Brilliant Use of New Media – An Example

“Brilliant!” I say. I wanted to be the first to say that.  I want to talk about why I think it is so good. I’m not telling you the link to the video, because I don’t want you to get caught up in the message and miss the elegance of the method.

Separating the message from the method, here are the reasons the creator(s) got it right. They carefully:

• picked a controversial subject
• leveraged someone else’s celebrity
• kept the call to action very subtle, but clear
• made it easy to spread virally
• made it easy to spend money

Before I give you the link to the video, set your personal beliefs aside for a few minutes and watch it with the critical eye of a new media strategist. The video is called “The Church of Oprah Exposed.”

The creators, obviously, planned carefully to put all these pieces together. They fit beautifully. It is a controversial subject. It will be the topic at the water cooler and coffee shop for months. There is a zealous audience for the content. There is a celebrity to hang on the coat tails of. The video has great production values that do not detract from the message. The creators used YouTube just because the video could and did “go viral.” The video has 4.2 million views in three weeks.  The creators included a single, simple call to action – go to a website.

What is the purpose to all this careful planning? To change your opinion about the Church of Oprah? No! The purpose of this video is to get the viewer to go to a website and purchase a product while still feeling passionate about the subject. It is a sales pitch. If you follow the call to action, you will find three products to choose from: digital download, paperback book, and companion DVD. Brilliant! Instant gratification at the moment of passion. Advertisers have long known messages that stir the emotions are more effective.

That’s why I’m creating a new award – “The Lever” to give to those who effectively leverage new media. If anyone knows the strategist behind this video, I would like to personally present them with “The Lever.”  If you have a comment about the methods used, leave a comment here.  If you have a comment about the message, go to www.InsytWorks.com.

[HTML1]Now about the message. I am a Christian. I also believe in the concepts in Eckhart Tolle’s book – A New Earth. I’m not upset at all by Oprah’s comments. I like them. I believe in them. I don’t feel this makes me anti-Christian at all. It may make me anti-fundamentalist, but I’ve been against fundamentalism in any religion. See my other podcast and website – http://www.insytworks.com for more insights into my spiritual beliefs.