What really got my attention was how the video was presented and edited. It’s a great example of how a small business can think creatively to capture attention (it got mine at least, and possibly yours too) and become memorable. They took a straight up audio interview and created a video that stands out from the crowd. It’s funny, unexpected and very cleverly done.

interview with Julien Smith. Author , blogger, podcaster and all round nice guy.

Snapshot

If you’re in a small business, consider what Web Courses Bangkok did:

• thought about who would be prominent, interesting and relevant to their prospective customers
• arranged a long-distance audio interview
• enlisted a video editor to create something different, entertaining and informative (see update below)
• asked the interviewee to mention the video publicly
• ensured that social sharing options were available on their site
• had a presence on Twitter to engage in direct conversation

I was compelled to share the video on Twitter, Facebook and this blog because the approach was unique and creative. Ben Powell summed it up on Twitter:

Tell me, how have you made a splash for your business with something different?

Update: Ben Powell left this comment:

Just to add a little to your post if I may, we’re a small business without much of a marketing budget so we didn’t really have the ability to hire anyone to help, so we called in favors had to learn how to make a .gif, teach ourselves how to use video editing software… It was all done for the grand total of $0.

Small business dont need a budget to do something that has a twist on the ususal, just time and enthusiasm….. and a few skilled friends of course.

The Advertising Equivalent of Live Blogging

The social media campaign to support Old Spice flew into overdrive as the team from Wieden + Kennedy and Old Spice holed up in a studio in Portland, Oregon with their writers, production team and actor Isaiah Mustafa. Their idea was brilliant: Produce personalized responses to @replies on Twitter, comments on the “Talk to OS Guy” tab on their Facebook page, YouTube channel and other places around the web and quickly post them to the Old Spice YouTube channel with supporting Tweets.

Today they shot and uploaded 89 videos. Yesterday it was 29.

Yes, that’s right, 118 personalized videos in less than 48 hours. Think of the marathon that the writers and production team just accomplished, not to mention the focus that Isaiah Mustafa needed to maintain character for so long.

Indeed I think @jordan_ferguson was right when he suggested on Twitter that July 13th be renamed Old Spice day.

Leveraging the Numbers

As buzz grew around the videos on Twitter, the heavy-hitters started commenting. Creating the opportunity to push more attention to the campaign, reply videos soon appeared for mainstream celebrities @aplusk, @ryanseacrest, @Allyssa_Milano and @rosemcgowan. Media outlets @TheEllenShow, Perez Hilton, @GQ, @Gizmodo and Huffington  Post received some attention. Even @Starbucks got in on the action.

Tech celebs weren’t missed either, with replies going out to Twitter co-founder @biz, @guykawasaki,  and three get-well videos for Digg founder Kevin Rose, ill with a fever.

Calculated responses to grab the most lift, for sure. But there were still one-hundred videos speaking directly to people with modest followings that were as well crafted and funny as any meant for those with big reach.

And, ultimately, none of it would have worked if the videos weren’t funny and inventive. The writers deserve kudos for their nimble feat which managed to make me chuckle throughout the day, despite being in the depths of a miserable summer cold.

Meta Moment

Things got a little strange when the Old Spice character sent a reply video to the actor’s own Tweet.

This type of engagement too.

Here’s one that the team turned around in a few hours that makes an interesting story for one couple.

More Spicy Goodness

All the response videos.

Did You Know and Boat are the two 15-second spots that compliment the two more well known 30-second spots.

The making of the I’m On A Horse commercial, including an interview with writers Craig Allen and Eric Kallman.

What do you think of the campaign? Have you watched any of the response videos? Share your favourite in the comments. (My fave is the one they made around a horse hiding typo.)

Update: I neglected to mention that the @oldspice Twitter account had approximately 7,000 followers on the morning of July 13th. Now, 24-hours later, their account stands at almost 35,000 followers, a 500% increase.

Update 2: On the morning of July 16th, @OldSpice has almost 72,000 followers.

Update 3: ReadWriteWeb has a piece on how the Old Spice videos are being made.

I could take this opportunity to rant about how much I despise the stranglehold that Canada’s 3 cellular infrastructure providers (of which Rogers is one) has on it’s population, or prattle on about how we pay the 3rd highest mobile data rates in the world, or of how we have no unlimited mobile data plans, or talk about how this is hurting innovation and business in this country.

But, I won’t just now. That’s a post for another day.

