Can Large Corporations Buy "Cool?"

TobyToadstool writes "With the recent news that NBC and News Corp. will launch a YouTube rival, CNet asks: Can big corporations buy the zeitgeist or will they inevitably screw up? CNet calls the new wannabe 'Me Too Tube.' The article looks at companies trying to buy their way into user-generated content. Quoting: 'There is something incredibly boring and sad about giant companies who constantly chase the fleeing tailcoats of the latest Internet trends. Like the kid who [leaned] over and copied you in art class, News Corp./NBC are the archetypal corporation — lumbering and so very uncool.'"

Comments

Re:Cool?

[pluther]

People post on YouTube because it's the "cool" place to post your videos

Not necessarily true. I post my videos on youtube because it's the only place to post them.

If NBC creates a site that's free and easy to use, so I can upload my videos easily, without giving rights to them to NBC, and if people can watch them through a link in my blog without being interrupted by ads, then I'll be just as likely to use NBC, regardless of who else is doing it.

I haven't done a study, but I'd bet a substantial number of people feel exactly the same way.

Yes... it just takes time

[spiritraveller]

Case in point: Nike tried for years to get into the skateboard shoe industry... an industry which has been dominated by smaller companies since its inception.

At first, they failed miserably. But with each attempt, they learned a little bit more about how the subculture worked.

Now they probably sell more "skateboarding shoes" than any other company.

Of course, all they've done is buy the mind-share of young people through some adept marketing... but is there any difference between that and "buying cool?"

Re:This may be "uncool"...

[Fozzyuw]

True,

Also, look at Wal-Mart. They've already tried to make a "MySpace" and... well, have you heard of it? No? That's because it's not 'Cool'. Sure, 14 year old girls could go there and add Wal-Mart clothes to their avatar and show off their styles and 'where' (see Wal-Mart) they could buy those cool clothes.

Heck, I think they might have even paid employee's kids to use it to get it kick-started.

MySpace and Facebook 'grew' into cool. Trying to break into it with a big promotion and throwing money at it, rarely works. It goes out with a bang. Sure, you hear and see it at first, but after the dust settles, it will be gone.

If something is 'cool' and you buy it, yes, you bought cool. Of course, it could become 'un-cool' but you still bought 'cool' at that time.

Cheers,
Fozzy