YOUTUBE MEMBERS EMBEDDED IN STEALTH MARKETING SCAM: THE “AS ONE GATHERING”
FAKE USER MEET-UP FOOLS UNSUSPECTING YOUTUBERS INTO MAKING VIDEO CLIP INFOMERCIALS FOR A SANFRANCISCO TOURIST TRAP AT PIER 39.
WAS THE RECENT “AS ONE GATHERING” A STEALTH MARKETING PLOY TO FOOL MEMBERS OF THE YOUTUBE COMMUNITY INTO MAKING VIDEO CLIP “INFOMERCIALS” FOR A TOURIST TRAP?
IN THIS 7 MINUTE VIDEO THE BETTERBADNEWS PANEL TRIES TO ANSWER THIS QUESTION BY MASHING UP SEVERAL VIDEO CLIPS POSTED ON YOUTUBE BY INDIVIDUALS WHO ATTENDED THE “YOUTUBE AS ONE GATHERING”.
STEALTH MARKETERS ARE LEARNING HOW TO HIDE THEIR COMMERCIAL OBJECTIVES BEHIND THE PERSONALITIES OF TOP RANKED MEMBERS OF POPULAR SOCIAL NETWORKS. TO THAT END YOUTUBE CONSPIRED WITH SEVERAL HIGHLY SUBSCRIBED YOUTUBE MEMBERS INCLUDING RENETTO AND MR. SAFETY TO ACT AS THE MAIN PROMOTERS OF THE “AS ONE GATHERING”. THEIR JOB WAS TO CREATE A FALSE FRONT FROM WHICH TO RALLY FANS ENCOURAGING THEM TO SHOW UP WITH THEIR VIDEO RECORDERS AND BE READY TO BE DISCOVERED. MR. SAFETY TOLD HIS SUBSCRIBERS IN NO UNCERTAIN TERMS, “BELIEVE ME, TALENT SCOUTS ARE GOING TO BE THERE. THIS GATHERING IS GOING TO BE HUGE”
THE ACTUAL ORGANIZERS OF THE “AS ONE GATHERING” HAVE TRIED TO REMAIN INVISIBLE FOR OBVIOUS REASONS. STEALTH MARKETING CAMPAIGNS DEPEND ON CREATING THE MISLEADING IMPRESSION THAT EVERYTHING WE SEE IS ORGANIZED BY THE USER COMMUNITY FROM THE BOTTOM UP NOT FROM THE TOP DOWN.
MANY QUESTIONS HAVE BEEN RAISED BY THE “AS ONE GATHERING” INCLUDING:
1. DID THE NUMBER OF COMPENSATED YOUTUBERS EXCEEDED THE NUMBER OF UNCOMPENSATED INDIVIDUALS. WHO HAS THESE STATISTICS AND HOW WERE THEY COMPILED?
2. WHAT LEVELS OF COMPENSATION WERE OFFERED TO YOUTUBE PERSONALITIES JETTED IN FROM ALL PARTS OF THE WORLD. WHAT WAS THE TOTAL BUDGET AND WHO PAID FOR IT?
3. WERE ANY DEALS CUT WITH TOP YOUTUBERS REQUIRING SECRECY. WHY?
4. WERE TALENT SCOUTS IN ATTENDANCE AS PROMISED AND IF SO WHAT ORGANIZATIONS DID THEY REPRESENT? WHO WON THE YOUTUBE VIDEO SCAVENGER HUNT?
DON’T EXPECT ANSWERS TO THESE QUESTIONS TO BE FORTHCOMING IF THE REAL OBJECTIVE OF THE “AS ONE GATHERING” WAS TO SELL YOUTUBE AS A MARKETING SOLUTION TO BRAND ADVERTISERS LIKE PIER 39. WHAT IS BECOMING CLEARER, HOWEVER, IS THAT STEALTH MARKETERS CANNOT SUCCEED IN DECEIVING THE PUBLIC WITHOUT THE PROACTIVE COLLABORATION OF TRUSTED MEMBERS OF THE SOCIAL NETWORKS THEY SEEK TO MISLEAD. RENETTO, AND MR SAFETY LIKE LONELYGIRL15 ARE LESS CREDIBLE AS TRUST AGENTS THEN THEY ONCE WERE AND THEIR USEFULNESS TO YOUTUBE MANAGEMENT WILL DIMINISH WITH EACH VIOLATION OF THEIR SUBSCRIBERS TRUST. VIEWERS ARE WISE NOT TO TRUST A WORD SPOKEN BY ANY OF THEM.
IT’S HARD TO DETERMINE HOW MANY YOUTUBE COMMUNITY MEMBERS WHO WERE AT THE “AS ONE GATHERING” REALIZE THEY WERE TRICKED INTO PRODUCING INFOMERCIALS FOR A LOCAL TOURIST TRAP BUT THE NUMBER IS PROBABLY VERY SMALL. VERY FEW LOCALS SHOWED UP.
