Will “The Bannen Way” Be the Breakthrough Webseries?

We are all still waiting for the first legitimate webseries hit.  While we have seen some standalone videos go on to be viewed by tens of millions, there has yet to be an original webseries that has truly caught the attention and imagination of a substantial audience.  The web has yet to see its “Friends” or “Lost.”

Of course, this has not been due to a lack of trying.  Both major studios and independent producers have sunk significant time, effort and money into a slew of well-intentioned, and in some cases well-made, original webseries.  So far, not a single one has caused a real stir.

This year we should be seeing a lot of action in this marketplace and Sony’s Crackle.com seems very excited about their entry, the independently produced “The Brennan Way.”

The trailer looks great, even if it does feel and sound a bit like USA’s “Burn Notice” but the show lacks any real name talent.

Check it out here.

My fear is that, even if it is very good, unless Sony invests real money in promotions it will die on the vine like some many of it’s predecessors.  Without marketing support it will never reach the critical audience size needed to create national buzz.

And that is the next big goal for webseries producers.  Not a few million views.

When New Media Goes Bad – Episode 3: RayBan, Taco Bell et al

There is a great piece over on AdFreak question the value of some recent “viral” video marketing stunts by some pretty big brands:

“Ray-Ban last week hired a bunch of actors (shown here) to wear its sunglasses and freeze in place to generate publicity. This was in Manhattan, so most people didn’t notice or care. A few weeks earlier, Philadelphians were likewise unimpressed when Taco Bell staged a similar prank. I don’t think anyone would have known anything about these tired marketing “events” if the PR machines hadn’t shoveled alerts into cyberspace like so much compost on the heap.”

These are just the sorts of stunts ad agencies are eager to sell to their clients – they sound hip and edgy and innovative to the poor rubes trying to sell their faux-mexican food and overpriced shades to the youth of America.

Unfortunately for them, the youth of America is not only wise to their game but they find the whole game pretty lame and insulting.  Probably not the brand message they were shooting for.

Here’s the Taco Bell spot. It’s a blatant ripoff of ImprovEverywhere’s Grand Central stunt…

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