It's hard to miss the explosive growth of online video these days. YouTube has made it easier and more popular than ever to watch and share video content with a global audience.
And as more Americans get connected with higher speed broadband connections, you can bet the appetite for interactive video on the Internet -- "Web TV" if you like -- will continue to grow. So, too, will its importance for public relations as another potential channel for reaching audiences.
This week I finally got my invitation to beta test Joost -- a peer to peer video software suite from some of the folks behind file sharing software Kazaa (don't worry, Joost is legal) and internet telephony pioneer Skype. Joost relies on p2p file sharing technology to deliver large video files rapidly to users around the world, permitting full-screen video, social networking functionality and interactive TV widgets. It's the cable TV we all wish we had at home.
And while I found it just a tad buggy on my Mac (it IS a beta, after all), Joost is very slick. Loads of program options on demand, a clean interface, and the ability for content publishers to enhance their programs and audiences to customize their viewing experience with "widgets" including more information, special features, games, trivia, etc.
As with every new media technology, the availability of good content is paramount to consumer adoption. To that end, Joost announced this week new content deals with CNN and Time Warner, promising shows like "Larry King Live" on the video network. Other content providers who have signed on include CBS, Sony TV, Warner Music, the NHL, Sports Illustrated and the Cartoon Network, according to MarketingVOX . All of this content is ad supported and available free -- the only cost of entry is a fairly speedy PC or Mac and a swift Internet connection.
From a PR perspective, there are terrific opportunities for brands creating their own engaging content and making it available through distribution channels like Joost. Imagine a dedicated Toyota Web TV channel which let you check out video reviews of their cars and trucks, go behind the scenes with Totota's NASCAR teams, see their production facilities and more. All Toyota, all the time. (disclosure: Toyota is a GolinHarris client) In the future, we may well see more brands (with the help of their marketing agencies) becoming video content providers themselves, taking their messages directly to consumers through Internet TV.
I'm hooked.
P.S. Want to try Joost yourself? As of this morning, it's still only open by invitation from existing beta testers. Pop me an e-mail with your contact details or post a comment here with your name and e-mail address and I'll try to shoot you an invite to give it a look.
UPDATE: Since I first posted this, Joost announced it has raised $45 million from investors including CBS and Viacom. Clearly, the company will remain a major player in the exploding online video space.
Also, I have to retract the offer to send out beta invitations -- so many folks emailed requests that it's turning into a full-time job! But do some digging around the Blogosphere and you'll easily find others who can send you an invite. Thanks.
Comments (2)
Jeff, when GolinHarris imagines the role of PR in the future, do you anticipate that it remains the same traditional monologue targeted at editors?
Also, we already know that editors, and especially bloggers, delete most unsolicited press releases.
So, I'm wondering, are press releases an obsolete form of communications that were better suited to the last century, but irrelevant today?
Posted by David H. Deans | May 17, 2007 12:24 PM
Posted on May 17, 2007 12:24
David,
Thanks for your comment.
First, my belief is that public relations today is much more than just a monologue and media relations.
While practitioners regularly work with influencers like journalists to communicate a client's point of view, good PR shouldn't end there. Media relations is one facet of what we do, and, when done well, helps drive discussion and engagement with people who care about particular topics.
Is the industry moving towards more direct forms of engagement with end audiences? Absolutely. The lines between all of the marketing disciplines are graying considerably, and we're often developing communications strategies that help our clients develop a dialogue directly with constituents, and listen as much as talk. Two-way communication is the big opportunity for PR as a whole.
I'm not sure I'd go so far as to say editors summarily delete press releases. It's all based on how the news is packaged, if the news that's being shared with them is relevant to what they cover, and if the right relationship has been established.
The reality is that time-starved journalists tend to rely on good PR practitioners more than ever before as they're stretched thin by publishing more frequently, for more platforms, while newsroom size continues to shrink. PR people can actually help journalists do their jobs, when we do ours.
In regards to citizen journalists and press releases, I don't think it's black and white. Press releases, when written well, can quickly and succinctly communicate news. This is of value to both "professional" and citizen journalists alike.
Do I think it's smart to send an unsolicited press release to a blogger? Nope.
We counsel our account teams to do their homework, read a blog inside and out, determine if their news is likely to be of interest, and if it seems appropriate to reach out to a citizen journalist, start with an "ask" of the blogger to gauge their interest before sending along press materials and loads of other information.
The basic tenets of "traditional" media relations hold in most part with blogger engagement. Doing your homework, acting politely, courteously, and transparently, and making sure you're delivering something that's likely to be valuable to the recipient.
-Jeff
Posted by Jeff Beringer | May 24, 2007 8:25 PM
Posted on May 24, 2007 20:25