Outline
The purpose of this project is to raise brand awareness of Ubuntu, and of the advantages of using free and open source software for new users, help them with the transition from OSX/Windows to Ubuntu, and give handy tips and tricks to already existing members. The reason this project was started, was because with online video, you can reach a much wider audience than with TV advertising, more people can get involved from different reaches of the globe, and it costs less
Who's Involved?
For those wh have said they are interested, and for those who wish to participate, please edit this page, and add your name, and optionally, what role you play in this team. Members tend to meet on the #ubuntu-viral-videos IRC channel, the #ubuntu-marketing channel (Both on irc.freenode.com) or on the ubuntu-marketing mailing list. If you want to contribute, but don't know how, let us know, and we can probably find something for you to help us out with!
* JoeODell - I can help in most ways, as I have video-editing skills. I can "chip in" with most activities if needs be.
What Needs To Be Done
So far, we have the wiki page done, but we still have plenty more to do! If you know YOU can contribute to one of these goals somehow, edit your name in underneath it.
- Create a new logo (The current one is left over from the old project)
- Create some artwork for use on the wiki, in the videos, and on the online channels.
- Find video hosting sites
- Set up the hosting channels
- Think about what we want in the videos, content-wise
- Once we have content made and uploaded, it's then just a matter of getting more content from the communty, and spreading it!
Tips to Creating A Good Video
Below is a page (Out of date, It will be updated as soon as this page is finished) that you can look at to get ideas for what to cover in your video, suggest some more ideas, find good software to use an
ViralVideoCreativeBrief < objectives and guidelines for ad creation
So, what is a viral video? As it happens, The Times has a pretty good article called 'The top ten viral ad campaigns'. Check it out, and watch some of the videos. As it says in the writeup "The ideal campaign is edgy, surprising, original, erotic and emotional – and taps into popular culture."
== If you have any quieries, feel free to email the ubuntu-marketing mailing list, or join the in the talk at #ubuntu-viral-videos or #ubuntu-marketing on irc.freenode.net
Process Ideas
Liaising with Mozilla
Given that Mozilla have already done this, and replicating work is often daft, it'd be a good idea to get in touch with them to see if any code is available that may be helpful to us. It'd also be great to draw upon Mozilla's experience of this type of project to see how successful it is.
Figure out hosting options
How are we going to host this. Private hosting is available if needed, but could Canonical help?
Motin: I am the CTO of Videoboom.com and a long time follower of Ubuntu and FLOSS. With some help of fellow Ubuntians I am sure I can offer hosting of around 5000 contributions on an individual channel of Videoboom.com - http://www.videoboom.com. Maybe available under http://ubuntu.videoboom.com, http://video.ubuntu.com or similar. The color scheme can be Ubuntu-brown and the Videoboom logo can be replaced by Ubuntu's. Is this interesting? Please let me know. You can chat with me on Gmail/Jabber: fredrik DOT motin AT gmail DOT com. Since I use FLOSS everyday developing the site it would be the least I can offer. Cheers!
We also have an offer from dailymotion.com to do pretty much the same kind of thing so our hosting options are looking pretty rosy at the minute. ChrisRowson
How to populate website pre-launch?
How are we going to get some videos up on the site before we launch it to the public?
- One idea is to contact the media departments of Universities and Colleges to give them the opportunity to create advertisements. This helps them be giving them a real life product and brief to work from, and helps us by getting innovative people who are involved in the industry on board.
How are we going to promote the website?
There are a few channels, but how are we going to promote the website?
I'm interested in artwork too, so I've put together a quick 'web 2.0' type logo jobbie for the concept, you can find it at the top of this page. I took the normal ubuntu logo and added a glass effect. ChrisRowson
One idea would be to address the community of people who are likely to be able to help create a good video. I'm guessing that this means places like youtube, operator11, google vids etc. Getting interest from the video community will probably be easier if we create a video ourselves asking for help. When in Rome.... ChrisRowson
What do we want to achieve?
What's our overall goal? What specifics should we focus on and communicate to a viewer?
