Now, on to the video.  What a powerful, yet simply done message.  The tempo, flow, imagery, and music all come together to really get the point across.  This group targets church members around the United States and their YouTube video already has about 90,000 views.  Not bad for trying to reach a niche audience.

The home page, like every other university web site out there, has a large photo-centric center section that corresponds with a recent news-ish story.

There’s a tiny bit of interactivity with the mouse on LMU’s page, however, and despite how subtle it is, it really works. It got me to stick around the page minutes longer than I otherwise would, and it just makes it more fun.

Quantifiable? No. It’s a surprise a little feature like this made it through the various discussions that I know happen at institutions of higher learning (“Will people get it?” “Is it too flashy?” “Will this make us look too hip/trendy/fun?”).

Way to go, LMU. It almost makes up for your crazy, almost unreadable URL-naming system:

• Admissions = http://www.lmu.edu/page76.aspx
• Contact Us = http://www.lmu.edu/page70.aspx
• Quick Facts = http://www.lmu.edu/pagefactory.aspx?PageID=110

Give bloggers a chance, will ya?

But she knows that the Apple iPhone 3G comes out tomorrow.  The buzz is on her lips, and everyone’s lips.

My personal measure of marketable buzz is: if my parents are talking about it, it’s big.

How does Apple consistently generate such big buzz?  How does any company or movie or product or restaurant or web service generate it, and how do they measurably turn it into revenue?

Being in the viral video business, I have a vested interest in creating tactics for generating buzz about my videos and media, be it for marketing clients or for personal entertainment projects. Here are the characteristics of buzz:

#1 Buzz is Real, But Fleeting

Screenwriter John August and Ask A Ninja’s Kent Nichols have been downplaying the importance of film festival buzz on their blogs.

From Kent:
“I view awards [and film festival wins] as a karmic thumbs up that I’m going in the right direction. Nothing more, nothing less.”

I agree with them in that buzz alone does not create a career, or even a job, but it can generate a first step into a different world.  Once in that world, of course, you need to back it up with talent, training, and hard work.

#2 Buzz is Triangulation

Buzz is hearing about something from multiple channels on multiple levels. Media, social, and personal.

Iron Man was a perfect example of a buzz-worthy summer blockbuster movie.  The industry said it was good.  The commercials made it look good.  The reviews were good.  All that is standard mass marketing, however.  Those media outlets can be bought. The most important component to buzz can’t be bought…

The most important component to buzz, of course, is people.  Regarding Iron Man, people I actually connect with said it was good: friends, strangers, acquaintances, bloggers.  Then my mom said it was good, and there you go. Buzz achieved.

Iron Man

#3 Buzz is Buzz-Worthy!

Believe the hype! Buzz only works if the thing is actually worthwhile. The iPhone really is as cool as promised. Many friends say its the best device they’ve ever owned bar-none. But there is nothing lamer than buzz for something unbuzz-worthy. But that’s subjective, so be sure to narrow your buzz projecting to audiences that fit your product.

Case in point: Bon Iver. I’m the perfect audience for the indie rock album. So, when I heard about it on public radio, read about it on Pitchfork, and saw it on a friend’s iTunes shared folder, that was enough buzz for me. The media matched my tastes and my friend brought it home. I bought the album on iTunes.

Bon Iver

Takeaway on buzz: generate media and talking points for all kinds of talkers. Reporters from big media. Bloggers. Message boards. Casual fans using Facebook or MySpace. They’ll spread messages to all levels of people, and if it all coordinates on one set of ears, you’ll get the buzz you’re looking for.

He talks about his journey into Pixar, and his open and collaborative process for creating his films. His policies on keeping an open door, honest feedback, and cultivating the black sheep are right on.

Among the many meaningful take-aways from the piece is his last words at the end:

“Speaking personally, I want my films to make money, but money is just fuel for the rocket. What I really want to do is to go somewhere. I don’t want to just collect more fuel.”