So I found this video on YouTube and thought it was really funny. It skillfully merged a few ideas- the famous BlendTec commercials and Groundswell (the book). What was most interesting to me, though, was that it gave a very direct commentary on old style marketing in the new style media.

Watch the clip here:

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It is interesting to see some of the growing pains in new media. When some of the top new media companies are using old style marketing, it speaks to the idea that this is a new space, and everyone is just trying to figure out the rules. Tapping into our desires for stuff (I mean, who hasn’t enjoyed being given a t-shirt at a tradeshow? My most recent score was a t-shirt from startup Zembly.com at the O’Reilly conference a couple months ago.), anyway- tapping into our desires for stuff makes sense. If we enjoy using the flip video from Myspace, or the jump key from Facebook, we will, naturally, feel some greater affinity for these brands. Swap (1977) says that likeability arises from familliarity- the more we become familiar with a concept or company, the more we naturally like them.

However, where these kinds of premiums miss the mark is that they don’t inherently capture the value of the experience. I visit Facebook to connect with my friends and contacts. I’m not going to visit Facebook more often just because I see their name on a jump key over and over again. If I’m going to make videos, I will probably buy my own Flip- and I’m not any more likely to post on MySpace just because I use their camera.

There is a continuous struggle between old style marketing and new media. It’s tough to stay relevant when the old rules no longer apply. How can new media companies gain new customers and more mindshare effectively, without using old style marketing techniques that no longer work?