« Using YouTube to Educate the Masses? »

The US Office of National Drug Control Policy tried to get in on Web 2.0, placing 12 anti-drug clips on YouTube.by Patricia BatesAccording to Associated Press, as of Tuesday evening, the most popular ad had been viewed 2,000 times. By the next day, the entire ONDCP channel only received around 14,500 views.Today on YouTube, Bill Clinton Freaks Out video received 865,004 views.Ian Schafer, CEO of the agency Deep Focus, says “ the spots weren’t edgy enough to get far with YouTube users. They were not especially jarring, since they were designed for television, so they are not the kind of things that work as viral video.”For advertisers accustomed to a captive audience on TV, the web is a new world where consumers choose their content. Marketers, advertisers and content producers should use the ONDCP anti-drug campaign as a powerful example of how online ads should not be.

Web 2.0: A World Where Consumers Choose The Content - Advertising - BizReport

Interesting, how a staid US organization is tapping into YouTube to send out messages of anti-drug use.  Even more interesting, that they realized that their videos weren't "edgey" enough to attract a significant number of viewers. Curious - perhaps they should have got a few kids from Orangeville to promote their video.

technorati tags:YouTube