QVC is dead. Well, not quite, but Google announced its new plan for organic links to products advertised through YouTube and I can’t wait for it to become mainstream. No longer do we have to see how many necklaces are selling, hear about cool katana craftsmanship, or listen to cue-card pitches. Advertisers no longer have to market their products through reviews, and are now empowered with the ability to simply provide links to the products that a popular YouTube page is using.
Here’re four cool ways to use Google’s new system. Hopefully they’ll be of some assistance.
4. Work with a Guru
The first implementation of YouTube’s new service is through TRESemmé’s new beauty channel. YouTube has been, if anything, a place for gurus to have their voices be heard. YouTubers like Michelle Phan have been giving people hints on makeup, beauty, and fun DIY projects for over 5 years. Find someone who YouTubers trust, present them with your product, and watch the organic interest in your product build itself. Gurus work in a curatorial manner, and their voice can be more effective than any expensive celebrity sponsorship. The average user’s YouTuber’s subscriptions represent a special kind of trust. Building a relationship with a guru could give your product the viral boost that it needs to be great.
3. Sponsor a Stunt
You don’t have to go as crazy as Red Bull to get people talking about your product. YouTube is all about the human experience, and building a video centered around community is something that every YouTuber can get behind. Sponsor a flash mob centered around your product, but avoid making it all about your message. You want people to associate your company’s identity with coolness, not stifling creativity.
2. Keep It Organic
If you want to promote your product in a low-key way, one very easy tactic is to simply populate the background of a vlogger’s room. With YouTube’s new system for organic linking, viewers will be able to simply click on something that interests them to get more information about a product. This means that marketing won’t get in the way of the content that keeps them subscribed. The traffic directed to your product will almost exclusively be happy to learn more.
1. Follow the 30 Rock Principle
30 Rock is, if anything, a show about self-awareness. Product placement in the show is acknowledged sarcastically, but it fits within the context of the storyline. This doesn’t mean you need to tell the creator you’re working with to make fun of your product, but it does mean that you need to be sure your marketing campaign fits in with the narrative of a YouTube channel. Organically clickable products means that marketers can still reach customers without having to annoy them with video ads. It also means that entertainment and advertising will move further away from the antagonistic perception between the two that causes people to install add-ons like AdBlock.
I really love Google’s new system because I know how annoying it can be to watch a pre-roll ad for the 2013 Honda Civic when I’m trying to get to my next cute cat video. I envision a future where, instead of having to watch an ad for the 2013 Honda Civic, I can simply click on the different products I see in a video. If I end up buying anything, the video that directed me toward, the channel creator gets a small cut. It’s never been easier to organically market a cool product.
What’s the weirdest example of product placement you’ve seen? Let us know in the comment section.