Are Web series generally worth your time? A lot of brands have Webisode envy these days. I can understand why: Web videos can be way longer than those 15- or 30-second spots. I mean, with TV, people barely get a taste of your logo, and it's over. Which is why companies like Johnson & Johnson and Holiday Inn Express have taken the plunge into longer-form storytelling. But do Webisodes really enhance a brand? Not always. Case in point: Ikea, a brand whose quirky persona has long appealed to twentysomethings in transition, is releasing its own mildly star-studded Web series titled "Easy to Assemble" on Sept. 22. Metacafe is previewing the show with some training videos. Since I am cursed with the ADHD endemic to the target market, I had a hard time making it through the first one, which has now been taken down (the basic premise was that Sweden is depressing). The current teaser shows Kevin Pollack greeting Ikea customers. I hope the Webisodes themselves are funnier—and not too long. It really is true: It's not the length of your spot that matters, it's how you use it. —Posted by Rebecca Cullers

September 9, 2008 in Cullers, Ikea, Web video | Permalink

Comments

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I enjoyed this post a lot, seeing as this is an increasing area of marketing interest and although brief, you provided many details, links and points. Even though a few weeks has passed since you wrote this post and new developments have arisen, I will stick to what you have written here and express my opinion on this post. You were able to make relevant references to Ikea's efforts and those of other brands like Johnson & Johnson and Holiday Inn, while incorporating your point throughout the post. I thought that when you said "But do Webisodes really enhance a brand? Not always. Case in point: Ikea...," that this statement is not true, seeing as I feel they did do a good job of appealing to an appropriate market while incorporating humor into a brand that may have seemed foreign. The use of witty and quirky jokes, especially the extensive job Illena Douglas does to mock the Ikea brand itself in these webisodes shows that Ikea wants to not only gain recognition but also have fun with this. You also said you had a "hard time getting through the first (episode)," but I thought this was an entertaining introduction into the series, it may seem tough though for the series to develop much of a plot through the season but overall I feel that it definitely has room to grow. However, you did make a good point in questioning the length of the episodes in comparison with normal 15 to 30 second clips as I think it is valid to say there could be a happy medium between where the series is now and a common TV spot. With this too, I enjoyed your commentary on the “webisode envy“ due to the lack in TV time as I strongly agree that a brands money may be better off being placed into the production of an entire cult series online rather than a few ads on TV that might allow viewers to “get a taste of your logo.” I am a big fan of the AdFreak blog and enjoy reading your insightful and up-to-date posts, thank you.

Posted by: Trevor T | Sep 30, 2008 2:40:28 AM

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