Viral Video Watch – September 15th, 2010
Posted by Luc in 
Today’s hot viral video is not very new. In fact, it’s been on YouTube since December 22nd, 2005, which is only about a month after the video sharing site launched. BUT, it’s a video we feel all must see, especially those who are fans of classic cinema, and more notably, Orson Welles.
The New Twitter: Yay or Yawn
Yesterday at its headquarters in San Francisco, Twitter unveiled the new design that will soon be available to all of its users. The design will allow users to easily share photos and videos, in an effort to circumvent Facebook as the main source of social interaction in the online community.
Rather than try and explain exactly how it works and how Twitter wants you to use it, we’ll let their video do the talking. Watch for the new twitter very soon though!
Choose your own ADventure: You Tube Edition
Once in a while, a new ad campaign comes along that opens new doors and pushes the boundaries of what can and cannot be done. Two weeks ago, Tippex, a whiteout manufacturer, launched a mind blowing You Tube campaign that takes us back to the days of Choose Your Own Adventure novels and is the greatest thing since the Old Spice campaign.
The campaign, titled NSWF. A hunter shoots a bear! starts with a simple enough video (Not Safe For Work Language) of some hikers talking about their sexual escapades. Suddenly, a bear comes out of the woods, and just as one of the scared hikers is about to blow its head off, two options come up on the screen: Shoot The Bear and Don’t Shoot The Bear. Upon clicking on either one, the user is taken to the Tippex YouTube channel.
The videos goes on, but the hunter in the frame turns to the camera, reaches out of the video box, grabs the giant Tippex container in the ad on the right hand side, and erases shoots in the video title. He then breaks the fourth wall and asked the user to type in their own scenario.
Following this, the user can input literally any word(s) he/she wants and press Play to be taken to their chose scenario involving the bear and the hunter. In some cases, the scenarios have been grouped together, like if the user inputs any type of sport it will go to a soccer video with a streaker running by and the bear scoring a goal on the hunter.
In the event that a non-filmed or non-recognizable scenario is entered, the user will be taken to an error clip. 
By this point, you are likely thinking that this is quite the extravagant campaign for something as simple as a whiteout company. But it’s genius considering that it was timed perfectly with back to school, and contains a lot of swearing and a hilarious result if anything sexual is typed in (hence appealing to the youth). It also spits in the face of the bigger companies that struggle to launch successful online campaigns.
It’s one for the little guys. Inspiring, to say the least.
Viral Video Watch – September 13th, 2010
Today’s Hot Viral Video is GOP Candidate Phil Davison delivering an *enthusiastic* speech. In comedy, it’s all about timing and delivery. Even when the comedian is not trying to be funny, and is not even a comedian to begin with. This video needs one good tag line to embed itself into Viral Video lore…maybe something along the lines of You Dun Goofed.
SEO Tip #2: Site Structure
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a relatively new component of any business trying to make it big online. Follow our online tips to help your business thrive in the ever expanding online market.
Content is King in SEO. No matter what. But after Content, the layout of the very same site who’s search results you are trying to optimize is a pretty important second. If your site is not properly structured, its chances of coming up in a search diminish rapidly.
Depending on the size of your site, you may need a Site Map. The more pages on your site, the harder it will be for Google to differentiate between them. Who would have thought that Google would need your help? Well it does, and that comes in the form of a sweet and simple map, so that users can be sent to the home page much more often. Plus, if your site (or business) is very intricate and in-depth, a map will also aid the users, and you definitely want them to find it easy.
“A site map should not be the primary navigation on your web site it should complement it.” – Web Developer Notes
Keeping on the topic of site depth, Domains are another important aspect. Create many of them. With several names. And make sure they all contain the right Keywords, so that search engines can find them easily. When it comes to Domains, consider the web like a prize raffle. If you only buy one ticket, you only have one chance to win the prize All Inclusive Vacation. But if you buy several tickets, you will have multiple chances to win, and wake up on the beach in Bora Bora (in this case, the prize is people visiting your site and buying your product/reading what you have to say).
One more thing to keep in mind, and we probably should have mentioned it in the Keywords tip, is Bolded words. Search Engines hate that. It confuses them and they will pick an un-bolded word before a bolded one, hence your site will fall further down in the ranking. This is something to watch for when giving titles to your pages/blog posts.
Check back daily for more SEO Tips and Industry Buzz.
Google Instant Search: Old News?
Last week, Google released its new instant search function, which basically shows you search results as you type your query into the search bar. Considering that billions of search results are attainable through a simple Google search, this kind of idea is quite groundbreaking. Or is it?
Hasn’t YouTube been doing this for quite some time now? I specifically remember looking up the “Goat Yells Like Man” video last summer on the popular video site, and having the title come up under the search bar as soon as I had typed the word Goat.
