Private Voting Moment… Posted for World November 4, 2008
Posted by Nalts in : Online Video , 20commentsSomeone will be doing a news story about idiot voters, and they’ll need some b-roll. Here you go. My private vote broadcast to the world. You know, I thought for sure they’d bust me with the camera. So I even had a spare tucked in my pocket. Nobody cared. One lady asked me if I was posting it, and I promised her it wouldn’t end up on TubeYou. Forgot to include that clip, or me telling the volunteer I was only there to offset my wife’s vote.
I’m just glad it’s all over. I’m going to really enjoy the top 100 highest rated videos for the next four years.
In a great moment of irony, Sarah Palin just left me a voicemail while I was typing this. I’m not sure it was really her, though. She didn’t call me buttercup like she normally does.
You know what’s odd? I’ve read 50 comments and it’s as if nobody has yet recognized that I stuck a random shot of me dressed as a black guy in the middle.(Update: YouTube Reviewed spotted it. Be sure to read my comment on the blog if this thumbnail offends you, whitey).
Is the Stupid Election Almost Over? November 4, 2008
Posted by Nalts in : Online Video , 33commentsI hate elections. People coming to my home, boring converations, phone calls from spinsters. And all the most-viewed videos are political satires or ads.
If you watch my channel, you’ll notice I haven’t been posting videos. I’m eagerly waiting for the wonderful calm after the political storm. Too much noise now. It’s like trying to market during Christmas. Wait- we’re still having Christmas this year, right? How do you explain to a child that Santa’s in a recession? He’s magic, and immune to such trivialities as debt.
Brands Looking for Good Video Content Are Smoking Acid November 4, 2008
Posted by Nalts in : Online Video , 10commentsIt’s very obvious to advertisers to buy media that interupts popular television shows. Supply/demand creates expensive spots for the Superbowl, and bargain prices for reruns of Full House.
But when branded entertainment became vogue, someone smoked bad acid and promoted a ridiculous concept. Get the sponsor before launching a show, and sell ‘em based on the quality of the content. This assumes that agencies and video producers know what content will become popular and influential, (and worse yet that advertisering sponsors can). Wrong. Wrong. Who could have predicted ANYONE in the top 10 most-subscribed YouTube list? Who could have predicted that I’d be a most-viewed YouTube comedian, for crying out loud? And yes I know people don’t smoke acid, jerk.
GoDaddy took a sole sponsorship on “Internet Superstar” (a very clever show that’s now RIP). I loved the show, but I also recognize that — for reasons that elude me — audiences don’t flock to a well-produced show about the other video stars and shows. It similarly perplexes me that Pepsi-backed PopTub hasn’t yet developed a larger audience, but perhaps the “Entertainment Tonight of online video” defies the niche nature of online video (then again, I laughed when I saw magazines about the Internet, and some have survived).
Don’t get me wrong. I believe GoDaddy picked well with Internet Superstar, and that Pepsi found a good show on PopTub. But it’s easy and unwise to pitch an idea, get backing, and then search for an audience with the sponsor’s money.
I’d take a more pragmatic approach as an advertiser. I would promote via what people watch and not what “the suits” and focus groups predict will be hot. That means I’d partner with something as inane as Fred (assuming I felt confident that his bit had staying power). And if I found a brilliant concept (iChannel) that hadn’t garnered an audience, I’d let someone else fund their launch. As I said, online-video popularity is not about talent alone.
An exception, of course, would be Burger King sponsoring content by a known animator (Seth Mac Farlane) that is getting traction because audiences like Seth’s style, and BK is pumping it with ad dollars. And who wouldn’t rather watch “Seth sellout” rather than Burger King commercials on a Burger King YouTube channel?
But when a popular YouTuber spawns a spinoff channel, it often develops a quick following without ad dollars to pimp it or a well-known offline personality.
- MrSafety’s relatively new “Mean Kitty” channel is about to surpass me in subscribers.
- What The Buck Show host, Michael Buckley, has an extremely popular channel where all he does is vlog.
- Another spinoff (BamBamKaBoosh) amassed 50,000 subscribers in days without any videos — just because popular creators promoted it.
- Show me an agency that has developed video content and garnered such a fast and loyal audience without promoting it (with ads that might be better served to sell their product not a lame show).
