Unjournalism

Marketing and YouTube - “no avoiding it”?

Posted on August 29th, 2006 by Mike Keliher
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In a recent AdAge article about YouTube and marketing, Chad Stoller and Chris Portella from an ad agency called Organic write the following:

Before a brand can [jump into YouTube and other social-media environments], it has to take a good hard look in the mirror and ask, “Am I ready to put myself out there to be commented on, shared, mashed with other content, and generally toyed with?” Not every brand is comfortable with this, but if the goal is to create an authentic connection with consumers, there’s no avoiding it. It has already been proven that confident brands win in the web 2.0 culture.

“No avoiding it”? Really?

Generally, these two make good points, and maybe I’m being too picky, but I think this statement goes a bit too far: “…if the goal is to create an authentic connection with consumers, there’s no avoiding [the openness and possible hassles of YouTube and the like].” That statement assumes that either A) the world has already changed so much that the only effective marketing is done with an online video or a popular blog, or B) that no brand has ever actually created “an authentic connection with consumers.” I think both of those ideas are wildly inaccurate.

Sure, social media / new media / emerging media / Web 2.0 (whatever you want to call “it”) is a huge new wave in communication, entertainment, marketing and several other fields. And yes, the marketing and PR firm I work for is smart enough to be deeply involved in podcasting and digital video, but saying there’s “no avoiding” social media if you want consumer connection - I don’t buy it.

Jeep, specifically with its Wrangler brand, has enjoyed an insanely powerful consumer connection and loyalty. Aftermarket products, off-road driving social gatherings, the “it’s a Jeep thing” slogan… And that started way before the Internet - let alone blogs and YouTube. Same goes for other brands like Nike, Apple, Jack Daniel’s and more.

These guys are on the right track, but let’s not get lost in a fabricated “need” for new technology.

Technorati Tags: AdAge, Advertising Age, advertising, marketing, branding, YouTube, social media, new media