YouTube is the premier destination in watching and sharing online videos. Increasingly companies have been jumping on the bandwagon and using YouTube in order to reach their target markets, as well as develop interactive relationships with their audience. It appears as though everyone has migrated online.

The core reasons for YouTube’s success lay in unique areas that cannot be covered by traditional marketing methods. YouTube is more effective for both the consumer and advertiser because of an instant lead to a product/service through a website, an interaction with the audience (unlike TV + print), cheaper cost,  and it’s unrestricted availability 24/7 at the consumer’s convenience. What other method of advertising can you say that about?

Success stories:

“ Family Guy”
Seth MacFarlane of “Family Guy” and Media Rights Capital knew they needed to be creative and break through the online cluster so they created a web-only collection of episodes called ‘ Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy’. Instead of simply building a website and hoping people stumble upon it, they pushed the content to the public by creating YouTube channels that were distributed through out YouTube and Google’s Content Network.
End result? In just a short time, ‘ Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy’ became one of the most popular phenomena on the web.

Lionsgate
In promotion of “ Forbidden Kingdom”  Lionsgate  did not simply want to be airing trailers on TV. They also made sure to take their Internet presence beyond simply the film’s website. The Google ad network extended the reach everywhere from search ads to buzz targeting. It gave a reason for the audience to “come back” to view the brand. And come back they did, 3 million times.

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We recently finished a micro-doc for Waterfront Toronto outlining new plans to build a sustainable community and green space in the Lower Don Lands. The project would be a much needed face-lift to an underused yet highly relevant area of the city. Architect and urban designer Ken Greenberg takes us on a short tour of what we can expect in the coming years (and it looks awesome!).

VMG Cinematic has a brand new addition to the team! I am pleased to introduce myself as the new social media viral marketing guru – wait, that’s what I was hired for right … ? Jokes aside, I am very excited to join a knowledgeable (and fun) team of film and marketing professionals as well as bring in my own communications industry expertise. Looking forward!

My first contribution to this blog involves pointing out the most common mistakes in viral marketing. I have stumbled upon an interesting article which scolds failed attempts of brands like Motrin and Gatorade in using viral videos but also provides a viral success story from none other than Dove.

Next time you are thinking of using viral marketing make sure to avoid these three downfalls which may be holding your company back from success in the digital world.

The first rule of viral marketing is …

#1 – Do not alienate your audience.
Keep the consumer in mind at all times when making the video.
Common concept? Yes. Common mistake made? Also, yes.

#2 – Do not fail to associate your brand with the message.
The main goal of any viral campaign is brand awareness. Make sure the video concept makes sense and has a connection to the product advertised.

#3 – Do not make a TV commercial.
Audiences generally don’t like TV commercials because they feel it gets in the way of their program watching. This is why it’s essential for viral videos to be original and establish connections with the audience.

Stay innovative,

Marina.

Via Adverblog: New Autobahn stunt viral for the Mini Cooper Clubman has a sense of humour…

I recently read an article from the Wall Street Journal about Viral Video that instantly sparked some interest. It focused mainly around Judson Laipply, or as most would know him, the guy from “The Evolution of Dance” video. The article explains that when he uploaded his video on YouTube in the spring of 2006 he had little to no idea what a viral video was or the amount of success he was about to receive. Without any advertising at all the video spread across the Internet eventually reaching 100 million + views.

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Imagine the opportunities available if mainstream consumers had the ability to access broadband video from the comfort of their own living room? Of course, I’m not only talking about the sheer “possibility” here. If that were the case most of us nerds who have already implemented such a system would be rushing to mass communicate instead of simply sharing ridiculous YouTube clips at our parties. No, not the possibility, I am talking about your mom and dad flicking on the tube, flipping to a central channel and then having the ability to easily integrate broadband T.V for their viewing pleasure.

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The documentary series we’ve been working on about the Scarborough Hospital is now live on the foundation’s new website (designed by our friends over at Lush Concepts – check ‘em out). The series is part of the Scarborough Hospital Foundation’s new PR initiative, and is aimed at educating the public about some of the amazing things that are going on at TSH. Read the rest of this entry »

Look at that, a two month gap in between posts… shameful.  On behalf of VMG to our many thousands if not hundreds of millions of loyal VMG blog readers I offer our humble apologies and our promise- nay our easily broken agreement, to put up at least one new, insightful, or at the very least incoherent blog post per month.  In the meantime thank you for your patience and without further ado, Today’s subject: “Viral Hope”

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JCpenny’s “The Doghouse” viral short film

As a rule I generally have a low opinion of buzz words and corporate market speak.  It’s a vocabulary too often used by the uninformed trying to pose as the overly informed and in the end those fancy words we come up with to describe new trends grow stale and wind up ridiculed by just about everyone in the know.  Well at the risk of ridicule I’m going to break my own rule and become a contributor, nay a revivalist to the buzz word lexicon with “Advertainment.”  Sure it’s not my own invention and you’ll find it floating around on the blogosphere here and there, maybe in a few industry articles etc. but it hasn’t really found a catch yet.  I’m using it now because there really is no better word to describe the growing trend I’ve been seeing from big brands experimenting with long-form-video-entertainment-advertising (see why we need a buzz word?).

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It’s true, such a thing exists and I’ve discovered it.  Whilst perusing through the latest offerings on YouTube, (now with new widescreen player!) I came across this little gem that’s sure to be a classic in the brand film world.  The JCB Action Brand Film!. Admittedly they we’re probably just setting out to make a really cool film about their construction equipment but I was pulled in to what is probably some of the most heartfelt brand emoting I’ve ever done. Seriously, after watching this I simultaneously wanted to own a JCB construction vehicle and make a career out of digging holes in the rain while in slow motion.

Would I have done anything differently? No absolutely not. This film is a masterpiece of extraordinary cinematography and editing. My only addition might be to intercut scenes showing a rain soaked battle between vikings and medivel knights happening in between the construction vehicles while bikini-clad, models playing electric guitars rocked out on top of the diggers.  If JCB wanted to take this viral anyway…

But in all serious I tip my hat to this production team, they’ve explored new frontier in the burgeoning brand film genre and it is sure to be repeated by others.

check it out:

JCB