- Is our goal to bring more people to Ubuntu (yes), or is it more to raise general awareness about Ubuntu and Linux at this stage?
- For each video, it would be great to get a clear idea of what we wish to communicate to a viewer. For example "Ubuntu doesn't crash", "Ubuntu is fast", "Ubuntu is free", "Ubuntu is secure". So then we can think of some (hopefully catchy) slogans:
- "Ubuntu doesn't crash" - slogan "Always Ready"
- "Ubuntu is fast" - slogan "How fast can you work?"
- "Ubuntu is secure" - slogan "Forget about Viruses"
We may also want to consider the target users for each video - business users (such as the IBM adverts), end users (such as the Intel adverts), etc.
It's certainly important for us to get this clear. We do need to establish the key messages for the ViralVideoCreativeBrief - The clearer we get this goal, the more on message the created advertisements will be. For example, the key messages behind the firefoxflicks campaign brief where 1. Firefox offers a better way to experience the Web. It's secure, easy to use, and customizable. 2. Having a choice in Web browsers matters. 3. The Web is too important to too many people to let a single company decide how we all get there. 4. The Web browser has a dramatic impact on the user's experience of the web. Lets try and create something along these lines. ChrisRowson
Ideas for videos
Although this wiki page is ideally for discussing the creation of a website which allows users to contribute their own videos about Ubuntu, comments on creating videos can go here for now.
Capitalize on the Push for Vista
Show an IT guy at a corporate office noting that 80% of all workstations will need to be upgraded for the Vista deployment. Show the machines getting removed, sent away, ending up somewhere else, getting reloaded, and redeployed to a low income urban family or to a school child in Africa or something and they smile as they get the well known Ubuntu login sound. Their computer works great with Ubuntu and they are happy to have it. - Magnus Hedemark
Re: Capitalize on the Push for Vista
- ..Nice idea, but there's a risk here the audience will associate Ubuntu with 'An operating system for Africa / people with low income' while it's (also) meant for themselves! I do like the concept, though - perhaps with a slogan like 'No Need to Upgrade - Ubuntu'. Or 'Reduce, Re-use, Recycle. Ubuntu.' -
Tie All Ads Together Somehow
I think the Ubuntu login sound ought to figure in to each of these videos, maybe at the end of each one with a nicely rendered Ubuntu name and logo. Some people are going to remember the name, others will remember the logo, but some people are more attuned to sounds and that is the most universally known sound to a Ubuntu user. - Magnus Hedemark
Tying all ads together is not only a great idea, it is mandatory. At least at the beginning and the end of every viral video. A common format should be defined (length, background sound, etc...) to unify them. A viral campaign has to be smooth, and Ubuntu's image will suffer from thousands of utterly different contributions. A strong emphasis should be put on making all viral videos feel the same. Moreover, viral videos work mostly because they are unique. They act as a teaser, which has to be followed by something more. Each video should link to a website (most likely the Ubuntu website). Only providing viral videos is not enough. They have to announce something specific, wether it is a new functionnality, a new piece of software included in Ubuntu (I'm thinking Unity here), or a new computer shipping with Ubuntu. You first tease with your video, and then, a few days/weeks later, you explain on the Ubuntu website or with another video what the fuss was all about. Nick Stouff
An idea seen, too good to miss
A bit in advance, apologies, but I saw this page reporting viral video activity http://johnc4510.wordpress.com/2007/08/12/ubuntu-viral-videos/ and it links to a brilliant example for ubuntu vs MAC. I would love to see this simple idea developed! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4V2oF_BNO5U ' they have to solve a problem and ubuntu get help from the comunity and mac is … all alone 
very cool concept....' aeclist trousers at candt dot waitrose dot com for email please remove trousers
The classroom
A class of students is having a lesson in computer-science, or similar. Everyone is happy and joky, and and you can see the "Humanity to others" glowing from them. In the background, the computers are running Ubuntu (Edubuntu?). Would do this myself if I had a room full of Ubuntu-machines. MartinAhnelöv