We take for granted that here, in the land of Web 2.0, we can upload, comment and subscribe to YouTube videos with the click of a mouse. It was not always this way.
Appreciate what you have. It's the type of advice Obama would give you.
A DNC pass holder thought he was doing the world a service when he used his Pre-Convention pass to take YouTubers on a videotaped tour of Barack Obama's staging at Invesco Field, where tonight he will formally accept the Democratic party's nomination. Instead, he recorded footage that John McCain was able to use to mock Obama, since the structure Obama's camp is erecting looks like a Greek or Roman temple (or perhaps just much of Washington D.C.).
So who is this guy who snagged a coveted pass and set up his candidate for attacks from the right? He's Denver's own vlogger "SeeSwan," the "Mile High New Yorker," and boy does this guy know how to abuse video editing software: CONTINUED »
"McCain is now crushing Obama in video views this month on YouTube, garnering 4.7M+ to 2M+. This may be due to gaming of the system, or it could be because McCain just figured out YouTube existed vs Obama knowing about it for a while, but in any case, each campaign is diligently posting videos each day, and McCain is spanking Obama in views." [SIA, Earlier]
Miley Cyrus has taken a break from leaking scandalous photos to talk to Seventeen magazine about her former secret relationship with Nick Jonas. Keep in mind the two are 15 years old as you listen to Miley rehash the greatest romance of our time:
Know what's proven to be an excellent way to market stuff? Sex! Also? The word "free." Usually when you see advertisements featuring either of these two things, you will not get a single one. Such is the case with FreeCreditReport.com, which isn't so much a place to download your financial history from one of three credit bureaus, but a chance to sign up for a paid monthly "credit monitoring" service. This credit monitoring service will not, however, alert you to the fact that you actually started paying a monthly fee for this convenience. And guess what? Experian, the credit bureau that owns the website, didn't accidentally insert the word "free" into its web address! It's supposed to be there to trick the gullible into thinking a company responsible for holding your credit history hostage actually wants to give you anything gratis. And it's working! CONTINUED »
A one Anton Dunn was arrested yesterday after a video he posted a video on YouTube — which claimed he poisoned bottles of Gerber baby food because he wanted to kill Hispanic and black babies — caught the attention of Manhattan prosecutors. Worth nothing: Dunn is black. Also worth noting: Dunn is the same wanker who previously claimed to have infected 12,000 girls with HIV, because he wanted to teach black and Hispanic women aged 15-30 about safe sex.
What's with everybody and trying to protect their copyrights? On the heels of RedLasso caving to NBC and Fox's infringement lawsuit comes word two other major cases are making their way to the courts. The first involves the MPAA, a literally a four-letter word for movie pirates, which wants the websites FOMDB.com and MovieRumor.com shut down for persistently posting information on how to download movies illegally. The second involves litigation magnet YouTube, which is being sued by Italy's prime minister. CONTINUED »
Good news, fame-seeking kids and the parents looking to make them into bit part actors! In the same vein as Sprint looking for average citizens to make user-generated commercials while plugging its new Instinct phone, Kmart wants kids to make their own 30- to 60-second spots explaining how they're achieving their back to school style with the downmarket retailer. It's all part of a contest tied to ABC's reality show High School Musical: Get in the Picture, with the winning ad airing during the show's finale. The winner also gets a trip to New York City (to visit Kmart), a $1,000 gift card (to Kmart), and a a Flip Video Ultra camcorder (available at Kmart!). Videographer's block? "If you need more inspiration, head to Kmart and check out the clothes," advises the helpful intro video. So, what have America's future human produce placements come up with? CONTINUED »
Sex kitten Rachel Kramer Bussel, who writes for publications with "Pent" and "house" in their titles, tried exploiting this whole web video thing everybody is talking about to promote the erotic book Spanked that she's editing. So she uploaded a promo teaser to four video sharing sites: Vimeo, Flickr, YouTube, and Blip. In the clip, Bussel shows you just what to expect inside the pages of Spanked, namely, spankings — with books, rulers, hands, frat paddles, and even a copy of Spanked. If the book doesn't move on Nielsen BookScan's charts, at least it'll be an example in the standards policies of each of the sites. CONTINUED »
"A small but growing number of YouTube videos depict people reacting in horror to the jubilant trailer. One woman, sitting with her Yorkshire terrier on her lap, pretends to gag, then protectively covers her dog’s eyes. In another video, two men look at each other in disgust and then one slips a noose over his head." This has been the reaction to a YouTube video that Disney posted to hype Wall E, its new live action blockbuster about what happens when humans binge to the point of retardation. The clip, titled "Beverly Hills Chihuahuas," "depicts several dozen computer-generated chihuahuas performing a Las Vegas-style showstopper, dancing in formation and wearing elaborate headdresses. 'We’re the real hot dogs,' they sing. 'Yo! Hold the bun.'" It is less an exercise in the risk factor of embracing Web 2.0 marketing and more so what happens when marketing execs reach the point of retardation. CONTINUED »
Generally what a giant company employs illicit methods to build buzz about its product, it does not proceed to brag about them. But under CEO Dan Hesse, who insists on appearing in black and white commercials, nothing about Sprint makes sense these days.
