A VC points to a nice summary of a recent keynote by Brightcove CEO Jeremy Allaire. While the keynote was about the distribution of video, just about all of it should be heeded by widget publishers of all media types. Here are some stand out quotes:
Reach consumers where they are, not where you want them to be
I love this. This should be the subtitle for the whole widget movement. This is why we microchunk and free up and syndicate our content. It's because we want consumers to be able to enjoy our content and functionality in flow, and not on some isolated web site. Jeremy really hit the ball out of the park here.
And this:
The idea, says Allaire, should be some "blended distribution strategy" that includes a branded content site, strategic syndication to affiliate sites, and viral distribution through widgets or players such as Brightcove's that "empower the consumer to distribute it for you."
This is why I get so irked by Nick Denton's slights about widgets. Nick is taking on an imaginary adversary who is shouting that widgets are a panacea for everything. That if you have a widget, you have a business. That soon there will be no ownership of websites, just widgetized and remixed chunks of content.
From where I'm standing, nobody is really arguing this. Widgets are part of a larger distribution strategy. It's exciting, because it's a new distribution channel. Viral, word of mouth marketing is nothing new of course, but what's new is being able to give consumers the exact message and presentation that you want distributed, and let them run with it if they choose.
Bizdev isn't going away. Advertising isn't going away. Media principles like the importance of controlling your distribution aren't going away. But what we're seeing from a marketing perspective, is the emergence of an important new distribution channel - the consumer - through which companies can package their best stuff - content, functionality, experience - and let consumers do with it what they may.
Obviously, I see everything through widget lenses, but I found myself nodding and getting fired up about everything Jeremy says.
Great points here. I work in bus dev @ StumbleUpon and in a lot of ways see widgets as making my job a lot easier! By the way, I would love to see a "Stumble It" right next to the "delicious it." :) We're in FeedFlare now. Sorry for the cheap shill!
David
Posted by: David Lee | May 03, 2007 at 05:25 PM
Great points here. I work in bus dev @ StumbleUpon and in a lot of ways see widgets as making my job a lot easier! By the way, I would love to see a "Stumble It" right next to the "delicious it." :) We're in FeedFlare now. Sorry for the cheap shill!
David
Posted by: David Lee | May 03, 2007 at 05:25 PM