Revolution in Advertising due to Video-hosting Sites

Long before internet is widely use by people, advertising is used by firms, mostly in broadcast, print media or out-of-door media to convey messages to their customers or potential customers for a specific purpose; so in other words, ad gives the firm an absolute control as they are the broadcaster.

However, the emerge use of video-hosting sites such as Youtube has allowed the consumer to become the broadcaster which provoke a revolution in advertising. Now, not only firms who are able to create ads but consumers are able in doing so.

The reasons on why the consumers generate their own ads are varied, for instance:
1. For the sake of creation and self enjoyment - Ipod Dance

2. Aiming for self-promotion - Iphone New York

3. Aiming to change the audience perceptions - the Starbucks Ad

Video-hosting sites such as Youtube - not only give benefits to the firms as they can promote their product/brand in it but it also give benefits to the consumers to publicise their creativity and opinions.

Twitter - One of the Best Ways to Implement Consumer-Engagement Program

Best Buy is an American electronics retailer in which they use twitter as their consumer-engagement program. They realised that service is important in today's business thus, they want to provide a service in which their customers are able to access them 24/7.  By using Twitter, anyone who has a question to them can get an answer right away, anywhere and anytime! So in other words, they use Twitter not only to promote their products/brand but also to communicate with their customers on a 24/7 basis. 

Best Buy now has 200,000+ Twitter followers. What is more, Best Buy was recognised as one of the top 25 social brands in 2009 and their consumer complaints dropped by 20%!!

Dove & The Power of Social Media Marketing

Dove - I guess most of people have heard this brand before. But have you ever seen their amazing campaign that they have done before? When I first saw Dove evolution campaign in Youtube, I found it quite amazing because the only thing that came out of my mouth after I watched this campaign was "WOW!".

Dove evolution video shows us how an ordinary girl is transformed into a pretty and glamorous woman with the help of professional team of make-up artists, hairdressers and a magic photo editor from the photoshop specialist.

Since it first posted on Youtube on 6th October 2006, the 'Evolution' film was far exceeded their expectation . The movie has attracted more than 7 MILLION viewers on Youtube, more than 30,000 testimonials about real beauty on the campaign website, it has been fuelled by bloggers who have made the film as one of the top 15 most-linked to videos and is now launched in more than 40 countries!! Most importantly, Dove succeeded in changing the attitude of people about their own and other people's beauty in just two months! Quite amazing, huh?

Can you imagine how much they save money on uploading the 'Evolution' film to Youtube compared to  their previous campaign that cost them around $2.5million..?? Well... that's the incredible thing about social media.

Child Kidnapping, Sexual Abusement and Trafficking Due to Social Network

Facebook - almost everyone has an account in it. When I personally met up with someone for the first time and become comfortable with each other, the question that (either I or that person) always asked was "do you have facebook? let me add them". The social network made by Mark Zuercgberg has won the heart of people worldwide with more than 750 million of active users.

One of the primary reasons why they join this social network simply because they want to socialise with other people. Facebook gives us lot of benefits such as socialising with people that you never know beforehand, sharing pictures and videos, entertainment, online shopping and many other. However, when it comes to socialise with people that you never know beforehand, it also becomes one of the major drawbacks.

In Indonesia, several series of child kidnapping happened last year. There were 67 Facebook-related reports of child kidnapping cases that happened between January-May 2010. The motives behind were varies from asking for ransom to deliberately abducted the child for adoption. Australia has a similar problem as there were many paedophile cases happened last year due to this social network. I believe many other countries have social-network-related problems as well.

This problem worries me a lot since I and all of you may have under-age sister or cousin or niece that might be the next child victim due to social network.

I know if you want to join this social network you need to be at least 13 years old. But a 13 years old child is still too young to understand the world's bitter reality.

What do you think they as government official, social network owner, parents or might even school teacher should do to prevent or even stop this problem??