcing that he had left his corporate marketing job in the pharmaceutical industry, Viral Video Genius Kevin "Nalty" Nalts has landed a new gig as Chief Strategy Officer of HITVIEWS, an online entertainment studio featuring a wide roster of talented web celebrities that produces viral marketing videos for agencies and brands. Hitviews harkens back to the early days of the Hollywood studios by marrying web stars with brands and marketing campaigns. Hitviews' growing stable of stars have a cumulative view count of over 400 million – and a base of over 1 million "fan" subscribers according to their site. Nalts has been associated with Hitviews since its launch last year.
"These video stars are creating content regularly," says Hitviews co-founder and CEO Walter Sabo. "It's not just user-generated videos. These are video performers who have a large following and who understand how to get people engaged and to respond. Rather than attaching pre-roll, billboards, product placement and interruptive commercials, our video stars organically build videos around a marketer's message. Products are presented in ways that are organic – part of the video."
Hitviews launched in November 2008 under the guidance of 20-year old Australian Caitlin Hill, who is a co-founder and serves as Chief Creative Officer and is one of the most popular video stars on YouTube producing under the name TheHill88. Hitsview is backed by entertainment industry leaders Robert Weinstein of The Weinstein Company, Slaight Communications' Chairman Gary Slaight, cable news entrepreneur Reese Schoenfeld, former ABC Radio executive Allen Shaw and Sabo, who was former head of ABC and NBC radio.
According to Jack Myers of The Huffington Post, "Hitviews offers marketers and agencies one stop shoppinghandling creative, video production, editing, music scoring, rights management, and distribution wherever the brand wants. But, Sabo adds, the brand has full control and approval before videos are distributed."
In his new role as Chief Strategy Officer Nalts will be responsible for continuing Hitviews' aggressive entry into the marketplace. Sales tactics, marketing rollouts, public relations and industry relations will be his responsibility.
"Listening to Kevin Nalty talk about the power of online video marketing is inspiring to our clients and prospective clients," says Sabo. "He has extraordinary marketing experience at the highest corporate levels working for the most demanding clients. Hitviews is very lucky to have his leadership."
As Nalts embarks on his new role at Hitviews and develops his social media consulting strategy he spoke with Jim Edwards of BNET Pharma Blogabout social media marketing and had this to say, "Almost every major brand has a desire to move from traditional online and offline media, and engage in the conversation already taking place. The smart brands are engaging expert liaisons to help them be invited guests rather than annoying salespeople, and there are a load of amateurs with large audiences that can help. I’m focusing on the industries that are already serious about this medium — entertainment, consumer-product goods, and travel — rather than pharmaceutical. However as pharma gets serious about social media and video marketing, it’s a natural fit."
Visit theHitviews websitefor more information, or call 877-HITVIEWS.
“Viral Video Genius" Nalts, well known in the online video world as one of YouTube’s most prolific viral video creators and YouTube comedians, led two separate lives until yesterday when the two worlds recently collided and he was outed as a Consumer Product Director at Merck, where he marketed Propecia. Kevin Nalty had kept his day job private from his viral video fame offering only a vague reference in his online bio that he was a "Consumer Product Director at a Fortune 100 company." But as Liz Gaines noted yesterday in her scoop on Nalts, "he thought he could keep the viral video world and the day job separate," she said. "However, a recent MediaWeek story about product placement on YouTube mentioned Nalty’s employer, and that garnered some attention in the pharma blogging world. So this morning, he quit his job and became a full-time online video marketer."
Nalts made the following announcement on Twitter yesterday morning: Nalts has left his job as Marketing Director of Merck to pursue his passion for online video and social media with FULL force! :) More d ...7:57 AM May 21stfrom txt
A few weeks ago when the MediaWeek article broke the news that Nalts actually worked for Merck, Jim Edwards commented on the pharmaceutical industry BNET Pharma Blog, that Nalts' dual identity, "Seems harmless — most of his stuff is for kids. The reason it’s interesting is that the drug industry is so buttoned-up it’s surprising Merck hasn’t sent him a stiffly worded HR memo."
