Lonelygirl15: A Playful Hoax or the Future of Brand Marketing?
The jig is up. The creators of Lonelygirl15, a home schooled 16-year-old who, since June 16, has posted vlog confessionals on Youtube.com about topics ranging from parental rebellion to romantic confusion, posted a message on the site last week stating that lonelygirl15 is actually fictionalized. Critics weren’t surprised. Many realized early on that her video diaries sounded scripted and the story arc Shakespearean.
Due to aggressive amateur Web sleuths, her legions of fans have come to realize that Lonelygirl15, or Bree, is actually Jessica Lee Rose, an actress from New Zealand. And her stories weren’t actually hers, but were written by two screenwriters in California. Creative Artists Agency, a Hollywood talent agency, is rumored to be the creator.
Call it a massive hoax. I call it the emergence of a new form of brand marketing. The creators haven’t actually revealed the reason for launching Lonelygirl15, but it likely is an experiment for a new form of viral marketing campaigns. That's because Creative Artists Agency not only generated buzz with the site, it created a community—one that became dedicated to posting vlog responses and maintaining message boards about the authenticity of Lonelygirl15. According to http://www.azcentral.com/offbeat/articles/0908youtube-mystery08-ON.html The Los Angeles Times, since June, Lonelygirl15 climbed to YouTube's daily “Most Viewed” list, averaging about 200,000 views each, with several topping 600,000.
Imagine that with that kind of dedicated viewership, if during last week’s confession, the creators showed “Bree” drinking a new soda that Coke or Pepsi planned to launch, or offered a peak at a trailer for a new TV reality show in which Jessica Lee Rose starred? We suddenly wouldn't simply be looking at a photogenic lonely teenager; we'd be witnessing the future of brand marketing.
Makes me remember that when it's all said and done, marketing is about getting folks to buy stuff. Making it fun for the marketers or at least the creatives by manipulating folks' desires passes the time, I suppose.
The logical extension is a thoroughly scientific psychological manipulation. Seems we've bogged down a bit, but maybe we're getting there.
Lest you think I'm cynical, consider whether or not "consumer" is the truly cynical concept.
What a great story! This would mean virtual celebrities, created simply to do particular endorsements.
Then the question is, could Lonelygirl15, or PsychoboyXY, or Pawn-of-the-realm, or BMWdriver - could a totally artificial, fictionally created virtual celebrity command residuals for endorsing other companies' products, as well?
Cool. But anyone planning to do something like this had better be very careful if they're dealing with an established brand, so no one feels deceived or misled. I think if done right, it could be done in a fun and harmless way, but it would be tricky.