Do You Have the Fever?

I have two young children who have not caught the “fever” yet – so admittedly I do not have it. But my friends who have daughters – whether they are 5 years old or 18 years old…have all caught it. The Bieber Fever to be exact.

He seems like a talented young man – cute hair, baby boy looks (probably because he is one), slick dance moves, squeaky clean image…all the makings for a great teen idol. But what fascinates me most about Bieber is how he “arrived” as they say in LA-LA-land.  He was discovered on YouTube – the first mainstream video sharing social media site.

YouTube launched in 2005 (that’s it?) with a very simple look. They made it possible for anyone to upload a video and watch. One of their first most watched videos had nothing to do with anything but two little brothers in a LOL spat “Charlie Bit My Finger”

Bieber continues to utilize this channel even with the strong fever following. I think part of that appeal is the grassroots efforts to promote himself through YouTube. I read that the guy who discovered him, Scooter Braun (who then took the Bieb’s to Usher for the real golden opportunity) wanted to “build him up more on YouTube first” and had Bieber record more videos from home for YouTube. Genius I say – it’s more authentic and makes his fans (who are on average 13 years old) feel like the Biebs is one of them – “just a small town girl livin’ in lonely word” – oh wait that’s another artist.

Bieber also has a Twitter account with 7.3 million followers — take that @aplusk. He is quite active and uses it to promote himself – that’s why we’re here, right? Bieber’s music video for “One Time” began selling quickly after it was uploaded to YouTube in Nov 2009. And that has been his strategy ever since.

I read a great article by George Guildford on ways music artists can make the most of social media through Twitter, Facebook, Blogging, Foursquare, SoundCloud, etc.

Writing is such a release – I think I may have the fever now. I am in awe of his overall talent, but most importantly his connection with his generation of fans (whether you call them Generation I, Digital Natives, or the Net Generation) and how he uses social media to interact, engage, promote, and be one of them. Bieber Fever Rules!

Make is simple. Make it fun to read.

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