"Give Extra..."

I’ve seen it all!  Extra has found a very creative way to mix romance with chewing gum.  In a commercial that is currently playing, a guy sketches memorable times he has had with his girlfriend on the inside of chewing gum wrappers.  Beginning with their first meeting in high school through dates, prom, graduation, living together, and her leaving to further her career, they share Extra gum at poignant times, and he draws them all.  He saves these drawings and eventually has a showing of them at a gallery.  When she visits the show, she looks at each of them and remembers the events.  The last one surprises her.  In it, he is kneeling and holding up a ring.  She gasps and turns.  Behind her, he is duplicating the drawing, kneeling and holding up the ring.

This commercial is so powerful that it has had over sixteen million views on YouTube.  Check it out here. 

In the biggest season of the year for engagements, management at Extra has tapped into the sentiment and tied its product to romance.  Remarkably, the product was tied so well to the scene in the commercial that I actually remember the product and its name.  Often creative commercials of this type are short, short, short films written by wannabe film makers.  While memorable, they usually do not tie the story line to the product and leave the viewer with a memory of what was being promoted.

However, the marketing team at Extra demonstrated an understanding of what’s on the minds of Extra’s target market right now and used the story line of this commercial to tap into that focus.  They set up the commercial to show how Extra can be a part of a romance. 

Judging from the number of views on YouTube and the comments this understanding has been effective.  One person admitted, “This is probably one of the only ads I won’t skip.”  Another exclaimed, “A piece of gum can do all this?  I need to buy some ASAP.”  A third said “I headed to the supermarket and purchased 500 packs of gum.”

When you know the members of your target market well enough to recognize how different times of the year impact them, you can adjust your message to be in sync with their interests.  Doing so increases the likelihood of your target market receiving your message, remembering it, and, ultimately, buying your product or service.

The first time I saw the Extra commercial, I couldn’t believe that a chewing gum company would tie its product to romance.  After further consideration, I realized the appropriateness of that move.  I realized how well Extra’s marketing team understood Extra’s target market.    

How well do you know your target market?  How do you adjust your message in order to be in sync with what is happening in their lives?

This week's marketing trivia challenge is How does the holidays affect your target market? E-mail me your answer.

The Impact of Video

When I was a wet-behind-the-ears TV sales representative, I received some advice from a man I respected who had sold TV advertising for many years. “Everyone wants to be on TV. You just have to find a way to help them do it.”

I embraced his view, approached my sales with that attitude, and sold a great deal of advertising. I helped business people find a way to be on TV.

Looking at his words today, I wonder, “Why did everyone want to be on TV?”

Now I would revise his statement to “Everyone wants to use the impact of video, but they don’t know how to do it.”

What is the impact of video?

First, video is visual. You can communicate a great deal and do so more quickly though visuals. Showing has always been easier than telling. Words can be interpreted different ways, and noise can affect them. Usually, what you see is understandable without interpretation.

Second, video gets our attention and holds it. We are more likely to watch a video than to read a note. The two may take the same amount of time, but video will trump written or spoken.

Third, video conveys emotion. Through video, we can get in touch with the emotions of our customers. We can project credibility and further trust in our businesses. We can speak to our customers on a person-to-person level.

Fourth, video uses movement. We like to see movement. We like to see how something moves. Even seeing normally non-moving items such as text put into moving effects helps us notice and retain the message. Consider the two strongest mediums that we use everyday, television and the Internet. Both use video, and both show movement, don’t they?

Today businesses have the opportunity to use video beyond television. They can set up a channel on YouTube which can be watched by anyone, anywhere, and at any time, 24/7. No longer are businesses restricted to a slot on television which airs at a particular time that is watched by an audience limited by reception and personal schedules. In addition, today’s videos can be part of a two-way conversation with customers. Videos can be used to further relationships with customers, thereby increasing sales.

