Web video just grew up

Thanks to Old Spice, Rated Awesome and the Gregory Brothers, online video has officially come of age

Without any press release or fanfare, secretly and subtly, just when you thought it would never happen, Internet video grew up.

Since YouTube was born, the newborn sector has been flailing about, vaguely aware of its legs and arms, but without a clue as to how they worked. Shaky images of cats and toddlers splattered our screens like spitup on a bib.

But take a look at the last month.

July 15-16. The Old Spice Guy wins over the netizens with his hundreds of videos hilariously responding in real-time to celebrities’ tweets. The effort yields a moment of collective cathartic togetherness that marketers dream about. And it doubled Old Spice sales. 

August 12. The greatest professional movie trailer spoof in tech geek history is published. If you haven’t seen Rated Awesome's Twitter trailer, a send-up of the serious Facebook movie trailer, watch it below. This is "video response" at its best.

August 19. A song with no radio plays or sales to speak of makes the Billboard Top 100 solely because of iTunes downloads. Yes, it’s fine as a song, but the genius is in the music video. The Gregory Brothers' hit single, Bed Intruder, is a remix of a real newscast. The duo splits revenues 50/50 with the unwitting stars of its videos. Check out the full story here.

All three of these genres are 100% endemic to the web. Possible in the tubes; impossible on the Tube. The sector has hit its stride.

Web video, we're proud of you.

Enjoy the videos below. Because it’s the weekend, afterall.