Political Videos are Dominating the Viral Video Charts. Wassup?

Wassup 2008 is on it's way to viral gold this weekend. Online digital studio 60 Frames has create spectacle, story and moves two or more (depending on who you are) emotions with a parody / update of the "Wassup" Bud commercials.

"Its been eight long years since the boys said wassup to each other. Even with the effects of a down economy and imminent change in the White House, the boys are still able to come together and stay true to what really matters."

This video will make you laugh, make you sad and depending on who you are it might make you angry or even cry in two different ways.

On a personal note, I wish that the events that make this video work on so many levels didn't exist but they do and I think this video has the power to start conversations that will enable online video creators to help change things for the better.

We have some tough times ahead of us but we don't need to let them get in our way. We need to look for the opportunities that will present themselves and we need to work together to make the best of them. The best way to do that is to share.

If we can share what we as video producers find, share what we learn, share we need and share what we have we can make our lives better and then we will be able to help others.

The video producers that are going to survive this economic downturn are producers who can create content that cuts through the clutter and delivers a return on investment for their advertisers, sponsors and investors.

Negative political videos maybe dominating the viral video charts but we don't need to let doom and gloom ruin our online video party.

How Are Ad Agencies and PR Firms Going to Make Money in Online Video?

In an article out today in Adweek "Twenty-eight percent of (ad agancy) respondents considered 1 million views successful; around 22 percent each would settle for 500,000, 250,000 or 100,000 views.

What? Obviously ad agencies, media buyers, brand marketers and PR firms are not connecting with online video content creators who get millions of views on a regular basis or they don't want to.

What do you mean Tim? Of course Ad agencies would want to help their clients out and connect with existing viral video series that would reach an advertiser's targeted client.

Would they? What's in it for them?

Tim, they would be a hero to their client saving them hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Ah, last I checked ad agencies aren't in business to save clients money. Advertising agencies are in business to make money and if they can't make money on the creative because some kid is making videos out of his bedroom that get millions of views and they can't make any money on the time buy because there's no time to buy cause you just post it on the Internet, how are advertising agencies going to make money in online video?

The way ad agencies are going to make money with Internet video is to embrace it. Embrace it like it's their long lost cousin cause right now with the economy in the crapper they are going to have to find cost effect ways of saving their clients money in order to help their clients make more money so that when the economy recovers they can hit their clients up with higher rates and remind them of what an effective job they did for them in the lean times.

Ad agencies will have to be careful that they don't fall into the "Smoke and Mirrors" trap that several people in the advertising and public relations industries are falling into now with online video. Where they fan a bunch of smoke about how great the creative is in their online video and then use a bunch of mirrors to talk about how effective the over all outcome of the campaign was even though their "viral video" only had 800 views on YouTube.

Ad agencies are going to need to reach outside their comfort zone of working with the "gods of media" known as commercial directors. TV commercial directors walk on water in the advertising world but TV commercials don't play that well on the Internet. The Internet has a new bread of content creators who live on the web and understand the nuances, culture, and what it takes to emotionally engage an audience online. Sure commercial directors will learn these things but the huge day rates that they command in TV commercials won't be there waiting for them on the Internet so they won't be motivated to really dive in and become an online video creator.

Ad agencies are trying to create their own online videos but they will soon learn it's easier to jump on to a moving train than it is to build your own train and lay the tracks it's going to ride on.

How are agencies going to make money in online video? Ad agencies and public relations firms will make money in online video by buying placement on video sites that will feature their sponsored or co-branded videos so that they get millions of views. But the real way agencies are going to make money in online video is by partnering with existing content creators who have relevant content with emotionally engaged audiences already in place. In some cases we will even see ad agencies and PR firms pour money into building up the audiences of small online video shows so that their reach will make a dent both nationally and globally and be affective as well as effective in creating ROI for their clients.

Wow that sounds greatt Tim, but what the hell does that mean?

Okay, let's take French Maid TV for example. Say there's a SCUBA diving resort or SCUBA diving equipment manufacturer that wants to reach young men and they don't have an online video campaign launched already. Their ad agency could go create their own SCUBA Diving viral video and hope for the best or these SCUBA people could partner with French Maid TV to do a "How To Skin Dive" episode or better yet they do a series of French Maid TV Skin Diving Tips where the French Maids explain different SCUBA or Skin diving techniques for beginners and for the pros. These videos could then be placed in an ad buy on relevant video sharing sites as well as SCUBA diving sites around the world reaching more than just the 1 to 5 million views French Maid TV episodes get. This would increase awareness for the SCUBA vacation destination or SCUBA manufacture as well as French Maid TV and be of value to everyone involved.

