Kristi Vandenbosch video showcasing the best of the US Presidential election online activity

The US Presidential primaries have now finished and Kristi Vandenbosch has put together a great video that highlights some of the most popular viral videos and online activity from the US primary campaigns. The video features the Jack Nicholson endorsement, Obama Girl, John McCain as the Fresh prince, Hillary vs Cookies and many many others!

You can watch it here:

Kristi Vandenbosch's US presidential election online showreel from the Advertising 2.0 US conference

This showreel demonstrates how dramatically the political campaigning landscape has changed in the US, with digital (especially user generated content) now playing a major role in US elections. It also shows how far ahead online political campaigning in America is versus the UK.

I wrote a number of pieces recently about the London Mayor election and the candidates' use of online. Whilst there were a wide range of new initiatives and some commendable activity through social networks and digital channels, when you see the US Presidential campaign highlights in the video, it shows how much more potential there is for UK politicians to use online channels to capture the public imagination – though I’m not sure we'll see ‘Gordon Brown girl’ any time soon!

UPDATE - Google have also published a review of the Presidential primary elections online on the official Google blog. Titled 'Elections in the internet era' it pulls together links to a number of YouTube reviews like 'Pop Culture politics' and 'Running the 21st century campaign.' Read more here:

http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/06/elections-in-internet-era.html

Related articles on this blog:

London Mayor election review of online developments -

http://www.nickburcher.com/2008/05/london-mayor-election-online-web.html

London Mayor candidates online vs US Presidential candidates online -

http://www.nickburcher.com/2008/04/london-mayor-candidates-v-us.html

BBC Sport Relief Supercycle with Adrian Chiles and Alan Shearer enhanced by Web 2.0!

A recent visit to Africa inspired Alan Shearer and Adrian Chiles to join in the fundraising for Sport Relief. They are trying to cycle 335 miles from Newcastle to London in just 2 days, using this 'Supercycle' to raise as much money as they can along the way. Rather than just having a brief highlights package in the main programme tonight, the BBC Sport Relief Super Cycle is being brought to life through a wide range of Web 2.0 properties and I think this is a great way of enhancing a both a fundraising effort and a TV event.

The Super Cycle Sport Relief website (http://www.sportrelief.com/supercycle) has live updates through Twitter (http://twitter.com/supercycle), a link to a SportRelief Flickr page (http://www.flickr.com/photos/24595050@N06) which is being updated from mobile phones, a Google Maps powered GPS tracker widget and links to a YouTube page too (http://uk.youtube.com/sportrelief08).

Sponsor them at http://www.sportrelief.com/supercycle/sponsor

Supercycle website

Supercycle Twitter

Supercycle Google Maps powered GPS

Supercycle Flickr

Supercycle YouTube

Latest YouTube video:

London mayor election will see a new style of British political campaigning online

The power of crowds has been evident with a number of collaborative initiatives that have brought together likeminded online users. For example 30,000 people paid for a stake in www.myfootballclub.com which led to the group purchase of Ebbsfleet United football club and www.tribewanted.com created a combination of online community and real world sustainable tourism project on the Fijian island of Vorovoro.

To date the UK political establishment have not tapped into this trend though. In 'Politics, Policy and the Internet' (a recent publication for the Centre For Policy Studies) Telegraph journalist, Robert Colville, argues that British political parties have failed to embrace the new opportunities online (see here where you can download the pdf of his full study). Indeed the British National Party website has the same market share as all of the other UK major parties combined. He argues that the major UK political parties could reverse this by altering their mindset from “send” to “receive”, by learning the lessons of unofficial organisations such as bloggers, activists and campaign groups which have exploited the potential of the internet.

Whilst there are political blogs and sites like Webcameron, no party has truly engaged online communities in policy development. Downing St e-petitions have seen specific groups mobilised around particular issues (1 million people against roadpricing), but the UK has not seen anything similar to Estonia's 'today I decide' initiative that offered the Estonian public the chance to influence national policy and feedback on proposed new laws.

