The web is not TV. It’s a different medium with different rules. What used to work, won’t. Read on, and you’ll find our philosophy and our ideas about what does.

1. Viewers have power

   It’s all about the viewers. They can watch what they want, when they want, how they want. And it’s up to them, not some corporation or network executive, to determine what’s popular.

2. Don’t interrupt the show—be the show

   On the web, there’s no such thing as a “commercial break”. People won’t let you waste their time. Instead of interrupting the show, be the show.

3. Create a destination

   Let the people come to you. Create videos so ingenious, informative, and entertaining that the audience seeks them out for their own sake.

4. Foster personal expression and participation

   People want to participate in, not just consume the brands they love. And technology gives them all the creative tools they need. They can fast-forward, time-shift, mix-up, mash-up, slice, dice, copy, edit, and steal. Give people a way to express themselves, and they’ll help push your message forward on their own.

5. You have 5 seconds

   30 seconds?
   Might as well be 30 hours.
   Online, nobody waits around. Make an impression fast.

6. Target a niche

   1000 channels sounds like a lot, but it’s hardly enough. People have millions of interests. Target your specific niche, and you can become famous to them.

7. People are your best promoters

   Do a great job informing and entertaining people, and they’ll absorb your message—and tell their friends.

8. Go beyond the living room

   Before, TV was watched mainly in front of a TV. Now, people will watch on their laptop, on the subway, in the car, on their mobile phone, on a plane, anywhere else you can bring a screen. This means opportunities for new kinds of programming, formats, and niches for all the places beyond the living room.

9. Ads within reach

   Online video isn’t just for Nike, GM, and McDonald’s. Not everyone needs a national audience. Soon you’ll see commercials for all kinds of products and services that have never had them before.

10. Be great

    With so many choices, the mediocre will be ignored. The best way to reach people is not by being repetitive and intrusive, but simply by being great—intrinsically entertaining, genuinely informative, and essential to their lives.

10ton is a creative advertising company dedicated to exploiting the unique potential of online video.

For more insights, read our blog at www.10ton.tv.