IMC Hawks Blog

Tag: video

  • So If I Make A YouTube Video Will I Get Famous Too?

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    Felix Kjellberg aka PewDiePie

    “Creativity out of necessity.” In 2005 the most successful free video streaming site was created by three college graduates who had a major dilemma…

    …They couldn’t find footage of the famous Janet Jackson “wardrobe malfunction” during the 2015 Super Bowl halftime show….

    And so YouTube was born.

    YouTube has evolved to so much more than a free and easy way to see inappropriate videos of celebrities. Now it’s so sophisticated that people can earn their livings video blogging, or vlogging, about anything they want. The site started with one unfortunate (or maybe fortunate, depends on how you look at it…) celebrity “wardrobe malfunction,” and now YouTube is making a whole new category of celebrities; self-made vloggers.

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    Jenna Mourey aka Jenna Marbles: YouTube personality, vlogger, comedian, and actress

    Just as YouTube has changed over the years, the vloggers that scramble to be the next big internet sensation have started to move from computer screens to larger ones. Jenna Mourey or Jenna Marbles as she is known on YouTube is the top female vlogger with well over 15 million subscribers which ranks her channel seventh overall. Mourey now can be seen in episodes of Epic Rap Battles in History, Fake n’ Bacon, and Ridiculousness. Hannah Hart who rose to fame with My Drunk Kitchen, and hosting cameos on Mental Floss sat down with People last week to promote her upcoming TV mini-series Electra Woman & Dyna Girl airing in 2016. Then there is PewDiePie, with 40 million subscribers and over 6 billion views Felix Kjellberg has raised YouTube vlogging to an art form. By basically inviting the world into his living room to watch him play video games, Kjellberg makes $12 million dollars a year and is helping to shape the indie gamer market. Like the Oprah effect, when Kjellberg mentions a game it sees a spike in sales.

    According to People.com, these YouTube blogger channels make the most money:

    1. Felix Kjellberg

    – $12 Million a Year

    Channel: PewDiePie

    Subscribers: 40 million

    Shtick: Playing video games and making jokes

    2. Ian Hecox and Anthony Padilla

    – $8.5 Million a Year

    Channel: Smosh

    Subscribers: 21 million

    Shtick: Live-action comedy sketches

    3. Benny and Rafi Fine

    – $8.5 Million a Year

    Channel: Fine Brothers Entertainment

    Subscribers: 13 million

    Shtick: Reacting to things

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    2014 VidCon Youtuber Convention

    YouTube has become so popular that they have dedicated a whole convention, VidCon, to the videos and YouTube “stars”.  VidCon features workshops and speeches on how to launch your own YouTube career, video highlights, and YouTube celebrities waiting to meet their fans.  For a few hundred dollars fans can attend the three-day conference, with varying levels of entry to events.  Tickets range from general entry at only $100 for the “Super Early Birds”, to $750 for the Industry Standard Price.  For those interested in the online video industry beyond basic video production the industry ticket is the way to go.VIdCon offers a variety of events for industry professionals including: seminars, keynote speakers, and helpful tips on how to use online video to promote your company.

    There are many benefits for marketing your brand via YouTube:

    1. Capturing attention: Posting creative content on YouTube is an easy way to catch viewer’s attention.
    2. High Traffic Volumes: There are over 1 billion users on YouTube which is an excellent platform to reach people all over the world.
    3. Viral Marketing: YouTube videos are easily shared between friends and family members and can be shared with others, thus creating a ripple effect.
    4. Multiple Video Marketing Channels: Creating and posting videos to YouTube is a powerful and recognizable way for users to view your content.
    5. Search Engine Rankings: Google owns YouTube, which why it is so highly ranked when you search for videos on Google’s page.
    6. Social Media Marketing Integration: YouTube videos can be shared via email, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Reddit and other social media platforms.
    7. World-Wide Accessibility: Posting content on YouTube can be seen in 75 different countries, since YouTube is available in 61 languages. This is one the most effective marketing strategies since YouTube is available 24/7.

    Who are your favorite YouTube stars? Do you have your own YouTube channel? Share with us in the comments below!

    Aki Suzuki, Carey Poniewaz, Carey Shetterley, Lexie Trimnal, June Wilkinson

  • Shave Time. Shave Money. Go Viral.

    You may have seen the latest viral ad campaign that has surged through the Internet and created quite the buzz. It’s a video from DollarShaveClub.com, a recent startup company that ships high quality razors for as little as $1 a month. The video has reached close to 700,000 views on YouTube in just two days.

    The video features Michael Dublin, founder and CEO of Dollar Shave Club, leading the viewer through the company’s warehouse. Michael claims that their blades aren’t just good, they’re “f***ing great”. Michael continues by bashing the competition and “fancy razors” with high-tech gear, saying how handsome your grandfather was with just one razor. The level of absurdity in the video has been compared to the success of the Old Spice campaign, which features deadpan humor and ridiculous situations.

    The marketing campaign may have been more than Dollar Shave Club bargained for. The reaction was so strong that the company’s website crashed soon after the video launched due to the amount of traffic they were receiving. With the website shut down, Dollar Shave Club potentially lost revenue from the overwhelming demand. In the world of modern business, success can literally happen over night, as displayed by Dollar Shave Club’s huge viral impact. With startup companies trying to get their name out there in the fastest and cheapest way possible, creating a hit video may be the way to go, as long as your prepared for the traffic flow afterwards.

    The popularity of the campaign raises some questions regarding the changes in modern advertising. Having your CEO star in a video where you pronounce that your blades are “f***ing great” is risky,  but it seems that the risk, blatant honesty, and the ability for a company to poke fun at itself is what drives a business to viral success. In comparison to the Old Spice campaign, Isaiah Mustafa’s character became so popular that Old Spice went beyond TV adverts and began answering viewer questions on YouTube. While this is still just a character that sells deodorant, it became much more than that to viewers because it didn’t feel like a commercial. If commercials have a self-awareness of what they are, the audience recognizes that awareness and is more lenient to simply enjoy an advertisement as entertainment. Perhaps this is what Dollar Shave Club was going for, simply telling people what they are in the most honest, exciting, and fun way that they knew how.

    By: Hunter Wilson, Josh Vester, Ashley Oliver, Molly Jacques