In the US Presidential elections Ron Paul and Barack Obama particularly have shown how effective the internet can be as a vehicle for raising funds and engaging supporters. Ron Paul is an interesting case because his campaign has used the internet to generate support far exceeding the original predictions for his campaign. The US electoral system means that he was always going to struggle against the more established candidates and campaign machines, however his online strategy has set the bar for online campaigning (see my previous post here: http://www.nickburcher.com/2008/02/no-other-presidential-candidate-can.html). Ron Paul and Barack Obama's online tactics could be particularly effective in a democracy with a more focussed electoral timeframe (weeks rather than months / years) and some of these strategies could be well suited to the forthcoming election for London's mayor.

The London mayoral election is the first really significant British election in a Web 2.0 world and over the next few weeks London is set to see some online political campaigning that has not been previously seen in the UK. Whilst things like Ken Livingstone's Search campaign are already running, the really interesting moves are around some of the independent candidates.

The socially progressive website www.londonelectsyou.co.uk is offering to award £50,000 to the campaign of an independent candidate. This will be awarded to the winner of a sort of online primary that www.londonelectsyou.co.uk are running, with the candidate gaining the most online votes by 18 March qualifying for the financial support.

Time Out magazine have entered their own independent candidate (Michael Hodges) into this competition and have flagged it, under the strapline of 'Vote Hodges', on the front cover of their magazine this week.

Michael Hodges is offering readers the chance to participate in the collaborative production of his London manifesto. More details can be found here: http://www.helphodges2008.com

Using public domain, online voter suggestions and feedback to influence an election manifesto is a clever idea and I'm sure the main UK political parties will start seriously investigating this sort of model for testing their own policy ideas. It is also a useful mechanism for bringing MPs closer to their constituents.

Alternatively if the UK political parties do not adopt practices of this nature, it may not be long before www.mypoliticalparty.co.uk actually becomes a reality?

FOOTNOTE:

I have also written about the Google strategies of the respective candidates here: http://www.nickburcher.com/2008/04/are-london-mayor-candidates-making-most.html

5 great examples of how the internet was used around Christmas 2007

Christmas 2007 saw some interesting initiatives / developments online, 5 examples of Christmas online are detailed below:

1) Christmas Facebook applications

Christmas was a big thing for Facebook with Christmas wishes being sent, Christmas photos being uploaded and Christmas applications being installed. Usernames like 'Santa Claus' and 'Father Christmas' were barred, but Christmas applications were varied and popular. When I looked there were 179 different Facebook 'Christmas' applications and the most popular seemed to be 'countdown to Christmas' or 'wish someone Happy Christmas' applications.

2) The Queen on YouTube

2007 has seen YouTube become established as a true broadcast medium. The best evidence of its use as a professional medium was the Queen using it to distribute her 50th Christmas message.

3) Elfyourself

OfficeMax developed a website called 'elfyourself.com'. Users could upload up to 4 pictures and these would be used as the faces for up to 4 dancing elves. Users could then save their creation and email it to friends. This has been used all over the world and I am intrigued to see the final figures after elfing stops on 2/1/08 - a brilliant example of viral promotion.

4) NORAD track Santa with Google Earth

For the last 50 years or so the strategic air defence systems at NORAD have tracked Santa, however this year they used Google platforms to enhance things. NORAD used Google Maps to track several hundred of Santa's stops in over 200 countries and posted video footage of each stop to YouTube and GoogleMaps. NORAD also offered a downloadable Santa Tracker file for GoogleEarth.

Nice way of using new technology to enhance a longstanding Christmas tradition.

5) Christmas Widgets

It wasn't just Facebook applications this Christmas - there were a plethora of widgets that could be used on Myspace or blogs or other websites. The most popular Christmas widgets seemed to be Christmas tree countdowns to Christmas Day. The popularity of using widgets to enhance content has been growing and the widespread use of Christmas widgets has further increased widget penetration.

Nick Burcher writes: "At the end of a significant year for the development of the web (social networks, user generated content, web 2.0 etc), Christmas 2007 was always going to see some interesting online developments and the five examples above are good illustrations of how the web can now be used."

Highlights and having a Christmas rest!

After hectic blogging throughout this year I have decided to take a Christmas break for a few days. Thank you to everyone who has stopped by over the year, I look forward to seeing you again in 2008. Happy Christmas!