In order to build interest about its new Samsung Instinct phone, the wireless carrier is asking filmmakers to plug the phone in a video they post on YouTube — the first 1,000 get $20 and the winner gets a $10,000 grand prize. Under normal circumstances, Sprint might be able to get away with the stunt by saying it merely aims to reward promising young directors with a little cash stipend while getting first-hand experience in product placement.
But they're not even trying to hide behind an excuse. Instead, they think they're in the joke! CONTINUED »
At last(?), the mystery behind the videos of cell phones supposed popping corn, which has been seen nearly 2 million times, is solved: It's an ad. For Cardo Systems.
Surprise!
Oh, murketing, that buzz word describing the stunts pulled by Levi's, Coor's Light, and Nike, which produce stunt videos, post 'em on YouTube, and wait for viewers to eat them up. Unlike TV spots, the clips are cheap to produce, free to distribute, and find audiences in the hundreds of thousands and beyond with a creative that people want to watch.
And: We fully support them.
Is John McCain too old to understand the Internet? Or is there some other legitimate excuse for why his camp hasn't gone on the offensive against the YouTube onslaught that, while perhaps not able to unseat his campaign, is certainly delivering blow after blow and endless talking points for left-y pundits? "Six of the top 10 videos returned by a 'John McCain' YouTube search Thursday pegged the 71-year-old as inconsistent, extreme, wooden or a combination of the three. (The one clearly favorable piece came from the McCain campaign and focused on his Navy service.) Contrast that with a YouTube search of 'Barack Obama.' It's a swoon fest, with virtually all of the top entries featuring the Illinois senator at his eloquent, uplifting best. The videos range from the pop-icon worship of Scarlett Johansson and John Legend & Co. in 'Yes We Can' (closing in on 13 million views) to a clip of the candidate's speech on race after the explosion over the controversial sermons of his onetime pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr." [LAT] Is that upload button too hard to find? Or is Obama's team just that much more adept at getting supporters to popularize favorable videos? Or, just maybe, McCain double-talking out of his ass really does make for a better viewing experience than anything worthwhile he might have to say.
Surprise! That clever YouTube video featuring a guy perfectly pouring a Coors Light from a can to a glass was actually produced by Coors Light and its agency Avenue A/Razorfish (owned by Microsoft), not brand-devoted fellas with a video camera.
The spot on the left has been viewed over a two hundred thousand times, which means it's reached its viral effect, and now it's kosher for Coors to tell all about the videos, which comes on the heels of Levi's "pogo pants" spot, and a slew of others.
But lest you think this is the end of these pseudo ads, there's a suspicious Stella Artois that's been seen over a half million times. CONTINUED »
Cranky former Democrat Joe Lieberman last week called on YouTube to remove videos from what he called Islamic terrorist organizations. If they can keep The Daily Show clips off the site, why not calls for the end of the Western world?
YouTube has at last publicly answered the politico's request, and it reads something like this: Go away.
Funny, coming from a company owned by Google, which has no problem turning in its users when international authorities come calling. CONTINUED »
Editorial Director
