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6/4: Keynote @ IAB Leadership Forum: User-Generated Content and Social Networking
I’m honored to be keynoting the IAB’s Leadership Forum on UGC & Social Networking on Monday, 6,4.
More info here.
If you’ll be there, let me know by emailing me at ian (at) deep-focus.net.
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Has Network Television Become Irrelevant?
The following is my latest column over at ClickZ…
I’m a loyal reader of “Confessions of an Aca-Fan,” a blog written by MIT Comparative Media Studies Program director Henry Jenkins, and a recent post got me thinking.
The post explores how the broadcast networks (ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX) should rebrand themselves as consumer media consumption behavior shifts from passive to on-demand (and time-shifted/place-shifted) viewing. The post reprinted the essay of a Sloan MBA student (and former student of Jenkins), Eleanor Baird, and investigates “how broadcast networks can respond to the changing and converging media environment by promoting themselves as distinct brands of television.”
Unexpected Online Video of the Day
In checking whether or not there was a promotion for the Mets game I’m attending on 5/31, I came across this.
Unexpected. Unnecessary. But appreciated.
Lets go Mets.
**UPDATE**
If you missed tonight’s Mets-Giants game, you missed a bona-fide instant classic. One of the most exciting and highlight (and lowlight — yes you, Armando Benitez) packed games I’ve seen in a long while.
Take that, Silicon Valley.
Ben Silverman in at NBC Universal
As The Hollywood Reporter, well, reports, Ben Silverman has officially been named as co-chairman of NBC Entertainment and NBC Universal Television Studio, reporting directly to Jeff Zucker, president and CEO of NBC Universal.
Q: Why is an interactive agency CEO blogging about this?
A: Ben Silverman is also CEO of a television production company called Reveille, LLC. According to the official company info:
Reveille has become the world leader in creating integrated marketing opportunities for leading advertisers and developing alternative financing paradigms for the television business. Mr. Silverman is also the co-creator and executive producer of the hit reality show The Biggest Loser for NBC as well as USA Network’s Nashville Star and Blow Out on Bravo. In addition, he serves as executive producer for NBC’s Emmy Award-winning comedy hit The Office, based on the hit BBC comedy. Other projects include the comedy Ugly Betty for ABC; the popular Date My Mom and Parental Control for MTV; the successful, PGA-nominated FX series 30 Days created by Oscar nominee Morgan Spurlock; the Emmy- and Peabody-award winning telefilm 9/11; House of Boateng on Sundance Channel and the television series Bound For Glory.
I recently had the opportunity to see Ben speak at MySpace’s “NeverEnding Friending” event in Beverly Hills, CA. The gist of his presentation was that Reveille is committed to producing original digital content, with digital distribution strategies, including a deal with MySpace.
According to PaidContent, Silverman will also oversee the entertainment division’s digital efforts, including NBC.com.
It seems that NBC is about to get more aggressive about their digital programming strategies, and other networks (cable, broadcast, or otherwise) should be paying close attention.
Facebook Video has Launched: You need to know about this.
Facebook has officially launched their video sharing and uploading platform.
The intentions were announced on Thursday in the midst of numerous announcements about their new, more open API platform (more thoughts on this in the coming days).
There are two important things you should know about the video launch:
* You can’t embed videos outside the Facebook service.
* Uploading applications are built into the service, meaning you can record and send videos directly to friends from a webcam, camcorder, or cameraphone.
It seems that Facebook, is again, doing it their own way when it comes to being their own, closed ecosystem. The fact that you can’t embed their videos outside the Facebook universe is certainly going to limit the number of views these videos get, but allows Facebook users to take advantage of tagging and news updates that make staying within the Facebook universe such a good experience. Facebook, as they will tell you until they are blue in the face, is a utility, not a media property (a la MySpace).
The uploading technology may actually be designed to prevent a YouTube-like legal fight. Facebook wants users to upload videos of their lives — not clips from television shows. The way the application is built seems destined to ensure that is what happens (although folks might find ways around that).
Mashable has some coverage of this as well. A good read.
Transformers Viral Debunking
You know, as a marketer, sometimes the best part of a viral campaign is watching the efforts people go through to debunk it, alerting even more people to the viral.
While I can’t confirm that these photos are actually part of a coordinated viral attempt from Paramount to support The Transformers, but if it is, I like it.
The highly influential blog BoingBoing is conducting a debunking attempt on these photos, where the collective consciousness of its readers is putting forth an investigative effort. While there is a lot of speculation, my favorite conspiracy theory has to do with the markings on the UFO’s similarities to the markings on this picture of Megatron from the new Transformers movie.
I hope that’s true. If so, great, heady viral. If not, it still benefits the film.
Sometimes, its the smaller, less mainstream and more precise efforts that work best. They are appreciated by fewer, yet more influential people than those obtuse viral videos that get viewed by millions, but have no brand association whatsoever.
Google Video AdSense: Without the Magic.
So Google is introducing Video AdSense ads. According to Google:
AdSense for Video pilot: This is what we’re announcing today - we’re extending AdSense to online video content. Publishers in this test will be able to define at what point in their videos that streaming video ads will appear.
But no contextual targeting mentioned. It’s strange, this kind of technology exists. ScanScout and numerous other technologies are developing (or have developed) it already, yet Google has yet to deploy anything similar. Contextually targeting video ads is so Google. Whither the targeting, GOOG?
**UPDATE**
Apparently, Techcrunch agrees.
Hello, Operator11
Here’s something interesting, if you haven’t seen it yet…
Operator11.com is a site that allows you to basically host your own live video broadcast — with a twist. Instead of a “call in” feature like on, say, talk radio, viewers can be invited to comment, live, using their webcams.
It’s really cool, and really in its early stages. But the potential for both consumers and advertisers is significant enough that it should be on your radar now.
This may very well be the evolution of the BBS/MUD/newsgroup/message board/chat room methods of communication.
Below is one of the more popular shows that’s broadcasting live, as I type.
