Hello, friends. I know it's been a while since I posted. However, I can't help but share this ad I saw on YouTube last week:
I was on YouTube to watch a music video that a friend had shared with me. Before the video started, an ad began to play, per usual. However, this ad was different. This ad was a full 4:18-minute recording of the Brian Evans song "I'm A Traveler". I had never heard of Brian Evans before. But I certainly like his style. He has a smooth, jazzy/big-band sound, and I'm a sucker for swing music. Was his video set to play for users who had previously watched videos by Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Tommy Dorsey, Nat King Cole, et. al.? I don't know. But quite possibly.
Regardless, I'd rank Brian Evans' YouTube ad as one of the best examples of content-as-advertising I've seen in a while. If you're an artist who is trying to build a following, one of the biggest struggles is finding opportunities to get people to listen to your music. People can't remember you, can't like you, can't choose to buy your albums and concert tickets, if they haven't heard you. So why not use a YouTube ad - for which, unlike television spots, you pay only based on the number of people who watch the video, not on the length of the spot - to introduce people to your music? And what better way to introduce people to your music than to actually play one of your songs?
And as a viewer, I love it. I would much rather watch an ad that entertains me - whether with great music, great comedy, or a great story - than one that simply promotes a product for which I have no interest. This Brian Evans video happened to match my musical tastes, and Mr. Evans has just converted this total stranger into an fan - one who will likely be purchasing his album in the very near future.
