By The Pollack Group
By Diana Brown, The Pollack Group Summer Intern
Since the onset of entertainment and media, we’ve always been
captivated by the chance to tune in to a select group of people and bear
witness to an intimate and personal side of their lives. These people aren’t
necessarily celebrities, but something about being able to watch them go about
their day to day is oddly appealing. Entire industries have been built off of
this desire, like reality TV and the majority of social media. As the landscape
for entertainment has changed, so has the way that we tune in and fulfill this
want to be nosey.
One of the major contributors to this shift in the
entertainment landscape is YouTube. YouTube has revolutionized the way that we
are able to consume videos. In many ways, this platform has replaced TV with its
24/7 availability, diversity of content and condensed video format that allows
viewers to rapidly watch a high volume of videos. Viewing a video on one topic
automatically generates a recommendation for another, and so on and so forth,
until you’ve discovered a breadth of YouTube contributors and their content.
There is a plethora of video formats and genres available on
YouTube, but one that is especially popular at the moment is that of the
“vlog”. A vlog is essentially when a Youtuber takes a camera along with them
throughout their day-to-day life. This video usually features a key event that
showcases how fabulous their life is, such as a photoshoot, and combines that
with snippets of regular day-to day-activities, like having them cook dinner at
home. The combination of mundane tasks with fun lifestyle features has hit a
sweet spot with viewers.
It may seem that since this type of video content is rooted
in the spirit of authenticity and sincerity, there may be no room for marketers
to integrate products. However, it is the authentic form of this content that
lays the perfect groundwork for product placement. These vloggers will film
their content with the intent of featuring a specific product, usually that of
a lifestyle brand, and illustrate how said product is a necessity in their
daily routine.
Integrating product promotion into vlogs is a brilliant way
to engage target customers. Rather than having a regular advertisement featuring
some stranger promoting a product, (which a viewer could easily dismiss), a verified
and influential vlogger is the one supporting your brand, talking about the
product in an organic way, and showcasing exactly how they use it. Typically, anyone
tuned into a certain individual’s vlog is that person’s follower and looks to
purchase any article or product that can help them replicate the given
vlogger’s lifestyle.
The ability of these vloggers to generate such a devoted
following is what makes them such a sweet spot for product placement. Even if
the promotion of the product doesn’t end in a purchase, it still places the brand
name in the viewer’s mind, which is half of the battle anyway.
