As regular site visitors may recall, we have been rabbiting on about guerrilla marketing on YouTube and the use of promo online video for some time. Now, a research firm has released a report on the subject complete with best practice case studies and a detailed how to guide.
Futurescape’s ‘From TV Ads to YouTube Anarchy: understanding marketing via video social networking services’ gives an overview of the video sharing site, its audience and “how to align campaigns with the motivations of social networking service members”.
The report goes on to a give a detailed guide to setting up and managing a campaign on YouTube, along with details of more than 80 video social networking services and the marketing opportunities on offer. Among the questions it attempts to answer is why a professionally-shot lingerie advert featuring Kate Moss garnered only 75,000 views while a home video of a giggling baby scored eight million views in the same period.
According to Futurescape: “For an advertiser or agency just to upload their latest television commercial to YouTube and do no more is to risk it being ignored.
“Marketers, brands and agencies have a wealth of experience in producing entertaining and engaging video. What they now have to do is make the leap from broadcasting commercials to entering into a conversation, from the controlled world of television ads to YouTube anarchy.”
The key to success for companies of any size in the new medium is to understand why people join video and social networking sites and tap into those motivations. These motivations, Futurescape state, include forming and reinforcing personal relationships, self-expression in a social setting, playfulness and creativity and gaining status from participation.
Case studies in the report reveal techniques that work well in video social networking sites, such as supporting existing talent, amplifying people’s creativity and matching the product with the most appropriate social networking service. Profiled are more than 80 video social networking services including:
- AOL UnCut
- Bebo TV
- Metacafe
- MSN Soapbox
- MySpace Videos
- Yahoo! Video
- YouTube
The report is priced at £350 for a single-user licence, £1,295 for a 5-user licence and £2,495 for 10-users. It is available via Futurescape’s Web site at: www.futurescape.co.uk
