Social networking - it really is no surprise that the interconnectivity of the web has brought upon this virtual social phenomenon. What is a surprise is how we (individuals, groups, businesses & brands) are quick to betray the simplicity of the idea and wonder why we get burned as a result.
In all their simplicity these networks work best when they reflect the way in which we have always built our own personal communities which are made up of
People (who I am)...
...with Friends (who I know)
...engaged in Activities (what i am doing)
...that are always Growing (in a state of persistence)
Not a new idea, but an extension of our societies, utilizing technology which empowers us in new ways. The technology helps us organize our own social structure and space while expanding our 'circle' toward the potential of a worldwide network. This is evolution in the purest sense of the word...and the technology is just in its infancy. Today, in order for the network to work for us, we need to first work for (it). But this will change as technology improves and AI (artificial intelligence) develops, at which point (it) will start to work for us.
Enough philosophy for now, but my point is simple - veer from the rules above, and you break the model.
Facebook learned the hard way this week with its abuse of Beacon. The good news is that it learned quickly and retreated from its initial plans for a "Beacon" marketing model that would track and published users' off-site buying habits. The lessons for other publishers may be obvious, but lets spell them out.
First off, Brands are remiss if they think that their users are such fans that the very nature of the Brand itself will drive us consumers to join or visit their enclosed social experience. Brands need to forget about 'Brand' and tap into the unique consumer insights that link their consumers. If these insights unveil tangible and unique values that would inspire like minded individuals to congregate you may have something. If not, don't bother.
It's about creating something around a conversations that already exists, it's not about starting a new, soulless conversation...get it?
If you are lucky enough to be the owner of a brand that does inspire these values, don't make the mistake of abusing it. Tell users of major policy changes before you make them, and give them the opportunity to opt-out should you make major membership changes. Even if you don't think users care about privacy online, you should act as if they do. Just because word of mouth is the most powerful form of marketing it does not mean that the consumer wants to be a brand evangelist.
"They love our Brands, they identify with our Brands, they can't wait to tell other people about our Brands, they will swap Branded widgets, they will write about us in their blogs...." We fantasize that consumers love our Brands so much that they will do our marketing for us. Beacon failed because there was no real benefit in if for the consumer and the consumer saw right through it.
We value real connections and this is why I believe that MySpace, unless it changes its ways, will ultimately lose against Facebook.
If you want your Brand to evolve and become part of the conversation, go deep, develop value and experiment with software that connects us in ways that contribute to our evolutionary cycle as social beings.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Big Media & Entertainment vs.The Ad Industry...who will triumph?
The question is who is in a better position to service the largest shift in how brands communicate? Traditional Advertising or the Entertainment and Media industries.
The convergence of the internet and traditional TV, social networking, blogs, vlogs, widgets & Googles have changed everything. With the ability for anyone to publish, consumers no longer have the patience for traditional 'push' advertising messaging. They have been given the controls, and are unlikely to give them back. The brands that connect in the future will be those that can do more than just get involved in the conversation with their audience, but those that produce something of value for them. Whether that be in the form of information, education, software, games, social networking or via entertainment properties.
This has naturally started a race between the traditional advertising agencies and the media/entertainment industry to see who will best be able to service this shift.
The agencies own the brand relationships and know best how to engage the brands in order to deliver marketing solutions against product & brand strategies. The agencies also know how to execute across multiple mediums, but media fragmentation has slowed them down and they can no longer execute efficiently. What they cannot understand or execute, they buy, but fail to assimilate - which eventually cripples the integrated offerings they have struggled so hard to create. They are also losing the trust of their clients as they struggle to keep up with digital media along with creating a convincing & authentic narrative which ultimately delivers authentic audience engagement.
Media and Entertainment have the opposite problem. They know how to deliver engagement across media platforms but lack the experience of creating strategic, bespoke solutions for brands across multiple markets. They know they need to move away from being realtors of space and time, but they are hampered by their sales departments who are holding onto age old relationships with.....gasp.....the agencies!
As I look for my next opportunity, I also struggle for clarity on who will be the winner. Perhaps that is the wrong way to look at it. Perhaps there will be no winner, or loser. Perhaps the two sides need to realize what the other's strengths are and partner to service this revolutionary transformation. If so, what will this mean? Should agencies rid themselves of creative departments and focus on strategy, media and local market implementation, while entertainment focuses on content, a dialogue, transparency, personal expression, experience, reinvention, connection via audience participation and integration?
Whatever the solution it is certain to shake our industries to their core.
At every industry event I attend, questions along these lines addressed to the panelists in the spotlight spawn answers fraught with the political undertones of a presidential race that are about as clear as fog. A clear sign that change is afoot, leadership is scarce, and the shake-up is just getting started.
The convergence of the internet and traditional TV, social networking, blogs, vlogs, widgets & Googles have changed everything. With the ability for anyone to publish, consumers no longer have the patience for traditional 'push' advertising messaging. They have been given the controls, and are unlikely to give them back. The brands that connect in the future will be those that can do more than just get involved in the conversation with their audience, but those that produce something of value for them. Whether that be in the form of information, education, software, games, social networking or via entertainment properties.
This has naturally started a race between the traditional advertising agencies and the media/entertainment industry to see who will best be able to service this shift.
The agencies own the brand relationships and know best how to engage the brands in order to deliver marketing solutions against product & brand strategies. The agencies also know how to execute across multiple mediums, but media fragmentation has slowed them down and they can no longer execute efficiently. What they cannot understand or execute, they buy, but fail to assimilate - which eventually cripples the integrated offerings they have struggled so hard to create. They are also losing the trust of their clients as they struggle to keep up with digital media along with creating a convincing & authentic narrative which ultimately delivers authentic audience engagement.
Media and Entertainment have the opposite problem. They know how to deliver engagement across media platforms but lack the experience of creating strategic, bespoke solutions for brands across multiple markets. They know they need to move away from being realtors of space and time, but they are hampered by their sales departments who are holding onto age old relationships with.....gasp.....the agencies!
As I look for my next opportunity, I also struggle for clarity on who will be the winner. Perhaps that is the wrong way to look at it. Perhaps there will be no winner, or loser. Perhaps the two sides need to realize what the other's strengths are and partner to service this revolutionary transformation. If so, what will this mean? Should agencies rid themselves of creative departments and focus on strategy, media and local market implementation, while entertainment focuses on content, a dialogue, transparency, personal expression, experience, reinvention, connection via audience participation and integration?
Whatever the solution it is certain to shake our industries to their core.
At every industry event I attend, questions along these lines addressed to the panelists in the spotlight spawn answers fraught with the political undertones of a presidential race that are about as clear as fog. A clear sign that change is afoot, leadership is scarce, and the shake-up is just getting started.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Software is a new form of media!
Widgets...those pesky little viral applications that spread...well...like a virus, hunting you down via email while simultaneously polluting your Facebook page. Gosh-darn-it, some of these applications are damn useful, like CareerBuilder that allows me to track the emerging job market in Asia, or Qloud that enables me to stream all of my friend's music for free. I mean, EVERYONE has Funwall! It won't be long before the Funwalls of the world are brought to us by brands like Staples or OfficeMax. Anyone send an Elf-Yourself greeting last year? Elf-Yourself widget anyone? Sure beats another vampire bite! Anyone know what I am talking about? Make sense?
So, what does this all mean? First off, the smart brands have finally acknowledged that they have to bring value to consumers in order to build the relationships they crave. But are they ready to move to the next step? Building software.
The notion of building value via software takes on a larger psychological & sociological shift in the way we view media and how we connect with consumers. Marketers have had to literally pay their way into the public space via the media buy, but what if they were invited in by the consumer - which would be nothing short of a sociological revolution! This is waaaay bigger than the 'Pull' vs. 'Push' strategy. Imagine if Brand communications were as valuable as the products and services that we, the consumer, are willing to pay for...a brand extension of sorts. A new 'soft' SKU?
Think about it? Brands have access to API's like any other developer. There is nothing stopping them from developing applications that will allow them unfettered and free distribution to the audiences of Facebook, Netvibes or the iPhone for example.
