Bud TV Loses its Fizz
According to Ad Age today, Anheuser -Busch's Bud.TV has experienced a massive audience drop in March.
Bud.TV drew 152,000 unique visitors last month, 40% fewer than February's 253,000 visitors, according to numbers released today by ComScore Media Metrix. A-B executives have said that they hope to draw between 2 million and 3 million visitors per month by early next year to the online network, which is costing the brewer somewhere between $30 million and $40 million.
Bud.TV's original traffic numbers were all generated as a result of a major ad campaign. I went there, as many others did, to check it out. I did find some funny content, but I had to wade through a lot of crap to find it.
Because the content is kinda lame and predictable and not updated regularly, the only way they will be able to sustain any respectable traffic level is through TV, Radio and Online Ads. These Ad-Driven-Traffic models will never hold up long term without really compelling content; which to this point they do not have.
Ghost Sites of the Web says that cluggy coding also makes it very unfriendly to search engines. Major rookie mistake.
To be successful, the site needs to find ways to get people back to the site organically. Here is my advice:
- Expand beyond Video: Video is expensive and takes a long time to create. The site hasn't changed since it launched around the superbowl.
- Podcast: Audio is much cheaper and easier to create. This could keep Bud.TV top of mind by having regular content show in consumers iTunes once a week.
- Blog: I think Ted Ferguson (the Stuntman character) could put out some really funny content on a regular basis. If you don't like character blogs, then pay someone to round up funny content everyday from around the web. Just give us some reason to come back every day. Something I can subscribe to in an RSS reader.
- Use the above mediums to promote any new video content when it comes out.
- Syndicate the content. Let bloggers take the videos they like and embed them in their blogs. Just putting some of the videos on YouTube (as they have done) is not enough.
The concept is good, but if they get in a position where traffic is reliant too heavily on their own advertising, the project is doomed.
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