Amazon Tries Again With Video As A Sales Tool
from the video,-video-everywhere dept
Okay. We get it. Online video is hot. From Apple and Google to startups like YouTube and VideoEgg, it seems that everyone is offering video-related products online. People are still trying to figure out exactly what types of videos work online. Short, funny videos that are likely to get passed around seem to do well, but beyond that, it's still not entirely clear what people are looking for. However, it should come as no surprise that companies are looking to use online videos for advertising purposes. In the past, we've seen both good and bad examples of video advertising online. Bad examples are when companies just take their boring commercials and put them online -- or where they try to build up fake word of mouth advertising. Good examples are where companies recognize that they really need to entertain -- as Honda did with its cog commercial, BMW did with its BMWfilms effort and American Express did with its Superman/Jerry Seinfeld shorts. All were focused on entertaining first, which brought people in. Amazon has experimented with trying to advertise through video as well. A little over a year ago it started offering short films with famous actors on the site, where product placement played a major role. There was one problem. The short films were dreadful, and the whole promotion seemed to fade away pretty quickly. However, now Amazon is trying again -- and it sounds just as forced. It's going to launch a web only talk show featuring Bill Maher, who will have guests on to talk about wonderful products for sale (such as their own CDs or books) on Amazon. Again, though, this seems forced. It's focusing on the advertising first, and the entertainment second. Since there is no captive audience, that makes it a tough sell. People will go if they think they're going to be entertained. They're not so interested in watching it if it feels like "a product pitch."
Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
Videos to Watch
I think what would work for Amazon would be videos of the authors talking about their books. What motivated them to write etc. Something that ties in properly with what they are selling.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Video and Advertising
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1720068211869162779
It an interesting talk on the future of television in the age of Bittorrent. His premise is that advertising can still fund the content, but the quality of the content is key. In a world where choice is infinite quality will rise to the top, and forced and obtrusive advertising will be rejected by the viewers. Viewers must feel they are being entertained or they will look for their entertainment elsewhere.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: Videos to Watch
When Amazon first starting doing video on their front page, they had Jon Stewart selling his book (America). It was more of a mini-stand-up routine than a "why I wrote this book" but it was relevant.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
How about a different host
If it were me, I'd look for someone with more mainstream appeal who is less inclined to spout off at the mouth and jeopardize the project, but that's just me.
Oh, and I guess I missed it, but is the show going to be online only or podcast?
[ link to this | view in thread ]
No Subject Given
[ link to this | view in thread ]