Utilizing YouTube tags and annotations, the company did not only succeed in engaging its website visitors in a very unique way, but it was also able to gain tremendous viral reach as the new site/video propelled it to being one of the top five viral videos on the internet for the week of June 12-19 (Viral Blog rankings).

Check out the video below, or go to BooneOakley.com to see it.

Kutiman created an online album with 7 tracks that he compiled entirely by mixing various bits of videos that he found on YouTube. You know those clips with a girl singing into her hairbrush infront of a grainy camera? Or that guy who thinks he’s God’s gift to guitars? Kutiman took these various unrelated clips and made them into something that can only be appreciated by playing the video below, or visiting the project website at Thru-You.com.

Go to Thru-You.com to watch other great clips of unwitting collaborators (including a great one called “The Mother of All Funk Chords). When one video finishes, stay on and the next one will play automatically.

This is yet another example of how great Art can come about when creative people create content and share it freely with others. The digital century is here, and it seems the new frontier for artistic innovation is inevitably tied to social media. This generation’s cultural footprint will be pressed on cyberspace.

While we are talking mashups, here is a great video mashup (using more mainstream tracks)  from one of my favourite YouTube subscriptions: VjBrewskii. This one pits Michael Jackson and Pussycat Dolls.

I thought I’d post it here as a ‘welcome back’ piece to the 30,000+ university and college students who returned to Halifax for school this week.

[vodpod id=ExternalVideo.679580&w=425&h=350&fv=]

Oddly, Verdana, the most commonly used/recommended internet font is not present at this conference.

In the world of video sharing websites, CollegeHumor.com is no match to top contenders like YouTube, Veoh, and Megavideo. Still, the site boasts having “100 Billion Viewers daily”. 60% of visitors are from the United States, but only about 5% come from Canada. Can this be attributed to differences in college culture between Canadian institutions of higher education and their American counterparts?

Enjoy the video. I know I did.

With his background in technology, sales, and innovation, Tim may have a unique edge in the race to represent Bedford following the untimely passing of its previous Councilor Gary Martin. But then again, it shouldn’t be too hard for the CEO of an innovation and economic-research think-tank (NovaKnowledge) to conclude that using the aptly named ‘information superhighway’ is a most effective way of getting his message across, and is a formidable strategy in his communications arsenal.

So what is Tim doing that is so damn progressive?

YouTube, Facebook, and a superior web presence through his website: BedfordLeader.com.

In a stroke of genius, Tim and his team of supporters are releasing a mini-series of ‘webisodes’ on YouTube that feature Tim’s journey for candidacy (TimTV). The reality-show format keeps viewers entertained, as they wait for Pussycat Doll ‘Robin’ to make an appearance and vote Matthew Christie (Tim’s rival) off the race. The webisodes are released on YouTube, and the novelty alone is garnering the initial ripples of successful viral reach. Given the demographics of his constituents, the videos need to have a modest reach to a total market size of about 20,000 people to be effective. To compare, the Rodney-Letterman video on YouTube reached 30,000 people in under one month.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLoCCCX-9YE

The second ballast in Tim’s tripod of political marketing is Facebook. Like viral campaigns, a successful social networking campaign is determined by organic factors that rest with the audiences’ perception of the value of the offer presented to them (join this group/forward this video and you will be rewarded with…?). Contrary to what some may think, the promise of financial reward is the least effective reward in viral campaigns. Emotional, social, and cognitive stimuli are much better carrots. (See result of recent IssmatBlog Facebook group social experiment). Facebook campaigns can achieve communication objectives promptly and efficiently.

Saving the best for last, Tim’s website anchors his viral and social networking initiatives in a professional and polished web presence. While the website isn’t exactly a visual orgasm, it is attractive, easy to navigate, functional, and far more superior to that of his only rival: Matt Christie. Do compare the two and let me know what you think: BedfordLeader.com VS MatthewChristieOnline.com.

The year is 2008, and while our promised flying cars aren’t yet economically feasible for mass production, there is just no excuse for a sloppy web presence these days. Web 2.0 is a common platform, and folks are already talking about Web 3.0. Digital media is going ubiquitous, and Mr. Christie doesn’t have the foresight to have a qualified web designer put together a basic website to showcase his platform and experience. Most unfortunate.

I don’t live in Bedford and therefore have no vote to contribute. I also don’t know either candidate personally. However, by examining their communication strategy alone, the least I can do is give Tim major brownie points. Evidence suggests that he has put a lot of thought into his campaign, produced a polished presence on and off line, utilized the latest technologies to spread his message quickly and efficiently, and has a strong following of qualified supporters who seem to believe in him enough to put some serious work behind him. If he carries these advantages with him to council, Bedford should anticipate some exciting things to happen.

Here is the latest TimTV clip. Hard to believe this quality of work is coming from a municipal elections candidate! (April 19 Edit: TimTV is produced in-kind by renown local writer/director Paul St.Amand of Sanchin Films.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2XRfhJhGW8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgcX0y1Nzhs

This begs the questions: why did the premier’s office go through all the motions to produce a great viral video but neglect to broadcast it? Did the agency behind this initiative forget that YouTube is the number one source for viral exposure in the world today? Or did the people behind the campaign never intended or planned for this to be a viral message and have simply ‘lucked out’?

Today, among the millions of videos submitted to YouTube daily, the Rodney MacDonald video (submitted to YouTube by IssmatBlog) has reached the following ranks:

#6 – Most Viewed (Today)
#2 – Most Linked (Today)

#27 – Top Rated (Today)
#8 – Top Rated (Today) – Entertainment

#11 – Top Favourites (Today)
#5 – Top Favourites (Today) – Entertainment

The video has been used by a number of news outlets, including the Globe and Mail and 680 News of Toronto.

The Rodney Video can be viewed at http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=-yABU4S40N8 .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yABU4S40N8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uo_Gg7ClW7c