Authenticity – The 12 new letters of Social Media Marketing

An advertising technique has emerged that pushes the needle from “fleeting trend” to “Here to stay” for social media. You can see for yourself how popular the “Haul video” is becoming. Just Google it. YouTube has a plethora of listings. Many are ready to offer a definition, everywhere from Yahoo Answers to Wisegeek.com. In simple terms it is a video that explains the shopping “haul”. Some have termed it an “unboxing for girls” technique. Unboxing is the video form of product reviews where a product is unboxed and the details of the product are reviewed as it is unwrapped. In the case of the “haul”, the video reviews the latest take from a shopping spree. Brand marketeers have quickly picked up on the viral capabilities and have made it easier for the “haulers” by providing promotional goodies to make the video more appealing. The claim is that this type of viral marketing purveys AUTHENTICITY. Friends telling friends. It is an interesting trend that pins a significant value on social media marketing. At the moment the teenage girls are the largest demographic of the “haul video” but other variants are bound to emerge. National Public Radio has a nice article. You can even listen to a broadcast sound bite.  Of course you can always Google it and find out as much as you want. My latest search produced over 12,ooo,ooo hits!

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