In the meantime feel free to look at some of the http://www.nickburcher.com/ posts that generated most traffic this year:

Politics and the internet posts

http://www.nickburcher.com/2007/10/search-is-big-opportunity-for-political.html - Search is a big opportunity for politicians

http://www.nickburcher.com/2007/10/search-is-big-opportunity-for-political.html - Election 2.0?

Posts about Facebook - largest groups and examples of people using Facebook cleverly:

http://www.nickburcher.com/2007/11/list-of-largest-facebook-groups-part.html - List of the largest Facebook groups (part 2) and the difference between 'I am a fan of' and 'I am a member of'

http://www.nickburcher.com/2007/10/biggest-largest-groups-on-facebook.html - The biggest / largest groups on Facebook part one of my list!

http://www.nickburcher.com/2007/09/5-great-examples-of-retailers-using.html - 5 Great Examples of retailers using Facebook

Other high traffic posts - Batman and newspapers!

http://www.nickburcher.com/2007/11/8-great-examples-of-newspapers-using.html- Great examples of newspapers using digital

http://www.nickburcher.com/2007/11/batman-dark-knight-with-heath-ledger.html - Batman Dark Knight with Heath Ledger, viral seeding starts 18 months before release!

Blendtec (will it blend?), Lonelygirl15 and French Maid TV - 3 great examples of different You Tube business models

Many people (including Google) have been trying to work out how to use You Tube as a revenue generator. I have found 3 unconventional examples:

1) Blendtec and Will It Blend? Blendtec make industrial strength blenders and the CEO was confident that these qualities could be shown off on film. However whilst Blendtec CEO Tom Dickson did not have the budget for a slick TV campaign, he did have $50 and the technical expertise to make his own videos.

A series of videos were made where Mr. Dickson showed Blendtec equipment blending every day technological items. Once uploaded to You Tube the films became hits - especially the film where an iPhone gets blended!

Blendtec claims to have seen an online sales uplift of 650% since this approach was adopted and this is a great example of how it's not what you say, but where and how you say it.

2) Lonelygirl15

Running on Bebo and through You Tube, Lonelygirl15 was a massive success. Bitesized soap episodes engaged youth audiences and developed a cult following with over 3 milllion episode views.

As well as selling more ad inventory from higher site traffic, the producers were able to monetise the content by selling product placement opportunities which were taken up by companies like P&G and Orange.

This concept has been continued through new series like 'Sofias Diary' and Endemol produced 'Gap Year.'

Watch the latest videos on YouTube.com

3) FrenchmaidTV

A series of how-to-videos with a twist! Instead of traditional product demonstrations, FrenchMaidTV has (as the name would suggest) a number of French maids showing how to do things. Films are again bitesize (3 to 5 minutes) and are based around the French Maids having a bit of an adventure whilst the vocieover gives practical tips.

FrenchmaidTV are offering the chance for companies to get specific products featured as well as offering members of the public the chance to star as French maids in future FrenchmaidTV episodes - again monetising their traffic through things like

FrenchmaidTV is not particularly PC and may not be to everyones taste, but it does seem to work - over 3.6 million YouTube views for the 'How To Share photos' video alone!

Watch the latest videos on YouTube.com

None of the above examples employ cutting edge video production. These are great examples of how YouTube is changing the rules. Overproduced corporate advertising is a big turn off in this space (see my post on P Diddy and Burger King here) and whilst successful online video can often look amateurish, there is no doubting its ability to engage the You Tube audience!

Molson pulls 'Canadian Nation' student Facebook Group competition after accusations of promoting excess drinking

Canadian lager brand Molson have recently been running a 'Molson Canadian Nation' campaign, but this has become the latest big name social media campaign to run into difficulties. The campaign ran as a Facebook Group under the banner of 'Molson Canadian Nation', but has been cancelled after accusations that it promoted irresponsible drinking.

'Canadian Nation' university and college students were encouraged to post pictures of themselves partying on their campus, with the best photo winning an $8000 trip for 5 to Cancun. Various 'university administators' condemned Molson for promoting excess drinking and irresponsible behaviour. People have also pointed out the danger to future career prospects of posting drunken party photos to the internet.

