By Bri Hiltz
Here’s a video I found on youtube, I don’t know if anyone else saw it, but I feel its relevant to what we are talking about with media and how it affects us. Do you think that this should be a commercial on t.v or stay just on youtube and other video search engines? Is this video very effective? Do you think it is reaching enough people?
12 Comments
October 3, 2008 at 11:50 pm
I really enjoyed this video. I think it’s creative, witty, and really grabs attention. It has a down-to-earth feel, real people, with real issues. It makes a bigger impact with the fact that the people in this video are celebrities because it shows that even in their extravagant world they are still real people who care about this country and care about the issues around the world. I think its great that they took the time to spread the message of how important it is to vote. And they even linked a website for people to register.
I think this video would have a good impact as a television commercial and it shouldn’t remain solely on YouTube or other search engines. The point of this video was to be effective and reach out to people, and I believe it’s mission was accomplished.
October 4, 2008 at 8:38 pm
What this video is doing is basically putting two of the most influential things in America together. Celebrities and the Internet. What better way to grab someone’s attention? This video outlines in baby steps, how to register to vote. I think that this video is extremely effective, it catches viewers off guard. Telling them not to vote, to stay where they are, etc. It gives viewers a taste of the medicine they never had before. This video also uses many celebrities in a way they have never been used before. This video not only stresses the importance of voting but the power of the internet. The efficiency in registering to vote, the ability to spread this video, by not only sending, but hyperlinking it to your own site. The creators of the video, understand the power of the internet, and in order to beat the many competitors on the internet used celebrities to give them competitive advantage over other videos. Add those two components together and what do we have? A video that will be on CNN before we know it.
October 5, 2008 at 3:19 pm
I cannot believe that I have not seen this video before. Well, now it is past October 4th, which they said in the video was the deadline for a lot of states to register to vote. Luckily I voted, but I believe that this video could be really effective and inspiring to those who have not thought about the process thoroughly. I do go on the internet everyday, I do watch television once in a while, and yet I still have managed not to see this video. I think it should absolutely be publicized more, whether it by via internet or TV, but the bottom line is, it is commercials like this that matter that need to take priority to those annoying commercials that we are surrounded with.
October 5, 2008 at 10:09 pm
I agree with Denise and Raycha, the biggest selling tool is the use of celebrities in commercials and public service announcements. It helps get the message out because viewers are more likely to pay attention when they see a celeb on tv, than some guy that they got off the street, regardless of the fact that the message is the same. However, the odds of this type of video being shown on tv is very small. The fact that it is almost five minutes in length practically eliminates its chances of being a commercial. The only chance is that it be broken up into segments and shown as multiple commercials or some tv show implement the video into the show. Its sad to know that despite the impact this sort of ad would have on viewers, it won’t be seen by as many people as it should. Thankfully, the increasing use of youtube and other online tools allows this message to be sent in other ways.
October 5, 2008 at 11:50 pm
This is a highly effective video. It taught me that if ten or more celebrities collaborate on a social issue, I am sure to listen! This video could have been an advertisement for the George Foreman grill, and I would have still enjoyed it as much (and probably bought a George Forman grill soon after…) On a more serious note, voter registration is a serious issue in this country, and this video not only shows why it is important to do so, but how easy it really is. I registered to vote in the mall in my local town, and when I did, a lady came up to me who was in line for a coffee at Starbucks and said, “I don’t care if I loose my spot in line, I had to come over here and thank you for registering to vote.” I was thrown off guard because she acted like, by taking five minutes of my time, I participated in some time straining service in which few people have the ability to do. It would be interesting to see how the advent of Web 2.0 has affected voting registration habits of American Residents, especially teenagers, and hopefully, videos like this really do make a difference.
