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Check it out, just click the play button below:

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Google Wave is one of these complex applications, and it’s all over the news at the moment.   And with all of the hype surround the release off the app, it’s difficult to work out exactly what the original point of Google wave is!

I’ve come across a great description of what Google Wave sets out to achieve.  It’s a YouTube clip, narrated by a chap who sounds like his day job involves cruising the beach in Southern California.

It’s a great video, and I think this style of information delivery should certainly be adapted by other application developers, as it’s certainly a more effective way of getting a message across in an engaging and entertaining way.  Check it out by clicking play on the movie below….

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Despite being a little graphic, I found this movie to be highly watchable, and it is certainly effective in communicating the tragic consequences of careless mobile phone usage while driving, at any speed.

As part of my current role with JSA Digital‘s Middle Eastern office, I currently live in Dubai, and commute to Abu Dhabi along one of the world’s most dangerous motorways each day (there was a 200 car pile up last year, with over 300 people inured). I see the wreckage from many accidents on most trips, and firmly believe that many of these accidents could be avoided with the appropriate educational campaigns such as this (particularly since this region of the world is renowned for their extremely high mobile phone usage).

This movie is a great case study for several reasons, as it manages to provide a service to the community using simple online technology.  It also further illustrates that it is important to find out where your target audience is ‘hanging out’ online (in this case, younger audiences who are inclined to use SMS message a lot, are also inclined to use YouTube frequently).

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I mean Youtube movies that are actually functioning websites, in their own right.

These movies are based upon a multi-level website architecture, just like a normal website.

The front-end design (otherwise known as ‘the movie’)  is embedded with navigational elements, just like a normal website.  For example, “About Us” and “Contact Us” buttons are built into the movie itself, which link to other ‘pages’ within the YouTube-based website (these ‘pages’ are actually other movies uploaded to YouTube).

And the end result, is that you can watch, an interact with the YouTube movie, just like a normal website!

If you’re still a little confused, as I was, check out the new YouTube-based ‘website’ for online marketing agency Boone Oakley at the end of this post. Yes, this movie as actually what appears when you key their domain, booneoakley.com, into your browser.

The benefits of using YouTube based websites to communicate your marketing message?

1. Free web-hosting – Uploading movies to YouTube is free

2. Alternative source of  high-quality traffic – YouTube is considered the second biggest search engine…second of course, to Google…however the ‘type’ of traffic on YouTube is generally more engaged than your typical Google web surfer

3. Viral potential – People are more  likely to embed YouTube movie links into their online social portals, such as their Facebook profiles, their Twitter accounts,  and blogs

4. Optimisation and streaming - In comparison to other animated website techniques (such as Flash animations), YouTube movies are optimised during upload to stream as efficiently as possible, so that the end viewer has a pleasant viewing experience

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Rap, or hip-hop, is a form of spoken word performance often accompanied by a beat and some catchy little melodies. So yes, it goes without saying that traditionally, online marketing concepts and grungy backbeats don’t go hand in hand.

For those internet marketers who fancy a bit of ghetto flavour every now and again, you’ll get a kick of this – I sure did! Check out the SEO Rapper in the video clip below (you’ll find more of his work on YouTube).

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Despite many major corporations forking out hundreds of thousands of dollars to create ‘unique’ viral videos, some of the best viral content on the internet is created on virtually no budget.

Take this TVC for the Red House furniture store (below) for example. When I checked it had just under one million hits on You Tube – a figure which would make most interactive campaigners green with envy.

If you’re trying to create viral content to boost your company profile, remember -you don’t always need to spend top dollar to get noticed.

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At the time, I hadn’t considered the potential for personal timelapse photography.  That is, timelapse photography with an individual who changes over time as the subject.  A great example of this can be viewed in the YouTube movie below.

It seems, that regardless of the topic, if executed, time lapse photography is highly entertaining and captivating. 

I suppose it is because of it’s ability to visually summarise a huge amount of time, in a short space of time.  A perfect viral medium for those who have short attention spans, or who a short on time – which seems to be most of us in the digital age!

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Auto Tuning from Casey D on Vimeo.

This is just one of the many short online episodes created by budding Film & TV student Casey D , all of which are viewable on Vimeo.com.  

Casey D is just one member of the ever expanding Vimeo community.  If you have not come across Vimeo before, check it out – it’s a great online portal for budding movie producers and script writers to upload share their creativity with the world, where viewers can also add commentary to the movies, which in turn provides movie producers with real-world feedback on their movie creations.

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Before I reveal them, I thought I’d share with you a bit of background about YouTube user channels….

What is a YouTube Channel?

A YouTube channel is essentially your You Tube “User page”, which you can tailor to your own tastes, or if you are a business user, which you can tailor to your own brand.  

Think of a YouTube channel similarly to a MySpace profile page. That is, it is a User Portal which must contain several fixed onscreen elements, though these elements that are fully customisable in terms of their look and feel in order for you to ‘personalise‘ the content.

The obvious difference between a MySpace page and a YouTube page is content – MySpace target user generated content from various media (the most common form being textual interaction between ‘friends’), whereas a YouTube channel predominantly contains YouTube video content.

Nevertheless, YouTube is becoming close to being considered a social networking tool, due to the large amount of users who are actively engaged in the YouTube community (by ‘actively engaged’, I am referring to those who circulate YouTube movies, and those users who post comments relating to movies directly to YouTube). 

How to create a YouTube Channel?

