Over on BoingBoing, Xeni Jardin was all excited about a video on YouTube featuring what she thought was a great homemade remake of the famous Indiana Jones boulder scene but…
“Jacob Appelbaum was one of many folks who went to see the new Indiana Jones movie, and hated it. About this internet video, in which a giant Lego-covered styrofoam boulder hurls towards hapless victims, he says, “I was happy to see that someone else was as nostalgic as me.” UPDATE: oh nooooooes, we have been duped by a sneaky viral marketing campaign. I HATE YOU INTERNET MARKETERS. Take this conversation and shove it.”
Yes, Lego was trying their hand at the viral marketing game and it looks like they’ve been burned. How did they get burned, you ask? Well, it turns out that a lot of internet users have lots of free time to poke holes in any alibi:
“The YouTube account holder google’s to an “office food blog” which shows him in the background of BSSP. They have the LucasArts games account. They’re located on Liberty Way which I’ve worked in the same building and recognized it from the photos.”
Let that be a warning to all those marketers out there hoping to go stealth. The real question is whether or not this revelation actually hurts the potential of this campaign.
Oh, here’s the video:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFGVzt7c5bY&hl=en]
Sure, we all know it is hard to make oneself heard on the internet with all the noise and porn and out there. So, when you pay a big agency like Saatchi&Saatchi to launch your product online you expect something pretty impressive.
I’m sure that the makers of Hot Tub Snacks were hoping for when they brough S&S on board. Here’s what they got:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8vlAbA3nYc&hl=en]
Is there something sort of funny/compelling about this video? Sure. But at the same time it feels wildly insulting on a whole range of levels (calling someone a “retard” is pretty schoolyard) it also does little to make we want to try their snacks
You can see more of these videos at the HotTub site (warning: auto-resizes your browser)
The next pretty big web series on the launch pad this week is ViralCom, from the early web wonders Joey and David.
Tilzy had a chat with the creators and a mixed (p)review of the trailer.
“The premise is clever, but not altogether novel. Brooklyn-based Black20’s series net_work debuted in early 2007, depicting the company’s insides as a mismanaged business of wacky inefficiencies, odd-couple antics, and the occasional production of a successful viral vid. But instead of a sometimes surreal office space, J&D take Viralcom to the heart of showbiz: “It exists in a ficticious world where the web is the new Hollywood. We take you behind the scenes at a big ‘Waner Bros.-style’ studio through a cast of characters trying to navigate through this supposed ‘user-generated’ video industry.”
After watching the trailer I had the following thoughts:
“Wow, super-high production value.”
“Hm, didn’t South Park pretty much do this in an episode a week or two ago?”
“Hey wasn’t that, um, that guy from TV”
“Man, this wasn’t cheap to make.”
“Reminds me of the Jay Mohr show Action. It was super-insider LA industry satire. Remember that show? No? I fear the same for ViralCom.”
Car blog Jalopnik has gotten the “exclusive” rights to a BMW-produced mockumentary about the townfolks of German village Oberpfaffelbachen and their attempt to build a ramp that will launch a car from there to San Francisco.
BMW was one of the early-adopters when it comes to making pretty great entertainment that also serves as effective advertising. Their “Driver” series is still an industry benchmark.
Although they’ve gone a very different direction with The Ramp, they continue to raise the bar in terms of creating a quality distraction. The tone, performances and technical elements are all top-notch. The fact that it is an ad for BMW feels completely secondary.
In addition to the mockumentary itself there is an Oberpfaffelbachen website, a town councilman with a Friendster page, and a Miss Ramp contest.
BMW never tries to truly fool us into believing this is real, they are just allowing us to suspend our disbelief and join in the fun.
I’m really digging a new feature over on NewTeeVee call Will It Spread. Not only is it a funny play on the web-sensation Will It Blend, but the idea behind it provides plenty of fodder for discussion.
Each post features a new video to hit the web and tries to guage the video’s potential to “go viral.”
This week they look a video by Viral Veteran Andy Samberg that was originally on SNL.
“Viral Qualities: Andy Samberg wearing something ridiculous, many cats, tiny baby pug dog.
Star Power: Christopher Walken (also wearing something ridiculous), Senator Chris Dodd.”
Check out their post for the rest. Can’t wait for the next one.
Nalts has revised his early viral video cheat sheet. This time he’s done away that baloney he was shoveling last week. Now we get some truth. For instance:
“Steal an idea that works. That “Evolution of Dance” thing was popular. Get MC Hammer to remake it. He’s coming back again.”
See the whole list here.
WillVideoForFood has posted a viral video cheat sheet. I’m not sure he’s really talking about “viral” video but about how brands can create a distribute video online. I like #3:
“Step 3: Let go. Your marketing message is critical to you, but if your content is driven by an advertising objective it’s at risk of being a flop. If you want to go viral, you’ve got to entertain first and promote subtly. There are countless case studies on this, and it’s an inarguable fact. If you buy media, your ads can be boring. But if you expect people to share your video, it better be entertaining, provocative, sexy, funny, outrageous or at least interesting.”
Read the whole thing here.
For everyone out there still not sure exactly how viral marketing works, PandemicLabs has put together a wonderful primer. Highly recommended reading:
“This report is the first in a series which will discuss topics such as:
- The Differences Between Viral Marketing and Traditional Marketing
- How Not To Use Viral Marketing
- The Power of an Engaged Consumer”
LINK TO PDF
Jessica Fertitta, of Politickle pointed me to the Clinton campaign’s latest attempt at “viral” video. (they even have their own channel on YouTube!) In it, a group of “hipsters” reminisces of the brief time when Hillary rocked it as their lead singer/guitar player.
I could go into a long discussion of why this video is a failure in nearly every possible aspect, but let’s just let it speak for itself:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IA8Wy51Ionk&rel=1]
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May 28, 2008 3:41 pm | 
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