The Canadian Nation campaign did not run outside Canada, but has been pulled in the face of the criticism it received. Molson still view social media as an important media channel though and say they will continue to experiment with blogs and user generated content.

Nick Burcher writes: "Molson's Canadian Nation Facebook campaign is an good example of how social media campaigns can engage the target audience but upset the wider population. This is a difficult area for brands, but the rewards from getting it right will (in most cases) offset the risks of getting it wrong."

Newspapers abandoning subscription models and using Search Engines to deliver higher traffic to free content

I recently had a long conversation with Olivia Solon at M&M Europe magazine for an article that has been published in the November edition called 'Ahead of the pack: how publishers are tackling Web 2.0.' (http://www.mandmglobal.com/features?1=1&BlockID=3513635)

We discussed how newspapers are changing their business models online, with particular reference to how newspapers are using SEO and search engines to increase their traffic.

This was picked up in the article:

"Most publishers have embraced search-engine optimisation, with some retraining journalists to write in an optimised way, focusing on key words that people might search for, so their sites are indexed more highly. Publishers need to decide how much of the information they will allow search engines to 'see', and how much is protected behind their walled garden.

Subscription models can often mean that Google search spiders cannot access the content, and bloggers too are unable to link to the content. This can result in sites with subscription models losing out on the traffic that would be generated from appearing high in the natural search rankings.

Quality content drives search engines' ability to find you, but publishers must seek a balance between offering free content and keeping the exclusivity of their product"

A direct quote was attributed to myself:

Nick Burcher, a board director at Zed Media, says: “It is a commercial decision to move from a subscription model to a free model. The balance has shifted from a couple of years ago. Titles can now make more money from advertising being free."

Interesting topic and there is a clear need for newspaper publishers to ensure their content works well with Search Engines (especially Google).

Creative Review Click 07 Conference - examples of how creative and media working together can produce great work

I spoke at the Creative Review Click 07 conference today. I was asked to talk about how collaboration between media and creatives can produce great advertising.

I based my speech around how digital media has changed the traditional way of doing things. In the past creatives would devise the brand proposition and then develop this into creative executions. The next call would be to the media people and they would be asked to put together schedules for a 30 second TV spot or a magazine DPS.

Continual developments in technology and capability have pushed media further forward in the process of creative development. Where appropriate, forward thinking clients and agencies are allowing media to lead creative and some really clever work is being produced as a result.

I gave 3 examples that really show how developments in technology have facilitated the integration of media into the creative process:

1) British Airways World Offers and Google Earth

British Airways integrated Google Earth technology into their creative message and got some excellent results.



I wrote more about this on a previous post here:

http://www.nickburcher.com/2006/08/ba-integrate-google-earth-into-world.html

2)Ebay live feed into TV ads

In October 2007 the latest eBay campaign launched in the UK. It featured 10-second commercials using real-time auction listings with a live feed direct from the eBay website. Traditionally there had been a delay of around 72 hours between registering a new creative and it going live so this was a big jump forward. This campaign was a great example of how a good idea can been brought to life by including technology and media in the creative development process.

http://www.tellyads.com/show_movie.php?filename=TA4707&advertiser=Ebay

3)Nike Run London / Nike+ mash-up with Google Maps

Google have opened up their APIs and it is now possible to embed Google products into brand websites. Nike took Google Maps and overlaid / mashed them up with running routes. Users could register their own routes, search out others and leave comments. Whether intentional or not, adapting Google Maps and embedding it into their own website led to Nike creating a social network of runners around an original piece of technology.

Nick Burcher writes: “Integrating media and creative can deliver fantastic results and the three executions above are great examples of how effective campaigns can be when media and creative work together.”

9 Great Examples of Newspapers using digital opportunities to boost their online audiences

The model of choice for newspapers online was subscription. Users would pay a monthly / yearly fee to be able to access premium content, archives etc. This model was followed by the Financial Times, New York Times and many others. However, this model is being abandoned by the majority of its previous advocates.

The advertising money that can be gained from increased traffic outweighs the money that can be generated from the subscription model. Removing subscription walls also allows Search Engine spiders to index a wider range of editorial (again increasing traffic) and having a free to access news site give greater scope for creative advertising solutions.