Once you have signed up for an account with YouTube (which is free!), you are free to create your own YouTube channel. In fact, every user has their own ‘channel’….it’s just that some users choose to ignore them.

Once you have a YouTube account, it is a relatively simple procedure to create a customised channel, particuarly if you are proficient with basic HTML and web design techniques.

What are the benefits of a YouTube channel from an Online Marketing Perspective?

Custom YouTube channels can potentially provide another stream of traffic and engagement for any brand, as well as encouraging repeat visitors, viral interest and the generation of online communities….

YouTube receives millions upon millions of visitors each year, so the potential traffic a YouTube channel can receive is certainly worth considering

If you’re still a little bewildered, the best way to appreciate what a You Tube channel looks like, and what it is capable of, is to check out some real world examples.  Click on the YouTube Channel case studies below for a little more insight into YouTube channels, and what they can do for you or your business – you’ll be surprised who is using them already!

YouTube Channel Case Studies

1. Royal Channel (Queen Elizabeth II)

2. Top Gear (one of the world’s highest rating TV shows)

3. Lonely Planet

4. The Pope’s channel

5. University of Berkeley, California

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But firstly, why are these “How-to” movies increasing in prominence?

Put simply, the ‘how-to’ genre is continuing to increase, due to the an increase in home users shooting video footage and their increased willingness to upload it to the internet (and namely, YouTube). There have been noticable increases in the generation of  vlogging(video blogging), which are becoming more commonplace because for the first time in history, 2008 marked an historical even in which notebook PC sales exceeded desktop PC sales…..and most laptops these days come with WebCams and Microphones inbuilt and ‘ready to shoot’!  

Not only that, but almost every person has a digital camera or mobile phone capable of shooting home movies, so now everyone is a budding cinematographer!

So we will continue to see more ‘home’ style YouTube footage, whether it be vlogging, instructional videos, or crazy backyard stunts, as the general public become even more comfortable with uploading their video content through sites such as YouTube.

I’d go even so far as to say a video version of Twitter (I’ve just noticed that the domain tvitter.com has already been registered…interesting!) might be on the cards in the not too distant future.   Instead of a 160 character text micro-blog, imagine recording a 10 second video micro blog!

Now here is the important point directed at the online marketers amongst us: Whenever trends such as video blogging and amateur ‘how-to’ videoing take off, there is always a secondary opportunity for online marketers to get on board and take advantage of the trend in order to reach (and hopefully engage) the masses.

Below is a great example a viral movie, a spoof of the ‘how-to’ movie genre at work. I’m sure it will bring a smile to your face.  Click play below and relax for a minute or two…and then think how you might apply a similar concept to your own industry or business.

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Yet another great example of a potential viral YouTube marketing campaign waiting to happen.

If you’re involved in marketing a product or service and are after a cheap and cheerful approach to your next campaign, keep your ear to the ground (or rather, your eyes on YouTube) for movies such as this that you might be able to license for your own use. Heck, the guy in this clip would be chaffed to be offered a few bucks for his singing prowess!

If humorous online marketing campaigns appeal to you,  you should also read this great article I came across earlier today 14 Hilariously Effective Online Marketing Campaigns.  A great collection of diverse case studies of recent campaigns that have proved successful in the online arena.

Ok, the temptation is too much, I’m going to watch that “If there’s a camel up a hill” clip one more time…

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For those of you who are not quite up to speed with The Simpsons, Itchy & Scratchy are a cat and mouse who are ‘sub-characters’ within The Simpsons. They are the stars of the Itchy & Scratchy Show which Lisa and Bart (the children and main characters within The Simpson’s family) what religiously every day.  The Itchy & Scratchy show is completely politically incorrect, grotesque, and I’m quite certain a small and ever-present reminder that the show’s creator Matt Groening has created to remind as a tongue-in-cheek reminder of how violence in television is often used inappropriately.  Nevertheless, Itchy & Scratchy has proved very popular to the masses.

I came a small animated show that is based on a similar concept to Itchy & Scratchy on You Tube, called Happy Tree Friends.  You can view a YouTube clip of one Happy Tree Friends episode below, this one called Flippin Burgers.

I received a link to this particular clip via e-mail, and consequently forwarded it on to a few of my appreciative friends. It seems, that this type of short, sharp and (as far as society goes), completely politically incorrect video entertainment is very VIRAL!

Why not capatilise on this viral concepts for your own company. If you have the inhouse resources, you can get to work right away on creating a light-hearted weekly or monthly video that creates some hype and traffic in the direction of your company’s website.  If you have a company mascot, or company logo, you may already have a likely candidate for the main character of your show.  Just be sure to insert your company logo or a URL at the end of each episode, linking your audience back to a website where they can view similar material, while also pushing the viewers towards your products and services in a subtle way.

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It looks like a video shot by Los Angeles Lakers start Kobe Bryant and a few of his mates. It was actually a thoroughly planned, professionally developed video by Nike. The ‘home-video’ feel was created in order to engage the target audience, generally young males from early teens through to late 20s. This demographic are frequent users of video, both recording and viewing, as a means of entertainment and capturing (sometimes not so sensible) antics on the street.

This viral video is yet another example illustrating just how ideal the web is for reaching a target audience of any demographic. The bounds are limitless. The real challenge for online marketers, is reaching a level of engagement and trust through the use of an appropriate conversational and experience style that will appeal to the target demographic.

……and for those of you wondering whether the stunt was actually real, you can read all about it here.

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