eROI Days Email Agency

No I am not going to bang the idea that we can all shoot video. I am just going to share with you another brand that is getting into asking everyone to create an ad and upload it. With YouTube we are all now experts it seems. Or at least novices that can make some compelling stories that others will watch. Are we all voyeurs? Is it just human nature to want to watch others? Or are we creating a online community that owns the brand? Owns the content? And brands are just a way to express yourself around a feeling they emote?

I have lot of questions around what is happening with the social and video sites.

Not sure, but what I do know is the JACK in the BOX is hit a few times a week by the eROI team and I have a digitial video camera in my office. Maybe we might hit the Jackies.

http://jackinthebox.com/jackies/

Social Networking has blanketed the news for the past 18 months because it works. YouTube and MySpace have built loyal communities through entertaining user-generated content and great tools to communicate with other like-minded people. However, Social Networking is going NICHE. People enjoy specific tools to connect, recommend, rate, and communicate within their niche groups.

For this reason, there are many types of Social Media:

B2C: MySpace, Facebook, Gaia, Freindster, Second Life
B2B: LinkedIn, Jigsaw
Search: Digg, Delicious, Wink, Technorati
Shopping: Wists, ThisNext, Woot
Expert Communities: Blogs, Wikis
Mapping: Geosearch
Video: YouTube, TurnHere
Images: flickr

OnlineMediaDaily reported on Oct 31 that Media Titan and NBA-player-wannabe Mark Cuban received an email from the Pho List, a media-related exclusive email list. The OnlineMediaDaily article further stipulates that this email (which can’t be substantiated) revealed:

“One reason YouTube’s price tag was so big is that nearly one-third of the $1.65 billion has been set aside to deal with potential legal issues, with the rest being distributed to shareholders, including VC firm Sequoia Capital.

Google realized that $500 hundred million may not be enough (there could be hundreds of thousands of copyright suits here), so they decided to let certain media companies in on the sale. Once major labels got wind, they used the “most favored nation” clause to ensure their piece of the action–about $50 million per major media company from the Google buyout.

Instead of receiving cash, the media companies received an equity position in YouTube, which means they won’t have to pay their artists any royalty fees (most record label contracts call for artists to get 50 percent of license deals). Since it’s an investment, they’re no longer required to share the spoils.

Google basically bought a six-month exclusive on widespread copyright infringement. It figures that deal will ensure that their competitors will slowly fall by the wayside. As a result, expect a legal claim of collusion between Google and big media companies as other video companies begin to spiral downward.”

ClickZ (and every other media company in the world) just reported that:

“Google will acquire YouTube for $1.65 billion, marrying the dominant force in Internet search with the first and most powerful brand in networked Web video sharing, the companies announced. The deal is expected to close in Q4.

The agreement represents a big step into multimedia content and tools for Google. The company has long stated its enthusiasm for video, but has so far struggled to build a large audience around its own platform. With a value pegged at nearly three times the price News Corp. paid for MySpace only 15 months ago, the deal is also testament to the rise of social networking technologies.

“The YouTube team has built an exciting and powerful media platform that complements Google’s mission to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful,” said Google CEO Eric Schmidt in a statement. “Our companies share similar values; we both always put our users first and are committed to innovating to improve their experience. Together, we are natural partners to offer a compelling media entertainment service to users, content owners and advertisers.”

YouTube CEO Chad Hurley: “By joining forces with Google, we can benefit from its global reach and technology leadership to deliver a more comprehensive entertainment experience for our users and to create new opportunities for our partners. I’m confident that with this partnership we’ll have the flexibility and resources needed to pursue our goal of building the next-generation platform for serving media worldwide.”

YouTube will retain its brand identity and keep its offices in San Bruno, Calif.”

YouTube graces the cover of Forbes magazine and has a write up in Newsweek. It seems everywhere I turn, I hear about YouTube and MySpace defining the next wave of growth of the Internet. The Online Marketing Media and Advertising show in New York City had 20+ speakers, panelists, and breakout sessions over 2 days that reinforced this message at every opportunity.

Crispin Porter & Bogusky and other ad agencies are creating such compelling ads (e.g. VW ad below) and online experiences (Burger King’s SubservientChicken.com), that loyal fans are uploading it to Web 2.0 superstars like YouTube and creating communities around these advertising concepts on MySpace.

Retro techie meets creative meets Web 2.0. This video shows the viral nature of YouTube and authentic, creative video showcased on the Web 2.0 site. I received an email from someone in my office, a friend in Belgium, and another business associate in the span of 2 days. Fascinating.

Alex Williams in my office sent me this email. Not sure of the source, but it hits the mark

WIKIPEDIA

Benchmark: You didn’t create your own entry.

Perfect for: Filmmakers, playwrights, Ashlee Simpson.

When you’ve made it: No one has any idea that your best friend wrote about your “vast, impressive contributions to the modern cultural landscape.”

When you’ve really, really made it: You are no longer disputed for neutrality.

MySPACE

Benchmark: More than 10,000 friends. 50 comments. You are online now.

Perfect for: 12-year-olds, musicians, Dane Cook.

When you’ve made it: Your Top 8 is la creme de la creme of Bratz fans with saucy, up-to-no-good stares. Your comments cup overfloweth.

When you’ve really, really made it: You and Tom talk, like, all the time.

YOUTUBE

Benchmark: You’ve been downloaded 50,000 times and passed around more than a New York socialite in the Hamptons on a long holiday weekend.

Perfect for: That dude in Romania with the Web cam, comedians.

When you’ve made it: You are linked to on more than 100 different Web sites. The words “blog” and “spot” have never sounded quite so sweet.

When you’ve really, really made it: When your video crashes the site. You’re called to direct a music video.

TECHNORATI

Benchmark: You have more than 50 inbound links.

Perfect for: College students, Vanity Fair writers.

When you’ve made it: There is serious blogometric pressure. Serious.

When you’ve really, really made it: You made Cory Doctorow giggle.

FLICKR

Benchmark: You have been “favorited” more than 300 times.

Perfect for: People with hands.

When you’ve made it: You get tagged more than an NYU freshman on a highway overpass.

When you’ve really, really made it: You have just blogged your pants. You are not sorry.