Now, I am sure that if Brands did start to go for this in a big way, that the Facebooks of the world would charge them a tariff of sorts. But in this world content is king and if a Brand is truly delivering something valuable to the platform's viewer base, it suddenly has bargaining power...much more than it has ever had in the past.
This is what Steve Ballmer means when he talks about the fact that the lines between media and software are blurring.
Confused?...log onto Facebook and make sure you get a vampire bite. The effects are immediate and the transformation is forever lasting.
So, what does this all mean? First off, the smart brands have finally acknowledged that they have to bring value to consumers in order to build the relationships they crave. But are they ready to move to the next step? Building software.
The notion of building value via software takes on a larger psychological & sociological shift in the way we view media and how we connect with consumers. Marketers have had to literally pay their way into the public space via the media buy, but what if they were invited in by the consumer - which would be nothing short of a sociological revolution! This is waaaay bigger than the 'Pull' vs. 'Push' strategy. Imagine if Brand communications were as valuable as the products and services that we, the consumer, are willing to pay for...a brand extension of sorts. A new 'soft' SKU?
Think about it? Brands have access to API's like any other developer. There is nothing stopping them from developing applications that will allow them unfettered and free distribution to the audiences of Facebook, Netvibes or the iPhone for example.
Now, I am sure that if Brands did start to go for this in a big way, that the Facebooks of the world would charge them a tariff of sorts. But in this world content is king and if a Brand is truly delivering something valuable to the platform's viewer base, it suddenly has bargaining power...much more than it has ever had in the past.
This is what Steve Ballmer means when he talks about the fact that the lines between media and software are blurring.
Confused?...log onto Facebook and make sure you get a vampire bite. The effects are immediate and the transformation is forever lasting.
Sunday, November 04, 2007
The end of pre-roll ads...finally!
(Play the video above to see)
Finally, the players in online video are adapting to the fact that the way in which we interact with video online is completely different from our experience with linear TV. More specifically, most users are turning away from video with pre-roll advertising. It could be the fact that most pre-rolls are commercials made for TV placed in front of short form content, but I don't think so. This is a very different medium and our time is most often limited when viewing content.
The most recent solution seems to be pop-up type banners at the bottom of the video window while the content keeps playing. You can wait for the pop-up to go away, or you can close them right away. You also have the option to scroll through even more of them. Funnily enough I found myself doing this because the banners were relevant to what I had chosen to watch. Was it because I am in the industry? It may be, but I found myself doing it at points I was bored with the content of the video itself. The lesson here is if you give the user the power to interact, they will use it. In this case it works to the ADVANTAGE of the advertiser. WOW!
Maven.net and YouTube are the largest adopters of this approach, but others will quickly follow.
YouTube has also added to both its Custom and AdSense players. These are players that you can build with content of your choosing in order to post on any site or blog that you want, including content from the major networks. It is truly a revelation to see content from the major networks with NO pre-roll advertising, but pop-ups instead - knowing that this is likely to set a very real precedent. The small pop-ups offer a terrific alternative to traditional advertising, with the option of linking to a commercial or any other content that an advertiser wants to share with us if we WANT to see it.
...but wait a minute, does this really matter?....I mean, most people still watch TV right?
Yes, BUT this year almost 16% of American internet users watched full-length television shows online, according to a new report released by The Conference Board and TNS. This is double the amount recorded last year. Personal convenience and commercial avoidance were the two top motivating factors. Nearly 73 percent of online households said they use the internet for entertainment purposes on a daily basis and an additional 15 percent search for entertainment several times a week.
From all of this you can only draw a few simple conclusions. Once the convergence of TV and the internet is fully realized, commercials will most likely disappear in their current :30 & :60 forms. Why? Because our habits are being driven by our fast-changing relationship with interactivity, and the web is leading the way.
The transformation is happening sooner than you think; so agencies, brands and media owners who don't adapt...beware! Time to seriously start dismantling those big TV ad shops and figure out what content consumers will ask for...figure out how to get your clients to bring value to their customers through these much more valuable new forms of interactivity.
...and please STOP asking me if you can just place those :30's on the web...NO!
If you think this warning is dramatic or out of touch...know that I HAD to add the word 'ad' into the title of this blog as a senior executive from a major agency whom I was in a meeting with last week did NOT know what 'pre-roll' meant. SCARY!...but SADLY true...
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Mobile content up for grabs...
Just when you thought you knew who would be responsible for bringing mobile content to market...you were wrong.
More and more the shift to deliver content over mobile devices is falling to the handset makers. Competition amongst handset makers has become so fierce that manufacturers fight for favor with the carriers for ways to better feature their devices. Carriers ask the handset makers to throw in products and services other than the usual manufacturer rebate in order to help the carrier sell the device, in addition to allowing the carrier to mark up these services at an added profit margin for themselves.
Make no mistake - this is a big deal as it is akin to television set manufacturers getting involved in the development of the content.
Take a look at Nokia's public entree into the content creation and delivery space at: http://www.ovi.com
At launch the service will primarily focus on services surrounding online photo sharing, map services, music delivery & gaming.
Sprint has also launched Sprint Exclusive Entertainment, the first wireless TV network to be produced in house by a major U.S. carrier. http://www.sprint.com/landings/see/?id8=vanity:see
This is also a big opportunity for Brands to participate in the development of the content as the handset makers look for valuable, household name partners in order to lower their risk as they enter this new market.
Everyone knows mobile content will be big business. Some regions of the world have developed faster than others due to technological advancement, ubiquitous standards or simply lifestyle differences. Whatever market you are in, the delivery of content over a mobile device will be yet another service that we will not be able to live without.
More and more the shift to deliver content over mobile devices is falling to the handset makers. Competition amongst handset makers has become so fierce that manufacturers fight for favor with the carriers for ways to better feature their devices. Carriers ask the handset makers to throw in products and services other than the usual manufacturer rebate in order to help the carrier sell the device, in addition to allowing the carrier to mark up these services at an added profit margin for themselves.
Make no mistake - this is a big deal as it is akin to television set manufacturers getting involved in the development of the content.
Take a look at Nokia's public entree into the content creation and delivery space at: http://www.ovi.com
At launch the service will primarily focus on services surrounding online photo sharing, map services, music delivery & gaming.
Sprint has also launched Sprint Exclusive Entertainment, the first wireless TV network to be produced in house by a major U.S. carrier. http://www.sprint.com/landings/see/?id8=vanity:see
This is also a big opportunity for Brands to participate in the development of the content as the handset makers look for valuable, household name partners in order to lower their risk as they enter this new market.
Everyone knows mobile content will be big business. Some regions of the world have developed faster than others due to technological advancement, ubiquitous standards or simply lifestyle differences. Whatever market you are in, the delivery of content over a mobile device will be yet another service that we will not be able to live without.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
New Opportunities In PR!
As we know, PR is essentially all about creating press coverage in one form or another for a client via established media relationships.
Measuring the value paid towards PR has always been a challenge with no guarantee of media coverage. And what about the effectiveness of coverage? For the most part this never happens in any accountable form.
PR does not have to be this way.
Armed with a good SEO strategy, marketers and content creators can reach the consumer directly provided value is being created. Is that not what PR is all about anyway? Today, digital media has broken down the walls protected by the major media companies allowing anyone to publish content. So why not PR?
As a PR professional you have the power to self-publish any message in ways that may ultimately prove to be way more target-able, powerful and measurable. In an age of DVR's and VOD, no one likes to watch advertising and they don't. The trick is in providing content that is valuable for your audience, much in the same way that good press coverage provides information that we all want to read and be informed about. It's all about knowing your audience and being authentic.
If you are looking to seed content to mainstream digital media for use within their offerings, make sure you keep this new medium in mind. This is NOT TV. Keep content to 15 to 20 second snippets as journalists are not inclined to use video that requires extra editing for example.
If you are a non believer, here are a few stats for you:
One in five broadband homes will have the technology to watch internet-based video on their TV sets by the end of 2007, according to a new analysis from Emerging Media Dynamics. The report assesses the progress made by devices such as Apple TV, Microsoft's Xbox 360 and SlingMedia's SlingCatcher in solving the final "twenty foot" barrier. Over 72 million broadband homes – representing over two-thirds of the marketplace – are projected to have PC/TV devices by 2017.