Newspapers online are also using other digital channels to boost readership and here are 8 great examples of newspapers embracing new digital opportunities:

1) New York Times on Facebook - one of the first to start a Fan page on Facebook and one of the few users to do anything useful with it! The NYT posts stories (and allows them to be easily shared), posts photos / videos and encourages discussion groups around topical themes.
http://www.facebook.com/nytimes

2) New York Times on Twitter - one of the most followed Twitter profiles is run by the New York Times. This is not RSS, it involves a member of staff posting a headline and a link to a story they think people will find interesting. (Various other news organisations also follow this model - CNN on Twitter, Mashable on Twitter etc)
http://twitter.com/nytimes

3) Wisconsin State Journal - at 11am each day website users are given the chance to vote for one of 5 different stories. The winning 'Readers choice' story is then run on the front page of the newspaper the following day.
http://www.madison.com/wsj

4) Telegraph TV - the new multi-media Telegraph is now producing some high quality video under the banner of Telegraph TV. Running through a Brightcove channel the Telegraph host ITN supplied (Telegraph badged) news through their site in conjunction with Telegraph produced content such as Business TV and the Fantasy Football show. All content can be streamed from the Telegraph website or downloaded as podcast / mobisode. An interesting development from an 'established' newspaper and one that properly demonstrates how media channels are converging.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/portal/popup/ttv/tvnewsnow.jhtml

5) The Guardian podcasts remain popular but the most significant development has been 'Comment is free.' The Guardian were one of the first newspaper sites to encourage reader feedback through news blogs and a vast network of staff blogs and user comment now falls under the 'Comment is Free' banner. This has been one of the driving forces behind the online growth of the Guardian and helps keep content alive long after originally posted.
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/index.html

6) Axel Springer 'Avastar' Second Life newspaper - if people are to spend a long time in a Second Life virtual world, it stands to reason that they would like more information about it while they are there. Last year Reuters set up an HQ and installed a journalist ('Adam Reuters') to write about SL economics, but Axel Springer's idea is far simpler - give users an up to date, in-world, virtual newspaper! Available to download from the internet and through self-service boxes and street vendors inside Second Life. Whilst circulation may not be particularly large, this initiative has generated significant PR for the Axel Springer group.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2006/nov/07/newmedia.pressandpublishing

7) Sun mobile - the Sun newspaper has been promoting it's mobile offering for over a year and looks to be in a good position to take advantage of the forthcoming growth in mobile. The Sun bought the mobile rights to the Premiership and whilst mobile screen-size has made it difficult to watch football highlights, the ability to integrate video highlights into Sun mobile games is very interesting. The Sun are pushing a range of initiatives from mobile bingo to mobile news and mobile gaming. The strapline on the Sun's advertising is now 'Paper - Online - Mobile' and this is definitely a publisher to watch.
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/mobile

8) Aftonbladet diet club (Aftonbladet viktklubb) - in 2005 traditional Norwegian newspaper publisher Schibsted made 35% of it's revenue online. This raised eyebrows at publishers across the world and led many to accelerate the development of their digital portfolios. Schibsted had experimented in many areas across Scandinavia - classified in Finland, a Search engine to rival Google and notably a diet club through the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet. Whilst others were struggling to monetise news content, Aftonbladet quickly realised that people would pay to be part of a diet and fitness club. The literal translation is 'weight club' and it is still running strongly today.
http://viktklubb.aftonbladet.se/cm/2.10/2.112

9) Sweden's Dagens Nyheter launches world's first 'newspaper telephone'
Sweden's Dagens Nyheter newspaper has launched a mobile phone that offers subscribers free access to its website. They aim to give readers access to Dagens Nyheter content on the move. Dagens Nyheter readers apply for a Nokia 6120 through the Dagens Nyheter website and sign up to a monthly subscription of 199 kroner (around £15 per month). Aswell as a being a standard mobile package, the phone has a DN button that allows immediate and free access to the Dagens Nyheter website. Handset manufacturers having been moving closer to content (Nokia Music etc), this is an interesting example of a content provider moving closer to handset manufature / distribution.

