Monday, March 24, 2008

Content

Content? I don’t mean are you… I mean where do you stand on its importance in today’s world of user generated content, declining audiences (or are they) for mass distributed stuff and the fragmented society we live in.
Do you know what the most watched video is on YouTube?  Are you curious?

According to one count it’s this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMH0bHeiRNg

And to another it’s this one: http://www.nme.com/news/css/35093

How about this: do you know what the most watched so called TV is?

Figures are not accurate, but:
* 2.5 billion people worldwide, watched the funeral of Princess Diana
* 1.2 billion, globally, watched each match of the 2996 FIFA World Cup (think of the beer)
* 1+ billion people in 117 countries watch the British show Top Gear
* 97.5 million people watched the 2008 Super Bowl in the US alone.

Curious?

How about most books read around the world?

The BBC did the following survey for the UK only: http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/bigread/top100.shtml

No surprise Tolkien and Jane Austen top the list.

How about the most books sold?

The Bible 5 to 6 billion; Quotations of Chairman Mao and The Qur’an in the hundreds of millions. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_books

and, Don Quixote, The Count of Monte Cristo and Harry Potter top the chart for novels.

I could go on and on.

Curious?

Do you see any difference between the most watched YouTube and any of the other most watched; most sold?

Do you think there is a difference in their value? In their ability to engage?

Curious?

Think about content.  Think about what we charge consumers for and about how we charge for advertising.  Now answer the question.

Still not sure? Read this: http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20080318/004136567.shtml

Advertising is content. Content is advertising.

We have to be able to Inform; Educate and Entertain.  Otherwise we are mere wallpaper.  And silly interruptions might get laughed at, or annoy people, even accumulate views, not necessarily audience (there is a difference) but will they do anything to move the viewer?  Will they lend themselves to linkage? Will they help move products and sales?

Ask yourself.

Try this: content is content. Good content even more so. It makes no difference if we call it books; print; movies or streaming, if it’s good it’s good.

As was well said many years ago by a titan of content creation who still sells them out and will long after dance boy is forgotten.

What’s in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet.
William Shakespeare

So nothing smells sweeter than a FIFA World Cup or a Super Bowl or a Harry Potter. And nothing will ever trump the Bible or the Qur’an.

Call it what you will, I call it great content and I’m happy to read it, see it; hear it and experience in the way that is most comfortable for me at that moment.

Last thought if you thought I meant Content…..

Who is wise? He that learns from every One.
Who is powerful? He that governs his Passions.
Who is rich? He that is content.
Who is that? Nobody.
Benjamin Franklin

Posted by David on 03/24 at 07:59 AM
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