Are your online videos getting millions of views?

Tell us about them.

Will Making MashUps Ever Make You Money?

Mashups are fun and there are a lot of views that you can get by creating a great mashup but can you ever make money from creating a a viral video mashup?

I think you can make money from mashups on a couple different levels.

First, let's say that you create a viral video mashup that gets over 1 million views on YouTube. You won't get any money from Google for it but if the people watching your video can easily contact you, they might hire you to create something emotionally engaging for them.

Second, if you can build a following or fan base of subscribers on YouTube and create a brand around your content you can monetize that through merchandise. You're not going to be able to sell SpongeBob SquarePants Tshirts that say, "Leave Brittany Alone!" on them but you might be able to create a "MashUp Marv" brand that people will know you for and they will want to buy your products.

Third, if you have a big enough fan base you might be able to negotiate rights or through "parody" be able to create a compilation DVD or digital download. Be sure and check with a New Media Attorney like Colette Vogele before you do something like that.

Fourth, if you have built a big enough following you can use that audience to launch original content that you do own.

Fifth, if you already have products or services to sell you might be able to create a parody mashup that will get views and get your brands name out there. SNL makes fun of big names why can't you?

Are there any other ways that you can think of making money with mashups?

Viral Video, Spectacle and Story in an Elevator

Here's a short viral video story of a man trapped in an Elevator.

What emotions do you experience when you watch this video?

Using TV Promo Techniques to Build Your Audience

I've spent many years producing TV Promos for television shows and working on TV Commercials and there is a big difference between what works on TV and what works on the Internet.

TV commercials do not play so well on the Internet unless those TV commercials move emotions. Watch the above BBC TV Promo and you will understand what I'm talking about.

In this video Film maker and writer Terry Jones discovers a colony of penguins, which are unlike any other penguins in the world.

If you would like to see how this video was created visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzhDsojoqk8

For the record this looks like it's another one of those April 1 Viral Videos that got sidelined due to Rick Rolling.

Stop Calling Me Dude!

Ah this little viral video user generated gem is making it's way through the yahoo video bloggers group today and it is quite the find. Depending on who you are you may experience some different emotions.

I felt sorry for the kid's, happy they were getting it on video tap, scared when the cop grabbed the kid and laughed my ass off when at the end Officer Rivieri says, "I better not see this on YouTube."

I even experienced disappointment when there was a moment when I thought the whole thing was a fake and that C. C. Chapman was playing the cop. Part of me still thinks he was and that Chris Brogan was holding the camera.

I wish skateboarding wasn't a crime.

WHO'S BEHIND THE NICHOLSON - CLINTON VIRAL VIDEO?

According to Towleroad the Jack Nicholson / Hilary Clinton Viral Video was conceived and created by "screenwriter/director John Krokidas and producer Bruce Cohen (American Beauty, Pushing Daisies, and the currently in production Harvey Milk biopic Milk)."

KISS - Keep It Simple Stupid

They always used to tell me KISS - Keep It Simple Stupid and this video which bores me to death does just that with old comic material that we've all heard a 100 times but that doesn't stop it from climbing the charts today.

Who knows maybe it appeals to the crowd that doesn't get out much. Nonetheless this little Starbucks' product placement gem is getting some traction today.

Integrated Advertising that Doesn't Work for Me

Okay here's some Online Integrated Advertising that DOESN'T Work for Me and at the risk of being called mean spirited I'd thought I'd just share. Please feel free to disagree with me.

Forget the over the top acting on Mark Malkoffs part and just ask yourself what emotions are moved by this video?

Anger? Maybe. Disgust? Maybe. Fear? Not really. Joy not so much. Sadness? Nope. Surprise? A little. (I can't believe they talked Lisa Loeb into doing this)

There are no clear winners. At face value nothing really moves the needle.

From a concept standpoint "We're going to get Mark to invite Lisa Loeb into IKEA to sing for his wife." Wow! That's so romantic. Wow! How did you get Lisa Loeb? How cool is that? But the finished video doesn't feel like an emotionally engaging spectacle that would go viral on the internet.

