Viral Video Generates ZERO Hits to Web Site
Interesting article I found via Adrants about Jonathan Schoenberg of TDA Advertising & Design. About a year ago, a video was launched on YouTube where he was lecturing a class and he proceeded to grab a students cell phone who was talking on it and smashed it to the ground. The video has gotten a lot of play and discussions online. We later found out that the whole thing was stagged and according to Schoenberg, he wanted to show the power of “disruptive communication“. Whatever….
What is interesting is that we now have learned that even though the video has been viewed a little under 3 million times and has almost 7000 comments, this video did not generate a single click over to the TDA Advertising web site, NOT A ONE! So what does that say about Schoenberg’s disruptive marketing?
My take is that anyone can create cheap theatrics and it might grab our attention for a short period of time, but in today’s world, just grabbing people’s attention is not enough. If you want to market a product or service, you need to truly engage with the market you covet. They need to reached on a more emotional level that causes them to take some sort of action and want to do more with your brand.
What do you think?
Technorati Tags: YouTube, disruptive communication
AMEN!
PS. Congrats on the speaking gig!
Thanks buddy! Am I going to see you there? I need all the friends I can get….
The answer to that is – their ploy was over disruptive. People were too distracted with the video to bother doing anything else.
I have a meeting that afternoon in Burlington so it’s not looking great. That being said, it’s on my calendar.
Either way, knock em dead.
It could be that I’m just ignorant, but I don’t see where the connection would be from the YouTube page and the TDA website. Maybe if at the end of the clip, they showed a URL, that could drive traffic.
Where does the expectation of click-through to ANY web property come from based on this video? If that was the goal, then this is a case of really sloppy execution.
Lyndon – That or maybe it was not disruptive enough? Come on, he wants to be disruptive, he should of yelled and screamed and threw a tantrum!
Jeremy – I agree with you, but I guess based on what the guy said in Adrants, they were expecting some traffic. But I guess if they put a URL at the end of the video, everyone knew is was a fake and from an agency.
Thanks guys.
Um, where was the web link/mention there? Did I miss it? Not sure how they could rationally expect any traffic from that. It’s amusing, but not relevant to their business, and really had no point. I still think Will it Blend? is a great relevant video series that works… George Will from Blendtec’s comment on their results on my blog post: http://www.seven87.com/2006/12/15/your-viral-marketing-will-it-blend/#comments
Rock on MC Silverstein!
It was never meant to drive hits to our website. It was a lecture and this part of it was a gag to help the students think about viral work. The reaction on youtube was largely due to people’s feelings about cell phones in general.
Silverstein, Silence killed.
That explains the actions without the words. It is more scary.
Yea, I guess it is mid-way somewhere.
The video itself just shows an act. What website am I supposed to go to? Curious. It does not tell me.
Zennie – Yea, that’s the point.. There is no where that you are told to go. Thanks for the comment.