Monthly Archives: June 2013

by | Wednesday, June 12, 2013 · 8:41 pm

YouTube Trends Map

6Everyone is familiar with YouTube, and likely we all watch a video or two nearly every day (go ahead, admit it). In fact, the video-sharing site averages more than one billion viewers each month! But what we watch varies by age, gender, geography, and more. The most popular video watched by men is likely not the same as the most popular video watched by women. And don’t forget about variations in culture across the U.S. The viewers in New York have very different habits than do viewers in Texas.

YouTube posts a daily trends map based on demographics as reported by its account holders. Rankings are based on the number of views and can be separated by age, gender, and location. Through the aggregated data, YouTube Trends show us the most popular video in real time and gives ideas about trends that are developing within the YouTube viewing community. The map is a visual representation of the most viewed videos over the past 24 hours across the U.S.

Before you look at it, take a guess. What do you think the most popular, trending videos are this week? Then click on the interactive map to discover trends and viewing behaviors.

Group Activities and Discussion Questions:

  1. Poll students: What are the YouTube videos they watch the most?
  2. What videos do they think are more popular for men vs. women? By various age groups?
  3. Bring up the YouTube trends map: http://www.youtube.com/trendsmap
  4. Divide students into teams. Have each team select a specific target market and geography and view the most popular videos in that area.
  5. Discuss how this information can be used by marketers.

Source:  YouTube.com

 

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by | Wednesday, June 12, 2013 · 8:38 pm

Velcro Gets a New Grip

5Velcro is such a simple product. Designed in 1941 by a Swiss engineer, its design is based on a burdock burr, a seed covered in hundreds of hooks that naturally catch onto the miniscule loops that cover fur, hair, and clothing. Based on this concept, Velcro is a hook-and-loop fastener that has helped people organize, contain, and corral miscellaneous stuff for more than 55 years. Astronauts use Velcro, hospitals use Velcro, even your grandmother uses Velcro. It is a very practical, functional product that surrounds us and has a million different uses in our lives. But, it is perhaps not viewed as a creative product. (Unless you remember when David Letterman wore a Velcro suit and launched himself onto a Velcro wall!)

The company aims to change that viewpoint with a new campaign – “A Million Uses” – showing how products can help with everything from gardening, to crafts, to sports. The promotion was developed to showcase the many ways in which Velcro can be inserted into consumers’ daily lives. The campaign includes traditional and social media to give a broad reach and penetrate new market segments.

Look around you. How could you better organize your world using Velcro ties?

Group Activities and Discussion Questions:

1. Bring Velcro strips to class for students to use in this exercise.
2. First show the David Letterman video to get students’ attention: http://youtu.be/N9uxxqKGmYg3. Discuss how companies can reinvigorate old products and brands with new ideas.
4. Bring up Velcro’s Web site to show the various uses and categories: www.velcro.com5. Show videos to start students thinking about applications:
http://youtu.be/_WXMx6Xvnt0http://youtu.be/Hvat294zmEE6. Divide students into teams. Have each team select a target market and a category for use (ex: mothers and kitchens, teachers and classrooms, students and dorms)
7. Have each team develop five new uses for velcro for their target market and category.
8. How would the students market velcro to the target market?

Source:  Brandchannel.com, Ad Age Daily, 6/4/13

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by | Wednesday, June 12, 2013 · 8:31 pm

June 2013 Viral Videos

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Every week Advertising Age, in conjunction with company Visible Measures, publishes a list of the week’s top performing videos. The weekly chart highlights viral video ads that appear on online video sites. Each ad measures viewership of brand-syndicated video clips as well as social video placements that are driven by viewers around the world. (A measurement called True Reach™ quantifies the total audience that has been exposed to a viral video campaign. The measurement combines data from brand-driven seeded video placements with results from community-driven viral video placements – spoofs, parodies, mashups, and more.)

There are three key factors for viral video success:

  1. Reaching the tastemakers.
  2. Building a community of participation.
  3. Creating unexpectedness in the video.

Regardless of the type of product or service, the country of origin, or the importance of the message, what matters is reaching the audience in a way the both entertains and informs.

Check out this week’s top videos and discuss what makes them “viral” – http://www.visiblemeasures.com/adage

Group Activities and Discussion Questions:

  1. Bring up Ad Age’s weekly Viral Video chart: http://www.visiblemeasures.com/adage
  2. Have students examine how the ads are measured by Visible Measures.
  3. Divide students into teams. Have each team select an ad on the top video chart and analyze the ad.
  4. What is unusual?
  5. Who will it interest?
  6. What is the key message?
  7. How effective is the ad at getting the company’s brand and message across to viewers?
  8. In teams, have students design a viral video for a product of their choosing. What are the elements that are needed to go viral?

Source:  Advertising Age, Visible Measures – weekly update

 

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