IPTV subscription video revenue will grow exponentially from $779 million in 2006 to $26.3 billion by 2011 not including advertising and value-added TV services, according to a new report from market intelligence firm iSuppli.
A new Bivings Research survey of the U.S.'s top 100 newspaper sites found video to be more of a central component of its content. About 92% of paper sites now offer video (up from 61% in 2006). Within this group, 39 sites offer original video content, 26 use AP's video service and 13 offer video content from local news outlets.
Clearly times they are a changin'. So don't sit back waiting for mainstream media. Take your story into your own hands and self publish.
For additional insight, I recommend you read:
Video Rocks Traditional PR
http://www.prnewsonline.com/digitalpr/casestudies/videorocks.html
Healthy Video Snacks - Shelly Palmer
http://www.shellypalmerblog.com/?p=465
While I primarily focus on innovation in online video and IPTV within this blog, there are of course many new formats to be mastered and monitored in PR such as blogs (written & video), wikis & social media solutions to name a few.
Measuring the value paid towards PR has always been a challenge with no guarantee of media coverage. And what about the effectiveness of coverage? For the most part this never happens in any accountable form.
PR does not have to be this way.
Armed with a good SEO strategy, marketers and content creators can reach the consumer directly provided value is being created. Is that not what PR is all about anyway? Today, digital media has broken down the walls protected by the major media companies allowing anyone to publish content. So why not PR?
As a PR professional you have the power to self-publish any message in ways that may ultimately prove to be way more target-able, powerful and measurable. In an age of DVR's and VOD, no one likes to watch advertising and they don't. The trick is in providing content that is valuable for your audience, much in the same way that good press coverage provides information that we all want to read and be informed about. It's all about knowing your audience and being authentic.
If you are looking to seed content to mainstream digital media for use within their offerings, make sure you keep this new medium in mind. This is NOT TV. Keep content to 15 to 20 second snippets as journalists are not inclined to use video that requires extra editing for example.
If you are a non believer, here are a few stats for you:
One in five broadband homes will have the technology to watch internet-based video on their TV sets by the end of 2007, according to a new analysis from Emerging Media Dynamics. The report assesses the progress made by devices such as Apple TV, Microsoft's Xbox 360 and SlingMedia's SlingCatcher in solving the final "twenty foot" barrier. Over 72 million broadband homes – representing over two-thirds of the marketplace – are projected to have PC/TV devices by 2017.
IPTV subscription video revenue will grow exponentially from $779 million in 2006 to $26.3 billion by 2011 not including advertising and value-added TV services, according to a new report from market intelligence firm iSuppli.
A new Bivings Research survey of the U.S.'s top 100 newspaper sites found video to be more of a central component of its content. About 92% of paper sites now offer video (up from 61% in 2006). Within this group, 39 sites offer original video content, 26 use AP's video service and 13 offer video content from local news outlets.
Clearly times they are a changin'. So don't sit back waiting for mainstream media. Take your story into your own hands and self publish.
For additional insight, I recommend you read:
Video Rocks Traditional PR
http://www.prnewsonline.com/digitalpr/casestudies/videorocks.html
Healthy Video Snacks - Shelly Palmer
http://www.shellypalmerblog.com/?p=465
While I primarily focus on innovation in online video and IPTV within this blog, there are of course many new formats to be mastered and monitored in PR such as blogs (written & video), wikis & social media solutions to name a few.
Monday, September 10, 2007
Why the pro-sumer can now compete with the networks...
First a few facts...while most people still watch most programming on their TV, a four-year analysis of Internet use have found that 47% of time online is currently spent viewing content as opposed to 33% of that time spent for communication purposes. This is significant because 4 years ago, those numbers were reversed. This shows that viewers of content are more and more using the web as a respected delivery tool for online video.
Powerful production tools have been at the hands of the pro-sumer for quite some time, and quite a bit of talent is being discovered as a result. Distribution has been another story with every site requiring different specifications for upload, making the task a laborious one.
And lets not forget how everyone is trying to get paid for their efforts...via advertising. Advertisers & sponsors price the value of programming against the amount of viewers. Before now there was no easy way for a small publisher to aggregate all of their viewers across multiple distribution points on the web, other than counting them manually. This left advertisers to question the math behind the numbers. Now things are about to change.
Online video distribution and analytics tools that allow undiscovered talent to distribute and measure the success of their programming throughout the web are beginning to emerge. These types of tools will become the great equalizers, as small publishers are able to more easily distribute their content to all of the major online video portals, while tracking the numbers through an impartial 3rd party.
The new, online video publishing tools are now offering one stop shopping for distribution, bundled up with analytics tools to enable programmers to more easily track their fan base.
Tubemogul: http://www.tubemogul.com/
Vidmetrix: http://www.vidmetrix.com/
Or how about a budding local news journalist being able to broadcast live with little more than a laptop, web-cam and internet connection. Now they can with Mogulus: http://www.mogulus.com
To compete with the networks is no easy feat, given their infrastructure and the dollars they place behind advertising their own shows. But at the end of the day it is all about the quality of the idea, and new ideas tend to come from the ground up, not the top down.
All this makes it much more likely that the next 'Sopranos' will be an online show, and that that show has a high likelihood of being brought to you by someone other than a major network.
For those of you that think that watching video content over the internet is for the few or decades away...a few more facts.
IPTV subscription video revenue will grow exponentially from $779 million in 2006 to $26.3 billion by 2011 not including advertising and value-added TV services, and 1 in 5 broadband homes will have the technology to watch internet-based video on their TV sets by the end of 2007. Over 72 million broadband homes – representing over two-thirds of the marketplace – are projected to have PC/TV devices by 2017.
ComScore's Video streaming reports:
• Online viewers watched an average of 158 minutes of streaming video per streamer.
• The average video stream duration was 2.5 minutes.
• Nearly three out of four (74.3 percent) U.S. Internet users streamed video online.
• More than one out of three (35 percent) U.S. Internet users use YouTube.
• The average online video viewer consumed 63 video streams (more than two per day).
Adobe’s Flash Player, YouTube, Apple’s QuickTime are all planning on being fully H.264 (HD) compatible this year.
The bottom line is that this will all make for a much more competitive marketplace. One that will keep the networks on their toes, while giving the little guy a real chance to compete...
Powerful production tools have been at the hands of the pro-sumer for quite some time, and quite a bit of talent is being discovered as a result. Distribution has been another story with every site requiring different specifications for upload, making the task a laborious one.
And lets not forget how everyone is trying to get paid for their efforts...via advertising. Advertisers & sponsors price the value of programming against the amount of viewers. Before now there was no easy way for a small publisher to aggregate all of their viewers across multiple distribution points on the web, other than counting them manually. This left advertisers to question the math behind the numbers. Now things are about to change.
Online video distribution and analytics tools that allow undiscovered talent to distribute and measure the success of their programming throughout the web are beginning to emerge. These types of tools will become the great equalizers, as small publishers are able to more easily distribute their content to all of the major online video portals, while tracking the numbers through an impartial 3rd party.
The new, online video publishing tools are now offering one stop shopping for distribution, bundled up with analytics tools to enable programmers to more easily track their fan base.
Tubemogul: http://www.tubemogul.com/
Vidmetrix: http://www.vidmetrix.com/
Or how about a budding local news journalist being able to broadcast live with little more than a laptop, web-cam and internet connection. Now they can with Mogulus: http://www.mogulus.com
To compete with the networks is no easy feat, given their infrastructure and the dollars they place behind advertising their own shows. But at the end of the day it is all about the quality of the idea, and new ideas tend to come from the ground up, not the top down.
All this makes it much more likely that the next 'Sopranos' will be an online show, and that that show has a high likelihood of being brought to you by someone other than a major network.
For those of you that think that watching video content over the internet is for the few or decades away...a few more facts.
IPTV subscription video revenue will grow exponentially from $779 million in 2006 to $26.3 billion by 2011 not including advertising and value-added TV services, and 1 in 5 broadband homes will have the technology to watch internet-based video on their TV sets by the end of 2007. Over 72 million broadband homes – representing over two-thirds of the marketplace – are projected to have PC/TV devices by 2017.