Feel free to leave other examples - I'm sure I can extend this list to '10 great examples of how newspapers are growing their online audience!'

Can Social Networks be monetised? Opportunities and issues for Facebook, OpenSocial, Bebo etc

Yesterday Marketing Week published my comments in a feature about Social Networking. My quotes were:

Nick Burcher says: behavioural targeting is either the most highly targeted or most invasive advertising proposition there is, depending on who you talk to. “The debate around advertising in social networks is similar to that of mobile. It’s extremely personal, so there is a question as to whether brands should just muscle in on the space,” says Burcher.

Zed’s Burcher agrees Google’s OpenSocial could prove to be the winner. “It’s very clever,” he says. “Its corporate mission is to organise the world’s information, which it can’t do behind walls. If Google has the data and incorporates this with AdWords platform, it could democratise the networks. It could also give users huge benefits, as they wouldn’t have to input their data into each network every time they registered, while advertisers could run content across the platforms.”

Intrusive: Social networks allow for behavioural targeting, but sites should only use information that is freely given by the user, according to Nick Burcher

Full story is here: http://www.marketingweek.co.uk/item/58607

List of the largest Facebook Groups, and the difference between 'I am a fan of' and 'I am a member of'

I recently tried to write a top 10 of Facebook Groups. In the absence of an official Facebook chart my post tried to list the Facebook groups with the most members. My original post is here: http://www.nickburcher.com/2007/10/biggest-largest-groups-on-facebook.html

Since writing this post I have become aware of a number of other monster groups! So here is my second list of the biggest groups on Facebook!

Details are below:

1) 'Let’s set and break a Guiness Record!!!! Approved by guinnessworldrecords.com'
2,011,334 members to date and growing very quickly – I guess this will end up breaking some sort of record, just a shame there is so little point to it! http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=7888220844

2) 'They are trying to shut down Facebook – petition to keep it! Invite all! ' This group is based around the action that ConnectU have been trying to take against Facebook over intellectual property rights. I’m not sure how much a Facebook Group would influence a judges decision, but 1,633,702 think that joining this group will help in some way. It has also inspired a whole range of imitation / sub-groups. The group can be seen at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2808848431

3) '1,000,000 strong for Stephen T Colbert' - US TV satirist has his own Facebook group – people are instructed to join this group if they 'love watching the Colbert report.' Not sure what it is exactly for, but 1,483,214 have joined so far.
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=7406420086

4) 'If you remember this you grew up in the 90’s' – featuring a massive list of things that you will remember, 1,258,379 members have signed up to join in!
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2204285338

5) 'Let’s set a Guiness Record!!!!' Same principle as the Guinness group above and the same misspelling of Guinness! Membership seems to have been dropping but still had 737,485 members when I checked tonight! http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2328213900

6) 'I bet I can find 1,000,000 people who dislike George Bush!' Losing the bet at the moment as only 703,756 have signed up! http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=5022036305

7)'I Don’t care How Comfortable Crocs Are, You Look Like A Dumbass' – “they’re like shoes, only……well…….repulsive.” 676,483 people agree and have joined up to make their feelings felt! http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2204667614

8) 'Facebook will be forced to shutdown in 20 days! Join and save it!' Believe this was one of the original Facebook petitions. Haven’t been able to find it recently, but the last time I saw it there were 632,374 members who believed that signing up to this would somehow be able to influence a judge if Facebook was sued!

9) 'I secretly want to punch slow walking people in the back of the head' – started in Louisiana by someone called Kaz Kean, this group seems to have struck a chord with people across the world and 612,331 have signed up to date! http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2208419959

10) 'No I don’t care if I die at 12AM, I refuse to pass on your chain letter' – don’t expect the 409,241 members to be passing anything on for you! http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2211022716

There is an interesting contrast between the numbers joining groups and the numbers fanning (is that the correct verb nowadays?) Facebook Ad pages. Certain user generated groups have grown by hundreds of thousands in a matter of days, compared to some of the corporate pages - eg Microsoft still only have a handful of fans.

