OSIM plays legal card on YouTube
Singapore-based OSIM, known best for its massage chairs, has ordered YouTube to remove its copyright ads uploaded by users. My friend and fellow blogger I.Z. Reloaded has been sent a DMCA notice to remove the clip of an OSIM iGallop ad he uploaded in January 24, 2006.
I’ve used this particular uploaded ad in talks I’ve given at Hill & Knowlton and as a guest lecturer at SIM to prove the power the the social media to amplify the MSM content.
I find it so odd that for a company who’s vision is to expand from 1,135 outlets to 3,000 worldwide by 2013 rather play the legal card and miss out on the most amazing Internet phenomenon.
Sometimes I imagine what goes though the minds of these marketing folks is: “Let’s see, adopt a creative commons license and let the fans build a viral campaign or pay an ad agency bucket loads of cash to get the next 140,000 eyeballs… Hmm… alright ad agencies, send in your pitches!”
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It is a waste that they don’t know how to embrace the new media.
This is just plain dumb by the marketing department. I say sack the Director!
Share this story on SG social news site Mallr.com
http://www.mallr.com/story.php?title=OSIM-wants-videos-removed-from-Youtube
Cheers
I’d say that it’s not unexpected. Many past generation marketers don’t even have a clue about what online marketing is. Yahoo and Google just setup office a couple of months ago and that speaks volumes about the low level of awareness.
Personally, I’d see it as an opportunity to pitch your services. Write to OSIM about how you don’t gain anything but that video has given them exposure to xxxxx viewers.
Thanks for the comments guys. I’m not here to single out OSIM, but this is an example of what we see with larger companies that have grown because of controlled marketing. I don’t blame them for acting like such, just hope things will change as down the line as more and more marketeers begin to adopt and understand the social aspects of new media.
Would it be a response to those who have changed its original advertisement and parodied it? From the number of law suits that Google and Youtube are currently facing, it seems that people aren’t as good humoured as we would have liked them to be. In any case, I find it silly that they do this as they will end up generating negative WOM instead of positive buzz.
@ Walter — I don’t think removing it from Youtube would prevent parodies from being made. If you have a good product and a sound ad to boot, then there’s nothing people can say. But if you have a lousy product, then the damage is done already. Yeah, I agree with you that they are making it worse. They should’ve just rolled with the punches and got on with other things.
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