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Hamilton Viral Video Marketing
Perhaps the most well known alternative Hamilton advertising technique is
the viral video. Short videos, usually humorous or controversial,
are created. These videos are different from traditional commercials
in that the goal is generally to entertain the audience, not to
inform them about a particular product. While information transferal
often occurs as well, the aim of the viral video is to amuse. The
idea is that getting the product into the public consciousness is
the best thing that you can do; if people are curious, they will
look up the details themselves.
This model makes the consumer active in the process of
Hamilton advertising.
The consumer seeks out the product, meaning that they are already
putting forth more effort than the traditional television-watcher.
Because the consumer has been active, the likelihood that the
particulars of the product will stick with them is greatly
increased, meaning that when the consumer does need to purchase
something like the product, they will be more likely to remember the
particular product that they viewed the viral video for.
Consumer-Generated Content
This active model of Toronto consumer involvement extends beyond merely
making customers search out further information on their own. Many
viral video campaigns seek out consumer-generated content. They ask
people to create the advertising that they will disseminate virally
over the web.
Take Converse, maker of the ubiquitous “Chuck Taylor” high tops, as
well as athletic shoes of all stripes, which used online video
promotion to collect 24 seconds films for use in a future TV
campaign. Converse asked fans and filmmakers to create short works
that embodied "the values and spirit of Converse." The grand prize
was $10,000 and the opportunity to have one’s video used in a
national, traditional television advertising campaign. The exposure
for aspiring filmmakers was the main draw. Even if one’s video did
not win the grand prize, all submissions were posted online at the
ConverseGallery, viewable to anyone with internet access.
According to an article in the Boston Herald, Converse received 250
submissions within the first three weeks. The gallery, where the
submissions are still viewable, drew 3 million visits within the
first three months. The campaign's objective, according to Converse
executives, was to facilitate "a conversation among those in our
community." Given the age and mobile lifestyle of the brand's target
market, placing the films online first made perfect sense.
Submissions could be “road-tested” to see which ones had the
greatest impact simply be keeping track of how often each one was
viewed, and how great the penetration for each video was by keeping
track of how often they popped up on other websites. All of this
could be accomplished for a price still far below the cost of a
television ad buy in primetime.
In another (slightly different) example, Georgia-Pacific used viral
video techniques and user generated content to relaunch its Brawny
paper towel brand. Brawny had a definite image, a strong, burly
paper towel represented by a strong an burly man. However, the
Brawny man was decidedly stuck in the seventies. To rectify this,
Georgia-Pacific created a more modern, sensitive character that is
now being promoted with an interactive ad campaign that includes
tongue-in-cheek online videos designed to create consumer buzz, as
well as more traditional television commercial and print campaigns.
The launch of this entertaining Toronto viral video campaign, in which the
new, modern Brawny Man caters to a woman's every whim, demonstrates
an understanding of the viral video market by Georgia-Pacific that
few other large-name, traditional companies can boast. Developing a
successful online video campaign is not as simple as creating a
commercial and then offering it for online viewing.
Brawny's and Converse's online video efforts differ from
unsuccessful attempts because they don't rely on re-purposed
material or typical ad spot formats. They are perfect expressions of
the “active consumer” model: the company kept it’s own involvement
to a minimum. The consumer did the work of getting the word out
about the product. In Converse’s case, the consumer created the ad
itself.
The online video is an advertisement in disguise; it entertains
within the context of a brand, builds enthusiasm by providing access
to exclusive material, and reinforces the relationship between
consumer and company through interaction.
Viral Penetration
Video may still be in its infancy compared to other Internet
marketing methods, such as paid search, but it's gaining momentum,
and fast. Broadband Internet penetration exceeds 55 percent in U.S.
households, according to Nielsen//NetRatings. This rising access to
high-speed internet coupled with television innovations like DVRs
make online ad campaigns more and more attractive, even to the most
traditional advertisers. DVRs allow viewers to simply skip over ads
they don't want to watch, making passive delivery a losing
proposition. The consumer must be interested in and excited about
the product, and viral video campaigns both generate and prove this
interest and excitement. Internet users are not wowed by ads that
can be just as easily viewed offline. They're looking for
originality, entertainment, and purpose. They don't want repackaged
television ads.
Consumers may find rehashed material on the Web they missed on TV,
but that doesn't generate brand excitement or word-of-mouth
promotion. In many ways, online video that is little more than
re-purposed television advertising represents a missed opportunity.
Video has been being pushed as the next big thing for years. There
are increasing numbers of online video publishing formats, and new
platforms better allow users to interact with video ads. The stage
is finally set for traditional marketers to make the most of a
medium that's been underutilized for far too long. Will these
marketers innovate or continue to misguidedly use online video as a
TV substitute? The answer lies in consumer reaction. If just a small
number of advertisers lay the groundwork for online video campaigns
that serve a definable purpose and show quantifiable success, many
traditional companies will surely be persuaded to do the same.
Until then, let's hope Internet users don't start viewing online
video as the desperate offline marketer's attempt to reach them.
There's no telling how many Brawny Men it would take to reverse a
reputation like that.
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