Get ready to take product placement to the next level, music videos are now interactive! The company Clikthrough features videos from Sony Music and Universal Music which allow you to click on “hot spots” to learn more about the artist , their clothes, their instruments and even the location of the shoot. Possibly the best part is that you don’t even need to lift your finger to click on a “hot spot” to get information. Simply roll your mouse over different images and a tag will appear before your eyes. Magic!
This could potentially be a brilliant source of cash flow for the slightly decrepit music industry. Television and movies do it (E.T. was just a giant commercial for those delicious peanut-buttery treats- Reeses Pieces right?) so what is just another music video with a Les Paul guitar tag, or a Ralph Lauren jacket advertisement? Keep in mind that these tags do not just appear out of thin air, you have to be interacting with the video at all times in order to be inundated with advertisements of products which, lets face it, are probably too expensive for you to buy anyway.
These interactive Clikthrough videos are only available on their website,clikthrough.com, with a small selection of popular videos such as Lady Gaga, Miley Cryus, The Script and the Jonas Brothers but the company could eventually team with YouTube and other video sites to provide more diverse content. While perusing the site one of the main problems with the interactive videos is that it takes forever and a half to load, and if there is one thing I definitely hate, it is buffering. I will forgive them for now, as it is a new site and I cannot even begin to understand how intricate it must be to tag every inch of the music video, but if the buffering problems continue there is no future for the videos and the company.
I ,personally, am torn about this new technology. Music videos are a way for artists to express themselves visually, giving fans a new glimpse at their idols and heroes. Music videos should leave you in awe, questioning what just happened, looking for answers and discussing the content with friends(Gaga anyone?). Music videos are themselves an advertisement for the artists and should not be ruined by a blatant attempt to promote Coke or McDonald’s.
However, I am that fan who wants to know everything about my favorite artist. I want to know what food they like to eat, what they do for fun and where they buy their clothes. The more I know the better. With Clikthrough videos obtaining this knowledge is easy and quick and with the option of not clicking on a “hot spot” the technology is versatile, appealing to consumers and savers alike. Perhaps the next time you go to view a video, you will be viewing a Clikthrough video.
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