Youtube ads turn Videos into Revenue showed Youtube’s new model of advertising. Youtube is able to identify copyrighted material, but with permission of the owner, will leave the material up and link to an ad that may generate revenue which they then split. For example, if an Eminem video is put up by another user, there will be a link to purchase the song from iTunes within the video. I think this new method is a win-win for both the copyright owner and the consumer. The owner’s are making money and the buyers are happy to shell out the extra dollar to have access to the song without having to go to Youtube.
Retargeting ads follow surfers to other sites illustrated how marketers are using new ways to sell a product. I have firsthand experience with this as I once ordered from GNC.com and weeks later, there were ads on an unrelated website suggesting that I re-order the same product. It was almost eerie since it was the same day I had ran out of the suggested product. Though I didn’t buy it the moment I saw the ad, I did end up re-ordering within a few days, so maybe there is some merit to this strategy. The biggest problem I see with this is that it may prohibit a buyer from exploring new (and possibly better) products if the one they are accustomed to is constantly being pushed towards him/her.
For the Love of Google: Landing a Job with a Search was pretty funny. It’s cool to see that someone’s creative approach to getting a job like that actually worked. When you’re trying to stand out against many other applicants, something as ingenious as a google ad definitely puts you a cut above the rest.
How the Old Spice Videos are Being Made was an intersting inside look at the construction of their advertising campaign. To me it seems somewhat extraneous to be creating videos on that prolific of a level, but it seems that they are reaching a broad audience by doing so. Obviously the ads are very successful as demonstrated in Old Spice Campaign Generated 35 million video views in 7 days. I’d also like to mention that some of the previous Old Spice TV ads were directed by Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim, a comedy duo known for their work on Adult Swim (the later hours of Cartoon Network.)
FourSquare and MTV Team up for first ever cause-related badge: STD Testing showed an innovative way of using the web to encourage philanthropy. MTV has always made a public stance about sexually transmitted diseases. I think it’s a great utilization of new technology to increase awareness of this epidemic. It’s legitimately plaguing society and any motivation to get people into testing centers is applaudable.
Social Media Marketing demonstrated that small businesses are much more likely to benefit from social media sites than big corporations are. They mention a few examples of restaurants becoming successful because of twitter and how it allows an individual (or small group) to keep an audience engaged. The fact that all of these new media are free makes it a perfect tool for keeping people updated. I also like how Solis says that he ‘wears many hats’ when becoming part of these social networking sites; I had never totally realized that each system has its own set of rules, boundaries, etc. whether tacit or explicit. Having the utilities is pointless without knowing how to properly use them so acting appropriately within the sites becomes a big determinant of its success. This video, above the other articles, I think will help most with our upcoming assignment.
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