Alright, I understand it is quite impressive for Google to be able to do it, considering how far the search engine can actually reach via its spider track technology. But what surprised me was how excited the online community was by this, and how impatient it made everyone seem. Is it really so hard to wait until you’re done typing your search to see what results come up? Mashable.com founder and CNN Columnist Pete Cashmore has his own take on the issue, labeling the latest tool as “real time web” technology.
“If relevant information is delivered to us without extra effort, why type words into a box?If relevant information is delivered to us without extra effort, why type words into a box?” says Cashmore on CNN.
In time, the instant search will likely turn out to be quite useful, especially if users are exactly sure of what or who they are looking for. It’s all part of the acceleration of the internet, and up there with real time news updates on mobiles and the abolition of print. But Cashmore predicts an even scarier fate for the evolution of Google searching.
“What if instead of guessing your intent while you search, Google could predict your needs before you search?”
Scary stuff. Google has become self aware.
The Little Social Medialite that could
The power of Social Media is an untapped resource with unlimited potential. For the past few years, people have begun to wonder just how much strength one individual can draw from a few simple posts. With Twitter rising exponentially in the ranks, new precedent setting cases are surfacing of every day people voicing their unhappiness via their tweets, and actually getting a response.
Meet Breanna Hughes, an ambitious Social Medialite and dating blogger who has seemingly conquered all the latest mediums. According to her Twitter she is even mayor of a few locations on Foursquare and has over 3,600 followers.
A few weeks ago, Breanna made a trip down to the States, and was outraged at the length of her cell phone bill upon her return. She had not expected to be charged so harshly for twittering and texting while down South, and she voiced her frustrations on Twitter along with a photo of her bill. Within a day, she was contacted by Rogers (her cell phone provider) via some tweets, and was given the contact info for a department that eventually adjusted her bill. Her case garnered serious attention in Toronto, and her story was featured in The National Post.
Could this symbolize a new era in the field of Public Relations? There have been other similar cases in the past where companies dealt with complaints made via Social Media, but Hughes actually managed to get her bill changed. And with that victory, it can only be left to wonder how soon will be before we no longer need customer supports phone lines to voice our concerns?
Viral Video Watch – September 9th, 2010
The Amazing Race has a new season starting in a few weeks. And there is no better way to promote it than with a hilarious but brutal moment in the upcoming season, where a contestant gets smashed in the face by a sling shot rocketed watermelon.
Advertising in the 2010s: Part 1
Is it irony, or just coincidence, that in a world where advertising for major corporations is drastically changing every day via Social Media one of the hottest television shows is about the origins of blatant mass marketing? Yes, I’m talking about you MadMen. Stop glorifying a world where catchy tag lines and shiny new products no longer work on the masses of consumers!
Part 1 of our Advertising in the 2010s series will focus on viral video campaigns, in particular, the ones that dress up like a user made amateur video in order to promote their product. Although there have been various online campaigns over the past few years, including the recent Old Spice questions and answers that even garnered a wedding proposal, few have been as cool and brand defining as the ones made by Levi’s.
Back in 2008, this amateur video of a man doing Parkour-like jumps into a pair of jeans gained popularity online.
It seemed as though the clip was created by some highly skilled individual amateurs, especially considering the description simply read “Guys do crazy stunts and backflips into their pants”. But it didn’t take long for the online community to discover that Levi Strauss was in fact behind the video. And then this pastJuly, a photo essay surfaced of a man walking across America. Note the close up on the jeans near the end when he reaches into his back pocket.
Within a a day it already had half a million hits and featured hipster-band-of-the-moment Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros on the soundtrack. It even had a Behind The Scenes feature detailing how some indie filmmaker types carefully crafted the effects. The following week, it was noted by some users online that in a video blog posted by one the producers, he points out and mentions “the guy from Levi’s”, a man wearing a blazer seen standing with them at the Golden Gate bridge.
Now, these videos don’t expressively go out and tell the public to buy Levi Jeans. In fact they don’t even mention buying jeans at any point, they simply bring attention to the fact that people are doing really incredible and cool tasks while wearing comfortable jeans. And that’s where the genius lies.
With these viral videos, Levi Strauss got people thinking about jeans. And when you think of jeans, what brand comes to mind first? Levi Strauss of course. They know they are synonymous with the ever popular leg wear, and they were remarkably (and quite boldly) able to identify that fact and simply chose to promote the actual medium of jeans via sub conscious marketing.
The most important thing to remember when plotting a viral video campaign is to make something that is for your company. Something special and unique that you will be happy with. You can take inspiration from other successful campaigns, but do not try to mimic their idea or style. Do something that your fan base (or target fan base) will enjoy watching, and don’t be afraid to be a little silly.
Viral Video Watch – September 8th, 2010
Today’s Hot Video is The Ticklish Camel. It just came out last Thursday and is now garnering serious attention. Could it be the next Goat Yells Like Man?