Online Content

Everything imaginable is available on the internet, yet what is popular can change in an instant. No company can advertise in all places at once, so it is a huge decision as to where to place online advertisements.

My advice to clients would be to generate your own unique content, rather than relying on the flavor of the week to gain attention for you. Although this is a big undertaking, if well done, can be very effective.



Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty caused quite a stir when it first debuted, mostly thanks to the Dove-generated YouTube Video. However, Dove has also integrated an entire website with the same philosophy: That not every woman is "perfect" but that every woman is beautiful.

Other companies have caught onto the trend as well, tweaking it to suit their own needs. For example, Georgia Pacific, the maker of Brawny paper towels, produced its own reality show that could be viewed only in "webisodes" available on the Brawny website. Note: Brawny Academy is no longer available on the website, but the description is available on this article.



Yet another company that is jumping on this wagon is American Eagle. Its teen mini drama,Mall World has developed somewhat of a cult following. American Eagle hit the bull's eye in marketing to their target audience because not only are the 5 minute episodes available readily online, they are also premiered every Wednesday night on MTV during Real World.

There are times when a companies efforts do not go as smoothly as the aforementioned examples. In visiting BudTV, I was very disappointed and frustrated. Budweiser has the extra hurdle of age requirements to jump through, but the process can make it difficult for the audience. You have to sign up in order to enter the site, and I was unable to do so, even though I am 21. You have to fill out personal information, which takes extra time, and not everyone is willing to do that. If people can't easily look at your content, it will obviously not be a successful campaign.

Still, I believe that company-generated content is more reliable than expecting crazy people, who are only in the spotlight for a week, to give you results. That is most definitely not something that most companies want to associate themselves with.

Alternatively, no one can force good ideas to be popular, as is the case with 2nd Life. Sometimes you have to take risks, and I don't think that investing in 2nd Life was a bad idea. It was just unfortunate for the advertisers that the reality was not as successful as the concept.

Chanel is doing itself a big favor by starting an online campaign, and I predict that more high-end companies will follow their example. After all, who wouldn't want a piece of the internet pie? It's delicious!