Now the power of being a sole sponsor is far greater than an interruption ad, and these programs shouldn’t be evaluated on a basis of total views but on the impact of the views (not CPM, folks, but Dynamic Logic pre/post awareness and attitude trackers).
I’d rather have a small product placement on the most popular YouTube channel than be the sole backer of an amazing show that’s in search for an audience. Even in branded entertainment, follow the crowds unless you’re extremely confident you can create your own.
Why Web Stars Can’t Act, and Why It Doesn’t Matter November 4, 2008
Posted by Nalts in : Online Video , 13comments
A recent HBOLabs series titled “Hooking Up” has surprised people in two ways: those who expected TV/film-like acting performances from web stars have been disappointed. Those who expected another web series to be ignored were wrong.The show has had nearly 50K subscribers, and hundreds of thousands of views per episode (less for the vlogs).
So this proved that a web series that accesses the fame of known creators in 2008 and 2009 will draw larger audiences than with trained actors. Indeed by TV/film standards, web stars shouldn’t even be called actors.
Each medium creates its own stars… and some survive the transition from stage to radio to television to film and now internet video. But Hooking Up is a reminder of two indisputable facts about web stars:
- We are not the world’s finest script actors.
- We can (even me sometimes) attract sizable audiences (especially by web video standards).
The series would have floundered like many others had it not tapped into the vibrant audiences of its top stars. Kids that would watch Ishtar 2 as longs as KevJumba and LonelyGirl15 were in it.
Let this be a reminder that to be a popular video creator, there are a number of skillsets required that are far more diverse than acting. If a video creator is brilliant at a few, but lacks a balance, than he/she has far less odds of success than the one with decent skills across the board.
- Ability to connect with the audience as if each viewer is a friend.
- A unique and interesting approach to videos.
- Good looks (I make up in other areas).
- The commitment to interact with the audience in comments and e-mails.
- Editing skills. I have the power to turn horrendous acting into B-movie acting via this alone.
- Street smarts on what audiences want. This means watching a lot of video.
- Low costs. Big productions bleed.
- Acting.
- Self promotion and networking (among creators and industry folks).
- Most importantly, unwavering persistence, thick skin, and the ability to reenvent.
I’ll bet on a web personality that has most of these, and can’t act before a brilliant actor that’s too shy to interact with other creators or audiences.
Here’s what’s interesting, though. I believe these requirements will change as larger players enter the arena. Remember 2 years ago you just had to be an interesting vlogger that caught the attention of a popular vlogger. So the rules are changing.
2009 will still require all of these skills, but in years ahead we may well see that larger productions will find these skills in a few people, allowing the “best in breed” instead of the “full service personality.”
Confidentially (which is why I’m only telling the 19 of you that read this blog) I didn’t care much for my own acting on Hooking Up, but I have two things that saved me. My appearance on The Retarded Policeman (which is Emmy-Award winning) and the fact that some of the Hooking Up acting was so bad I’m Shakespearean by contrast.
Internet Superstar RIP, Microsoft goes CGA, Celebrities are DUM October 30, 2008
Posted by Nalts in : Online Video , 41commentsNews roundup. I just savd you visiting 10 websites.
- AdAge today reports that “Internet Superstar” (by Revision3) is R.I.P. A moment of silence please for Internet’s Martin Sargent and friends. The show’s recent McCain spoof has a slow build, but some comic moments as McCain discovers a phone without a cord..
- Microsoft is asking consumers to create ads because it realizes that its own marketing is so bad a freak with a webcam could top it.
- Celebrities are still using video to get us to vote. Sigh.
- Daisy Whitney reports that Strike.tv is live. Worth a visit, but I got so sleepy with the snail-paced Global Warming show I left.
- Whitney picks her favorite stand-up acts at RoofTopComedy.com.
- Hard-working Americans prefer Dunkin Donuts. So you Starbucks drinkers are a bunch of slackers.
Blogging is Cooler than Vlogging, Says One Expert October 28, 2008
Posted by Nalts in : Online Video , 32commentsYou know I’ve blogged got almost 3 years about online video. I used to check out the stats, and think about SEO. Now I just dig the informality and the little gang that’s formed around it. Since the typical ratio of views/comments is probably 95 and 5, I’m probably ignoring the needs of a few hundred avid readers.
