If we got together we could make brown babies

There is a tabletop game called Risk! I cannot quite remember all the territories but I think the most difficult to win with was the Russians. Fighting a war on so many fronts was a costly business and often the death of many a player. It’s seems clear that Google never played Risk! as their purchase of YouTube was much like buying the Russian territory in the game – a relentless battle on many fronts that drains resources. But if there was ever an organisation with a war chest big enough to to take the ‘risk’ then it would have to be Google. With some of the brightest minds pouring over the YouTube business looking for revenue models, they have done well to at least stem some of the flow if not plug it entirely. With that we’ve also seen an ascent (?) taking YouTube from ‘Poacher to Gamekeeper‘ and this continues with the (very discreet) launch of their new video rental service.

This is a HUGE piece of news due to the potential impact of this business model succeeding.

last seen wearing a T-shirt that read "I killed Blockbuster Video"

First, there is the competitive marketplace that already exists in this sector. Netflix is the major player here but there are many more like LoveFilm (UK) or the new Hulu service. The issue for those guys is the sheer size of YouTube’s audience which should steam roll them and mean it starts with a significant advantage.

Taking a bite out of Apple

Then there is the already existing rental service of iTunes. This is a big player too but Apple benefits from a large community of advocates (sometimes against reason) who will remain loyal. But this is not the biggest fear for Apple or potential ‘win’ for Google. That comes when we move to future technology. Let’s consider the YouTube rental service does well and picks up momentum. It would be very logical to build a YouTube Android phone…

take me to your iPhone

Android is already hotly tipped to take over the iPhone as the number one smartphone. There is no doubt it can win on units but what about the service. I’ve long said that Apple stands head and shoulders over it’s rivals because of the iTunes platform. It is more reliable, intuitive and ‘ingrained’ with the audience than any other store (including Ovi). But a YouTube Android phone changes that game. Imagine YouTube start serving all music (with optional videos) too. Now with an API on my phone (or dedicated handset) I could stream (on tether to my phone) a massive library of my music and video content. This becomes a major selling point for Google (and their partners like HTC) whilst really eating in to the iTunes dependency of some user. Consider, that I could then also easily share my playlists with friends or arrange to watch a movie at the same time (in different locations) and chat or skype too. There are a lot of possibilities here and it’s very exciting to see where things go.

argg, me hearties. I love's a good Googlin' on the high seas!

Finally, there is the irony element. Forget the potential here, let’s look at the service being a success and YouTube creating original content for their audience. Pretty much every online video service has done this at one point or another. You then have to consider the irony of YouTube creating original content which will be ripped and pirated by the audience and uploaded for free around the web – maybe even on another future YouTube. And is that the point when we recognise YouTube has finally come of age?

NB. I couldn’t put all this in and not mention Blockbuster Video. What has happened to them and where will this leave them?

"I used to be a somebody..."

Watch the sad Nestle employees as they see off this chocolate wonder…

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kozh2TPeebs]

…but what’s this? Has someone inserted a coin in the StreetFighter machine? Do we have a New Challenger? What is this unknown wonder called KitKat Chunky Caramel?

I went to the Warhol’s exhibition yesterday at the Southbank Centre and I truly loved it! I especially loved the letters and invites sent to him that he kept in his time capsule: fashionable gallery openings, letters from young boys – offering to be models and perhaps join his entourage of Warhol’s superstars – friends reminding him how fabulous he was. It doesn’t get any more diva than this!

Warhol and his work was camp as Christmas with all the excesses that may come with that festive period (not including food). I love the way he was able to market himself and make the Warhol experience so complete: paintings, drawings, films, composed photographs, TV, contact sheets, Polaroids, booth pictures, even cardboard boxes silkscreen on wood!

I am a great admirer of his talent to make people buy into his ‘iconicity’ whilst he was alive – I think I secretly wish i could have been able to be part of his entourage. I would have moved to NYC to make it happen if I had had the chance to live in his time and be included in his cliquey group.

The Hayward Gallery has organised a video competition coinciding with the Warhol exhibition – 15 Seconds Of Fame. Neoco has created the website and widget that showcases the best videos entered in the competition at www.15secs.tv. The curator of the Hayward Gallery will choose the winners and their videos will be showcased at the entrance of the Warhol exhibition.

The competition is open until the 2nd of January 2009 and anyone can submit their 15 second video. Best of luck to everyone who enters.

We’ve just won the pitch to create a new design for global website Contiki.com. Contiki are the worldwide leader in vacations for 18-35 year olds, and we are really looking forward to working on this fun and exciting project.

We are going to be implementing a community focused concept to the site, which we developed alongside Contiki’s internal team. The site will embrace the strong community that exists around the Contiki brand and facilitate its growth inline with the website and the brand as a whole. The site will be enhanced by a raft of 2.0 functionality including Twitter feeds, image and video sharing, social bookmarking and more.

As well as creating the design, we will also deliver the front end build, working closely with Contiki’s development team located on America’s West Coast.

As usual we’ll be sure to keep you posted when the site re-launches.

