08/14/2006 07:24:00 PM 
(6) 
(6) In the last few days, the founders of both companies have been interviewed.
On Friday, Charlie Rose interviewed You Tube?s founders and on Thursday, the "CNBC of the Web2.0 world", Beet TV has an interview with Stewart Butterfield, one of the founders of Flickr.
When you see these interviews back-to-back, both companies are strikingly similar, not in just what they are do for people, but in also in how they act and what they believe in, They are almost cut from the same cloth.
So what exactly are these similarities and what lessons that can be learned from these two icon brands?
1. Do Something Better: Find a way or a better way for people to do something they want to do- in both these cases- it's sharing digital assets
2. Believe in What You Do: It's not about a money making/get rich quick scheme. You believe there's a better way and you are going to work it out. Success is a by-product of doing good.
3. Community is Everything: Listen to your community. This is not a one way conversation- there's on-going dialog relating to "policing", standards and ideas
4. Be Soulful: Even if you sell, like Flickr, don't sell your soul. The honest, no frills approach is right. Interestingly, while many thought the Yahoo purchase would lead to the the demise of Flickr, instead, they turned out to be much more of an influence on Yahoo than could have ever been predicted.
5. Be Authentic: These companies look like they have banned or never even heard of the phrases "brand strategy" and "marketing plan?. The lack of corporate polish adds to the feeling that there are real people behind the idea.
Some of these values could have applied to Google a few years ago, but money, size and shareholders do force companies to change.
It's essential for the venture capitalists that invest in these young companies to think about them early on as brands and encourage them to remain true to themselves despite the external pressures, because ultimately it's really the only thing that makes them unique.
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Great post
Thank you for articulating the simplicity behind success and staying true to the basics. Greed and size do inflict change on companies but stay true as long as you can
Posted by Jamey Shiels on 08/18/2006 02:01 AM
Thank you for articulating the simplicity behind success and staying true to the basics. Greed and size do inflict change on companies but stay true as long as you can
Posted by Jamey Shiels on 08/18/2006 02:01 AM
Awesome!
This is an excellent post. I would add only one item to your fantastic list of five reasons why You Tube and Flickr, and previously, Google and eBay. The founders of these great new companies didn't wait for permission to succeed. They had a bias for action. They recognized a need and they addressed it. Opportunity knocked. They answered. <br> <br>Regarding the importance VCs investing in these upstarts, you make an excellent point. Large established companies are constrained by their hierarchies and paradigms and are incapable of such breakneck innovation.
Posted by Troy Worman on 08/18/2006 04:00 AM
This is an excellent post. I would add only one item to your fantastic list of five reasons why You Tube and Flickr, and previously, Google and eBay. The founders of these great new companies didn't wait for permission to succeed. They had a bias for action. They recognized a need and they addressed it. Opportunity knocked. They answered. <br> <br>Regarding the importance VCs investing in these upstarts, you make an excellent point. Large established companies are constrained by their hierarchies and paradigms and are incapable of such breakneck innovation.
Posted by Troy Worman on 08/18/2006 04:00 AM
Just what I need
Succinctly outlines some of the things I need to do to better my company... Thanks!
Posted by splitbamboo on 09/07/2006 04:44 PM
Succinctly outlines some of the things I need to do to better my company... Thanks!
Posted by splitbamboo on 09/07/2006 04:44 PM
Keeping us focused
I love these points, they are perfect ways to connect yourself and your business to the community you serve. Leave all the cloak and mirrors behind and embrace the branding of you. <br> <br>Thanks!
Posted by Phoenix Rudner on 09/09/2006 04:57 AM
I love these points, they are perfect ways to connect yourself and your business to the community you serve. Leave all the cloak and mirrors behind and embrace the branding of you. <br> <br>Thanks!
Posted by Phoenix Rudner on 09/09/2006 04:57 AM
Sharp Brand Names
All excellent points, the brand essence of both Flickr and YouTube is alive and well. They are also served by sharp brand naming. Getting the referral to Flickr and YouTube is enticing at first when you hear the brand name, then, the essence. If they didn't succeed in naming, the momentum they needed to expand and capture the vital new users and maintain the all-important essence may have never materialized.
Posted by Brand Land on 09/16/2006 02:20 PM
All excellent points, the brand essence of both Flickr and YouTube is alive and well. They are also served by sharp brand naming. Getting the referral to Flickr and YouTube is enticing at first when you hear the brand name, then, the essence. If they didn't succeed in naming, the momentum they needed to expand and capture the vital new users and maintain the all-important essence may have never materialized.
Posted by Brand Land on 09/16/2006 02:20 PM
It appears you don't have Flash installed.
I love the idea that sincerity and passion are becoming the dominant selective pressure in the new economy. In my work as a marketing consultant for independent professionals I am seeing the same restructuring happening on the even on the smallest level of our economy. <br> <br>Thanks for the insights. <br>