Tag Archives: toby

Online Video, popular videos, Video Advertising

America’s Funniest Videos Take YouTube By Storm

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In a very interesting model, the producer of America’s Funniest Videos is bringing an archive of 1970s-present user-generated content to YouTube. And, no, Bob Saget and Tom Bergeron are not hosting, VHS players are optional, and the AFV brand isn’t involved. Thank God.


Instead Vin Di Bona (who, trivia here, used some of my 1980s clips in the trailers promoting AFV) is teaming with Phil DeFranco (Sxephil) and Toby Turner (Tobuscus) in what’s called CuteWinFail. Read about it on NewTeeVee if you actually want facts. The premise is that the audience decides if it’s cute, a “win” (victory) or “fail” (embarrassment).

Toby is one of few people who can pull off hosting this format with his manic delivery, clever writing and genuine nature. He celebrates the archaic clips without pandering to them… and avoids falling into the dangerous trap of Webjunk and Tosh 2.0, where the host snubs the content. Toby walks the fine line in a way that Phil probably couldn’t have done — simply because he couldn’t likely hide his contempt for the clips (but who among us can throw a stone?). Toby, on the contrary, mocks and celebrates the cheesy moments in what can only be called Tobuscumockercelebration.

I believe it’s one of the smartest collaborations between traditional media and YouTube, and far more likely to emulate the popularity of FailBlog than most production/network “fails” on YouTube. It’s also likely to get Phil and Toby on the big-boy radar since it has the credibility of AFV’s producer.

The biggest difference between “Cute Win Fail” and Failblog, of course, is that the clips are owned by the channel, so advertising is fair game. Poor FailBlog could be making several hundred thousand dollars (actually well more) if it was monetized, but it’s mostly “ripped” content. Di Bona’s production company (see NewTeeVee) owns loads of cheesy b-roll, and it would have been a horrible embarrassment to start uploading and monetizing it without Sxephil and Tobuscus vouching for it and putting it into YouTube context… and allowing it to be self aware of the “cheese” factor in a way that even the smooth Bergeron couldn’t have done.

Blogs on Video, Online Video

What is Social Media?

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nalts social media 60 second marketerI met the Marketing Diva (Toby Bloomberg) at a Cox Communications event. She pulled out her Flip cam and asked me to define social media. So I gave her a quick answer. Then along comes “The 60 Second Marketer” and packages this spontaneous clip into the following video called “What is Social Media.” Suddenly, my “pull it out the bum” verbal exposition looks rather comprehensive and definitive.

Let’s explore what makes this clip so trustworthy:

  • Logo at the beginning
  • Cool voice over
  • Simple delivery
  • Sponsored content
  • Nice look/feel

I think the next time I decide to represent my random opinion as fact, I’m going to proceed and follow it with Slater doing a deep, rich voiceover that summarizes it.

advertising, book, Making Money, Making Videos, marketing, YouTube

YouTube as Marketing Channel: Live With Bloomberg

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Marketing Consultant Toby Bloomberg (Marketing Diva Blog) is hosting a radio/podcast show on the topic of YouTube as a marketing channel. It’s live tomorrow night (Tuesday, 6:30 PM EST). I’ll be a guest along with Ben Relles, creator of the wildly viral “I Got a Crush on Obama” and Barely Political.

Here are the details:

  • What: YouTube/social networking video sites: Play Toy or Credible Marketing Strategy? Kevin Nalts and Ben Relles join Toby to explore if video networking sites like YouTube can go beyond “cool” to a credible marketing strategy. And by the way, how do you get a video viewed by thousands?
  • When: Tuesday, 2/19/2008 6:30 PM EST
  • Where: (718) 508-9924 (or visit Toby’s channel on BlogTalkRadio, but note this link activates the last show with a preroll audio ad).

Now archived here

book, Online Video

What Is Social Media?

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marketing.jpgToby Bloomberg, who writes Diva Marketing Blog, asked me recently to define social media. I didn’t have a lot of time to think, okay? But here I am on her blog aside much smarter people. Like Peter Kim Being Peter a Senior Analyst at Forrester Research. And the hysterical David Berkowitz (Marketers Studio), a Director of Emerging Media at 360i.

David, by the way, taught me the word “lolcats.”