Branding in the YouTube world?
By Fred.
“I wonder what the the role of branding really is in the YouTube world. It’s part of a larger question about what will happen as people increasingly look to the internet for their video content.”
So muses Andy Eggers in a comment on the VentureVoice podcast interview I did a few weeks ago. I read that and figured I’d have a lot to say, but on reflection it seems to me I wanted to reflect a little bit more.
By the way, I’ve had more comments on this interview than anything I’ve done in several years (thanks Greg), since my small on camera participation in the original MTV Uncensored show. I’m not sure why that surprises me but it does. An audio podcast garnering more attention than a major cable network? Our world’s changing fast and it’s great.
February 14th, 2007 at 11:43 am
Talking Back to Your iPod…
Ever listen to Venture Voice and wish you could say something back to our guests? You can. Pop onto our site and leave a message in the comments — most of the guests read them. Our most recent guest, Fred……
February 15th, 2007 at 9:20 pm
I’m not so sure about branding. It seems to me YouTube has the probability of creating stars — writers, performers — of individuals, who would then, ostensibly, move into the more established forms (or monetize their own content for themselves).
February 25th, 2007 at 6:24 pm
Rob, being a stickler, I’d make the argument that a star –if you put it in incredibly dry, boring, almost useless language — is actually a brand. If you accept my definition of a brand.
A “star” –Tom Cruise, Julia Roberts, Anna Nicole Smith– is a person who you can count on to deliver you a dependable experience, usually one in entertainment or media. Even a busniess star –Steve Jobs, Ahmet Ertegun, Ted Turner, Bill Gates, David Geffen — becomes a star because of their performance in the business media.
Same thing for a “brand.” The brand –whether it’s in media like [adult swim] or Nickelodeon, or in consumer products like Coca Cola, Toyota, Rice Krispies — promises and delivers to be something dependable like content, attitude, taste, price, service, what have you.
So, I’d argue that if the interactive world is delivering stars effectively, it’s only a hop and a skip to delivering brands. I think.