ComScore's Video streaming reports:
• Online viewers watched an average of 158 minutes of streaming video per streamer.
• The average video stream duration was 2.5 minutes.
• Nearly three out of four (74.3 percent) U.S. Internet users streamed video online.
• More than one out of three (35 percent) U.S. Internet users use YouTube.
• The average online video viewer consumed 63 video streams (more than two per day).
Adobe’s Flash Player, YouTube, Apple’s QuickTime are all planning on being fully H.264 (HD) compatible this year.
The bottom line is that this will all make for a much more competitive marketplace. One that will keep the networks on their toes, while giving the little guy a real chance to compete...
Monday, July 09, 2007
IPTV is finally here...
All of a sudden the technology and GUI experience of being able to watch TV via the internet is upon us. I'm not talking about YouTube or the multitude of UGC sites with a small video window and endless amounts of mindless (yet often entertaining) content.
I'm talking about the fact that most of the major networks hit shows are available to stream online whenever we want to see them. Most are also able to do so in a full screen format.
Accompanying the networks are technologies from both new and veteran technology companies. They are doing deals with all of the major networks and are able to stream this content via the web and serve it up in an on-demand model, full screen and over a standard internet connection. They are like virtual versions of the cable companies that we know of today.
...EXCEPT, they're FREE!
Now don't get too excited, because all that FREE stuff means we still have to watch commercials as someone has to pay for the content. But SO WHAT, we watch commercials now and that is not about to change. What will change is the shape and form in which these sponsorship messages arrive. Some of these new services come with DVR-like capabilities, allowing you to...skip commercials.
But all this is great news. It means we are getting closer to a true on-demand content model. One that may bypass out traditional cable operators, and one that will push brands and their marketing agencies to get off their asses and create compelling content that their clients customers actually want to watch.
Now, most of this content will also be pushed out to multiple devices which will also revolutionize the ad model as we know it. Technologies like Visible World will enable advertisers to push out different versions of a commercial on-the-fly depending on what device is being served at the time.
http://www.visibleworld.com/homepage.php
While things are moving faster than any one of us in the industry imagined, true adoption won't take place until the traditional networks can more easily push their content out to the web, and web content creators are able push to their content to the big screen.
There are also major hurdles for the IPTV delivery companies as they try to figure out what their business model moving forward will be. They face major competition from new entries into this marketplace as the barrier to entry is low given the fact that, unlike the traditional cable companies, there are no infrastructure costs into the home & no licenses to acquire. Basically, anyone with access to money can develop a similar solution and get it up in a fairly short period of time, as Joost found out after the release of Veoh's full-screen player. Many of these companies rely on hosted solutions as their bread and butter money, but peer to peer has proven that this is not the most efficient way to serve video and the costs soon outweigh what you can charge.
What will set these companies apart is content and their ability to quickly sign up the best of the networks in order to get the best following. The problem here is that the networks will NOT be giving exclusivity to anyone. The only option left for them at the end of the day will be to start to create and own their own content as the emerging, traditional networks had to do. Without this, they are purely a commodity play.
For more information or to sign up to be part of the Beta Testing programs of some of these IPTV companies:
Joost: On-DemandTV from major networks on your computer-full screen. (http://www.joost.com)
Veoh: On-DemandTV from major networks on your computer-full screen. (http://www.veoh.com/veohTV/veohTvIntro.html)
Microsoft's LiveStation: On-DemandTV from major networks with the added ability to actually display live TV on your computer-full screen. (http://beta.livestation.com/)
If you want a more in-depth view at how quickly this has been evolving, read two blogs that I wrote within the past year on related subjects:
The death of the networks...and what is a channel anyway?
http://web.mac.com/jaredhendler/iWeb/smashtube/smashblog/2DF1DDEB-1160-45DD-AE83-E0EBD17617B3.html
The New Syndicators...Googled again?
http://web.mac.com/jaredhendler/iWeb/smashtube/smashblog/F0E3EA09-4E3B-43F2-9AC0-393D1542422F.html
I'm talking about the fact that most of the major networks hit shows are available to stream online whenever we want to see them. Most are also able to do so in a full screen format.
Accompanying the networks are technologies from both new and veteran technology companies. They are doing deals with all of the major networks and are able to stream this content via the web and serve it up in an on-demand model, full screen and over a standard internet connection. They are like virtual versions of the cable companies that we know of today.
...EXCEPT, they're FREE!
Now don't get too excited, because all that FREE stuff means we still have to watch commercials as someone has to pay for the content. But SO WHAT, we watch commercials now and that is not about to change. What will change is the shape and form in which these sponsorship messages arrive. Some of these new services come with DVR-like capabilities, allowing you to...skip commercials.
But all this is great news. It means we are getting closer to a true on-demand content model. One that may bypass out traditional cable operators, and one that will push brands and their marketing agencies to get off their asses and create compelling content that their clients customers actually want to watch.
Now, most of this content will also be pushed out to multiple devices which will also revolutionize the ad model as we know it. Technologies like Visible World will enable advertisers to push out different versions of a commercial on-the-fly depending on what device is being served at the time.
http://www.visibleworld.com/homepage.php
While things are moving faster than any one of us in the industry imagined, true adoption won't take place until the traditional networks can more easily push their content out to the web, and web content creators are able push to their content to the big screen.
There are also major hurdles for the IPTV delivery companies as they try to figure out what their business model moving forward will be. They face major competition from new entries into this marketplace as the barrier to entry is low given the fact that, unlike the traditional cable companies, there are no infrastructure costs into the home & no licenses to acquire. Basically, anyone with access to money can develop a similar solution and get it up in a fairly short period of time, as Joost found out after the release of Veoh's full-screen player. Many of these companies rely on hosted solutions as their bread and butter money, but peer to peer has proven that this is not the most efficient way to serve video and the costs soon outweigh what you can charge.
What will set these companies apart is content and their ability to quickly sign up the best of the networks in order to get the best following. The problem here is that the networks will NOT be giving exclusivity to anyone. The only option left for them at the end of the day will be to start to create and own their own content as the emerging, traditional networks had to do. Without this, they are purely a commodity play.
For more information or to sign up to be part of the Beta Testing programs of some of these IPTV companies:
Joost: On-DemandTV from major networks on your computer-full screen. (http://www.joost.com)
Veoh: On-DemandTV from major networks on your computer-full screen. (http://www.veoh.com/veohTV/veohTvIntro.html)
Microsoft's LiveStation: On-DemandTV from major networks with the added ability to actually display live TV on your computer-full screen. (http://beta.livestation.com/)
If you want a more in-depth view at how quickly this has been evolving, read two blogs that I wrote within the past year on related subjects:
The death of the networks...and what is a channel anyway?
http://web.mac.com/jaredhendler/iWeb/smashtube/smashblog/2DF1DDEB-1160-45DD-AE83-E0EBD17617B3.html
The New Syndicators...Googled again?
http://web.mac.com/jaredhendler/iWeb/smashtube/smashblog/F0E3EA09-4E3B-43F2-9AC0-393D1542422F.html
Monday, June 25, 2007
iPhone...one affordable mobile PC!
I swore I would not write anything about the iPhone. I mean really...at this point, what has not been said? The biggest debate has been on cost. Who will pay $500-$600 dollars for a phone with no carrier discounts? Yes, for a phone this is expensive. But a phone this is not.
This is a mobile PC, and a cheap one at that. One that is about to change how many people use a wireless network. So, for those of you that are still waiting for Apple to design another Newton-like device, I’ve got news for you - this is it.
Most people in the United States own 2 devices. A phone and a PC. One is used for voice, the other for data and email.
In Asia, most people have one device, a phone for all of the above.
My bet is that the iPhone changes America's relationship to their ‘phone’ to more closely resemble the habit of our Asian friends, where one device is all you may need.
For many people, owning a PC is a luxury, high ticket item. My bet is that the iPhone will be viewed by many people as a great AFFORDABLE option as an all around communications device rather than as an expensive phone. I am willing to say that many people, especially young adults, would choose this over a PC if given the option. Yes, I know that you cannot do your homework on the iPhone, but this is a launch model. You can bet Apple has several follow up models behind this one in addition to a whole host of applications like Office ready to run on it’s streamlined OS.
