Interesting Uses for YouTube
“Video killed the radio star, video killed the radio star.” The Buggles were right.
Did you know that one hour of video is uploaded to YouTube every second? Chances are you’ve wasted a lot of time, or if the glass is half full, spent some of your happiest moments watching “$h!t (fill in the blank’s) Say” and videos of awesome animal tricks or unlikely animal friendships – FSC’s personal favorites. So, at a time when more than 3 billion videos are viewed on YouTube each day, how are brands supposed to stand out among the masses?
In the past week I’ve come across two very different brands embracing YouTube very differently. I would like to give a personal pat on the back to the following companies, who are re-imagining the video-sharing platform and taking Google’s new YouTube “Channel” experience to the next level. Hopefully these interesting uses for YouTube will inspire you to take some action, too.
Let Video Break the News
“Instead of having the video be an ancillary component of your message, make it the vehicle of the message,” says Matt Levine, co-owner of Sons of Essex, a restaurant on New York City’s Lower East Side. Levine decided to use YouTube to introduce and promote his restaurant’s menu offerings. Using videos to tease an announcement on social media is a great way to incentivize a customer to click through and identify your brand as a reputable source for good content, maybe even an industry influencer.
Skip Ad: Forget the square image and the catchy copy, switch to the video setting on your iPhone, take us behind the scenes and whisper a secret in our ear.
To Branded Content…and Beyond
“What we are creating goes far beyond providing branded content,” says Richard Dickson, President and Chief Executive Officer of The Jones Group, where popular retail brand Nine West hangs its shoe rack. The company recently announced that they will launch a YouTube network called Channel 9 – a destination for shoe-obsessed fashionistas to engage with compelling and shareable “premium programming,” as well as innovative user-generated content based on new trends.
Skip Ad: Most people aren’t into infomercials or even well-done documentaries. Give us something we can use. Did you know “How-To” videos are some of the most searched on YouTube? Bring your brand to life!
It’s not enough to just have a YouTube channel anymore (although it doesn’t hurt for SEO). You have to create an experience – a destination. A little lagniappe love goes to Sony. Sony PS3 players have a new and improved video experience thanks to a new native YouTube app for PS3. With more and more people accessing videos on their mobile phone or tablet via a YouTube app, this seems like the perfect complement. Is your brand ready to shake things up by taking a steady hand to the video-cam?
Five, four, three, two…Action!