Save the Pants: An ad made just for YouTube

This is very interesting. The makers of the stain removal product Shout have crafted a funny ad specifically for Internet viewers. These kinds of spots will have to be very good to attract viewers. They payoff could be huge because the only costs are production-related. I wonder how long YouTube/Google will permit this type of use. Certainly they will want a piece of the pie.

Bob Tedeschi explores the trend of companies taking advantage of YouTube marketing in the New York Times ("Online Sellers Discover the Power of Video Clips").

IT was just a matter of time. Online retailers have begun capitalizing on the YouTube craze, offering a video platform for product demonstrations, rants and raves, sentimental messages and just plain bizarre behavior.

At this point there is little question that the videos, on sites like 1-800-Flowers.com, Buy.com, Blendtec.com and many others soon to come, have novelty value. Whether they will help build customer traffic and sales over the long term, though, remains an open question.