Today's Ypulse Youth Advisory Board post is the latest installment of Our Side of the Screen from Libby Issendorf. Remember, you can communicate directly with any member of the Ypulse Youth Advisory Board by emailing them at youthadvisoryboard at ypulse.com…or just leave a comment.

Our Side Of The Screen: The JabbaWockees For Mission G

Late last year, a new campaign debuted asking "What is G?" Celebrities, especially athletes, talked about what this mysterious "G" meant to them. Rapper Lil' Wayne said "It's the emblem of a warrior. It's the swagger of an athlete, a champion and dynasty…It's the heart, hustle and soul of the game."

Viewers of the commercial flocked to Google and YouTube to try to solve the mystery of G. Pretty much everyone had figured it out when it was officially unveiled at the Super Bowl that G = Gatorade, with a new Nike-like image to fend off Powerade.

So the secret was out. With the mystery gone and Google searches dwindling, Gatorade had to shake up its online presence to keep the users who had visited the site out of curiosity coming back for more content.

Enter MissionG.com. The microsite is Gatorade's intersection of Hulu and Facebook, providing high-quality original (branded) content that users can comment on and add to. I can't speak for the true Gatorade target. I'm an average sports fan; I recognize the athletes in this video, but I couldn't rattle off their stats. But from a youth standpoint, I think the promise of "exclusive web content!" and "behind the scenes footage!" can be a draw, but only if the content really is compelling enough.

The MissionG branded social network.
The site says, "If you want an in-depth and unique look into the sports and entertainment world, the Mission G community is the place to be. It has riveting shows and content you can’t see anywhere else on the Web." If the site is relying on branded original web content to keep its audience coming back, its content has to be truly compelling. Otherwise, there is no value for users to add this to the long list of social networks they need to log into and keep up on. What can I do here that I can't do on Facebook? If it's nothing but watch less-than-stellar videos, skip it.

So, how is the content?
In short, it's good. Using athletes is smart. Over on Yaybia, an advertising blog I contribute to, I talked about online video stats that show users often lose interest after the first episode. To keep users engaged, tapping into a large existing fan base hungry for information on their favorite athlete is great. That being said, the JabbaWockeez content is interesting but probably not must-see for as big of a target as the athletes' videos. After a few seconds, my attention span was gone and I was skimming the site for more on Kevin Garnett instead. And if I really wanted to see more on KG, I would probably head to YouTube for a bigger variety of videos.

MissionG will do well if they make sure their content is absolutely compelling and gives unique value to young sports fans. Their teaser campaign was brilliant. But when you tease your consumer with mystery and then pull away the curtain, you need to have something really great on deck for the next step.

For more coverage of youth marketing, check out the Ypulse Youth Marketing Channel sponsored by Youth Marketing Connection.

About Libby Issendorf

After growing up on a farm in North Dakota, Libby Issendorf moved to Minneapolis to attend the University of Minnesota. She discovered her passion for brands and media as a member of her school’s first-place National Student Advertising Competition team. After graduation in 2008, she began her career as a media analyst at an advertising agency. Libby works on media placement and targeting for national brands like General Mills and Land O Lakes. Outside of work, she loves blogging, playing sports, consuming gratuitous amounts of pop culture, the Minnesota Twins, being really geeky with her iPhone, and driving to see her boyfriend, who lives too far away.

Categorized under: Youth Advisory Board, Youth Marketing

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