Archive for July, 2007

  • How To Become a Pro Media Maker

    Posted by Mark Schoneveld on July 31st, 2007. Categories: resources, xlntads | 2 Comments »

    In a world of consumer-generated media, some ‘consumers’ are savvier than others. I like to call them ‘prosumers’, but certainly, many people are blurring the lines between professional and amateur media makers.

    For those of us in the ‘Let’s blur those lines, baby!’ category, Chris Brogan has an amazing post on his blog this week that he calls ‘Media Makers Next Step‘. In it, he details some important considerations in developing your business as a video creator.

    If you’re interested in making ads and commercials with your camera, join us at XLNTads.com. We’re building a community and media maker’s toolbox for budding marketing geniuses.

  • YouTube’s New Fancy Custom Player

    Posted by Mark Schoneveld on July 26th, 2007. Categories: our news, video | No Comments »

    YouTube just released it’s new custom video player! Check out some of our awesome vids people in our community have made right here and now!

  • AgencySpy: ‘Sometimes Laymen Do It Better’

    Posted by Mark Schoneveld on July 25th, 2007. Categories: advertising | No Comments »

    Love this post by Agency Spy. As they point out, sometimes not only are the consumers more in tune with a brand’s products, they can put those thoughts into image. For example, they use this Coke ad made for a school project by Arsiggins on Flickr:

  • We’ve Got a New Video Contest

    Posted by Mark Schoneveld on July 19th, 2007. Categories: advertising, our news, xlntads | 5 Comments »

    ChocoBana is hot, baby! It’s one of eight new creative briefs for a whole new XLNTads contest. We’re ramping up our new video advertising community model, and we’re already starting to get some videos in. Check out this one - destined to be a classic - by our friend Zack Scott:

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  • It’s not CGM, But it Sure is Awesome

    Posted by Mark Schoneveld on July 19th, 2007. Categories: advertising, video | 1 Comment »

    Check out this vid. It looks like it’s an amateur media piece, but…

    [via AgencySpy]

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  • Thoughts on YouTube Meet Up in New York 7/7/07

    Posted by Mark Schoneveld on July 18th, 2007. Categories: events, xlntads | 3 Comments »

    i-tube-ny.pngRecently, XLNTads went up to Washington Square Park for the big ‘NYC 777′ YouTube gathering. We gave away a few hundred XLNT t-shirts, almost got to see the Diet Coke/Mentos explosion (it got cancelled by the park service), and met a ton of awesome video creators. The turnout was amazing. Probably over 1000 people gathered at the park throughout the day, and we had over 250 attendees at the after-party at The Grand NYC we co-sponsored with Blip.tv, Digital Influence Group and Next New Networks.

    I had a few thoughts on the event, now that the day has been digested in my brain. One of the most powerful lessons we learned is that community rules. Get people creating, and they don’t start throwing their work into a giant void. What they’re doing is sharing. They’re putting their creative energies out there to make friends. To show off their chops. To be seen. And to build their own micro-brand. We love that the next step in this sharing process is to actually meet one another.

    Also, many of these YouTube video bloggers have built up their own micro-brands within the larger context of the YouTube brand itself. It’s amazing to see the ingenuity of a Nalts or the gregariousness of a HappySlip. These people are leveraging this platform to create a completely new media and a completely new genre of creator: the prosumer. It’s exciting to be a part of this revolution, and to watch the ‘democratization of digital media‘ unfold before our eyes.

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  • Make Your Own TV: First Contest Awesomeness

    Posted by Mark Schoneveld on July 17th, 2007. Categories: advertising, video, xlntads | No Comments »

    We’ve just wrapped up our first contest, and it was awesome. We got lots of great submissions from people all across the country, but in the end the winner of the $5,000 Grand Prize was from right here in Philadelphia. Andy Gilligan took home the trophy for this ad he made with his friends on a micro budget (read the whole story here):

    But Andy really wanted to go all out, so he went ahead and made two! We loved them both. Have a look at “Make Your Own TV”:

    If you’d like to see all the contest winners, head on over to our YouTube channel. And of course, stay tuned for more. We’ve got another contest in the works right now.

