Should You Tube Too?

Last year I became a fan of some funny videos on MySpace. My story is that I was there to learn about social networking "for work." I am sticking to it. The video that made me LOL, if I may, was part of a series involving twins: one German female named Liesel Sprague and one Austrian male named Klaus Sprague. Their mother gave birth on a plane. The twins' relationship is strained by Klaus' inferiority complex and Leisle's superiority complex. This manifests in Leisle's trouncing of Klaus in racquet sports. Anyway, I wrote to Jay to say I liked the videos. Shockingly, he wrote back. I have parents who don't do that. (Not my real parents. My made-up comedy parents, the ones who don't write to me.)

It turns out the guy is part of a two-human team comprising, well, him, Jay Grandin, and Leah Nelson. Leah is an award-winning documentary filmmaker, and Jay is an industrial designer. This Vancouver-based pair recently founded GiantAntMedia.com, a creative video team-for-hire, making ads, films, product launches, social media campaigns, video blogs, music and training videos.

I asked Jay and Leah for some insights on the internet video world. Like their videos, I can't tell which is responsible for what. If they weren't Canadian I'd say they were cleverly trying to dodge blame for any offense their comments may cause.

TH: You list clients like Steelcase, MySpace, Watch for Change, Creative B'Stro, hadtosay.com, Metacafe. Oh, and Business Valuation Resources (I know because I wrote the script!) And you have all of your comical or poignent videos. How many total views have you had so far?

JG/LN: 31,250,000.

TH: That's a few. What would you say are the most effective uses of videos for companies?

JG/LN: One of the things that people often forget is that online video is entirely permission-based marketing; unlike a captive television audience, an online media consumer needs to make a conscious choice whether to watch your video or not, and many of those views are going to be solely based on peer recommendation.That said, if companies can step out of the box of traditional message deliveries in favor of something creative, innovative or funny, the brand-building potential is immense. People will pass on something that they think is interesting.

TH: Are companies actually making money from video?

JG/LN: If you're talking about media companies such as YouTube, yes! For companies that are creating video content in the social media space, the barrier to entry is so low (lower production quality needed, no huge media buy) that a well placed video can provide enormous ROI. Bud is a great example of a company that has created a huge presence in the online space with their bud.tv campaigns. I don't drink Bud Light, but I definitely think of them as having an engaging brand.

TH: Are there good examples of incorporating video into marketing?

JG/LN: Apple has been very successful.Net 10 very recently released a 'caught on tape' style video that links to an auxiliary site, http://www.no-evil.net/ that talks all about the evils of wireless service providers. Great campaign.Geiko has done a fantastic job of making a brand around something completely banal (insurance) into something engaging. Their commercials get passed all over the internet. Axe is another good example.

TH: Videos are supposed to help with SEO, right?

JG/LN: Apparently.

TH: What about niche information video?

JG/LN: The YouTube generation has enabled all kinds of "citizen journalism" and out of it, dozens of successful video channels are emerging. Wallstrip, a video blog/show about Wall Street happenings is hugely successful. That's pretty niche. As people become more accustomed to getting their media from online sources, micro-audiences for almost any type of content are popping up (the current buzzword is 'micro-tubing'), so it's a great opportunity for any of those, provided they're executed in an interesting way.

TH: You shoot a lot of stuff on location. Ever have a problem with that?

JG/LN: People are wary of video cameras these days, mostly because so many people use them now and carry them on their person in the form of digital still cameras and cell phones, and they know how easy it is to put something online and have it forever floating in cyberspace. People who own or manage businesses get very nervous about having something undesirable associated with their company or brand, OR don't want to give space away for free. We've been turned down many times by companies or establishments that don't want anything to do with a video shoot, or have rental rates and liability requirements geared toward film/television that just aren't realistic for a small outfit like us.

TH: You are heavily involved in social networking. Has that led to business for you?

JG/LN: Yes! That is our business! It's completely essential to connect with people (fans) through social networks. It's how people find content and where they are recommended by friends to watch videos or read articles/blogs etc, so if we put our content there, where we already know they're going, we can be sure they will watch our videos. It all goes back to permission marketing; if we have 300 friends who join our Facebook group, we can almost guarantee 300 views immediately. That seems like a small number, but when nurture the relationship with those 300 viewers, that number will only go up as they recommend you to others. It's like having 300 lazy PR reps working for you at all times! When you add 4500 YouTube subscribers, and 11000 MySpace friends, it makes it much easier to spread a message.

TH: Can you share a couple of your videos with us to show business applications?

JG/LN: Hadtosay.com is a website that was started as a way to pass an anonymous message through the web. They were looking for a way to boost their traffic and to get bloggers to notice. After we did a video for them, it provided a good piece of "link bait" to then approach bloggers again with. The video quickly got 10,000 views and traffic to the site spiked. www.youtube.com/hadtosay

TH: You two hitchhiked across Europe, staying with your MySpace friends, and uploaded a video of your trip there. Are you crazy?

JG/LN: No, just fiscally challenged. The Europe trip would not have been possible without the generous help of our "Friends" and lonely truck drivers.