This is a very good illustration of the difference between traditional media and Web 2.0. The first is about passive consumption ('entertain me'), the latter is about active participation ('I make my own entertainment.') Brands need to think very carefully before charging into the social network space and ensure they are offering something useful / relevant. Users won't go back to a page that just has a big logo and a 'founded in' date. Likewise they don't want brands taking over their personal spaces (unless there is something for them in return.)

There are 'car crash' examples of projects that have gone wrong all over the internet (P Diddy and Burger King, Wall-marting Across America etc) and I'm sure there are others out there.......

Let me know if you find any groups I have missed or examples of advertisers getting it wrong!

Other posts about Facebook:

Facebook usage statistics: http://www.nickburcher.com/2008/03/latest-facebook-usage-statistics.html

Largest groups on Facebook (part one):
http://www.nickburcher.com/2007/10/biggest-largest-groups-on-facebook.html

Largest fan pages on Facebook:
http://www.nickburcher.com/2008/05/list-of-largest-facebook-fan-pages-with.html

Media Week discuss how Google can monetise You Tube and deal with You Tube service issues

Media Week ran an article this week analysing whether Google can get a return on their investment in You Tube. They included some comments from me:

Nick Burcher believes You Tube still rises above the rest and is beginning to endear itself to agencies by making it as easy to book ads on YouTube as it is on Google.

“Regardless of whatever else is out there, YouTube is still ahead in numbers and brand recognition,” says Burcher. “People confident in promoting their brands will become more willing to advertise once there are more examples up there. It helps that it has become really easy to book ads since You Tube was integrated with the Google interface.”

Bebo OpenMedia / Open Media presentation at BAFTA in London - final live blog update!

Panel debate with BBC, Premium TV, AJAX, Endemol and Turner.

Open Media partner content is found through the discovery area on Bebo which means users will not feel invaded. 'Open Media' is open to everyone, not just big producers - long tail content is just as welcome.

Feeling that development in social networks content has only just started - chances for walk-on parts, characters crossing from online film to traditional programs and vice versa, qualifying competitions for X Factor / Big Brother etc

Joanna Shields sees Facebook and Bebo playing different roles. She sees Facebook is a communications utility, Bebo as a platform for self expression and content discovery.

"Aren't Bebo giving too much away?" No, making it a more interesting place for users will work in the long run - more users staying longer will lead to higher CPMs across the site + improved stickiness = more opportunities for advertisers.

For BBC it's about choice and relevance and this platform helps them to connect with youth audiences.

ITV conspicuous by their absence but 25 different partners have been signed up in a very short space of time.

Feeling that content that is unique will work better than 'repackaged old tat.' Content creators need to think about this environment and there are signs that they are starting to do this now. Feeling that Bebo gives a great platform for unique, youth targeted video content.

Presentations are now over and Jamie Cullum has started!

He 'loves Bebo' and is very appreciative though disappointed that he wasn't allowed to 'play with a Bafta.'

Nick Burcher writes: "Bebo's Open Media announcement was made through a well produced event and is a really interesting development. Content producers have a great opportunity to distribute and monetise their content in a new way - especially as they can use their own players inside Bebo. Signs are they will embrace this opportunity and the success of productions like KateModern demonstrate what can happen if they get it right."

Thank you Bebo for inviting me!

I blogged about this event in 3 parts:

Part 1 is here -
http://www.nickburcher.com/2007/11/bebo-presentation-at-bafta-in-london.html

Part 2 is here -
http://www.nickburcher.com/2007/11/bebo-presentation-update-number-2.html

Bebo presentation update number 2 - Joanna Shields announces Bebo's new Open Media platform!

Big film now with vox pops and a voiceover talking stats! Highlighting the 25m views in 3 months for Kate Modern and the folllow ups - Sofia's Diary and Gap Year.

Joanna Shields, President international, Bebo now speaking and announcing 'Open Media' + showing the new look as Bebo has been completely redesigned / relaunched today.

Users are spending 35-40 minutes per day, 40 million users WW and biggest site in UK. Audience use Bebo to engage with content.

BBC, Sky, MTV, Endemol, Yahoo, Last FM, Turner, Sony and lots of other people are partnering Bebo.

