SXSW Dispatch, Part 8: The Online Video That Just Won’t Go Away

With all our talk of the Year of Location and mobile web browsing and in-store touch technologies, something as “old” as online video might seem like a quaint topic to cover in a SXSW Interactive recap. Of course, video has proven to be an extremely engaging medium for interacting with consumers, and brands have recognized the value of encouraging user-generated video content. So, even at a conference overrun with the digital elite, online video still commanded a number of panels to discuss what’s working now and what’s on deck. Let’s take a look.

Certainly, one of the biggest advocates of online video content is the comedy site Funny or Die (who just made headlines for their work with Hyatt’s latest B-to-B campaign). When it comes to content, FoD Creative Director Andrew Steele argues that the rules online are much the same as they are for traditional media (which probably explains why most of the site’s writers are drawn from the ranks of Saturday Night Live and the Upright Citizens Brigade). Steele argues that topical material, quality writing, and big names are your three best bets to give an online video a viral boost, although they admitted that swearing and naked women are also dependable fallbacks. But let’s keep it classy, shall we?

About getting those “big names” on board: it’s something that distinguishes FoD from their competitors, and having Will Ferrell as a founder certainly helps. While the site is happy to work with brands to write a clever campaign, it’s not exactly cheap to get the likes of Eva Longoria and Natalie Portman to shill for your product. But CEO Richard Glover points out that many of their frequent contributors are motivated in other ways. If a brand has a campaign that can help these celebrities achieve these goals, there’s a far better chance for arranging a partnership (and perhaps without that hefty pricetag). Some frequent contributors see the site as a resource for changing their image (see: Lindsay Lohan), and others are looking to promote their own products, but a surprising number of celebrities see humorous videos as an effective avenue for bringing attention to their charitable causes of choice. For instance, the video above brought together a roster of comedians young and old in order to promote the creation of the Consumer Financial Protection Agency. Director Ron Howard said that a sketch like that would have normally cost a quarter-million dollars to put together, but since the actors were legitimately interested in supporting the cause, the video was online only nine days after conception, and for little more than the cost of airline tickets for the actors. For brands, these examples offer two compelling takeaways. For one, sometimes the best way to drive awareness for your cause campaign is through a heavy dose of humor. Secondly, that cause connection may be your ticket to celebrity participation. If you find a celebrity who shares an interest with your brand’s cause of choice, you may be able to get them to participate in campaigns that they normally wouldn’t consider. When choosing a cause to get behind, that’s something to consider.

Of course, not all great web content requires a script. Ustream’s founder Brad Hunstable came to SXSWi to tout the power of live streaming events online. The applications are obvious for sports and music, and Ustream has had particular success streaming exclusive, behind-the-scenes content for KISS shows and Jonas Brothers sets. Of course, they’re also willing to work with bands that don’t suck – OH SNAP! In fact, Hunstable thinks they’re best-suited for “middle tail” content with a sizable but perhaps non-mainstream audience (you know, like a Micro Community).

But, there’s even more potential on the other side of the live video equation. The growing ubiquity of mobile devices that can both record and view streaming video has made it possible for anyone to broadcast live from anywhere at any time. In response, we’re seeing the emergence of a number of platforms that bring these feeds together and supplement them with chat functionality and other social components (Qik and Knocking are two others besides Ustream that are gaining buzz). These services have now created the opportunity for local, isolated events to become experiences that are shared around the world. In a separate mommy blogger panel, the speakers recommended that brands should take advantage of these services for events that they’ve sponsored. Sending video-equipped consumers to cover these events gives your sponsorship added legs and activates your sponsorship beyond just the attendees. Moreover, for any events occurring in simultaneous places among a number of locations, streaming video services have enormous potential. A simple application of this service could be a brand like Corona compiling a variety of streaming videos from Cinco de Mayo celebrations across the country. Y’know, if we had any clients that’d be interested in that sort of thing.

[UPDATE: We saw some great examples of this during the iPad release day, a.k.a. the geek equivalent of Cinco de Mayo. Sites like Techcrunch used Qik to stream live interviews with all of the Apple-ites waiting in line for their new iPads, letting us all feel like we're part of the experience without, y'know, standing in line at 4am.]

We’re closing in on the end, but more SXSW Interactive coverage is yet to come.