October 6, 2008 at 1:32 pm
This video is amazing! From the beginning to the end it is captivating and discusses a topic that truly is of great importance. The variety of actors and actresses that speak in the video are very effective and entertaining. As others have mentioned above this video combines two factors that motivate many people very well: celebrities and the internet. I have seen many other commercials that attempt to use a celebrity to empower audiences to do something or act in a certain way. However, none of these were nearly as effective as this video. The large number of very well-known celebrities sarcastically saying don’t vote conveys the message of the video very well. I am shocked that I have never seen this before and even more shocked that this video was made and is only a youtube video. It should at least be used as a commercial for television and more people should see this video. With the multitude of different ways to make this video available to people everywhere, it is necessary that we utilize the internet and allow this video to make a difference.
October 6, 2008 at 3:44 pm
The use of celebrities in this video is a great marketing tool just as Denise and Raycha discussed. The Ad begins with celebrities saying we should not vote, however they are emphasizing the issues that exist globally. I thought that was a great way to grab one’s attention before they directly began to state the intention of the video. Many people are fascinated by celebrities and such a video will probably inspire some of those people to vote. I think this video should be a commercial on television, however the explicits should be removed. Though, being on youtube and other video search engines will make the video easy to find to most of target audience, which is likely the youngest voters. Young voters are usually influenced more by peers urging them to vote, and therefore I still find this video almost as effective being solely on the web.
October 6, 2008 at 5:32 pm
I think that this video would be equally effective on YouTube or on TV. there have been other commercials done in a similar style that are shown on primetime TV are are effective. This commercial in particular has been very effective online since it has been reposted on sites such as CollegeHumor.com and on facebook. since such large amounts of people are logging on to the internet everyday, youtube and other sites with videos like this one are being used as a supplement to television. in addition, videos like this are being seeked out and passed onto friends, so it is quite possible that this video is more successful online. yet a good commercial aired on television, is also usually seeked out and rewatched online so it is hard to say if it would be more successful on TV in addition to being online, since questions like this are usually very situational.
October 6, 2008 at 11:35 pm
I think this ad should definitely be put on TV or movie trailers or something bigger than youtube. I have never seen this before and I found it to be very effective. Like others said, using celebrities is very beneficial because it allows the common citizen to realize that they are people too and they care about our country just like we do. I also believe that even though its only on youtube, there are probably a lot of people that actually have sent it to 5 of their friends, I mean look at this for example, we are all watching and and posting about it and probably going to tell our friends and family about it. Also, reverse psychology is very beneficial, but when you listen to the reasons why, it makes you think, and then it slowly turns around to telling you to vote, now. Overall I really liked the clip and found it very inspiring to vote.
October 7, 2008 at 1:15 pm
Its so interesting the way that celebrities can have such an influence on regular citizens. While celebrities can at times have a negative influence on citizens, by promoting bad values, eating habits, bad economic habits, etc., this video is effective because it shows a good side of celebrities that we don’t usually see in gossip magazines and tabloids. I am surprised that I haven’t seen this video before. Why isn’t it on tv? While it may be popular on Youtube, it only has 320,000 views, while Avril Lavigne’s girlfriend music video has over 104,000,000 views…. thats crazy.
October 7, 2008 at 1:59 pm
This was a very clever way to attract votes. Its kind of funny how celebs always find ways to come together and provoke voting. I think this is a better way compared to P.Diddy’s “Vote or Die.” This video if very enjoyable, but I dont think that the celebrities messages are being sent out across all of the United States. I think it would be a good idea for them to buy some advertising time on the television. It’s not like they don’t have the money to do so. It is a good perspective on how celebrities are influencing citizens in a positive way, rather than the usual negative ways.
October 13, 2008 at 12:08 pm
I also believe that this video sends an effective and powerful message to the public, specifically targeting the younger generation. In the advertisement industry, it is very common to use tactics such as using celebrities on commercials to advertise a product to make it seem more appealing. In this case, this commerical used influencial pop icons and celebrities to promote a beneficial cause. This commercial is bound to catch people attention, especially if it is displayed on puclic television. since this is only a video that was posted up on youtube, it might not be able reach an even larger audience all across the US. If this were to be a television commercial, as well as a video online, it might possibly be able to affect the voting process.