This time I’m going to indulge some geeky marketing interests and delve into my fascination for stats. Especially stats about the growth of digital communication within a Canadian context. This video fits the bill.

One thing I love is that the source citations for the stats are included in the additional information for the video when you view it in YouTube. As a marketer, you never know when you might need a stat, and as a viewer it’s good to know that they’re backing up what they’re claiming. I’ll save you the clicks and reproduce it here.

SOURCES
Facts in Next is Now are calculated based on data from the following sources:
[0:10] Google CEO Eric Schmidt, Information Week
[0:18] 24 hours of video uploaded per minute, The Official YouTube Blog
[0:25] Facebakers, Facebook Statistics Canada
[0:32] Normalized, averaged Facebook growth (Facebook Press Room milestones)
[0:49] iTunes download of The Godfather vs 56kbps
[0:55] Speeds of 50mbps and up in Canada
[1:16] Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association
[1:21] Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association
[1:29] Ipsos Reid Interactive Group
[1:39] Amazon Kindle capacity
[1:43] Bedford Public Library collection: nearly 12,000 books
[1:52] Android: Androlib / iPhone: Apple
[1:55] Match.com iPhone App
[2:32] OTX, 2008 Longitudinal Media Experience Study
[2:36] SRG, Digital Life Canada, November 2009
[2:40] SRG, Digital Life Canada, November 2009
[2:56] AmDocs, The Connected World Vision
[3:16] TweeSpeed
[3:20] 15 million in U.S. alone. CTIA-The Wireless Association, Wireless Industry Survey
[3:24] Symantec, 2000-2009: The Spam Explosion

Nice job to the team at Thornley Fallis and 76design, and Keith McArthur at Rogers.

Now, if Rogers really wants to see the growth of digital communications in Canada, they’ll be the first company to bring an unlimited mobile data plan to this country, and make it comparably affordable to our U.S. cousins. Whadd’ya say?

Twestival Montreal – With only a few weeks to  plan the event, I worked with a great volunteer team to raise more than $5,100 for  charity: water. Our target was $4,000; enough to build one well in Africa. Knowing that we’ve given people the gift of clean water, saving lives in the process and helping a community thrive, was worth all of the stress, my brief illness and serious lack of sleep.

The event wrap up has the full list of sponsors, volunteers and links to photos and video coverage. Thanks to everyone who  supported the event. You should be very proud of what you accomplished.

Collaboration – I’m a solo consultant, so I’m always looking for opportunities to collaborate with others on projects where I can put my skills to good use. I was fortunate to meet Mark Goren of Planting Seeds last year at a dinner in Montreal that I helped to arrange for Valeria Maltoni. Mark and I hit it off and have been collaborating on a few projects. I’m thrilled that we are working on a several new things to offer together in the coming year. Here’s one for team work!

2nd Social Media Marketing conference – I was invited to speak in Toronto about how brands can use Twitter. It was a small but lively group, where many were relatively new to Twitter and very few were tweeting on behalf of a brand.  I love speaking about Twitter and had fun presenting. I guess it showed.

(Thanks Colin!)

PodCamp Toronto – For my second time participating at PodCamp Toronto, I presented with Tracy Apps (@tapps) on video microblogging and communities. It was a blast! Tracy and I talked about the evolution of online communities and the different ways to participate in video.  Despite our faltering Internet connection, we managed to showcase a several services including Seesmic, Phreadz and 12seconds.tv, while giving mentions to Utterli, Tokbox and YouTube. We had great interaction and questions from the participants. You can download the Quicktime file of the stream or view Laurent Lasalle’s Qik of the session.

Congratulations to Sylvain Grand’Maison (who did TWO English presentations), Kim Valee, and the rest of the francophone contingent from Montreal who overcame language to make their mark on PodCamp Toronto. You did far more than most could do!

PodCamps are great for meeting friends that you don’t get to see very often or are meeting in the flesh for the first time. One of the highlights of the weekend for me was having dinner on Friday with Chris Brogan, Amber Nasland, Dave Fleet, Jeremy Wright, Dave Delaney, Merlene Paynter, Randy Matheson and Angela Misri. What a great mix of interesting and fun people that I can count as friends, new and old.

Skating Nut – Nothing could have capped off such a stellar month better than a visit by Laura Fitton (@Pistachio). Laura was on a mission to skate the Rideau Canal in Ottawa, and stayed at my home in Montreal on her way from Boston. We were up far too late catching up, but still managed to be happy and excited about our road trip the next morning.