However, Nalts told NewTeeVee via email, “Merck knew about Nalts before they hired me. But as Nalts grew, it became harder to keep ‘low profile.’ I went to great lengths to keep them separate because I didn’t want my goofball antics to reflect poorly on a company focused on health and medication…The fact that Merck was recently being unfairly linked to me and fart videos was the 'straw that broke the camel’s back.'"
He posted the following video on his blog which helps explain the inspiration behind his decision. "Last night Katrina Darrell sang Mariah Carey's "Treated Me Kind" on American Idol 2009. Her song inspired me to quit the full-time job as a Product Director at Merck, he said. "Now it’s full-time to follow my passion: making videos, working with Hitviews, and starting my own consulting practice that will help brands engage in social media, especially the most visceral kind: online video. Stay tuned next week for more details."
A top-10 “most subscribed” YouTube comedian Nalts has created more than 800 short videos that have been viewed on online-video sites more than 73 million times, and include the popular “Farting in Public,” which was featured by YouTube has been viewed more than 7 million times. He and his online videos have won numerous awards, and have appeared on CNN, ABC, BBC, Fox and CBS News (see Nalts in News). He speaks, writes and consults in the area of online marketing and viral video and has a page in his web site for information if you'd like to hire Nalts.
Nalts also just turned 40 a few weeks ago and as he makes this change from a dual identity to a full-time online video and marketing practice he offered these reflections, "Gotta do what you love, and trust the money to follow. Should have listened to that advice right out of school. Not too late for some of you. Full steam ahead in video "entertaining," and helping brands engage in social media and video... via Hitviews and via my own consulting firm to be announced next week! Seriously- thanks so much for watching and subscribing, since I couldn't afford to do this without some income from the ads you watch."
UPDATE:
While many have commented that this may just be stunt pulled off by a master comedian, like doing a prat fall at a Streaming Media conference panel session just to gain attention, I think he’s playing for keeps. Like anyone in the public eye he has his fans and detractors but from his friends and fans in the online video community there’s been an outpouring of support. (From my post on ReelSEO)
All the best to you Kevin "Nalts" Nalty! We're all rooting for you!
Move over "Scooby Doo" and "Super Friends" because Saturday morning cartoons just got another addition to its line up with this "Watchmen" animated short by Harry Partridge, which provides us with a hilarious and unnerving glimpse into what it would look like if a Saturday morning "Watchmen" cartoon had actually been made.
So far the video has over 250,ooo views on YouTube and almost 750 comments on Newgrounds where Harry posted a "digitally remastered swf" that he "ripped" from an old VHS tape. He says, "This combines two huge passions of mine, one being the comic genius (?) that is Alan Moore and the other being kids programming from the late 80s which I would say is my biggest animation inspiration."
Also, check out the related post by Liz Shannon Miller on NewTeeVee where she rounds up several other "Watchmen"-inspired fan creations.
TheNewFrontiersman.net is part of the online viral marketing campaign for the upcoming Watchmen movie inspired by the right-wing extremist publication read by the main character Rorschach in the original graphic novel. It was launched in early January and I previously wrote about how the web site extends the narrative of the film through transmedia storytelling into highly populated social media sites like Twitter, Friendfeed,YouTube, Flickr and Digg. Documents, photos and videos are all aggregated on the web site uncover evidence in both the public and secret history of the Watchmen.
A number of the blogs had suggested that the Warner Brothers team behind The Dark Knight was driving the campaign, but the web site is being spearheaded by Dan Light, head of interactive at The Picture Production Company, for Paramount which is distributing the film internationally, outside the U.S. But that hasn't stopped it from getting plenty of attention from U.S. blogs and sites. Anthony Ha of Venturebeat spoke to Light who said, “I can’t think of another campaign that makes such economic use of these tools in such a cleanly integrated way.” Ha had noted that Facebook was omitted from the list of sites, which nowadays, seems like it would be the epicenter of any viral marketing campaign. However Light noted that, "Our implementation of Twitter and Friendfeed is very lean. We've kept it simple, and used the right tools for the right jobs."