The iPhone is a layman's PC bargain, one that is about to change our communications habits while it challenges our notion of personal computing.
This is a mobile PC, and a cheap one at that. One that is about to change how many people use a wireless network. So, for those of you that are still waiting for Apple to design another Newton-like device, I’ve got news for you - this is it.
Most people in the United States own 2 devices. A phone and a PC. One is used for voice, the other for data and email.
In Asia, most people have one device, a phone for all of the above.
My bet is that the iPhone changes America's relationship to their ‘phone’ to more closely resemble the habit of our Asian friends, where one device is all you may need.
For many people, owning a PC is a luxury, high ticket item. My bet is that the iPhone will be viewed by many people as a great AFFORDABLE option as an all around communications device rather than as an expensive phone. I am willing to say that many people, especially young adults, would choose this over a PC if given the option. Yes, I know that you cannot do your homework on the iPhone, but this is a launch model. You can bet Apple has several follow up models behind this one in addition to a whole host of applications like Office ready to run on it’s streamlined OS.
The iPhone is a layman's PC bargain, one that is about to change our communications habits while it challenges our notion of personal computing.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Twitter - The next killer APP?
Twitter is a micro-blogging application. So, what is micro-blogging? Think of it as a snack sized journal that you post to using either your cell-phone via text or your computer via IM or though Twitter's website. Every-time you make a post, all of your friends can elect to be notified or they can elect to login and see everyone's location whenever it is convenient.
Why the hell would I want everyone to know where I am and what I am doing you may ask? Well, some of us 'older' folk may not, but the upcoming generations are all about connectivity and this is the start of where it is at. Think of this as GPS in reverse, but with a personality you can control. Pretty soon, all of us will be able to be located via GPS from our phones, in much the same way that we can find our location using a GPS device. With GPS, the world is a cold place and we are all just a number. With an application like Twitter, we have control over how the world sees us vs. letting the world define us. This is an extremely important distinction and big perception shift. We take control of ourselves as a brand, so be careful what you write.
This may sound crazy, but I have personally been able to spot trends and make stock choices based on watching the habits of users from around the world. If the music industry wants to find their way out of the mess they are in, they should start tracking Twitter chat. I'll leave it at that.
A sure sign that this is all catching on is the rapidly developing community of application developers who support Twitter such as:
Twitter Search: Search and compare what people are talking about or doing. Are there more Apple vs. Dell conversations for example?: http://twitterment.umbc.edu/
Twitter Maps: Watch chat real time around the world. Imagine if this came with a translation tool, could we diffuse misunderstanding?: http://twittermap.com/maps
Twittbin: Toolbar for Firefox: http://www.twitbin.com/
Twitteroo: Toolbar for PC's: http://rareedge.com/twitteroo/
To follow Twitter mash-ups see: http://twitter.com/mashable
So, why is this the next killer app? Simply because upcoming generations do not only want to stay in touch and be connected 24/7, but they want to continue to be in control over how others see and perceive them. This is the start of personal branding on the go...
For more specific information on Twitter, the blog Mediashift has written a comprehensive article on the application itself and all you can do with it. You can view that post here.
Check out Twitter online at: http://twitter.com/
Check out Twitter for mobile devices at: http://m.twitter.com/home
For the only true competitor to Twitter go to: http://jaiku.com/
If you are really bored and want to follow what me and my friends are doing, go here: http://twitter.com/sadude/with_friends
(I may be responsible for who I choose to be friends with, but I am not responsible for what my friends do :-)
Why the hell would I want everyone to know where I am and what I am doing you may ask? Well, some of us 'older' folk may not, but the upcoming generations are all about connectivity and this is the start of where it is at. Think of this as GPS in reverse, but with a personality you can control. Pretty soon, all of us will be able to be located via GPS from our phones, in much the same way that we can find our location using a GPS device. With GPS, the world is a cold place and we are all just a number. With an application like Twitter, we have control over how the world sees us vs. letting the world define us. This is an extremely important distinction and big perception shift. We take control of ourselves as a brand, so be careful what you write.
This may sound crazy, but I have personally been able to spot trends and make stock choices based on watching the habits of users from around the world. If the music industry wants to find their way out of the mess they are in, they should start tracking Twitter chat. I'll leave it at that.
A sure sign that this is all catching on is the rapidly developing community of application developers who support Twitter such as:
Twitter Search: Search and compare what people are talking about or doing. Are there more Apple vs. Dell conversations for example?: http://twitterment.umbc.edu/
Twitter Maps: Watch chat real time around the world. Imagine if this came with a translation tool, could we diffuse misunderstanding?: http://twittermap.com/maps
Twittbin: Toolbar for Firefox: http://www.twitbin.com/
Twitteroo: Toolbar for PC's: http://rareedge.com/twitteroo/
To follow Twitter mash-ups see: http://twitter.com/mashable
So, why is this the next killer app? Simply because upcoming generations do not only want to stay in touch and be connected 24/7, but they want to continue to be in control over how others see and perceive them. This is the start of personal branding on the go...
For more specific information on Twitter, the blog Mediashift has written a comprehensive article on the application itself and all you can do with it. You can view that post here.
Check out Twitter online at: http://twitter.com/
Check out Twitter for mobile devices at: http://m.twitter.com/home
For the only true competitor to Twitter go to: http://jaiku.com/
If you are really bored and want to follow what me and my friends are doing, go here: http://twitter.com/sadude/with_friends
(I may be responsible for who I choose to be friends with, but I am not responsible for what my friends do :-)
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
The Need For a New Online Video Ad Model...
If the media establishment wants a new revenue stream, then why is everyone treating advertising within online video as if it were TV?
We all know that the potential of video on the internet is huge. The idea of on-demand content that you can control and participate in is a big change from the linear television experience we have all grown up with. It is so different that it requires a better way to integrate the sponsor messages within the programming. For one thing, we trust it more than we do TV. The influence of User Generated Content drives the authentic nature of online content. This needs to be protected in order for it to continue to grow. Most of the content online is pretty short which ends up giving a disproportionate amount of time to the sponsor. Is there even time for a commercial? Not to mention the fact that skipping Pre, Mid and Post-Roll advertising will be as easy as skipping the commercials on TV with a DVR. Every PC is in fact a DVR, and scripts are being written to allow us to do that as we speak.
We also have access to much more content. We like to search for it. It takes work. We are rewarded when we find what we are looking for and we don't want to sit through a commercial - especially if there are dozens of pages filled with similarly competitive content at our fingertips - get it?
So what do we do? Isn’t it obvious? Integration.
Integrate our sponsor messages within the programming. Involve them. From an executional standpoint this can take place via titles, product placement opportunities or announcements. These are all pretty standard fare, but better than 'spots'. To take this a step farther, the agencies need to start thinking about producing programming on an ongoing basis rather than one-off spots tied to linear media buys. It takes time to build an audience.
How about creating an online creative marketplace to match producers directly to advertisers similar to eBay? Not one that simply matches advertising inventory against a brand’s media spend in order to place a commercial, but a marketplace that matches brands with content creators in order to allow the content creators to integrate the brand in a way that works authentically within the programming. Sure, there will have to be an element of trust. Brands have corporate ID manuals and logo guidelines for that. And trust works. Look at eBay. If someone would have told you that people would be trading with strangers online for thousands of dollars a whole world away a few years back, would you have believed it? Lets put the people with the money (the brands) in direct contact with the creators. Everyone will win. The brand gains an authentic connection with the consumer. The consumer gets high quality content without the annoyance of a commercial.
And what about no-risk media models for the sponsors. Why should a brand buy media based upon a promise of what was or what could be. What if they only pay AFTER content is viewed. Brand should pay based on what is actually viewed via pre-set thresholds with bonus levels built in to incentivise content creators. Create crappy programming and you don't get paid beyond the production. Once again, everyone wins. The brand only pays media fees if the content they are associated with is a hit. The creators and online gatekeepers get rewarded for exceptional programming with successful content integration and promotion.
I'm not sure where this leaves the advertising agencies unless they evolve part of their offering into an entertainment model. They may be able to play the part of agents representing the creative talent that will deliver for the brands, but Hollywood may do a better job of that just as Michael Ovitz started with CAA over a decade ago. Hollywood may end up being the new Madison Avenue. The agencies can only protect their client relationships for so long. Media is one place they can participate and help their clients to navigate. Look at how Ajax technology is threatening the very way in which precious page views are measured.