Cost-wise, videos are inexpensive. YouTube charges nothing to host an unlimited number of videos. You can shoot a video with a digital camera that costs around $100. You can upload what you have shot in moments without any editing. Of all the ways that you can market, video costs very little.

Yes, businesses want to use the impact of video. However, most don’t know how. If you want to learn how, do so. Read a book, go online, or find a resource from which to learn. I am offering my new seminar, How to Use the Visual Impact of YouTube, for just that purpose. I invite you to attend. Whether you attend or not, do use video in your marketing.

Online or off, video is the most effective way to communicate.

Justin, Ted, and Grayson

Justin Bierber. Ted Williams. Grayson Chance. Are you familiar with these names? They all have gained notoriety from YouTube videos.

Justin owes his success to his mother. Raised in Canada, Justin taught himself at a young age how to play the piano, drums, guitar, and trumpet. In 2007 at the age of twelve, he entered a singing competition in his hometown of Stratford, Ontario, and placed second. His proud mother shot a video of his performance in the competition and posted it on YouTube for family and friends to watch. After her first YouTube upload, she continued to post Justin’s performances, and his videos grew in popularity. A year after her first post, Scooter Braun, a former marketing executive, was searching YouTube for another musician and came across Justin’s videos by accident. Scooter was impressed. He tracked down the theater where the performance which he had watched had been shot, then located Justin’s school, and finally reached Justin’s mother. She allowed Justin to fly to Altanta to meet with Scooter and Usher, and that was the beginning of Justin’s teen heartthrob career. Now seventeen, a couple of weeks ago Justin could not leave his London hotel room due to the throngs of fans outside.

Ted was homeless in early January. He wrote on a piece of cardboard that he “had a God-given golden voice” and needed work. Holding his sign, Ted positioned himself on a busy street corner in Columbus, Ohio. A reporter sitting at a traffic light read Ted’s sign and was intrigued. He opened his window to talk to Ted, and Ted’s reply in his deep, rich voice further piqued the reporter’s attention. The reporter grabbed his camera and shot a video of Ted holding up his sign and talking. As soon as the reporter returned to his desk, he uploaded the video to YouTube. Within hours, the video had gone viral, and virtually overnight Ted became a YouTube sensation. Offers for voice work poured in, including the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers and NFL films.

Grayson shot a video of his performance of Lady Gaga’s “Paparazzi” at a sixth-grade music festival and uploaded it to YouTube. His brother wrote to The Ellen DeGeneres Show and suggested that Ellen watch the video. On May 10, 2010, two weeks after the video had been uploaded, Ellen watched it and awarded Grayson the first recording contract with her a new record label. Seven months later on January 3, 2011, Grayson was the 28th most subscribed musician of all time on YouTube with a 286,000 plus subscriber base. His videos have had over thirty-seven million views on YouTube.

Ted’s original video has had over eleven million hits.

Justin continues to upload videos to his YouTube channel. He has six million fans following him on Twitter.

What do Justin, Ted, and Grayson have to do with your marketing?

They all gained fame through YouTube. YouTube has impact. YouTube gets attention. YouTube encourages sharing. While you may not be interested in the millions that these three have touched, YouTube is an effective marketing tool to reach your customers. Using an inexpensive digital camera, you can shoot a video and broadcast your business at virtually no cost on YouTube. If you were offered free commercials on TV you would use them, wouldn’t you? YouTube is a free video channel.

In addition, you can add new videos whenever you want at minimal cost and have them available for your customers to watch 24/7 on YouTube. Your videos can be tied to your Web site, pulling in more attention and ranking your site higher in the search engines. People like video, and that’s why YouTube gets a great deal of attention. Video is a powerful marketing tool.

Are you tapping into the power of video on YouTube?

The Power of YouTube

At the end of the Oscars last night, the fifth grade PS 22 (Public School 22) chorus from New York City sang the finale, “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” They were joined by many of the winners of the evening, all proudly holding their Oscars. At first glance, you may assume that the PS 22 chorus is in New York City which would bring it notoriety. You may further assume that the school is a “Glee” situation of featuring and cultivating the arts. Both are incorrect assumptions.

