You Tube is serious PR:

I was recently pitching our services to a new company and trying to explain the merits of integrating a social media campaign into their marketing/PR plan.

Using You Tube as the most mainstream example, I found this potential client was skeptical of this strategy, putting us (politely) on the defensive – not good at anytime, especially when making a first impression! The feeling was that this was not mainstream (only for the young) and not for serious businesses.

Next time I face this uncertainty, this will be my response on how serious players are using You Tube and the various ways it can be applied as a communications tool:

Contests:

Fresh Burst Surprise: What would you like to do for a second time? A brilliant, thought- provoking and funny campaign set up to generate public discussion. It also includes an incentive (free T-shirt) to visit their website. Click here.

Heinz challenge for best commercial: The public votes on the best amateur commercial. Reward includes a significant amount of money and air time. Instructions are easy to follow and the rules are clearly defined. Click here.

Politics:

YouChoose ’08 – Face the Candidates on You Tube gives you all you need on how to vote. Here are two examples:

Barack Obama TV on You Tube: Shows recent speeches and other videos of himself with a link to his own website. Click here.

Senator Chris Dodd: Uses this as another method to air election ads. He also runs a Q&A session before one of the debates, an interesting strategy. He sets the tone and builds image by showing supporters cheering, etc. Click here.

Promotions:

CBS uses You Tube to promote its baseball coverage. Click here.


Apple uses this forum to advertise its Apple iPhone. Click here.


How To:

The ‘how to’ category can be applied to so many businesses and services today. It is also an easy way to create a video. Some that I liked are:

How to solve a Rubik’s Cube. Click here.

How to get You Tube Subscribers….And please note the correct lingo here: A channel = what you run on You Tube; Vloggers/Vlog = those who use this medium of communication/what is produced (not to be confused with bloggers/blog); Subscribers = people who regularly tune in (the idea is to get as many subscribers as possible!).
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