Even with the criticism against eBay’s recent foray into the creation of a Media marketplace - this will be a mere hiccup along the way. Once sophistication is built in along the lines of organic content creation and brand integration, you won't be able to stop the growth.
Despite this, the idea of media exchanges is gaining momentum. So what's with trying to figure out the Pre-Roll, Mid-Roll, Post-Roll strategy? There shouldn't be one. Get rid of them. THIS IS NOT TV! This is another medium folks. The sooner we all understand that, the better off we will all be and the faster the new revenue streams will fall into place.
We all know that the potential of video on the internet is huge. The idea of on-demand content that you can control and participate in is a big change from the linear television experience we have all grown up with. It is so different that it requires a better way to integrate the sponsor messages within the programming. For one thing, we trust it more than we do TV. The influence of User Generated Content drives the authentic nature of online content. This needs to be protected in order for it to continue to grow. Most of the content online is pretty short which ends up giving a disproportionate amount of time to the sponsor. Is there even time for a commercial? Not to mention the fact that skipping Pre, Mid and Post-Roll advertising will be as easy as skipping the commercials on TV with a DVR. Every PC is in fact a DVR, and scripts are being written to allow us to do that as we speak.
We also have access to much more content. We like to search for it. It takes work. We are rewarded when we find what we are looking for and we don't want to sit through a commercial - especially if there are dozens of pages filled with similarly competitive content at our fingertips - get it?
So what do we do? Isn’t it obvious? Integration.
Integrate our sponsor messages within the programming. Involve them. From an executional standpoint this can take place via titles, product placement opportunities or announcements. These are all pretty standard fare, but better than 'spots'. To take this a step farther, the agencies need to start thinking about producing programming on an ongoing basis rather than one-off spots tied to linear media buys. It takes time to build an audience.
How about creating an online creative marketplace to match producers directly to advertisers similar to eBay? Not one that simply matches advertising inventory against a brand’s media spend in order to place a commercial, but a marketplace that matches brands with content creators in order to allow the content creators to integrate the brand in a way that works authentically within the programming. Sure, there will have to be an element of trust. Brands have corporate ID manuals and logo guidelines for that. And trust works. Look at eBay. If someone would have told you that people would be trading with strangers online for thousands of dollars a whole world away a few years back, would you have believed it? Lets put the people with the money (the brands) in direct contact with the creators. Everyone will win. The brand gains an authentic connection with the consumer. The consumer gets high quality content without the annoyance of a commercial.
And what about no-risk media models for the sponsors. Why should a brand buy media based upon a promise of what was or what could be. What if they only pay AFTER content is viewed. Brand should pay based on what is actually viewed via pre-set thresholds with bonus levels built in to incentivise content creators. Create crappy programming and you don't get paid beyond the production. Once again, everyone wins. The brand only pays media fees if the content they are associated with is a hit. The creators and online gatekeepers get rewarded for exceptional programming with successful content integration and promotion.
I'm not sure where this leaves the advertising agencies unless they evolve part of their offering into an entertainment model. They may be able to play the part of agents representing the creative talent that will deliver for the brands, but Hollywood may do a better job of that just as Michael Ovitz started with CAA over a decade ago. Hollywood may end up being the new Madison Avenue. The agencies can only protect their client relationships for so long. Media is one place they can participate and help their clients to navigate. Look at how Ajax technology is threatening the very way in which precious page views are measured.
Even with the criticism against eBay’s recent foray into the creation of a Media marketplace - this will be a mere hiccup along the way. Once sophistication is built in along the lines of organic content creation and brand integration, you won't be able to stop the growth.
Despite this, the idea of media exchanges is gaining momentum. So what's with trying to figure out the Pre-Roll, Mid-Roll, Post-Roll strategy? There shouldn't be one. Get rid of them. THIS IS NOT TV! This is another medium folks. The sooner we all understand that, the better off we will all be and the faster the new revenue streams will fall into place.
Sunday, March 25, 2007
AdBlocking Software On The Horizon...
Remember pop-ups? As we all know, they fell to the fate of pop-up blocking software...
We don't even think about them now, as all of today's top browsers have the feature built in. While advertisers still use pop-ups, over 90% of them are now blocked by the built in software. Pop-ups that do get through tend to annoy rather than inform their prospective customer base, ultimately creating a negative relationship with the brand.
But most advertisers have learned and moved on to more sophisticated banner, flash & targeted video campaigns. But what started with banner and pop-up blocking technology is evolving into a more comprehensive ad-blocking technology set.
Development is now well underway to help consumers block advertising that is getting in the way of their content viewing. The core of this new software will be able to root out communications buried deep within the code of any page in order to be able to filter out the most gimmicky Java or Ajax attention grabbers. The best of this software is programmed simply like ad syndication in reverse. What databases do you want to block as opposed to what databases you will accept syndication from.
Even traditional television is moving to an all digital platform by the end of 2008, making it more susceptible to consumer ad-blocking software that will be able to be installed on laptops or TV's. The networks know this and as a result have started to experiment with 'less obtrusive' ways to disrupt programming with their messages. These attempts make the networks seem more like programmers trying to build a program safe from viruses. No sooner are they able to invent a new way to stop consumers from missing their messages than consumers are...well...coming up with new ways to stop watching their messages.
What does this mean for advertisers? Integrate...integrate...integrate! Until brands figure this out, the lucky ones will resort to old television techniques such as program sponsorship, or good ol' product placement. If your content is not integrated with an offering that consumers want to see it will eventually get blocked. Is this so hard to understand? Simple really. Bring a consumer something of value that they want to watch as opposed to a commercial that gets in the way of something that they are already watching.
For more info take a look at:
AdBlock: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1865
Stop Zilla: http://www.stopzilla.com/
Ads Cleaner: http://www.adscleaner.com/
Check out My Way.com. An ad free web portal & search engine (no banners, pop-ups or spam) driven by Ask.com.
We don't even think about them now, as all of today's top browsers have the feature built in. While advertisers still use pop-ups, over 90% of them are now blocked by the built in software. Pop-ups that do get through tend to annoy rather than inform their prospective customer base, ultimately creating a negative relationship with the brand.
But most advertisers have learned and moved on to more sophisticated banner, flash & targeted video campaigns. But what started with banner and pop-up blocking technology is evolving into a more comprehensive ad-blocking technology set.
Development is now well underway to help consumers block advertising that is getting in the way of their content viewing. The core of this new software will be able to root out communications buried deep within the code of any page in order to be able to filter out the most gimmicky Java or Ajax attention grabbers. The best of this software is programmed simply like ad syndication in reverse. What databases do you want to block as opposed to what databases you will accept syndication from.
Even traditional television is moving to an all digital platform by the end of 2008, making it more susceptible to consumer ad-blocking software that will be able to be installed on laptops or TV's. The networks know this and as a result have started to experiment with 'less obtrusive' ways to disrupt programming with their messages. These attempts make the networks seem more like programmers trying to build a program safe from viruses. No sooner are they able to invent a new way to stop consumers from missing their messages than consumers are...well...coming up with new ways to stop watching their messages.
What does this mean for advertisers? Integrate...integrate...integrate! Until brands figure this out, the lucky ones will resort to old television techniques such as program sponsorship, or good ol' product placement. If your content is not integrated with an offering that consumers want to see it will eventually get blocked. Is this so hard to understand? Simple really. Bring a consumer something of value that they want to watch as opposed to a commercial that gets in the way of something that they are already watching.
For more info take a look at:
AdBlock: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1865
Stop Zilla: http://www.stopzilla.com/
Ads Cleaner: http://www.adscleaner.com/
Check out My Way.com. An ad free web portal & search engine (no banners, pop-ups or spam) driven by Ask.com.
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Will YouTube choose the Presidency?
Scary thought?...Yes! Possible?...Absolutely! Probable?...Completely!
This is HUGE if you think about it. Never before has a candidate had the power to openly broadcast their views without being beholden to the networks, the politics behind them, or the large media fees demanded to run their 'spots'. It's no wonder the pressure of the :30 ended up in the eventual mud-slinging.
