Online Video: Keep It Fun, Simple, and Entertaining

It’s no secret online video is effective.

The reason is clear: video simply engages people in a way that static text and images cannot. There are dozens of studies (and recent examples) that show the power of video to boost customer interaction, encourage viral sharing, and build brand awareness.

One only has to go back a week ago to realize this fact. So, in honour of Isaiah Mustafa (The Old Spice Guy), here are my two all-time online video campaigns:

Enjoy!

The Old Spice Guy

Despite all the recent backlash, I’ve enjoyed this campaign from the beginning (disclosure: I happen to use Old Spice ).

After two days and an incredible 185 personal responses to fan queries on Old Spice‘s YouTube channel, actor Isaiah Mustafa signed off last Wednesday in what could be the most successful social media experiment to date.

The ‘real-time’ brand assault made Old Spice’s YouTube channel the most-viewed channel of the day and the fourth-most subscribed to date at the video sharing site and garnered an avalanche of awestruck media praise and sites including Mashable, Reddit, and Digg.

Update [7/28/2010]: Since posting this article, according to Mashable, Old Spice body wash sales have increased 107% in the past month in part thanks to this social media marketing campaign.

Will It Blend?

Small home appliance maker Blendtec’s first “Will it Blend” video featured a man in a lab coat turning a handful of glass marbles into dust using one of the company’s home blenders. That video has received million of views since it was put online in 2006.

The videos have certainly gotten a little more flashy since their debute, but the idea is essentially still the same simple formula: blender + common object (that you wouldn’t normally put in a blender) = viral video hit.

The Lesson

Why have these videos worked so well and had so much staying power? In no small part, it’s because they kept it fun, simple, and entertaining. Stodgy sales pitches don’t work on the web, but short, goofy, wacky, and unexpected almost always does.

How can you start using online video to make a real connection with your audience?

This is Mitch, on a horse…signing off

About the Author:

Mitch Fanning is the VP of Strategy & Business Development for Fruition Interactive. He’s spent 10+ years (and put in his 10,000 hours) working with businesses of all sizes, from global brands to Canada’s fastest growing Internet companies ranked in the PROFIT 100. At any given moment, Mitch can be brainstorming ideas for a client, writing for various blogs he contributes to, or resting under a tree in a quiet vineyard with @treatqueendiva.