With the economy continuing to crumble, it’s little wonder that even Hollywood turned to e-cards this holiday season — according to Variety, such a move has saved major studios up to $40,000 on printing and mailing costs. But what these old-school production companies are doing is nothing new for the online video community.
NextNewNetworks’ video card is fun, though be warned that you’ll come away craving cookies like crazy. The montage of baked goods frosted in stop-motion is also a clever reminder of just how many different shows they produce, and how many diverse audiences they target. From a promotional standpoint, it’s some pretty sweet multitasking.
The Lonely Island released their holiday message a few days ago, but frankly I’m a little underwhelmed. For Christmas, you see, the Lazy Sunday boys got us all I Like Sportz, a new music video…that we can download from iTunes for only $1.49. Gee, thanks.
And the Jonas Brothers, masters of utilizing online video, reached out to their fans with this a cappella message spreading good wishes for the New Year. Given the band’s roots in Christian pop, it’s curiously short on religion, but it does pointedly hint at their upcoming 2009 projects, which they are, of course, “super excited about.”
There’s nothing wrong with coupling a message of Yuletide greetings with a personal note reflecting on the organization doing the greeting, but utilizing a fairly low-budget medium as a means of spreading holiday cheer means that not everyone feels obligated to drop in a little self-promotion to justify the cost. I Can Haz Cheeseburger keeps things pure with this message compiling some great video and images of cats chasing their own tails. It’s the best Christmas present I’ve gotten from the Internet this year.
Because NewTeeVee Station was too busy covering other people’s shorts to create a greeting card for you, hopefully this wrap-up will speak for all of us here in communicating good feelings for the season. But in case the message didn’t come across, dear reader: In these dark winter days, may your streams buffer quickly, your videos go viral, and your holidays be filled with cheer.
