In the rough and tumble uber competitive world of digital media, it is interesting and exciting to read success stories. Far be it for me to call Hulu a smashing economic success, but it has clearly generated what appears to be sustainable buzz around its video distribution platform.
In a rather unusual move for digital media properties, Hulu aired a major television ad during the Super Bowl. Early indications suggest the expensive gamble has paid off. As reported on Silicon Alley Insider (http://www.businessinsider.com/hulu-traffic-still-up-big-after-super-bowl-spike-2009-3), traffic initially spiked the day after the big game from 8mm average users to 18 million users. While the buzz has settled somewhat, Hulu now averages somewhere between 11-13 million users/day. This represents a substantial 1/3rd increase in usage since prior to the Super Bowl.
Two interesting observations regarding Hulu’s recent success:
First, Hulu seems to be gaining mainstream adoption. As a digital media video platform service, this is quite impressive given the intense competition for time- and mind-share. The story of Hulu, however, is unique given its focus on high-end quality premium content. It is clear that in an online world filled with massive amounts of user generated content, there is still a solid place for premium product.
Second, Hulu’s foray into the world of tradition television advertising is fascinating. While many digital media sources relay on viral or web-based promotion, Hulu stepped out of its home forum to reach a large audience during the Super Bowl. While much of Hulu’s mainstream Super Bowl ad success may be attributed to the mainstream nature of the content Hulu distributes, it also might signal a changing strategy amongst other digital media services as they attempt to expand audiences using traditional means.
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