This campaign by MoveOn.org is awesome! What a clever way to get voters to wake up and smell the coffee. When I was 18 I cared less about voting. I mean yeah it was cool and all to be able to do it, but I knew that my vote didn’t count…. Or so I thought.
I like this viral campaign (and by viral I mean about 8.8 million personalized videos
sent to date) because it shows the consequences of what would happen if you didn’t vote and it could be traced back to you or in this case your friends. Its a fun way to personalize the “go vote” message. Please note: I’m not taking political sides with this post, I just thought this was a great way to drive people to the polls.
By the way, the lady at :42 is F*n awesome! HAHA
Make your own video and send it to your friends at CNNBC VIDEO <— clever name
CC Chapman pointed me to this video yesterday and at first glance I have to say it was pretty cool. I’m still not quite sure if it’s real or not but that really doesn’t matter. What matter is that its entertaining. OK now that I’ve got the good plug out of my system its time to tell you what I really think….
I think that this video is sponsored by Nike. At the beginning the girl clearly puts down the ball so the logo is showing perfectly. Coincidence? I doubt it. When I looked closer to investigate where the video originated from I realized that the same MySpace user added the video of Kobe Bryant jumping over a car – another ad for Nike. Seeing the trend yet?
As for the MySpace user “Nun of Your Business” who uploaded the videos, if this is Nike’s agency then clearly they need to re-read the Social Media 101 handbook for the chapter on being transparent. If people are going to take the time to watch your video the least you can do is make some sort of information available on where it came from. I’m not saying plaster “we work for Nike” all over your MySpace page, but be honest with the people that will eventually be buying the sneakers or soccer ball you’re promoting. Create the page on behlaf of Nike if need be. Reading “Nun of Your Business” will definitely give you NONE of mine.
On another note, how does a girl kicking a soccer ball through a donut fit into the categories of Instructional and Travel and Vacations?
I just want to make it clear that these are simply my assumptions on the video and I have not seen any factual information to prove my theory correct, but all signs point to guilty. Watch the video and tell me know what you think!
“Viral” seems to be the word every business and ad agency wants to get their hands on these days, but let’s face it calling a campaign viral doesn’t mean its viral. Sure when launching a new product or service companies immediately approach their agencies and say “I want you to make me a viral video,” But realistically only a handful of videos actually make it to that level. If it was as easy as everyone thinks we’d be sharing videos with each other all day with no concern for our day jobs.
Take a look at the video below for example. Do you know what their promoting just by watching the video?
Just over 17,000 views definitely isn’t viral. In my opinion, if you want to make a video (which I believe is one of the best ways to promote a product) you should at least have some mention or slight indication of what you want people to do. Give me a call to action! The “Shark Sighting in Boston” video above doesn’t do that at all. Instead of having the “shark” spotted in the Charles River, why not in Boston Harbor with the Aquarium in the background? Oh and one more thing….shouldn’t there be a penalty for something like this? Isn’t it sort of the same thing as telling people you saw a shark?
I’ve always been a big fan of JibJab so I was eager to watch their new promotional video which actually launched Tuesday night on the Jay Leno Show (hmmm viral videos being launched on tv? New trend perhaps???). After watching, it definitely surpassed my expectations; and being a “king of forwarding” like Michael Scott, I sent it along to some of my friends and family - I guess it worked!
Right now it has about 6,000 views, but I definitely think it has the capabilities to go viral. How can someone not want to share a video that pokes fun of the next president of the US? LOL. Well done JibJab!
Every CEO and PR professional recognizes the value in engaging their brand/client in Social Media. Contributing to online discussions enables consumers to build a 1-on-1 relationship with the brand – giving them the feeling that they are being talked to rather than talked at.
Some organizations, not to point any fingers, but for this example let’s say oh I don’t know…American Airlines…decide to jump on board a tad bit too late. You’re all probably familiar with AA’s recent news, so do you think they did the right thing PR wise? How could they have handled this differently utilizing Social Media?
My thoughts….
American Airlines realized days after the news of the cancelled flights that they need some sort of digital media involvement. Their “blog” AA conversation, debuted on April 11 – roughly 2 weeks after the news of cancelled flights broke! Had AA had a Social Media presence beforehand, they could have dealt with the negative commentary (like this) going on around the blogosphere.
Social Media tools they COULD have used:
A blog to provide updates to the situations AS THEY HAPPEN
YouTube video addressing the reasons for cancellations and what the airline is doing to compensate for travelers inconvenience
A microsite (or more prominent part of their current site) that specifically answers the questions which flights are being affected – this gives people quick answers to their need to know questions (remember: the more time it takes the consumer to find the answers they want, the more time they have to build up resentment towards your brand)
A representative monitoring the day to day conversations on blogs, in communities and on micro-blogging sites like Twitter, so that they can provide answers and insights into ongoing discussions
I’ve only scratched the surface of the things that AA COULD have done. Hopefully other organizations will not follow AA’s lead, but instead analyze what they did wrong and implement Social Media tactics of their own into their day-to-day strategies.
American Airlines if you’re listening (which I doubt you are) take this post as a “Note to Self.”