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  • Seth Godin on New Marketing

    Posted by Mark Schoneveld on July 11th, 2007. Categories: viral | Comments Off

    I just came across a great summary of marketing guru Seth Godin’s philosophy of marketing in the 21st Century. Have a look:

    1. For fifty years, advertising (and the pre-packaged, one-way stories that make good advertising] drove our economy. Then media exploded. We went from three channels to 500 hundred, from no web pages to a billion. At the same time, the number of choices mushroomed. There are more than 100 brands of nationally advertised water. There are dozens of car companies, selling thousands of combinations. Starbucks offers 19,000,000 different ways to order a beverage, and Oreo cookies come in more than nineteen flavors.

      In the face of all this choice and clutter, consumers realized that they have quite a bit of power. So advertising stopped working.

    2. One insight is that marketing with permission works better than spam. In other words, delivering anticipated, personal and relevant ads to the people who want to get them is always more effective than yelling loudly at strangers. PERMISSION MARKETING addresses this issue.
    3. Once an idea is in the hands of people who care about its success, it may be lucky enough to benefit from digitally augmented word of mouth. I call this an ideavirus. Modern ideas spread online and off, and this is faster and more effective than the old-fashioned centralized way of selling. UNLEASHING THE IDEAVIRUS is the most successful ebook of all time and you can buy the paperback for about $10. Feel free to look for the ebook online as well. It’s free.
      It’s remarkable products that get remarked on. That seems obvious, but it flies in the face of the way most goods and services and business items are created and marketed. Boring is invisible. PURPLE COW is all about this.
    4. The thing that makes something remarkable isn’t usually directly related to the original purpose of the product or service. It’s the FREE PRIZE INSIDE, the extra stuff, the stylish bonus, the design or the remarkable service or pricing that makes people talk about it and spread the word.
    5. The controversial ALL MARKETERS ARE LIARS isn’t about lying at all. It’s about telling stories that people want to believe. It’s about the fact that people want bottled water, not tap, iPod Nanos, not Rios, and politicians who talk straight, regardless of the consequences… But most of all, it’s about authenticity.
    6. Most of all, Godin believes that it’s possible to enjoy your job, to do the right thing, to be transparent, to give more than you get and to be successful, all at the same time. In fact, that’s sort of the definition of success, isn’t it?

    Also, make sure to check out his essay on What Makes Ideas Viral.

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  • LA Times Calls 30-second Ads Near-Dead

    Posted by Mark Schoneveld on July 5th, 2007. Categories: advertising, our news | No Comments »

    The long-loved ad form, the 30 second spot, has been under pressure for a while now, but the LA Times recently explored what other kids of vid-ads are going to take its place and why.

    “At the end of the day, why would anybody of sane mind and body sit through a commercial?” said Jaffe, whose book was published in 2005. Online advertisers stand a chance of keeping an audience’s attention, he said, by making commercials that don’t appear to be commercials.

    The most effective ones are, of course, like programs themselves, said Rick Corteville, executive director of media at San Francisco-based digital marketing agency Organic, which created an interactive video ad for the 2007 Jeep Patriot.

    [via Reel Pop]

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  • The Most Genius Viral Advertising Ever!

    Posted by Mark Schoneveld on July 5th, 2007. Categories: advertising, viral | 1 Comment »

    The Simpson’s Movie is coming out this summer and they’ve just launched an amazingly great viral ad campaign. No videos in here, but man, what a genius behind the concept. One of the best things, creating your own Simpson’s character! Here’s mine, and I love him!

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  • XLNTads in BrandWeek

    Posted by Mark Schoneveld on July 5th, 2007. Categories: our news | No Comments »

    We’ve got a great write up in BrandWeek today. And I quote:

    “We’re dedicated to the ad-creator community by creating a site to help them get their work noticed and get their work purchased instead of just saying, ‘Hey if you’ve done something funny, why don’t you put it on the Web?’” said Neil Perry, who was recruited by private investors to be the company’s acting CEO.