Now this is from my point of view and I may be a little too close to this one. I've shopped at IKEA and I don't like it and I hate putting furniture together, I've worked with Lisa and I didn't enjoy it and I've seen Mark's videos and I feel they have so much potential but they just don't work for me.

On the other hand, if my Aunt Bea was still alive she would think Mark was adorable and she would find it so gosh darn cute that Mark got Lisa to sing for his wife. The only thing that would have made it better for Aunt Bea was if there was a white cat in the video. (Aunt Bea loved white cats)

Some how this video has touched me because I'm blogging about it. Maybe I'm just discussed because I think videos like this hurt the integrated advertising video business but hey, I'm sure people say the same thing about French Maid TV but FMTV has over 26 million downloads so the Maids must be doing something right.

As of this posting the "Lisa Loeb Plays for Mark in IKEA" video has had 434,114 on YouTube - not bad for 7 days. I'm not sure what they spent on getting Lisa and Mark to do this but if I was a local furniture store in Florida I would be very happy with 400,000 views in 7 days. If I was a global furniture brand? Not so much.

From the production side I think this video is fine. With a little editing it would make a great segment on Good Morning America or some cable television network and that's where I think it and Mark belong. Women viewers of The View or Regis and Kelly would eat this video up. This type of integrated advertising belongs in old media where old people would think it's adorable.

What can you do to avoid this pitfall? Plan.

Make a plan of what human emotions you feel you need to touch in order to move the needle and get your target demo to do what you want them to do.

If you are serious about using viral videos to reach your audience I would caution you to make sure your audience is made up of young males. Sure there are millions of women on the Internet but they are not the ones watching viral videos in big numbers - yet. My recommendations for emotions to target young males would be: Lust, Joy and Surprise. Translated: Make it Funny and Sexy.

Next, add the spectacle ingredient. Think about your product or service and come up with some spectacle that will get young guys' attention but still fits the promise of your brand and MAKE SURE YOU HAVE BRAND PERMISSION to do what you are going to do. To my knowledge Houston's restaurant chain does not have drive-thru windows.

The last thing, find people to produce your viral video who understand the viral video space and know the culture and websites that aggregate and reach young males. Believe it or not YouTube is not the only video sharing website out there. Other video sharing websites can be more influential in reaching young male influencers and every good marketer knows the power of infuencer marketing.

Nalts Discloses Fees

In the above video is one of his most popular Revver files where he shares his "Addiction to Blackberry Crackberry" and on his blog Will Video for Food Kevin Nalts has published his rates.

Nalts says, "Let me disclose my own fee structure and hope others will do the same. I initially was happy with $1,000 per video (for Mentos and some of my early work), but soon discovered my hourly rate computed to less than minimal wage. And I was juggling more work than I could handle with a day job. I also didn’t want to junk my YouTube channel with excessive sponsored videos, which alienating my subscribers (especially since many resent YouTube’s InVid ads, which produce far less income for me than sponsored videos).

Now I’m pricing between $3,000 and $10,000, but there are a few reasons I can price this way:

I have a decent track record, and fortunately more demand than time.
I have a steady audience on YouTube so most of my videos will get at least 20-40,000 views.
I have a marketing background, and provide strategy and a creative brief before diving into the video.
I try to produce several videos so a brand can amortize the cost (and generally I get some efficiencies out of a series).
I have gobs of debt (hey, just keeping it real here)."

I think his rates are a little low for the service he's offering.

My Computer is Sick

To make your videos viral you need to move emotions. The Internet is full of vloggers who document their lives or topics they care about but I have yet to come across a Vlog that is emotionally compelling to me.

My computer is down this week so I took some time and watched Michael Moore's documentary SiCKO. I'm curious if any of you have seen this film and if it moved any emotions or made you think about the country you live in?

Considering the Context

This morning I went to visit TV Week and had a look at their Viral Video page. Today's 3 top viral videos (as calculated on a weekly basis by Nielsen//NetRatings)were:

1. Body Rock - Blogger Perez Hilton boogies to some Ashlee Simpson.

2. Cat Snatch Fever - This cat wants that cake, end of story.

3. Fired Man imitates the Human Torch Johnny Storm.

Then I thought to myself, If I was a media buyer and I came to this high end site called TV Week - a site that I would think would really know what's going on in online video - and I saw the top three videos were all a bunch of foolishness I would move on thinking online video is not ready for the brands I represent because the top content is pretty poor.

