“Run with it!” (Part II) - an Exercise in One-Upmanship
August 30th, 2006 by Lani Voivod“Oh no he di’in’t!”
Ah, YES, hedid.
Even before Samuel L. Jackson had a chance to shoot a “Snakes on a Treadmill” spot to leverage the hot viral content that is the “OK Go - Here It Goes Again” music video, a guy named Seung Lee got his Legos out and seized a content opportunity that deserves some applause. Check it out:
Why is this totally awesome?
- It’s fresh. It’s not just a “standard” knockoff of the treadmill dance, with four new faces sliding and gliding to a different song…It’s freakin’ LEGOS, dude!
- It’s creativity spun FAST. This is a person who watched something funny, thought about it, had an idea to put a fresh spin on it, and then put the idea into JOY-FILLED ACTION. Love that.
- It’s *almost* strategic. Lee noticed a lot of people were watching this short video on You Tube, so he took advantage of the instant audience factor and served it up to the willing parties. Very smart.
But still, he did something wrong.
He didn’t include an easy way for grateful viewers to reward him with their visits, their purchasing power, or whatever they were willing to give him.
He almost did. He slapped on something that said “LNY Productions” before his Lego-riffic work and after it. And he even included his name. But we, the viewers, are LAZY.
We’re watching it on our computers, and we don’t want to have to work to figure out who this guy is, or what “LNY Productions” is, or why he or they bothered to put this together in the first place.
C’mon Lee! Next time, offer up a URL, give me a product to consider, or even spread some message you’d like to give to the world. Yes, there’s something charming about great content and creativity as an end to itself.
But when it’s just as easy to promote your talents, interests, and ideas with the materials you’re already making, wouldn’t it make more sense to take advantage of the opportunity you’ve created?
Even if you only get 10% - or 1%! - clicking through to your website, purchasing your wares, or absorbing a blip of your life philosophy - that’s hundreds or thousands of folks.
That’s power. That’s adventure. That’s inviting the unpredictable and opening yourself up to future possibilites.
THAT’S how you A-Ha Yourself!