For the first time in the history of an election, the candidates can now post ANY programming for viewing by anyone at any time. Think about it...in the past, most Americans barely knew any more than the media chose to tell about a candidate before walking blindly into an election booth. On the obvious side, this programming will likely be made up of both a formal and informal dialogue of the candidate and their issues. On the less obvious side, the candidates now have a platform to tell a more personal story. We can now get to know more about their families, their personalities, their pet names before they are elected. (Has a president ever had cats?). The irreverent may become as important as the reverent, as Bill Clinton experienced after his stint on saxophone on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. For the first time, someone without deep pockets or friends in the right places could actually be President. Obama may actually have a shot here.
Think of this as the ultimate form of democracy as you know it. The candidates have all elected to have their own channels on YouTube. Content is driven by each of them and they ALL elect to a two way dialogue complete with comments and criticism from viewers as any other YouTube channel provides. Surprisingly, the comments so far are fairly supportive. Could it be that YouTube has provided a 'back door' for the candidates to choose which comments are displayed? I hope not.
But how much of the country watches YouTube you ask? More than you think. And don't forget we have a whole year, and then some ahead of us. The integration of online video and traditional TV's will most likely be close to complete by election time. The timing here is good.
Now, the traditional spots around election time will still be there, but don't be surprised if they are actually used to drive viewers to YouTube to watch more in-depth coverage on the candidates. I predict the end of mudslinging as the candidates will now have the time to get into the issues without being subjected to the expensive time constraints behind the :30 & :60 second spots.
YouTube is obviously not the only game in town and most candidates have pages on MySpace and the like. Another site worth watching is TechPresident, which measures each candidates popularity across the web with a predictive eye on the seat of power.
http://techpresident.com/
For a grass roots, two way dialogue and some of the most politically informed blogs on the internet, also check out The Huffington Post at:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/
If the world powers cannot stop a video of the private hanging of a world leader, imagine what power the medium has when chosen consciously?
If you have not already, check out all of our future choices for President on YouTube at:
http://www.youtube.com/members?s=po&g=-1
This is sure to be an election time like no other. Democracy actually may be back.
This is HUGE if you think about it. Never before has a candidate had the power to openly broadcast their views without being beholden to the networks, the politics behind them, or the large media fees demanded to run their 'spots'. It's no wonder the pressure of the :30 ended up in the eventual mud-slinging.
For the first time in the history of an election, the candidates can now post ANY programming for viewing by anyone at any time. Think about it...in the past, most Americans barely knew any more than the media chose to tell about a candidate before walking blindly into an election booth. On the obvious side, this programming will likely be made up of both a formal and informal dialogue of the candidate and their issues. On the less obvious side, the candidates now have a platform to tell a more personal story. We can now get to know more about their families, their personalities, their pet names before they are elected. (Has a president ever had cats?). The irreverent may become as important as the reverent, as Bill Clinton experienced after his stint on saxophone on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. For the first time, someone without deep pockets or friends in the right places could actually be President. Obama may actually have a shot here.
Think of this as the ultimate form of democracy as you know it. The candidates have all elected to have their own channels on YouTube. Content is driven by each of them and they ALL elect to a two way dialogue complete with comments and criticism from viewers as any other YouTube channel provides. Surprisingly, the comments so far are fairly supportive. Could it be that YouTube has provided a 'back door' for the candidates to choose which comments are displayed? I hope not.
But how much of the country watches YouTube you ask? More than you think. And don't forget we have a whole year, and then some ahead of us. The integration of online video and traditional TV's will most likely be close to complete by election time. The timing here is good.
Now, the traditional spots around election time will still be there, but don't be surprised if they are actually used to drive viewers to YouTube to watch more in-depth coverage on the candidates. I predict the end of mudslinging as the candidates will now have the time to get into the issues without being subjected to the expensive time constraints behind the :30 & :60 second spots.
YouTube is obviously not the only game in town and most candidates have pages on MySpace and the like. Another site worth watching is TechPresident, which measures each candidates popularity across the web with a predictive eye on the seat of power.
http://techpresident.com/
For a grass roots, two way dialogue and some of the most politically informed blogs on the internet, also check out The Huffington Post at:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/
If the world powers cannot stop a video of the private hanging of a world leader, imagine what power the medium has when chosen consciously?
If you have not already, check out all of our future choices for President on YouTube at:
http://www.youtube.com/members?s=po&g=-1
This is sure to be an election time like no other. Democracy actually may be back.
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Anheuser Busch - goes where no brand has gone before...
The liquor category is all about entertainment for sure, but the fact that Anheuser Busch has taken matters into their own hands is startling. Take this as a true indication that one of the most powerful brands in the category feels that the marketing industry at large is falling way behind when it comes to innovation in both creative and media. We are clearly not moving fast enough for them. If we were, why would a client decide to venture out and start an entire entertainment division? More than a mere in-house promotional arm, Bud.TV seeks to establish itself as a true entertainment property in the voice of the brand. This is also very different from online video efforts recently delivered to us by P&G's 'Men with Cramps', Georgia Pacific's 'Brawny Academy', Mar's 'Snicker's-Instand Def' or Office Max's 'Elf Yourself' and here's why...
The network will operate 'outside' of normal marketing channels and reporting structures. This may be their strategic underpinning especially in the world of the unregulated internet. Unlike other promotional sites with video, this is a true channel that will deliver 24-hours of internet-based TV. A web-based network of seven or eight channels, the network will be boosted by relationships with major Hollywood figures including Kevin Spacey, Vince Vaughn, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. Its budget is set to match those boldfaced names.
Bud.TV will be the largest piece of an online budget that will amass 10% of A-B's entire $607 million annual media spend. The bulk of that spending will come at the expense of prime-time and late-night TV which is BIG news, and is just the start of a major change in the way we think about media in general. Remember that this is not as much a shift towards new media as it is about convergence and the fact that old media will change dramatically.
Obvious marketing and content crossover for Bud.TV may include a sports channel linked to the brewer's sponsorships of auto racing, football and baseball, among other sports.
After the sports channel, the rest of the Bud.TV lineup includes the following channels:
TV Shows: Featuring short, sitcom-style shows. One concept in development, dubbed "Replaced by a Chimp," features chimps replacing human workers. Viewers can vote as to whether the simians did the job better at the close of the episode.
Bud Tube: A concept developed by Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, San Francisco, this channel will feature A-B commercials shot by consumers.
Happy Hour: Developed by DDB, Chicago, and scripted in part by former "Saturday Night Live" writer Matt Piedmont, this station's content will be updated at 4:55 p.m. daily, and feature satirical newscasts, standup routines and "punking,".
Reality: Concepts in development for this station include makeover and dating-themed programs.
Comedy: This station is expected to include footage from actor Vince Vaughn's recent A-B-sponsored comedy tour, as well as jokes from consumers that involve A-B brands.
Hollywood: This station will leverage partnerships with Messrs. Damon and Affleck's "Project Greenlight," billed as the world's largest online filmmaking contest, and Mr. Spacey's TriggerStreet.com, which supports aspiring filmmakers. It will also hype upcoming movies featuring A-B product placements.
There will also be a fashion channel, and the possibility of a talk-show channel featuring sportscaster Joe Buck.
And our own, newly launched, online sports-casting show, SportsBabes would be a perfect fit...would it not?
Prior to launching BuddTV, A-B launched a micro site on YouTube dubbed CrownTown. The site has grown into YouTube's No. 44 most-watched channel this month, with three videos approaching 1 million views. This is BIG BANG for very little buck when compared to traditional channels of thought. Crowntown's characters are the five dotted spikes on Budweiser Select's now-familiar crown logo, and each has been endowed with an urban-hipster persona. Each short pits the characters in amusing and occasionally R-rated social situations. The adventures are framed by a guitar-riff soundtrack courtesy of the Flaming Lips.
The good news for us as marketers is that the agencies are playing an important role in the programming at Bud.TV. The sad news is that this was not agency initiated and the jury is still out on who may be better positioned to deliver on this type of content...incumbent agencies, or Hollywood itself.
Mike Ovitz may not have been so crazy after all...