The possibilities are endless, and could open up a whole new set of opportunities for viral marketing. Check out the instructional video, or check out the example below:

[youtube=http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=CYlUcXs5xGQ&feature=iv]

New research by the IPA has shown that almost a third of people between the age of 15 to 25 have watched TV via the internet. And around 18% of people aged between 25 and 64 (a very broad ‘old people’ category or what?!) had too.

The IPA Touchpoints report surveyed over 5,000 people and also looked at mobile behaviour. It was found that 30% of 15 to 24 year olds watch video clips on their phones, with 13% of all mobile users doing so.

Jim Marshall, chairman of the IPA Media Futures Group, said, ” the young are still driving the take-up and use of digital media and new technology, however, the older age groups are also moving steadily towards greater adoption.” Personally, I would have thought that more than a third of 15 to 25 year olds would have watched TV online, but I suppose if this statistic was expressed as a number than a percentage it would seem greater.

Just as an extra update – overall broadband penetration now stands at 73% of all UK adults, with internet usage at an average of 45 minutes on weekdays and just over an hour at weekends.

TokBox, the web-based video chat tool is bringing video chat to Facebook via their TokBox Facebook application. TokBox’s current app is just like any other chat facility, but their new functionality takes them into a new league – enabling users to have a video chat within their Facebook chat.

TokBox’s web-based platform is a Flash-enabled browser plugin. It makes the video chat process really easy to use – there are not downloads or any difficult setups – as long as you have a working webcam or computer microphone, you are ready to go…

You just need to install the TokBox plugin for Facebook (which is only supported for Firefox at the moment). Underneath each of your friends’ names there will be a link which will give you the option to start a video chat with them. Then you just need to tell the app that you allow access to the webcam, and you’re off. As with all TokBox video chat conversations, you’ll see your screen on the left, and the screen of your friend on the right (so it will look like below…)

TokBox also allows you hold multiple video chats at once, with each chat in its own window (like standards chats).

The core idea is that you download a small application onto your phone, sign up to qik.com and then simply stream whatever you fancy direct to the Internet. Videos can be watched live or at a later date via qik.com.

To make it happen you’ll need a pretty modern phone though. Windows Mobile and iPhone support has just been added to Symbian OS, covering many modern handsets, but still leaving many needing an upgrade (like myself).  Qik also advise that you get yourself an unlimited data plan.  I imagine this is a wise step.  Qik is probably the sort of app that would ruin someone on pay-as-you-go fairly swiftly.

Right now it all seems pretty fresh.  The website looks sparkly and web 2.0 enough, but the videos seem to show people dipping their toes into the service.  There are lots of short clips of people videoing their computers / desks / the ceiling etc..!

The functionality is all there, however, and well layered. There isn’t that feeling of being overwhelmed that you sometimes get when confronted with just too much functionality. Most of this is through the clever use of tabs and a well laid out, crisp design.

It has all the syndication features you’d expect from a descent app. You can access user’s video feeds via RSS.  You can even make Qik update your Twitter feed every time you post a video!

Fresh from securing $3 million in funding, Qik seems to be securing it’s status as the market leader in live video streaming direct from mobile phones.  It will be interesting to see how the service grows and blossoms as it moves beyond the early-adopter phase.

PS: Benn can I have an iPhone please so I can play with Qik?

You may have already heard about this YouTube video as its been viewed over 2,700,000 times since it was uploaded two weeks ago. It shows an ‘unsuspecting’ girlfriend being filmed by her boyfriend’s hidden camera while she tries to keep her hula hoop up on Wii Fit. The video was posted in response to a video “Wii Fit Hula Hoop makes you look stupid”.

The video is a great response to the negative video and will probably encourage a few guys to go out and buy their girlfriends the game – and the creator, Giovanny Gutierrez (who just happens be a Director for an Advertising agency in Florida) clearly knew that when he created it.

So, is the video a response to a secret brief from Nintendo? Many people in the industry suspect that it has to be, and I have to agree with them. According to Nintendo and Gutierrez it’s ‘100% nothing to do with Nintendo” – although they wouldn’t admit it anyway would they?

And if it wasn’t a secret brief, Gutierrez must have known that his video would get his agency, Tinsley Advertising, some positive publicity.  I’m sure they’re not going to be short of a few briefs for a while.

Watch the video and see what you think…http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v31qxrXsxv0

BBC1 has just announced that within the next year, all of its programmes will be simulcast as a live video stream on the internet. This makes it the first of BBC’s analogue TV channels to be aired on the web – ITV has already been simulcasting ITV1, ITV2, ITV3 and ITV4 for a year.

The channel will be available via their website, bbc.co.uk, which is being relaunched with improved listings and programme information. BBC Director, Mark Thompson, said that “building on the success of the iPlayer, we want to develop bbc.co.uk to include a broad range of the BBC’s broadcast content, as well as new and interactive forms of media that enable audiences to interact with and contribute to the website.”

Despite the fact that we no longer need a TV to watch BBC1, they are still going to make us pay the licence fee: “You need a TV licence to use any television receiving equipment such as a TV set, set-top box, video or DVD recorder, computer or mobile phone to watch or record TV programmes as they are being shown on TV.”

For the full article, visit: http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/jun/04/bbc.television2