The PS 22 chorus has an energetic director, Mr. B, who regularly takes videos of his chorus and uploads them to YouTube. His initial purpose had been to show the chorus to the children’s parents. He was marketing to his customers. “When I started posting this stuff, there weren’t other schools doing it. Now, the department of education is encouraging it.”

These videos captured the attention of the New York Times, the New Yorker, and many musicians. The PS 22 chorus has won a Webby Award, performed at the White House, and prompted contacts from “the most extraordinary musicians on the planet who want to make music with the kids.”

Last year the chorus was brought to the attention of the producer of the Oscars. After watching the videos, the producer decided to invite the chorus to perform last night‘s finale. When Mr. B received the call from a Hollywood producer, he told the office to take a message. Upon returning the call, he learned of the extraordinary offer which gave sixty-five fifth graders the experience of a lifetime. They experienced their first airplane ride, went to Disneyland, and sang the finale at the Oscars.

That is the power of YouTube.

Why is YouTube powerful? First, YouTube is visual. Humans like visual. We like to see, which communicates to us more completely and quickly than any other method. Even more, YouTube is moving visual, adding the impact of motion and showing real life. Third, YouTube is easily spread online to others.

The PS 22 chorus is the most recent example of the power of YouTube. What’s even more amazing is how easily anyone can use YouTube. From music teachers to businesses, anyone can set up a channel on YouTube in minutes at no cost. You can broadcast yourself to the world virtually instantly. As a business person, you can broadcast your business to your customers instantly at no cost. I think YouTube is an important part of today’s marketing plans which is why I am presenting a seminar about YouTube in June.

How are you harnessing the power of YouTube for your business?

Happy Birthday

YouTube celebrated its fifth birthday this week. The brainchild of three Paypal employees, YouTube was prompted by two events, Janet Jackson’s Super Bowl wardrobe malfunction and the horrendous tsunami in Asia. In 2005 there was no easy way to share videos of either event. As they talked about this at a dinner party, one of the three proposed that they start a video-sharing site. A few days later they agreed to move forward on the idea and designated who would do what part of the project.

Within three months, YouTube was launched in May, 2005. Its big break didn’t come until December 17th of that year, though, when a video titled, “Lazy Sunday” which was a copy of a Saturday Night Live skit, was uploaded. Ten days later the video had been downloaded more than 1.2 million times. While that’s an impressive figure, it pales in comparison to today’s numbers.

Ten months later, in November, 2006, Google bought YouTube for 1.65 billion dollars. Now YouTube receives over two billion views per day which nearly double the combined prime time viewership of the top three television networks, ABC, NBC, and CBS. Every minute 24 hours of new video is uploaded.

Wow! In five years YouTube has those numbers. That is amazing, isn’t it?

YouTube has become a part of our culture. New singers are being discovered on YouTube. New expressions such as “This is going to be all over YouTube” are common. New folk heroes are embraced because they were on YouTube. We have become accustomed to referencing YouTube in many ways.

What does that mean for your business?

YouTube represents an opportunity for you. You may set up your own YouTube channel, www.YouTube.com/your business. Onto that channel you may upload videos that demonstrate your product, explain your service, give information, tell something new, or show something fun. Use the channel as you like to talk to your customers, increase your business, and spread word of mouth. Add as many videos as you wish to your channel. Your only limit is ten minutes and 100 MB per video. That’s a lot of time and space!

Shoot your videos yourself with a digital camera that records in .mpg mode. Ask your customers for testimonials, shoot the testimonial, and upload it. Show a new item that just arrived, communicate why it solves your customers’ problems, and upload it. Record an event at your business and upload it for all who attended (and those who didn’t) to see. Bring your business to life and make your customer feel involved with videos on YouTube.

You won’t break your budget doing this. YouTube hosts these videos at no charge.

Do you have a channel on YouTube? If not, get one soon.