Principle 12: You need to participate

P&G’s bold move

I believe the most significant corporate new media move was by P&G, who created a series of humorous videos about male menopause. Two years ago if you asked P&G to create such videos, it wouldn’t have made it out of the brainstorming phase. The reason they’re doing it now is they realize that comedy has the potential to go viral online. But tepid P&G comedy won’t get passed along. An irreverent comedy piece like a video about male menopause has potential. It’s a surprising move that such a conservative company would take such a creatively risky chance, but it’s very telling of what needs to be done to get recognized online no matter who you are.

Don’t be a wallflower. You need to get involved in new media as a consumer first before you can produce new media. That means at the lowest level, start reading blogs that interest you. Download some podcasts and listen on your way to work. Digg a story. Search for a photo on Flickr. You can’t appreciate the true value of these various new mediums unless you try them yourself. For example, you can’t convince someone to produce and sell a TV commercial if they’ve never watched TV.

The problem is companies and traditional media institutions that want to get involved in this area are late to the game. They weren’t the ones who created it in the first place, so they feel a little superseded.

These industry mainstays were the first ones that created TV and radio commercials, but they were not the first ones to create new media. In fact, it’s been out for years and many are still not getting involved. Just now we’re starting to see some movement, but it’s being done with trepidation. And the reason they’re moving is they have no choice. Their advertising dollars are drying up.

Don't wait. Try it now. You’ll appreciate new media yourself once you participate.

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