Third Time’s a Charm: jackassworld Launches Again

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By Matt Clark

So here we go again. jackassworld is finally out of soft launch and ready to roll and it looks like they finally got it right (although I’ve said that before… twice).

On February 23rd, jackassworld.com officially launched, with up-to-date content, jackass and Wildboyz videos, and exclusive new video from the cast of jackass. To kick off the launch, the jackass cast and crew “took over” the MTV studios in New York for 24 hours from Noon Eastern on Saturday, February 23 until Noon Eastern on Sunday, February 24.

The smartest thing they did was engage their users for the launch. Member of jackassworld were able log on to log on and upload a video question to ask the cast, submit entries for the Fart Olympics and poo alphabet, and send in photos of Rick Kosick lookalikes for their K-Files. This not only allowed users to engage with their favorite group of American idiots, but jackassworld also put profiles and entries on the air, rewarding users with 15 minutes of fame.

The site itself has added some new features from the first and second soft launch. Most notably, they added a lot more content – news, music, reviews, user’s correspondence, original video, polls, games, and contest sections to keep members engaged and loyal to the site. Previously, jackassworld only had a blog.

The community section has expanded to include a new k-files section, better social networking ability, and a MySpace-like video product (it currently features two beautiful women). Also, the cast and crew profiles are now on the front page so members and fans can immediately “friend” and interact with them.

Although jackassworld’s Alexa ranking is not even close to when the site first launched, its rank and page views have increased significantly, along with its community member numbers. The blogosphere, however, seemed oddly quiet, even though blogpulse reports that “jackassworld” rose from .0005% to .0030% of all blog postings.

Chris Anderson of Wired had a great article this month entitled, Free! Why $0.00 Is the Future of Business. He argued that all companies will adopt the model of making money by giving something away. It’s obviously not a new theory – see Facebook, MySpace, Google, etc. But Anderson is advocating moving this model towards brick-and-mortar consumer goods such as DVDs and TV shows like jackass.

Viacom and jackass are accepting the rise of “feenomics” and following the path of Prince, Radiohead and every artist that has stopped fighting peer-to-peer sharing. It’s no longer an in-store product, but a download. Jackass will gain new fans because they are not asking them to make a purchase decision, they are asking consumers to join them and be entertained. They are asking consumers to add content and network with other fans. You can’t do that by buying a DVD.

How will they make money? I am concerned with marketing, not sales. But as marketing drives sales, my guess would be they will make money through loyalty. The site has the potential to extend jackass’s cult following. Those consumers/fans/followers will want to support jackass by buying the DVD, or show their love for jackass with apparel and CD’s from bands they heard on the show.

It seems jackassworld has finally created a site with a true viral loop to keep users engaged, coming back, and getting what they expect. They were able to do this because they didn’t rely on video alone. The marketing team took a comprehensive approach to promote jackassworld, using both new media (viral video, blogs, etc.) and traditional mass media (24-hour block of time on MTV). The lesson here – just because you use some digital marketing tactics does not mean you have a digital marketing plan.