Videos 18 Feb
Top of the commercial product videos on You Tube last week was this short clip about the Xperia X1 from Sony Ericsson, a new phone that is all whooshy and whirly in the manner of the iPhone. A straightforward ad that’s been put on the site by a fan, (or at least a tech blog) not by the brand.
The next one is from Sports Illustrated, the bikini edition, with lots of shots of a half-naked woman that many of the more vocal element of the YouTube watchers enjoy viewing. It documents the shoot for the magazine special, focusing on one of the models and is part of a set of different short videos all focusing on a different person. Given the reputation of the swimsuit edition (why does a sports magazine do this?) the use of YT complements the content well.
A commercial for Burnout Paradise City promotes an EA game, spoofing all those dating service ads. If all you ever do is meet on line to race and crash, you never need to be compatible. I always think there’s never enough spoofs out there; this one is pretty good fun.
Having being doing this now since the start of the year, I’m surprised at how few product relevant videos makes it into the top 100 every week and how I’ve never seen one in the list for more than one week. The latter can be said for almost every other video type as well, as I rarely see videos in the list for long. To get a product related-video in the top list should be seen as a success compared to competing products. The ephemeral nature of the popularity means that your success needs to be measured in the long term, it’s not all down to what can be done in a few days. Those figures can be manipulated by ad spend and sponsored placement, which can garner huge views, but a successful video will have a long life, being spread in waves as new people find it. Setting the right expectations is key to selling the effectiveness of this medium.
Last up, despite my not reporting on entertainment properties, I have to share this Indiana Jones Trailer. It’s Indiana Jones!!! How can you not be looking forward to the film?