The interest has been overwhelming with fans, both old and new, commenting on and engaging with the content. The PPC blog noted that the first video, an excerpt from a 1970 newsreel looking back on 10 years of Dr. Manhattan had been viewed 125,000 times within the first 24 hours and currently has 447,992 views. Flickr views and Twitter followers are growing as well and they were also excited to be featured on Epic FU. PPC Interactive had been pitching ideas for the movie five years ago were also thrilled that most of their original ideas are seeing the light of day.
Here are two more new videos from their promotional campaign.
Who Watches the Watchmen? - A Veidt Music Network (VMN) Special - 1983. Uploaded from BetaSP archive. Integrity in journalism... subscribe today! www.thenewfrontiersman.net
The Keene Act & YOU (1977)Government PSA on behalf of the House Committee on Un-American Activities. Integrity in journalism... subscribe today!
This comes by way of the TubeMogul blog and features my friend Mark Roblat, VP of Marketing for Tubemogul, the free online video distribution and analytics company.
Mark Roberston of Reel SEO also featured this video and said, "Mark Rotblat provides some quick tips to for how to properly syndicate and distribute your online video content for maximum visibility and search engine indexing. The video interview was taken by Massimo Burgio for SMX London 2008. As you know by now, Tubemogul is an excellent distribution platform and web analytics service for video search marketing and viral video distribution."
Description: Massimo Burgio's secret weapon for viral video distribution is TubeMogul - Get some SEO tips and advise on how ... to optimize video distribution from TubeMogul's Mark Rotblat, interviewed from Massimo Burgio for SMX London 2008
The General Election is now just two days away and that means we only have to endure the barrage of TV commercials a little while longer. It's been a contentious political season and probably the most important election in generations. In many ways the more things change the more they stay the same and characters we've known from the past return to reprise their roles to help get out the vote.
Craig Rubens of NewTeeVee noted this week, "we’ve come full circle with two more ads from Super Bowls past revamped for online political purposes. Office Linebacker “Terrible” Terry Tate has returned to put the hurt on fools who don’t vote, while the “Wassup” guys have suffered every great malady our nation has gone through over the last eight years."
"Reading is Fundamental" Description: Sarah Palin gets a surprising new subscription. Go to http://maps.google.com/vote to find your polling place. Go to http://www.ReturnOfTerryTate.com to see more videos... Terry Tate: "How's that for Drill Baby Drill! You just subscribed to Terry's Journal of Pain!! And the first issue is free, baby! Whoo!! ... Hey Katie!"
"Waasup 2008" Description: Its been eight long years since the boys said wassup to each other. Even with the effects of a down economy and imminent change in the White House, the boys are still able to come together and stay true to what really matters.
Many Hollywood A-listers are outspoken voices for political change as you can see from Ron Howard's Call to Action.
Description: Ron Howard wants to talk about the election. So does Andy Griffith and Henry Winkler. Credits: Starring Ron Howard, Andy Griffith, Henry Winkler. Written By Ron Howard, Adam McKay. Directed by Jake Szymanski
Tina Fey returned to SNL last night to fulfill the role she was destined to play as Republican Vice President candidate Saran Palin. Amy Poehler joined her in the season opener playing Hillary Clinton. The official video on the NBC web site has recieved 88,668 views within twelve hours of its premiere 247,294 views as of 6:35 PM PDT.
Stay tuned for the upcoming posts on Streaming Media West now just one week away.
UPDATE: There's a good chance this video will go viral. Micheal Learmonth wrote yesterday in his Silicon Alley Insider post, YouTube Thanks ABC For A Great Sarah Palin Interview, "Consider: Over the past week, videos mentioning Palin -- including her acceptance speech, pirated news clips and dozens of parodies, including this by Web comedienne Lisa Nova, have been getting more views than either Barack Obama or her running mate, according to Web analytics firm TubeMogul:
Palin: 38 million Obama: 29 million McCain: 25 million"
UPDATE 9/17/08: The answer is yes, this video went viral. Beet.TV reported today that the video has been streamed 5 million times between the NBC site which has 3,786,957 combined with the various video sharing sites.