The network will operate 'outside' of normal marketing channels and reporting structures. This may be their strategic underpinning especially in the world of the unregulated internet. Unlike other promotional sites with video, this is a true channel that will deliver 24-hours of internet-based TV. A web-based network of seven or eight channels, the network will be boosted by relationships with major Hollywood figures including Kevin Spacey, Vince Vaughn, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. Its budget is set to match those boldfaced names.
Bud.TV will be the largest piece of an online budget that will amass 10% of A-B's entire $607 million annual media spend. The bulk of that spending will come at the expense of prime-time and late-night TV which is BIG news, and is just the start of a major change in the way we think about media in general. Remember that this is not as much a shift towards new media as it is about convergence and the fact that old media will change dramatically.
Obvious marketing and content crossover for Bud.TV may include a sports channel linked to the brewer's sponsorships of auto racing, football and baseball, among other sports.
After the sports channel, the rest of the Bud.TV lineup includes the following channels:
TV Shows: Featuring short, sitcom-style shows. One concept in development, dubbed "Replaced by a Chimp," features chimps replacing human workers. Viewers can vote as to whether the simians did the job better at the close of the episode.
Bud Tube: A concept developed by Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, San Francisco, this channel will feature A-B commercials shot by consumers.
Happy Hour: Developed by DDB, Chicago, and scripted in part by former "Saturday Night Live" writer Matt Piedmont, this station's content will be updated at 4:55 p.m. daily, and feature satirical newscasts, standup routines and "punking,".
Reality: Concepts in development for this station include makeover and dating-themed programs.
Comedy: This station is expected to include footage from actor Vince Vaughn's recent A-B-sponsored comedy tour, as well as jokes from consumers that involve A-B brands.
Hollywood: This station will leverage partnerships with Messrs. Damon and Affleck's "Project Greenlight," billed as the world's largest online filmmaking contest, and Mr. Spacey's TriggerStreet.com, which supports aspiring filmmakers. It will also hype upcoming movies featuring A-B product placements.
There will also be a fashion channel, and the possibility of a talk-show channel featuring sportscaster Joe Buck.
And our own, newly launched, online sports-casting show, SportsBabes would be a perfect fit...would it not?
Prior to launching BuddTV, A-B launched a micro site on YouTube dubbed CrownTown. The site has grown into YouTube's No. 44 most-watched channel this month, with three videos approaching 1 million views. This is BIG BANG for very little buck when compared to traditional channels of thought. Crowntown's characters are the five dotted spikes on Budweiser Select's now-familiar crown logo, and each has been endowed with an urban-hipster persona. Each short pits the characters in amusing and occasionally R-rated social situations. The adventures are framed by a guitar-riff soundtrack courtesy of the Flaming Lips.
The good news for us as marketers is that the agencies are playing an important role in the programming at Bud.TV. The sad news is that this was not agency initiated and the jury is still out on who may be better positioned to deliver on this type of content...incumbent agencies, or Hollywood itself.
Mike Ovitz may not have been so crazy after all...
Monday, January 29, 2007
My dog ate the news...
...and why we care much more about local than big media's excuse for news.
Viewer-ship of the evening news along with the 'readership' of the daily newspaper are in steep decline.
The upcoming generation catches most of their news online via the major news organizations, Google or better yet - via Rss feed delivery. The immediacy of digital media and our migration away from linear TV, forcing us to 'catch' the evening news at 6 p.m. are just the start. Even the BBC is now being pushed to digital delivery for a fee as the very government that supports it contemplates an end to the funding.
...and local is where it's at. Lets face it, if it were not for a war we continue to fight in Iraq, or some disparate disaster, most of America would most likely not be interested in much else that happens 'overseas'. This is a big country and there is more than enough happening here to keep our attention, or distract us from the cold story-telling of the world’s bigger problems. Sad, but true. Our so-called daily, international, evening news is proof of our lack of our worldly interest; with very little of the focus resembling anything international at all...will someone let me know when the weather comes on?
For decades, the power of the networks have also very much been grounded in their local network affiliates. With some rare exceptions, the affiliates always seem like...well...affiliates that will maybe, someday, grow up to be cowboys.
So, if we do not have much interest in the international big picture & the local affiliates aren't quite doing it...what is?
There is a groundswell of local news productions completely unrelated to any major media organization. These new players, largely unknown to the masses yet, have started to accrue large online viewer-ship in their local markets. This is not your father's news. It's a bit of international mixed with very compelling, unique, local stories. Add to that a dash of SNL irreverence, and an "I don't really need to answer to anyone so I'm just going to say anything I damn well please..."Howard Stern-type of arrogance without fear of consequence.
Sound like fun? Well, it is, and a hell of a lot more fun than the network anchors sequestered behind their desks in their suits and ties, all formal-like, while all they really talk about are kittens up trees.
So, is the next wave really all about local news? And if it is, who better to bring it to us than the locals.
'Tune in' to the likes of the rising stars of these local news broadcasts. Commercial-free and full of passion. News has never been so entertaining, heartfelt, and relevant to us.
Two terrific but very different examples of this are:
Rocketboom: www.rocketboom.com
The Young Turks: www.theyoungturks.com
Then there is also the International Broadcast Corp., the first online international television news network: http://www.ibctoday.com/News/Home.aspx
The more interesting news from the major media are actually on iTunes in the form either video or audio pod-casts. Download or stream a diverse range of news starting with ABC World News Video, The BBC World News, The Economist, NPR with Tom Ashbrook, Meet the press, Common Sense with Dan Carlin, or Senator Barack Obama's weekly podcast.
There's sure to be more of these local news talents emerging, and funnily enough, they've never cared, or made me care more about international.
Viewer-ship of the evening news along with the 'readership' of the daily newspaper are in steep decline.
The upcoming generation catches most of their news online via the major news organizations, Google or better yet - via Rss feed delivery. The immediacy of digital media and our migration away from linear TV, forcing us to 'catch' the evening news at 6 p.m. are just the start. Even the BBC is now being pushed to digital delivery for a fee as the very government that supports it contemplates an end to the funding.
...and local is where it's at. Lets face it, if it were not for a war we continue to fight in Iraq, or some disparate disaster, most of America would most likely not be interested in much else that happens 'overseas'. This is a big country and there is more than enough happening here to keep our attention, or distract us from the cold story-telling of the world’s bigger problems. Sad, but true. Our so-called daily, international, evening news is proof of our lack of our worldly interest; with very little of the focus resembling anything international at all...will someone let me know when the weather comes on?
For decades, the power of the networks have also very much been grounded in their local network affiliates. With some rare exceptions, the affiliates always seem like...well...affiliates that will maybe, someday, grow up to be cowboys.
So, if we do not have much interest in the international big picture & the local affiliates aren't quite doing it...what is?
There is a groundswell of local news productions completely unrelated to any major media organization. These new players, largely unknown to the masses yet, have started to accrue large online viewer-ship in their local markets. This is not your father's news. It's a bit of international mixed with very compelling, unique, local stories. Add to that a dash of SNL irreverence, and an "I don't really need to answer to anyone so I'm just going to say anything I damn well please..."Howard Stern-type of arrogance without fear of consequence.
Sound like fun? Well, it is, and a hell of a lot more fun than the network anchors sequestered behind their desks in their suits and ties, all formal-like, while all they really talk about are kittens up trees.
So, is the next wave really all about local news? And if it is, who better to bring it to us than the locals.
'Tune in' to the likes of the rising stars of these local news broadcasts. Commercial-free and full of passion. News has never been so entertaining, heartfelt, and relevant to us.
Two terrific but very different examples of this are:
Rocketboom: www.rocketboom.com
The Young Turks: www.theyoungturks.com
Then there is also the International Broadcast Corp., the first online international television news network: http://www.ibctoday.com/News/Home.aspx
The more interesting news from the major media are actually on iTunes in the form either video or audio pod-casts. Download or stream a diverse range of news starting with ABC World News Video, The BBC World News, The Economist, NPR with Tom Ashbrook, Meet the press, Common Sense with Dan Carlin, or Senator Barack Obama's weekly podcast.
There's sure to be more of these local news talents emerging, and funnily enough, they've never cared, or made me care more about international.
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