Medieval YouTube
Filed under: General Marketing on Wednesday, October 8th, 2008 by John Rhea
So, on Sunday, my wife and I watched the season premier of America’s Funniest Home Videos…yes, the early 90’s Bob Saget started show based on cute children, talented pets, and men getting hit in the crotch.
It’s still on, and in its 19th season no less, who knew? So, after we reveled in the darker side of humanity and the pain of others, I started thinking about how America’s Funniest Home Videos (or AFV as it’s now officially abbreviated) was the YouTube of its day.
It (far ahead of its time) used the wisdom of the crowd to produce a show popular enough to last 19 seasons and be on its third host. Most TV shows nowadays get canceled after an episode or three let alone several hosts. (That is unless you’re Family Feud. Anything that can survive Louie Anderson must be something special.)
So, what am I blabbering about? Why should you care? Because we all should have seen YouTube coming. We all should have been able to stand upon the shoulders of giants like Bob Saget and create that next big thing. Certainly there had to be a confluence of technology and business savvy to make it work. But, 16 years before YouTube was founded, Vin Di Bona (AFV’s Producer) saw something that became the basis of Web 2.0.
The only way you’re going to stay ahead of the game in this business is to constantly innovate. To constantly ask yourself, “What next?” and to keep pushing for new ways to interact with your customers and constituents. By the time you’re done reading this blog and blogs like us, the current industry fad will be over and you’ll be behind the curve. So push forward, beyond the bounds of what you see, and strike deep into the heartland of that yet undiscovered country that is the next big thing… your big thing.