Laura’s plans to skate the Rideau that day fell through when the Canal was closed due to poor ice conditions. Considering she’d driven 7.5 hours to be there and had the goal to skate the Canal for at least 5 years, did she fret about the timing? No way! Instead, she gamely accompanied my family to the Children’s Museum and called an impromptu Ottawa Tweet-up. Fortunately, the weather gods produced some very cold temperatures and the next day, Laura finally got her skate.

Seizing Opportunties – In retrospect, this action-packed February was about seizing opportunities and making the absolute best of things, despite obstacles. It was about taking a chance to get involved, making a difference, trying something new, working hard, sharing knowledge, meeting people face-to-face, collaborating and fostering friendship.

It was a blur.

It was wonderful.

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Heading into the new year, when global economic and political uncertainties have touched so many people, conversations are filled with doom and gloom. Perhaps this holiday season, you’re feeling a little cautious, a little serious, a little too grown up.

My holiday wish is for your spirits to be lifted. Find the simple joy in being a kid again, believe in possibilities, embrace the future. Have some fun! It’s good for the soul.

(View this video on the web as a holiday card.)

Wishing you Happy Holidays and a Monstrously Great New Year.

One thing I love about the Community Divas podcast is that they keep things brief. So have a listen to this podcast, which runs under twenty minutes. Thanks Eden and Connie for inviting me on the show!

After introducing the first viral video, Numa Numa, Dr. Wesch commented on the more than 58,000 copycat videos that have been uploaded to YouTube by saying:

I like to think of it as more than just a dance. It’s a celebration. It’s a celebration of new forms of empowerment, anybody with a web cam now has a stronger voice and presence. It’s a celebration of new forms of community and types of community that we’ve never really seen before; global connections transcending space and time. It’s a celebration of new and unimaginable possibility.

If you missed seeing an anthropological introduction to YouTube back at the end of June when Dr. Wesch addressed the Library of Congress, I urge you to watch it. And if you’ve seen it, watch it again – there is so much to absorb packed into this 55 minute presenation, it merits a second view. Plan to eat lunch at your desk, put your feet up, get comfy.

This should be required viewing for anyone with a web cam, community managers and those working in fields that are using social media to reach an audience. (Check out Dr. Wesch’s video from a year ago, The Machine is Us/ing Us, which examines web 2.0 in under 5 minutes.)

An anthropological introduction to YouTube is a tremendously well put together piece that questions the fundamental issues of self, identity and community when staring straight into a web cam.

But, in the meantime, I am really pleased to have been invited to speak about video conversation networks next Thursday, September 18th at the Montreal Girl Geek Dinner. The Montreal chapter of Girl Geek Dinners is part of a world-wide movement of people learning about technology in an informal environment. If you’re in town, or here a little early for PodCamp Montreal, please come by and join us for a bite, a drink and a little tour of video conversation platforms.

Thursday, September 18
6 pm to 9 pm
Le Quartier
1001 Square Victoria (map)
Montreal
514.875.9669
See you there!

“…based off Aboriginal gift economies and it’s a pay it forward giving game whereby you earn points based off how well you give to other people. So aside from the functional, this is a social network.”

The buzz about Akoha’s sneak preview last week was big enough that Chris Brogan flew in from Boston. The venue was filled to capacity with Montreal’s great tech and social media community in anticipation of finally hearing the details of the previously-stealth mode Akoha.

And we heard them.

And it’s really innovative and wonderful.

And I can’t tell you any more.

Because all the guests signed a friendly NDA upon entry and we’re sworn to secrecy for about 30 days.

So, instead, I’ll leave you with a little David Usher, who did a short set on the terrasse. If you don’t know David, he’s about to release his 6th solo album, Wake Up and Say Goodbye, on September 23rd. David is a huge proponent of using social media to connect with his supporters and his site is a treasure trove of fan-submitted content. He writes about how social media is changing the way artists create and communicate with their supporters on CloudiD. You can find him on Twitter and on September 20th, he’ll be presenting a session with Mitch Joel at PodCamp Montreal called The New New Music – Fans, Community And What Business Can Learn From An Industry In Peril.

“And So We Run” from the forthcoming album Wake Up and Say Goodbye.

(Apologies for the quality from my Canon point and shoot.)