08/30/2006 08:13:00 PM 
(3) 
(3) First up, there was Lonelygirl15, who got everyone talking on the web for at least a week for all kinds of reasons. First she captivated us and then we wanted to work out who she was and who or what was behind her. She captivated and intrigued in equal measure.
Then, forty something wannabe Fox News Reporter, Stephen Colbert, decided to open source his content to the web community for remixing. His Star Wars inspired, green screen, light sabre antics caught the imagination of the video mash-up crowd who responded by adding elements, some of which Colbert played back on his show, generating some kind of virtuous circle between old and new media and celebrity and audience.
So these two events, just look like another week in the world of media in a Web 2.0 world, it was only a few weeks ago that Hasselhoff topped the attention charts and before that it was Zidane.
Influx is suggesting that these two moments are a little different, a little deeper if you like and that brands can learn a little from their example.
Lonelygirl15 tells us that storytelling matters and that having an interesting story and being enigmatic can be powerful thing. The idea of mystery and interaction is constantly finding its way into some of most compelling contemporary narratives and there's no reason why brands shouldn't be doing the same.
Colbert's gesture of "here's some content go and play with it" was different from what we'd experienced before. Most of the time, this type of thing had been limited to the tight confines of the web, but on television, the idea just seemed to have more power.
So here are 5 new rules:
1. Don't be afraid to use traditional media to give away your content for creative use by the consumer. Couldn't television ads just be a series of assets that you encourage people to use, remix and send back to you?
2. Don't be afraid to tell stories
3. Don't worry by making them long and mysterious
4. It's good to let the audience complete the story for you
5. Don't be afraid to turn the whole thing into a game
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Lonelygirl15 has been faked out
All good things must come to an end. It's a shame this turned out to be nothing more than a carefully planned commercial endeavour. Perhaps this just underscores the fact we must all be more careful in what we read and trust on the Internet. <br> <br>http://www.boingboing.net/2006/09/12/lonelygirl15_jessica.html <br>Tuesday, September 12, 2006 <br>
Posted by - on 09/13/2006 04:55 PM
All good things must come to an end. It's a shame this turned out to be nothing more than a carefully planned commercial endeavour. Perhaps this just underscores the fact we must all be more careful in what we read and trust on the Internet. <br> <br>http://www.boingboing.net/2006/09/12/lonelygirl15_jessica.html <br>Tuesday, September 12, 2006 <br>
Posted by - on 09/13/2006 04:55 PM
Faked Out
She has been discovered, fine. The point was that lots of people were interested in the story. It was the story that captivated people. A tough thing to do in the days of fragmentation. Some were into it because they believed it and others because they knew it was fake from day 1. Both could get something out of it.
Posted by Edward Cotton on 09/13/2006 05:00 PM
She has been discovered, fine. The point was that lots of people were interested in the story. It was the story that captivated people. A tough thing to do in the days of fragmentation. Some were into it because they believed it and others because they knew it was fake from day 1. Both could get something out of it.
Posted by Edward Cotton on 09/13/2006 05:00 PM
It appears you don't have Flash installed.
Brands have not embraced the web fully ... they need to also start telling long form stories ... not those that can be digested in a 30 second spot. The audience is hungrier for a spot of truth than can be imagined.