In this recent blog post, viral video genius Nalts shares his advise on the three golden rules for online video creators. He points out that the three biggest mistakes people are:
1. Emphasizing quality over cost. 2. Believing good content will get seen. 3. Caring about what the audience thinks
He says that the common counterpoints to those mistakes...
1. Higher production value generally means the content is better 2. The social aspect of the web means good stuff rises and bad stuff dies 3. The most savvy creators listens to audiences and predicts them, thus creating content that’s more popular.
... are actually wrong and if you live by them you'll go broke and be unsatisfied with your work. So here's his 3 Golden Rules:
Golden Rule #1: At all costs, manage costs There still isn't a safe monetization model for online video and as Nalts points out, "This is actually good news for amateurs like me, because we’ll sustain while better creators come and go.." He is able to keep his costs down being a "one man band" who can write, act, shoot, edit, publish and promote his own own work. He gets it done "on the cheap" by calling in favors, bribing people to be in his videos and keeping equipment costs to a minimum.
Golden Rule #2: Good Content is Not Popular. For this rule, Nalts says, "Good isn’t popular, and popular isn’t good... you’re responsible for getting your videos seen if you want your videos to be seen." Don't hard sell yourself but make sure you target your videos to specific niche markets. Think about how your video could cross over to another genre to expand your audience beyond your current reach. Make an effort to find that relevant audience. If your video is about food, travel or any other topic you should send it to the food, travel and any other topic bloggers.
Golden Rule #3: Screw The Audience. I love this one because it goes against the traditional mindset that you should focus on what the audience wants to see. It's really hard to do too, because we feed on audience interaction but as Nalts explains, "almost no online-video creator is at risk of losing touch with their audience — the medium consumes them. Rather, most popular creators lose their steam because they focus on feeding the audience instead of instinct.What began as a fun outlet becomes an obligation." He says that "caring less" about what the audience thinks is "the remedy for artistic sustainability" and try not to let the critics get you down. Keep your creative edge by not focusing so much on the feedback but what is fun for you and that will shine through your work.
Thanks to all my supporters, friends and followers! I appreciate your confidence and I won't let you down! Tell your friends and family to vote for me. ;-)
Yeah right?! Well, my fake campaign started this morning when I saw this come up on Twitter this morning from Chris Brogan who sent this Tweet:
Just when I was ready to move on from my coverage of Streaming Media East, and start planning for Streaming Media West, I found one more story that had to be told. This video was blowing up all over blogosphere and I had to share here. It involved industry blogger and viral video genius, Kevin Nalts, who moderated a panel discussion about creating and promotion viral videos and as he says on his blog, "So I took a deliberate spill while hosting a panel at Streaming Media East called “Creating and Promoting Amateur Videos.” Paul Kontonis, CEO of For Your Imagination, screamed like a teenage girl, but was one of few people that realized it was a joke."
Nalts added that, "The fall is 1 minutes and 9 seconds in. Warning: Per my YouTube video today explaining this, when you do a pratfall that people think is real, you’ve backed yourself into a corner. If you say “I was just kidding,” you simple make it look like you’re saving face. So I didn’t bother to explain."
Here's his YouTube video below that immortalizes the pratfall.
Also, here's the official Streamingmedia.com video below, produced by Scribe Media, along with the session description from the conference program.
Creating and Promoting Amateur and Viral Videos
Track A: (A103) 1:45 PM - 2:30 PM
The session explores what makes a video viral and how marketers and amateurs can promote their video using online video sites and blogs. Proven industry experts reveal what works and what doesn't — often counterintuitive advice that has helped them garner millions of viewers for one-hit wonders and serialized content. Come see firsthand examples from some of the best viral videos creators on the web and learn how they have created an online audience.
Moderator:
Kevin Nalts, Product Director, Industry blogger, WillVideoForFood.com
About Nalts: "Kevin Nalts is one of the most-viewed YouTube comedians with more than 650 short online videos seen more than 25 million times. By day he's a Marketing Director at a Fortune 100 company, and he speaks, writes and consults in the area of online marketing and viral video. (more...) " - from WillVideoforFood.com