Unfortunately we are not yet out of the time of "spectacle." We as online viral video producers need to raise the bar on the viral video content we are creating. The problem that we run into is that normally to raise the bar producers throw more money at the problem and we can't do that yet because we won't see a return on our investment. Instead of doing that we need to throw more creativity at the problem.

How do we create more emotionally compelling content that can compete with Cats, Farts and Crazy Gossip/Celebrity Vloggers like Perez Hilton and still be inviting to advertisers? We need to focus on simple stories that have spectacle and move more that one human emotion. And if we want to make money in online video advertising we need to consider the context in which advertisers and media buyers are going to be sampling our videos and how those videos are going to be viewed within the context of the media outlets that are going to write about them.

Media buyers don't have time to search the net and watch videos the way we all enjoy watching and sharing videos. Media buyers want to get their work done by doing a great job for their clients and then they want to get home and enjoy some down time. They don't want to help video producers. They want to help their careers by doing well for their customers.

If you see advertising on or around an online video think about why the media buyer spent their clients money on that video, who they are reaching with that video and what is the context. Then think how you can do something better for less money.

Stick to What You are Really Good At

TubeMogul is great at uploading videos and tracking the views of those videos across the internet for FREE.

They also have some great tips about making your video viral but when it comes to creating viral videos themselves they should leave it to the creative types like the Tracecats.



"How We Met" is a touching tale of stickman and stickwoman (drawn on bodies) and how the two lovers fell in love.

More info at: http://www.zoomintosee.com

The music is by Son of Dave.

And don't get me wrong, I love Brett Wilson and the guys at TubeMogul, you should sign up for their service, they just should hand their camera and editing equipment over to someone else for a while. ;)

Think Global International Distribution

When film making first started films had international distribution. Why? Because they were silent films with no language barriers and they had universal appeal.

Taking a look at the above video at first glance it has international distribution appeal right? Well, maybe. The guys at Future Thought Productions have done an excellent job of creating a funny animated short entitled "Crime Time: The Gift" about "Shifty (The Criminal) , a pint-sized pilferer with lofty ambitions and limited brainpower" who "dresses up like Santa Claus in an attempt to make off with stolen Christmas gifts." It's fun and it works...in places that they celebrate Christmas.

Action and Sex translate best in other cultures but comedy can be hit or miss depending on the culture of a country or region where your viral video might be playing. Fortunately for Shifty cops and robbers is a great global theme and hopefully this little gem will get lots of play world wide this Christmas season an earn team Future Thought the views and money they deserve. For more shorts from Future Thought check out their website http://shorts.futurethought.tv

Tiger Woods and Hot Women in Music Videos

The 2007 PGA championship has been a smoking hot topic in this weeks news with Tiger Woods leading in this year's 89th annual major golf event, taking place in Tulsa, Oklahoma and that makes me think about sexy women in music videos and DRM.

DRM is failing. DRM is falling apart. DRM doesn’t work. Universal Music who said they would never ever, ever get rid of DRM is testing getting rid of DRM . Google is Shutting down paid Video .

What does this have to do with Tiger Woods and Hot Women in Music Videos? Tiger Woods is a Brand. People pay to see Tiger Woods play golf but Tiger Woods doesn’t make a ton of money from the people that come to see him play at a golf course or even the money he wins from playing in the golf tournaments (it is a lot of money but not his big bucks). Tiger makes his money from endorsements, TV commercials for Nike and Buick. That’s where his big bucks are made.

What the hell are you talking about Tim? I’m never going to sign a 100 million endorsment deal . No you probably won’t but if you produce viral video content that people want to steel you can use that to sell something else. Well Mr. French Maid TV smarty pants what am I going to sell? What are you going to sell? How about selling something that doesn’t cost you money? What? That’s right, sell something that doesn’t cost you money. How about referrals? What if you could get $100 per month from one dog groomer in every city in the world by putting a link to their site on your video site? At that rate you would only need 100,000 cities to have an endorsement deal that matches Tiger Woods’.

What about the hot women? For years record labels have been giving away music videos with sexy women in them for promotion. Now they are selling there music videos on iTunes but they are also placing them on FREE Music video sites as well. Using that promotion to build their brands and sell other things like popular ring tones.

So put your thinking caps on and start thinking how you can produce viral videos that make people want to steel them and promote your online videos, building your brand into something that you can use to sell a lot of something that doesn’t cost you money.