Such is the state of high-stakes advertising on “traditional” network TV. If your marketing budget is slightly more modest – say ZERO – then a much more efficient and effective approach is to use the Internet.

Online Video is exploding in popularity, with 100 million videos being seen per day on YouTube alone. Consider the amazing fact that web users are downloading a staggering 8 billion videos per month! Oftentimes, the amount of viewers for Online Video far surpasses the audience estimates for network television – and all for an amazing low price of, well, just about nothing!

You can create your own video and upload it to YouTube in minutes, and that video can then be seen by a worldwide audience, 24/7! Obviously, there’s no guarantee that your video will “go viral,” and be seen by thousands of people – but it’s certainly possible!

Fortunately, for video on the Internet, creativity trumps cash, and a good idea is going to beat a big budget, every time. Online Video viewers are also much more forgiving of overall quality and production value, though that is beginning to quickly change. True, you can sit in front of a webcam and make your own home-made video, but viewers are becoming more discerning about what they will watch and share with others. Your video must meet a certain quality standard, but it’s more important that it be compelling and engaging.