Welcome back!

Last week my buddy Sherman Hu hit me up to check out his video. I was happy to do so because aside from being a kick “butt” producer, Sherman is one of those people that just makes me smile. He hosts a weekly web TV show, the “Half Hour Huddle” at ShermanHu.tv, where he “simplifies and demystifies new media so business owners can profit from it.”

Of course he always blows me over when he candidly announces that he’s a husband in love and proud parent to 2 fabulous children who are home schooled! Sherman is one of the few people on planet earth that can make me feel like a slacker!

Sherman and I work with clients in similar ways. He’s a funny, geeky, early adopter of new media. I often think of him as a male, Chinese version of…me! And what’s not to love about that?

You can check out his clean, “shout out to the MAC” video commercial for yourself by clicking on the image above and don’t forget to visit ShermanLive

There’s so much talk about the economy. Who to bail out. Where and how to spend the money we have. Money is a scary topic for some, even those who were on top just a few years ago…SO, if corporate marketing budgets have taken a beating, how’s the little guy to survive? Enter Social Media and the web 2.0 tools that make it an AFFORDABLE and EFFECTIVE marketing strategy. Never before have marketers had the ability to access an audience so quickly and directly. Whether it’s social networking on sites like Facebook, tweeting on Twitter or sharing videos on Youtube, ENGAGEMENT is the key.

So, how does one engage?

Well first we need to know our customer. Back in the day, I used to work for a huge market research firm and we’d do calls, take surveys, collect information, code data and provide a shiny package of stats to the client.

Today, it’s not necessary to spend that kind of time and money on market research because WE are the recipients of a gift. This gift comes to us in the form of some tools from a great defender of the entrepreneurial spirit…YOUTUBE!

Yes Youtube. I’ll be the first to say, Youtube is not THE best video share site, but they sure provide some cool tools. Known as the grand-daddy of video share sites (which is ironic since it’s not even ten years old!) It’s pretty much understood that anyone who makes a video for marketing purposes should upload to Youtube.

The market research tool from Youtube is called INSIGHT. Do you want to know the best time to upload your new videos? Would knowing the age, sex and geographical location of your viewers change your marketing strategy? Ever wonder how the heck people are finding your videos? THIS TOOL WILL HELP YOU!

Check out the video, then be sure to go to Youtube and check out the Insight on your videos.

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More than 27 million people have watched this a now famous viral video titled ‘Numa Numa’:

Today when folks go see that video, they just may be offered this one too:

Numa Numa Guy with Gecko

GEICO’s creative team at The Martin Agency were surfing some of the ‘most viewed’ videos when they came up with a series of viral video parodies to “blend videos loved my millions with GEICO icons, also loved by millions?” GEICO’s media agency, Horizon Media in New York, worked with the video sharing sites to create the ‘first ever of it’s kind’ media plan to figure out how to make them show up alongside their ‘superstar’ video counterparts.

“This is an exciting experiment for GEICO and a radical departure from our traditional media placements and strong ‘call to action’ messages,” said Ted Ward, VP of Marketing for GEICO. “The gecko and some of our other icons have a passionate fan base and we think people will appreciate the ‘surprise’ of seeing them pop up in unexpected places. No call to action, no website address or 1-800 number, just a bit of entertainment courtesy of GEICO.”

“The aim was to launch a video campaign in the most organic of ways and deliver on both efficiency and effectiveness. As a result, we have implemented a campaign that incorporates online grassroots outreach, search engine & site optimization, creator relationships, and extremely natural first-to-market paid inclusions & integrations.” - Taylor Valentine; Director, Strategic Services; Horizon Media.

STATS
As of March 23, 2009
Uploaded March 23, 209
Views: 158

I am always so excited to see companies pushing the limits of technology and creativity. Some positively GENIUS campaigns have used viral video inspiration with great success. Remember First Round Capital? GEICO plans to unveil several new video parodies during the next month. Let’s see how they do.

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