Partners will get free and open access to Bebo platform to distribute content as they see fit through free branded channels. Media companies can do what they want with these channels, can pre-roll clips and keep ad revenue. User interactions and favourites spread
virally through users network.

Benefits users, content providers and Bebo. The audience were invited to liberate content and find new ways to engage users online.

PA now from Remi Nicole!

I blogged about this event in 3 parts:

Part 1 is here - http://www.nickburcher.com/2007/11/bebo-presentation-at-bafta-in-london.html

Part 3 is here - http://www.nickburcher.com/2007/11/bebo-open-media-presentation-at-bafta.html

Bebo presentation at BAFTA in London - live blogging!

I have never tried to live blog before but I am at Bafta for a Bebo event and thought now would be the ideal time to try!

So having made our way through the rain, we are now inside BAFTA and are filing into the main theatre. 6 chairs are on stage for what looks like a panel discussion and musical instruments have been set up for the forthcoming live PA's including Jamie Cullum!

I have been hanging out with Kate Modern and her cast and have just seen actors from the latest production Sofia's diary. They have been whisked away now, but there is a buzz of anticipation!

Good start!

*I blogged about this event in 3 parts:

Part 2 is here -
http://www.nickburcher.com/2007/11/bebo-presentation-update-number-2.html

Part 3 is here - http://www.nickburcher.com/2007/11/bebo-open-media-presentation-at-bafta.html

I am a 'fan' of Coca-Cola, Microsoft and Blockbuster - first experiences of Facebook Ad Pages

Facebook launched Facebook Ads on Tuesday. This gave advertisers (amongst other things) the chance to create advertiser pages which users could 'Add' to their Facebook profiles. Once added a message is published in the Feed that declares that you are a 'fan' of X brand.

There was a rush to launch Facebook advertiser pages and 100,000 were published in the first 24 hours!

I am now a fan of Coca-Cola, Microsoft and Blockbuster. Updates have been published in my feed and I will look to see if this prompts any of my Facebook friends to follow suit - if the viral / trusted referral model works then at least some of them should.

So was my experience rewarding?

I am the only fan of Microsoft! I don't know if this is a reflection on their brand or if it is because there is nothing there, other than a Microsoft logo and a 'founded in 1975' note. Randomly there are 2 Microsoft Ad pages and neither seem to have progressed further than just adding a logo and a date! Assume this is the equivalent of buying a domain name before knowing what to do with it? Watch this space! http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=7232030949

Coca-Cola have a bit more going on but there is still not much more than a big logo, a bit of company history and 3 discussion groups (one of which is about alleged issues in Colombian bottling plants.) Assume they will do more with it, but I think it highlights an interesting dilemma for the companies using these pages – pursuit of authenticity vs brand protection through moderating / censoring comments? http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=8336965364



The Blockbuster page looks significantly more established – even the page address has been customised. Various images and info on latest releases, details of current offers, links to other information and a ‘Blockbuster driven’ movie rating application called ‘MovieClique.’ Only 52 fans so far but this is the best looking page that I have found. Good work, especially as there is no media cost involved! http://www.facebook.com/blockbuster

Nick Burcher writes: "Facebook ad pages look like they will be very popular and I'm surprised that there is no media cost attached to them. Social ads will be a harder sell as they are more difficult to explain, but these unique targeting opportunities have the potential to revolutionise online planning and buying."

P Diddy, Burger King and LisaNova on YouTube - Social Media campaigns don't always work out as planned.....

Burger King and P Diddy got together on the DiddyTV on YouTube to announce that they were entering into a partnership. The first episode features Diddy walking through a Burger King, chatting to the camera and ordering a Whopper.

Not everyone on YouTube enjoyed this though. LisaNova became something of a YouTube celebrity after posting her own version of this clip as a video response:



The LisaNova clip has twice as many views as the P Diddy clip! Think this is a good example of how brands now need to engage consumers, rather than just preach at them. The key thing is to operate within the 'rules of the universe' and give consumers something useful - two things that the Diddy clip didn't do.

Bo Hellberg from Ogilvy summed this up nicely at IAB Engage 2007. He says "if brands are going to gatecrash the party, they can at least turn up with some booze."