But it’s much more fun to read clever quips and playful feuding among the fun commenters. It’s like I’m on a stage trying to convince marketers, agencies and sites to partner for a 3-way win. But in the back of the crowd (far behind the 4 ladies that are sound asleep) is the heckling YouTube crowd. While it should distract me, I realize that the attendees have all fallen asleep. So I just get a case of cheap beer and we do ponies backstage.
Oh- I started this post to compare blogging to vlogging. Well vlogging is boring. And not scanable. And it requires you to turn on the camera at a time when electricity probably cost too much.
Vote for Long-Time Nalts Viewer’s Ugly Couch October 28, 2008
Posted by Nalts in : Online Video , 41commentsDiane wants to win this contest because she believes her couch is not just ugly. It’s the ugliest.
I find it such an odd goal I almost respect it. Vote here.
WAZZUP Budweiser Ad: 2008 Version October 28, 2008
Posted by Nalts in : Online Video , 19commentsA must-see video (thanks Jan) because in 4 days this clip has been viewed 2.5 million times on YouTube alone. So it’s touching a nerve. It’s the Budweiser “wuzzup” advertisement in 2008. A depressed unemployed guy, a soldier, a dude needing healthcare and pain pills, and a screwed investor. Or something like that.
It appears that the distributor (channel owner) is 60Frames is not an indivual creator but a collection of them, and maybe this one is sponsored? Which maybe explains why it has very few subscribers and varying videos. But a cool logo, dangit.
You’re not even reading this. You’re watching the video. Well it has some long pauses so go answer the Monopoly question below.
Determine Your Psychological Profile Based on Monopoly October 28, 2008
Posted by Nalts in : Online Video , 43comments
I try to stick to video in this blog, but I’m allowed to wander because there’s no advertising and I’m only paid zero dollars per word. That’s why I write long posts. It’s more profitable.
So now I’m going to predict your personality based on one question. What happens in Monopoly when someone lands on “free parking”? Please type your answer in the comments field BEFORE clicking “more” or Googling the answer. I don’t need you rigging this. If I find out only 2% of readers participated, I’ll track down your IP address, come to your work or home, and throw sand in your face.
This psychoanalysis should not constitute as medical advice, and it’s based on no longitudinal clincal research that includes a test and control and a pre and post factorial quantifier of exponent data.
P.S. The bonus question is do you like raw or cooked carrots?
Obama Wins Video Election. Palin In Oval Office. October 28, 2008
Posted by Nalts in : Online Video , 11comments
Although Obama hasn’t been elected President, he’s already won the video election. There’s no disputing that his supporters have mobilized better via online video. Want proof?
- You Cost Obama the White House. As part of the “get your liberal ass out of bed and vote” campaign, this is an old personalized video trick but rather effectively executed. A news story that casts the recipient (if the link works, it will probably be Kevin N.) as the sole lacking vote that lost Obama the White House.
- Now You Have to Live With It. As the vote that cost Obama, you’ll also have to confront a virtual world where Sarah Palin squats the Oval Office. This interactive Sarah Palin page (video, flash, audio) reminds us that the “inside Palin” jokes are more abundant than we might realize. Before you visit the “Palin for President” website, pick 10 things you’d expect. Then click around to discover all you forgot. By the time I was done, the red phone rang, the world was destroyed, and dinosaurs roamed the White House lawn.
- Popular Videos Don’t Lie(Sometimes). Check out YouTube’s most popular videos of the day or the week(save this link, because it takes about 10 minutes to find these sections). Every night I surf the most highly rated 100 YouTube videos because AppleTV makes it easy, and it annoys my wife (who likes to read without Fred screaming and doesn’t mind interupting Buckley to tell me about her day). It’s almost impossible to have a proMcCain or Republican message highly rated, and almost any pro Obama liberal video has a chance. I cannot wait until mid November.
I believe this is evidence of America voting with their views and video stars, and although it’s not as scientific it’s intuitively more trustworthy than polls. You can bullshit a poll, but a rating is visceral.
Do you have any more theories? Wait- let me guess…
- Obama makes for good video (even if you’re Rush Limbaugh you have to admit he does good video)
- The digital audience skews liberal (save JibJab, which tends to balance its humor)
- Obama Girl is responsible for it all
- Old people and ditsy hotties make good parody victims (me in drag)
- The Obama campaign has coordinated to leverage new media, and urges people to vote videos up and down
- There’s a left wing nut job at YouTube that’s manipulating the numbers (I tossed that one in to save my family from having to comment)
