Category: RocketBoom

Rocketboom’s Andrew Baron: Advertising Doesn’t Work

“The point I was making is that we are not happy with advertising right now.” – Andrew Baron

If anyone was going to figure advertising-on-serial-media out, I was sure Andrew would. Not that I think it makes sense or is even a good idea.

From my post on the Ze Frank / RocketBoom geek fight last October:

“…there are many other ways to make a living than advertising. Sure, none of them are fashionable, but that doesn’t mean they don’t exist.”

That said, I think the RocketBoom team has already figured out how to make money with their daily video blog. The same way I make money from this blog and the First Crack Podcast:

“…the video blog has become kind of a loss leader and a promotional device for the real money.” – Frank Barnako

Now, I’m not doing work for Nokia or John Edwards, but, on a blog, the author is the advertisement still stands. 😉

ELSEWHERE:

“What I do know is [Earthlink] had a lot of opportunity to inform me, and by going with that vague and horrible spot they did, they pissed away their money on warm fuzzies instead of telling me something I could act on.” – Dave Slusher

Maybe that’s the real reason advertisers aren’t excited about podcasting.

Ze Frank vs. RocketBoom – What Counts?

It’s great that Andrew got on my TiVo, great that he’s on phones, getting the traditional media comfortable with alternative distribution methods. Andrew deserves our thanks for going down this road (it’s not one that sounds like fun to me).

To his credit, I can’t tell the difference between RocketBoom and the news from local affiliates. So, it must be working. But, I don’t want smaller, shorter television, I want 3 minutes of interestingness.

What’s it matter if RB has 10x the audience if Ze’s fans buy him bling duckies and dress up their vacuum cleaners?

“Should we even care about eyeballs? I don’t. I care about my audience, but my show ends on March 17th, 2007 whether I have one eyeball or a million. Given the current state of web metrics, talking about eyeballs seems to create more risk than value anyway…..In the absence of sane metrics, we’re already repeating the mistakes that turned television into what it is today.” – Ze Frank

And later:

“[Ze] Frank says that Baron’s numbers are inflated and make it difficult for he and other video bloggers to sell advertisements with much lower numbers to offer. …. Ze Frank and many other video podcasters ought to be able to make a living doing what they are doing.” – Marshall Kirkpatrick

Uhhhhh, Mr. Kirkpatrick, there are many other ways to make a living than advertising. Sure, none of them are fashionable, but that doesn’t mean they don’t exist.

There are two problems with metrics:

  1. Measuring the right thing is hard – and different for everyone
  2. What gets measured gets attention – whether or not it’s the right thing

Tivo Time Travel to Late 80’s Videoblogs

Some how, early last month, Tivo found a Saturday Night Live from 1989 and obediently recorded it.

Dana Carvey, Dennis Miller (does the map behind him remind you of Rocketboom?), Al Franken’s one-man mobile uplink (early video-blogger?). This is the SNL I caught on satellite TV working late as a farmhand.

Low budget effects, talent cracking themselves up, it all felt very videobloggy. Coincidence?

Doubtful.

Lots of jokes about George Bush (Senior) – the jokes are still funny. In sad, cynical, ‘things have gotten worse’ kinda way.

As and added bonus, 10,000 Maniacs – for Jen, I preferred Edie Brickell and the New Bohemians.

6 O’Rocket News Boom

A pretty big storm passed through town last night. Thunder, lightening, complete down pour for hours. Kinda thing that makes you glad to be inside (we weren’t when it started).

I flipped on the TV, to get some idea of what we should be expecting. This is the first time I’ve watched the local news in…well…um…years probably.

  • Short, out-of-context, video clips from around the world – Check
  • Half-amusing/half-smarmy, politically-loaded commentary – Check

Feels exactly like RocketBoom.